C276 - Cannon
The following days in the camp ended up being quite tense. Lieutenant Dyelow stayed true to her words. She sent away all the soldiers who had threatened their superiors or behaved disrespectfully. Less than fifty warriors remained among the habitations as the team waited for HQ to move the plan forward.
Khan found himself unable to be with his peers. Many still respected him, but they couldn't see him as a potential ally after he stated his position in the meeting. Khan didn't mind that too much since his training kept him busy most of the time, but it felt annoying to see that abrupt change of behavior.
Khan knew that fame and public opinion could change quickly, but he had never witnessed that first-hand. He knew that the role of an ambassador required many social connections and general likeability, so the current situation felt like a setback in his plans.
Still, Khan didn't know how to handle the issue differently, especially after some of his peers had belittled the chaos element. He had proven his character to his superiors, but he had lost part of the general respect earned through his feats.
Someone with experience in that field would have probably managed to keep the restless soldiers at bay while respecting HQ's decisions. Khan acknowledged that, but he also justified himself a bit. He was only seventeen, and his mind was all over the place. There was a limit to how much he could blame himself.
The solitary days ended up benefitting Khan. The lack of friends or soldiers willing to engage in conversations with him removed the need for lies and pretense. He could be himself and dive into his training without affecting his health. He couldn't test his spells in that camp, so his free time allowed him to sleep properly.
The peaceful period came to an end when a series of loud noises filled the area. Khan and other soldiers left their habitations only to see a series of vehicles approaching the camp before stopping next to the tall buildings.
The event surprised everyone, but Lieutenant Dyelow promptly called for a gathering to explain the situation. The new battle plan wouldn't have different teams or fronts. It would involve a joint assault meant to overwhelm the enemy lines slowly.
The news didn't please the members of the elite team. Everyone would be part of the main army now, and the swift offensive had turned into a slow advance.
Only a few soldiers managed to understand that the new tactic was basically necessary. The delay created by the defecting soldiers had allowed the Stal to fix the openings created by the assault team. It was impossible to complete precise attacks now, which also worsened the prospect of receiving air support.
More soldiers began to gather in the camp as the days continued to pass. The number of tents in the area increased, and the Lieutenants felt forced to update their underlings about the situation multiple times. The army slowly took form, and the last to arrive turned out to be Captain Clayman.
The arrival of the Captain warned everyone that the battle was imminent. The days after the event saw the Lieutenants taking control of specific platoons to improve the flexibility of the army, and Khan ended up under Lieutenant Leville again.
The items promised by the Global Army arrived, but they didn't reflect the initial list due to the difference in the various teams. The soldiers received the shields and a series of armored gear but no grenades or other offensive items since they would be pointless during that type of assault.
Time continued to pass until the day of the battle arrived. Khan found himself among a group of ninety soldiers advancing behind a series of armored trucks and a tank. Eight identical companies stood at his sides and marched forward. Only the group with Captain Clayman was different since it had more vehicles.
Khan checked his items during the march. He was wearing an armored vest and a few protections on his forearms and shin. The shield had the form of a watch on his wrist with three green lights on its screen. The item had created a thin membrane over his figure that felt like a weaker version of the cells' barrier.
The lights indicated how many bullets the shield could endure. Of course, larger projectiles would consume more charges, but Khan still liked having that additional protective layer. He didn't expect the battles to get messy right away, but it felt nice to know that he could avoid using the [Blood Shield] right away.
The advance was slow but tense. Only Khan, a few experienced soldiers, and the Lieutenants knew that the initial phases of the assault wouldn't be too dangerous, but everyone soon understood that.
The allied trench eventually appeared in the army's view, and the enemy lines past it also became visible. Chaos immediately spread among the Stal stationed there, and a few projectiles also flew from their side, but none of them managed to get past the barrage of armored trucks.
The tanks among the human groups only needed to fire a few times before the Stal jumped out of their trench and abandoned the area. The swift victory took many soldiers by surprise, but it felt normal when they considered their situation.
The Stal weren't ready to fight that massive number of troops. They weren't aware that the humans had decided to send such a force toward trenches that had never seen more than fifty soldiers on each side.
The victory didn't slow down the advance in the slightest. The Stal had taken away everything they had during their retreat, so the human side could march past the trench without bothering to take a break.
Similar scenes followed during the rest of the days. The army found settlements and trenches along its path, but the Stal had been smart enough to leave them after realizing how numerous their opponents were.
