C454 Equipment
The silence of darkness wasn't something Khan could experience. Nightmares always afflicted his nights, so his consciousness never stopped working.
However, the missiles put Khan into a state many would link to deep sleep. He couldn't sense or think, but the nightmares didn't arrive. He was immersed in complete darkness, with nothing but faint coziness trying to spread through his fainted mind.
That darkness was short-lived. An almost silent clicking growl began to echo among Khan's thoughts and grew louder with each passing second. The cry intensified until it transformed into a deafening noise that split the blackness apart and allowed the arrival of Nippe 2's orange shades.
Khan felt the urge to throw up as his shambled senses crashed on his consciousness and made him aware of his state. Nippe 2's light blinded his eyes, a ringing noise assaulted his ears, and tremors ran through his body in an attempt to make everything fall apart.
Yet, a louder noise spread through Khan's senses and forced him to remain on his feet. Khan found himself with his mouth open and pointed at the sky while the clicking roar came out of his throat.
In a different situation, Khan would have interrupted his monstrous cry. Still, he had no control over his body. Only his urges existed, and they made him roar.
A few seconds had to pass before Khan finally closed his mouth. He lowered his head in an attempt to study his surroundings, but everything continued to shake. He felt dizzy, his head spun, and the orange shades were too blinding for his eyes. Yet, he slowly improved, and everything eventually became clear.
Khan was still next to the Princess' ship, near his group and the other students. However, everyone was in an awful state. Monica, George, Princess Edna, and the others were either on the ground or on the verge of falling. Some of the weakest descendants had directly fainted, and foam leaked from their mouths while they convulsed in the sand.
The nature of the surprise attack became evident as Khan's messy senses gathered information from himself and his surroundings. The missiles had affected the mana, even inside the soldiers. Those weapons had turned that incredible energy into a wild and chaotic poison that attacked its hosts, making their bodies useless.
That effect seemed only temporary and far from deadly, which explained how Khan had managed to recover so quickly. His mana had suffered from the explosion, but his element wouldn't let foreign chaos take control of him.
Nevertheless, the faint stability enforced by Khan's chaos didn't bring him back to his top shape. The poison had affected him for many seconds, so his senses were still a mess, but that didn't make him powerless.
Khan instinctively reached for Monica. She had remained on her feet, even if her eyes were closed and her ears couldn't hear anything. She didn't feel when Khan took her into his arms, and tremors continued to affect her while her body tried to stabilize.
Monica wasn't Khan's only worry. George was also in a similarly messy state. He barely had the time to cover Anita with his body before falling prey to the nasty explosion, which left him unable to move.
Khan stomped his left foot in an attempt to quicken his recovery and move toward George, but something managed to reach his senses and forced him to turn. He wasn't the only one able to move. The Princess' guards were also showing their skills.
Ron had his right hand on the Princess' forehead. His mana was far from stable, but he was using the little control in his grasp to improve the Princess' condition.
Meanwhile, Jack stood before them, like an unmovable mountain waiting for the enemies to arrive. The four huge shapes had gotten closer while Khan had been out, and he could identify them as cargo ships now that the fumes didn't hinder his vision too much.
The cargo ships continued to get closer until the fumes couldn't hide most of their features anymore. They were rectangular vehicles that showed their long sides to the group of students. Their doors were also open, and many different auras leaked into the symphony to create a fearsome scenery.
Khan was still fighting against his sensitive eyes and his ringing ears but saw enough to be worried. The cargo ships had an entire platoon on them, and each soldier wielded rifles or guns. That wasn't a force he could handle on his own, especially with the weapons those vehicles carried.
That wasn't the end of it. As the ships grew even closer, Khan became able to see more of the attackers' equipment. They wore black body armor that covered them from head to toe, and visors that leaked green light hid their eyes.
A scary conclusion appeared in Khan's mind. Those enemies didn't only match the number of descendants on the ground. They also had equipment meant to counter Nippe 2's hostile environment.
The ships had reached Khan's group by the time he finished his inspection, and the soldiers on them didn't hesitate to open fire. Azure bullets rained on the ground, threatening to kill anyone in sight. However, a giant figure flew in their way to act as a shield.
The pilots on the descendants' ships had suffered due to the missiles, but the Princess' vehicle had the auto-pilot, which involved safety protocols. When the enemies fired, it put itself in the bullets' trajectory to block the incoming azure rain.
Khan used that chance to lift Monica and reach for George. His steps were still weak, but he had enough strength to kick his friend to the ground. George was covering Anita, so she also fell.
A vast surge of mana forced Khan to turn again. He couldn't see due to the half-circular ship blocking his view, but the detonation that resounded was impossible to miss. Something had crashed on the other side of the vehicle, and sparks flew in every direction due to the damage it had suffered.
The Princess' ship showed its value by remaining in its position, but the platoon didn't let it be an obstacle forever. Ropes fell from the cargo vehicles as the enemies decided to land, and bullets flew again once they regained the line of sight.
The shots couldn't be precise, but some fell on the descendants, hitting a few in the process. Gory holes opened on those almost-unconscious students, and Khan even saw a leg fly.
The situation was more than clear in Khan's mind. He couldn't hope to fight against that platoon. Things would have been different if he were alone and in perfect condition, but his friends' presence didn't give him many options.
The descendants' ships could offer some protection, but that was a temporary solution. Instead, the factory nearby could turn the tables of the battle and keep everyone safe. Reaching it was the only problem.
"Go!" Ron shouted as he spread his arms to act as a meat shield for the Princess.
Many enemies had landed by then, and they had even lifted their rifles to aim properly. However, Jack jumped at the center of their formation to slam both arms downward.
