In the secluded embrace of the shadowy corner, the woman with platinum strands leaned against the wall, her breathing slow and her consciousness honed to a sharp edge.
Beside her, purple-visored soldiers aimed their weapons at the staircase, their flickering luminescence reflecting in their own polished armor.
The resounding thuds slowly descending the staircase closed in, and the girl raised her arm up, signaling to her two walking guns.
'Here they are. At least five.'
Emerging from the abyss of the dark staircase, an ominous blue glow heralded the approach of the enemies. At last, the long barrel emerged from behind the corner of the stairs, followed by the blue visor that immediately locked onto her.
'Armored ones.' She quickly identified her foe by the unmistakable bulk of their armor.
Without any fear or panic, a surge of raw energy coursed through her, pouring forth from her slender, alabaster fingers in unseen waves that struck the foes on the staircase.
The armored silhouettes froze as if they had turned into mere statues, wrapped and ensnared by her invisible pressure.
Her fingertips gently tickled with the energy flowing through them. She could feel the strain and pull against her power as the soldiers tried to move against her will.
"Now!" Her voice shattered the ominous silence and carried through the intercom.
Immediately, devastating beams of purple light rend the space, burning wide, gaping holes through the chests of the Federation soldiers and cutting them as if they were trees.
The purple beams pulsed the second and third times, blasting down the trapped soldiers.
Amidst the pungent odor of charred flesh and burned composite plates, the shot soldiers collapsed with the deafening clatter of metal on concrete. However, Tia didn't lower her guard—her ears strained to catch more approaching steps.
Only silence prevailed, punctuated by the rhythmic beat of her heart.
The youthful sigh of a young girl silently echoed through the dark space, marred with burn marks. 'Finally, those should be the last ones.'
She slumped against the wall with a goofy-looking smile plastered on her face. She was tired and worn down from the constant fighting, not only physically but also mentally.
"Above us!" The sudden call to action yanked her from her transient lethargy.
In an instant, a torrent of cobalt brilliance engulfed her surroundings, accompanied by an eruption of sound that was both shattering and explosive, the very air pulsating with the shockwave and heatwave.
The wall she leaned against shattered, and the floor beneath her feet crumbled with thunderous bangs.
Simultaneously, a powerful force lifted her from the ground and tossed her with alarming speed down through the shattered floor together with the pieces of concrete while her skin burned in heat.
Pain erupted in every nerve, a searing network of agony that threatened to consume her, only to be quelled almost instantly by the soothing coolness of a healing potion diffusing through her veins.
Just before hitting the ground, an invisible force slowed her descent, leaving her floating mid-air, all the pieces of rubble stopping before her. Raising her eyes, she saw the ceiling breaking apart, revealing holes through multiple floors, a flood of daylight pouring in, and highlighting the shower of falling debris.
'This is cheating! Why are they not using doors like normal people!'
With thuds, the two imperials landed by her side, their previously shiny and glossy armor burned, marred, and scratched—not even a trace left after their cloaks.
More purple lights flashed as the armored imperials quickly shifted their aim, the hydraulics in their amor roaring as the armored shoes dug into the floor.
'How could I miss this!?' Tia stared through the hole at a massive armored octocopter.
Its eight rotors sliced through the air with a resonating hum, the vibrations reverberating through Tia's body and the floor beneath her feet. Underneath its dark, steel-clad body, a series of lethal cannons hung threateningly, a vivid blue glow emanating from their cores.
She felt dumb and regretful for making such an oversight of not considering the Federation's heavy weapons.
In sync, all the canons pulsed, and blue bolts of plasma shimmered, glowing like stars in the sky as they descended toward the openings in the ceiling.
Ding!
//
New Sub Objective: The Military Machine
Gut that metal beast and cut out the pulsing heart of its main generator!
Addition to the final pool: 1 X Special Mission Voucher; 2 X +2 to Random Stat
Instant Rewards: 2 X +2 to Random Stat
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