The army could advance undisturbed and without meeting enemies until the night arrived. Captain Clayman ordered everyone to stop, and the various Lieutenants echoed his message to their underlings.
The soldiers had to sleep in the open that night. A cold breeze blew over the partially barren plain, but the soldiers barely felt it. There was only tension in the air since they knew that the following day would feature actual battles.
Khan lost himself into the darkness of the night. He was among hundreds of soldiers but alone. The cold felt like an old friend among that crowd. The faint idea of resting appeared in his mind, but he ignored it to enjoy that peaceful moment before the arrival of the mess. He wanted to experience both situations and the sharp change that divided them.
Ecoruta's two moons disappeared when the morning light filled the sky. The army awakened in a matter of minutes and resumed the march into the enemy territory. More abandoned settlements and trenches appeared on its path, but signs of life eventually forced the advance to a halt.
Gulps and gasps resounded among the various companies. Khan could sense the mana around him growing tense and restless. The world seemed to know that chaos was about to unfold.
The faint shapes of a large city had appeared in the distance, but the soldiers' eyes were on the army that divided them from those figures. Hundreds of Stal, armored vehicles, trenches, and large cannons stood on their path.
The human army outnumbered its opponents, but the latter had better weapons. A single night had not been enough to fill the entire area with trenches, but the Stal retained the innate advantage that those kinds of battles gave to the defending side.
A bloodbath was about to unfold, and Khan calmly drew his knife to prepare for the event. His gesture forced the soldiers around him to snap out of their anxiety. They wielded their weapons and rifles tightly as they waited for their superiors to give the inevitable order.
"Stay behind the trucks," Khan announced among that tension. "Don't go near the tanks. Don't dive too deeply into the enemy territory if you make it to the other side. We might need to retreat."
The silence was so deep that most of the soldiers in his group heard him. Many wore resolute expressions, and Lieutenant Leville also turned to nod at him before voicing a short speech.
"Most of their defenses will be useless after reaching them," Lieutenant Leville announced. "Wait until the tanks start firing at each other. The charge will begin when the first bullet flies through the air."
Lieutenant Leville stepped forward after completing her speech. Other second-level warriors followed her and approached the back of the armored trucks. The vehicles had handholds and footholds there, and the soldiers didn't hesitate to jump on them.
"There is room for a few of you," Lieutenant Leville exclaimed after checking the situation in her group. "We'll open the battle and distract the Stal. Who wants to come?"
Terror appeared on many faces. The sole idea of jumping inside that mess and waiting for their allies to arrive sounded insane, but astonishment replaced that fear when Khan and a few others stepped forward.
"Why am I not surprised?" Lieutenant Leville chuckled when Khan jumped on one armored truck.
Khan didn't answer. He exchanged a nod with the second-level warrior and the two soldiers attached to his truck before losing himself in the waves of mana again. The time for words was over.
Similar scenes happened in the other groups. The tanks even started to move forward to make the enemy lines enter their range. Each step of those spider-like vehicles seemed to last an eternity, but a tremor eventually ran through the mana in the area, and Khan's eyes grew cold.
The trucks accelerated without giving any warning. Whistling noises and loud explosions resounded as Khan tightened his grip on the handhold. He could see the soldiers chasing after the vehicles, but he couldn't inspect the actual battlefield from his position. Still, his senses gave him a faint idea of what awaited him.
The ride became bumpy when the trucks crossed a series of fuming craters. Azure light never stopped flashing as countless bullets flew through the air. Khan couldn't keep track of so many projectiles, but a big mass of mana eventually attracted his attention.
Khan glanced past his companions hanging from the truck. They didn't understand the reason behind his gesture, but the explosion that followed made them turn. Their eyes widened when they saw that smoke had covered the armored vehicle next to them.
The armored truck turned to the side and crashed on the ground before rotating on itself. The momentum dispersed the smoke and revealed that something had blown away its front. The spinning also flung away the soldiers hanging from its back, leaving them right in the middle of the rain of bullets flying through the air.
The rider of Khan's truck moved to the right to act as a cover for those soldiers. The abrupt movement surprised the four soldiers hanging from its back, but no one lost their grip on the handholds.
The soldiers struggled to keep up with the vehicles, but the rifles also failed to reach their position most of the time. Meanwhile, the tanks on both sides fired large bullets relentlessly, but they often missed their important targets due to the many projectiles on their path.
Countless presences eventually appeared in Khan's range. His truck was almost there. He bent forward and prepared himself to jump into battle, but surprise filled his mind when he understood that the vehicle wasn't going to stop.