Khan had seen fourth-level warriors in action, but the scene that unfolded in his eyes forced him to reevaluate his experience. Jack's descending blow hit one of the enemies, squashed him into the ground, and created a crater that sent sand in every direction.
Even the ground shook under the might of Jack's attack. He didn't use anything special, but his sheer physical strength had been enough to put fear in the enemies' minds.
The sandstorm unleashed by the attack didn't stop the enemies from firing blindly. Azure shots soon shone among the orange gales and flew toward the descendants. Yet, Ron stopped limiting himself to a human shield.
Mirror-like circles left Ron's hands and flew in the shots' trajectory, acting as shields that absorbed the mana in those bullets. Then, in the next second, they sent that energy back to their source, and cries resounded among the hovering sand.
Another shockwave followed and dispersed the sandstorm. A maimed body flew in the distance as Jack became visible again. He was right in the middle of the enemy platoon, but only blood and gory corpses encircled him.
Jack didn't hesitate to jump toward his nearest enemy, and sand rose again. Khan's sensitivity allowed him to keep track of what was happening, and shock took control of his mind. He could sense bullets crashing on Jack, but nothing seemed able to stop him.
Khan remained in a daze only for an instant before snapping back into action. Ron and Jack were giving him an opportunity he didn't dare to waste, so he reached George and mustered the entirety of his control to lift him.
Monica and George ended up occupying Khan's shoulders as he bent one last time to grab Anita's right foot. Carrying three people in that weakened state would be impossible for a human, but Khan managed to stride forward while aiming for the descendants' ships.
Khan couldn't be fast, but the ships were nearby, so he reached them after the battlefield went through three more shockwaves. He hurried behind them and let Anita's foot go before lying George and Monica on the ground.
A louder explosion resounded, forcing Khan to peek past the ships. Dark smoke had begun to come out of the Princess' vehicle, but it remained in the air. Instead, the ground showed a far different spectacle.
Jack had killed more than fifteen people in those short seconds, but a worthy opponent had joined the field. A five-meter-tall robot piloted by one of the enemies had left the cargo ships to deal with that monstrous guard.
The robot had thick arms and legs, with long rifles on both shoulders. A reinforced cabin stood at its center, allowing the pilot to see everything from a safe position. That machine contained enough synthetic mana to put fourth-level warriors to shame, and its offensive was strangely fast.
Jack lifted his arms when the robot waved a hand in his direction. To Khan's surprise, Jack remained on his feet and even stopped the attack after sliding for a few meters. Yet, the machine had another limb that quickly descended toward him.
The robot's left punch slammed on Jack's head, but he remained straight. Blood flowed on his cheek while he used his right arm to push away the second mechanical limb.
Khan felt in awe of Jack's strength and resilience. The huge robot was trying its best to squash Jack, but he was keeping its arms away through sheer physical prowess. Still, that wasn't enough to defeat the machine. Actually, the attackers could achieve their goal during that stalemate.
Bullets continued to fly back and forth. Ron kept everyone safe and hit a few enemies, but the latter advanced during the opening created by the robot. Many shots rushed toward Ron at that point, forcing him to release more circular mirrors.
Still, the attackers had more than simple bullets. While Ron focused on protecting himself, three metallic spheres rolled at his feet and unleashed a series of lightning bolts that pierced his shields.
Ron tried his best to endure the lightning bolts, but more spheres arrived, and the sixth ended up making him fall to his knees. Those weapons had even affected the Princess since she was behind him, leaving her unconscious.
The attackers hurried toward the Princess and lifted her before a couple of them pointed their rifles at Ron's head. They were ready to execute him, but a robotic arm crashed into them before they could take the shot.
Terror leaked into the symphony when the attackers turned toward Jack. The robot had lost one of its arms while the other was on Jack's back. It was pinning him on the ground with its weight, but he tried to crawl toward the Princess anyway.
The attackers gave up on executing the Princess' guards when they saw the robot budging. They hurried back to their ships and grabbed the ropes still hanging from them to leave in the direction of the huge canyon. Even the robot's pilot left the cabin to depart with the platoon's remains.
The situation didn't calm down once the battle ended. Ron was still trapped among lightning bolts, and the robot used the auto-pilot to keep Jack pinned down. Cries also resounded as the descendants started to awaken. That scenery was the embodiment of defeat, and Khan had first-row seats for it.
A tremor ran through the symphony and made Khan turn in time to grab Monica's stretched arm. She had reached for him as soon as she awakened, and he crouched to hold her.
"Khan," Monica weakly groaned as she rubbed her eyes, "Is the Princess safe?"
Khan opened his mouth, but no words came out of it. He could feel Monica's panic. It was her duty to protect the Princess, and he knew what she would try to do if he told the truth.
"Fuck!" Khan loudly cursed while gently pushing Monica down and straightening his position. He was fine now. His senses were slightly off, but his top shape was only seconds away.
Monica shot a confused glance toward Khan, but he looked at George. The latter had begun to straighten his position, and his head performed an instinctive nod when he noticed Khan's serious face. The two only needed that to understand each other.
"Wait, Khan!" Monica called and began to stand up when Khan turned to leave, but he ignored her. She would only put herself in danger if she tried to help in her condition.
Khan's sensitivity had been in a good spot for a while now. He knew exactly in which ship the Princess' was and could also keep track of their speed. Those cargo vehicles weren't too fast. He could theoretically catch up with them.
Purple-red lights flashed in the orange environment. Bright needles fell on the metal spheres around Ron while a glowing spear crashed on the robot's remaining arm. Explosions soon followed, and Ron broke free of the lightning bolts only to notice a figure sprinting in the distance and leaving sandy winds on his path.
To be continued