The battlefield was a grotesque, hellish expanse where fire and Void energy clashed against Clareo's defenses. Blackened smoke rose into the sky, mingling with the horrid stench of burnt flesh and blood.
Every breath was a fight against exhaustion and the oppressive heat radiating from Ember's flames. The Void-tainted monstrosities came like waves against a crumbling shore, testing the defenders' endurance as much as their skill.
The line was holding—barely. But with each passing second, the cost of that defense became clearer.
At the northern barricade, Exeo unleashed a roaring surge of Purple Fire, the flames dancing wildly as they consumed Void-tainted soldiers with merciless precision. Yet, despite his relentless assault, the tide of enemies never ceased. For every enemy burned to ash, two more emerged from the smoke, their distorted forms lurching forward with unnerving determination.
"Terra!" Exeo shouted, his voice barely audible over the chaos. "I need a wall, now!"
Fon dropped to his knees, slamming his trembling hands into the ground. The earth groaned and shifted, rising into a jagged barricade that shuddered under the force of the advancing enemy.
"Give me a fucking second!" Fon growled, his arms shaking as he strained to control the shifting ground. Blood trickled from his nose, his body screaming for rest. "These bastards don't give a damn about pacing themselves!"
"Neither do we," Exeo snapped, his flames surging higher. "Get it done, or we're all dead!"
Fon's barricade held for a moment, giving Exeo enough time to cut down another wave with a brutal sweep of fire.
On the eastern flank, Bo and Riggs stood as a fierce duo, their abilities turning the battlefield into a maelstrom of ice and wind. Void-tainted soldiers surged toward them, but the two unleashed devastating waves of power that turned the tide with every move.
Bo slammed his hands to the ground, and an icy shockwave rippled outward, freezing everything in its path. Void-tainted soldiers were caught mid-charge, their grotesque forms frozen into jagged sculptures that shattered moments later under the pressure of Riggs' howling winds.
"Let's see them get through this!" Bo roared, raising his hands. A series of massive ice spikes erupted from the ground, arching outward like the jagged ribs of a frozen leviathan. The spikes groaned under the strain as enemy projectiles collided with them, but they held firm, creating a deadly barrier that forced the enemy to divert.
Riggs stepped forward, his aura flaring as he summoned a massive cyclone that spiraled across the battlefield, pulling enemies into its roaring core. The Void-tainted soldiers thrashed against the winds, their bodies slamming into one another before being hurled into the air like discarded toys.
"That's more like it!" Riggs shouted, his voice barely audible over the roar of the tempest.
Bo grinned through gritted teeth, his breath visible in the frigid air around him.
"Keep 'em spinning, and I'll keep 'em cold." He raised one arm, and jagged icicles materialized in the air, hovering for a split second before launching toward the cyclone's edge. Each shard found its mark, impaling enemies with brutal precision.
The combination was devastating—a vortex of wind and ice that left no escape for those caught within.
Not all could endure the unrelenting chaos. Among the Aurum reinforcements, cracks began to form. One soldier stood frozen, his weapon dangling limply in his hands, as he stared at the surrounding carnage.
The ground was a horrific mosaic of twisted limbs, charred bodies, and rivers of dark blood. The sheer number of corpses was incomprehensible, the soil beneath them completely obscured by the remains of the fallen.
"This isn't a battle," the soldier whispered, his voice trembling. "It's a fucking slaughterhouse."
Another soldier gritted his teeth, gripping his weapon tightly as he glanced at Team Unknown. "How the hell are they still standing?" he muttered, his tone filled with disbelief. "It's been hours, and they've killed thousands."
Exeo caught the hesitation and turned sharply toward the faltering group. "Get your shit together!" he barked, his flames flaring dangerously. "If you want to live, you shoot. Otherwise, I'll fucking torch you myself!"
The soldier jolted, snapping his weapon to ready position. Exeo didn't wait for acknowledgment, turning back to the front lines with a snarl.
Then it came—a guttural, earth-shaking roar that silenced the battlefield. The Void-tainted soldiers halted briefly, stepping aside like a twisted tide parting for a greater force.
From the southern hills direction, emerged the Void Titans.
Each one towered over the battlefield, their grotesque forms illuminated by the flickering glow of fire and Void energy. Their bodies were a nightmare given shape—massive limbs twisted with jagged metal and exposed muscle, veins of corrupted energy pulsing beneath their translucent flesh. Their movements were unnaturally fluid, their hulking frames betraying a disturbing grace.
One Titan's right arm ended in a colossal blade, its serrated edge glowing with a sickly green light. Another dragged a spiked chain the size of a transport vehicle, the links dripping with black blood that hissed and smoked as it touched the ground.
Their heads were eyeless, replaced by helmets fused to their skulls, and their mouths were locked in permanent snarls, exposing rows of jagged teeth. The surrounding air crackled with raw, tainted Void energy, distorting the space like heatwaves.
"What the actual fuck…" Riggs breathed, his voice barely audible.
Bo froze, his face pale. "This can't be real."
They're Void Titans, Dr. Lewis's voice came through the comms, strained but steady. HQ suspected Hades' Wrath was developing these, but we didn't think they'd deploy them so soon. These are experimental super-soldiers—designed to tear through everything.
"They'll tear through shit when I'm done with them," Ember snarled, stepping forward. His flames flared higher, casting long shadows across the blood-soaked ground. "Let them come."
The Titans roared in unison, the sound sending a shockwave across the battlefield as they charged.
The first Titan swung its spiked chain, the weapon slamming into a barricade and shattering it like glass. Soldiers were thrown like rag dolls, their screams drowned out by the deafening impact.
"Move!" Exeo shouted, leaped out of harm's way as another Titan slammed its clawed fist into the ground, leaving a massive crater in its wake.
Fon rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a blast of Void energy that seared the earth where he'd been standing. He scrambled to his feet, panting. "What the hell are we supposed to do against these things?"
"Figure it out," Exeo snapped, hurling a concentrated burst of fire at a Titan's chest. The flames licked across its flesh, exposing the metal beneath, but the creature barely flinched.
"Fucking great," Fon muttered, raising another barricade as the Titan advanced.
Despite their combined efforts, the Void Titans pressed forward, their attacks devastating the defensive lines. Team Unknown fought with everything they had, but exhaustion was taking its toll.