The truck crashed directly into the enemy trench. Its front slammed on the other side of the channel and dug a hole through the ground.
Khan and the others slammed on the truck's back due to the violent impact. Still, they felt forced to jump forward when a series of cylindrical items came out of the vehicle and started rolling inside the trench.
A series of explosions followed the leap. Khan landed on the ground with his three companions, and chaos immediately filled his mind.
Khan was right before the enemy trench. Hundreds of Stal stood in the area, and most of them were firing their rifles at the incoming tanks and soldiers. The mana took so many forms and trajectories that he almost felt overwhelmed by the information reaching his mind.
Still, his senses quickly grew used to that mess. The bullets became nothing more than a normal occurrence, and the same went for the many Stal in the area. Khan didn't need to study them anymore since he had already memorized what they were, which relieved a lot of pressure from his mind.
The Stal didn't have the time to focus on Khan's group due to the bombs that had blown away part of the trench. Five more soldiers came out of the truck crashed on the channel and joined their companions as they tried to decide where to attack.
Similar scenes happened near the other trucks. Most of those vehicles had reached their destination, and the soldiers inside them did their best to find valuable targets and charge toward them.
"There's a cannon there!" One of the second-level warriors in Khan's groups shouted among the mess of whistling noises and growls.
That short announcement was enough to make the group move. Khan and the others turned toward a large gun planted on the ground, which continued to shoot bullets toward the human tanks. A series of Stal stood before the weapon, and even more aliens occupied the trench before it.
Khan's group only contained nine soldiers, but many were second-level warriors. Also, the explosions had created a cover for their presence, allowing them to jump past the trench unnoticed.
The Stal noticed the humans among their ranks when Khan's group crossed the area destroyed by the bombs. A series of rifles immediately pointed at them, but one of the second-level warriors shouted an order before bullets could fly in their direction. "Inside the trench!"
The soldier jumped to his left, and his companions followed. Khan and the others found themselves inside a trench, with Stal aiming their rifles at them, but the same man pointed his hand forward and generated a torrent of water.
The water seemed alive as it filled the large trench and pushed the Stal away. Bullets flew from above the channel, but the aliens on the surface had a hard time aiming at Khan's group from their position. The team could follow the river to get closer to the cannon, but a hindrance suddenly appeared.
Two Stal as strong as second-level warriors marched through the river and blocked part of its might with their bare bodies. The two aliens were supporting each other to endure the spell, eventually forcing the soldier to call his attack back.
"Go!" The soldier exclaimed as he raised his arms to take a defensive stance that Khan didn't recognize. "Leave the trench and reach the cannon."
The soldiers didn't hesitate to follow those orders. Khan and the others jumped outside the trench and charged toward the group of Stal protecting the cannon.
Bullets flew in their direction. Khan and a few others managed to dodge the first wave of projectiles, but some inevitably hit their companions. The second wave of attacks was even harder to avoid, and the same went for the third.
Khan's watch lost one of its green lights before he could reach the Stal around the cannon. Twenty aliens had gathered in front of the huge weapon to block the soldiers' path, and some of them were second-level warriors.
Khan waved his glowing knife to cut two arms moving in his direction, but the Stal didn't seem to care about that loss. It jumped forward, forcing him to step back and leap to dodge the bullets coming from the trench.
The other aliens that protected the cannon advanced as Khan and other soldiers retreated. Even the human second-level warriors had to back off in front of the stronger Stal. The attack had been a failure, and the Stal were even pushing them more in the open.
"Cover me for a few seconds!" Khan suddenly shouted as he sprinted backward.
A bullet fell on his body, but the shield endured it. The second green light disappeared as Khan joined his hands and focused on his feelings. A red-purple light began to shine between his palms, and he separated them to give birth to the chaos spear.
A series of projectiles flew in his direction. Still, a soldier jumped in their trajectory while using the light in the environment to create a shield. Nothing reached Khan, which allowed him to complete his spell.
"Move away!" Khan shouted, and the soldiers busy keeping the Stal at bay jumped back to open a path for him.
The Stal initially wanted to chase those opponents, but the red-purple glow coming from Khan's ethereal weapon claimed the entirety of their attention. Part of them sensed that the spell was extremely dangerous, and some relief appeared on their faces when Khan threw it far above their heads.
Nevertheless, the relief transformed into desperation when the spear curved and fell on the cannon.. The Stal tried to move toward the weapon, but a red-purple radiance soon filled their vision and made them unable to advance.
To be continued