Shockwaves slammed the air as winds heavily thrust outward into the southern shelter's entrance. The ground rumbled, and the earth shook. It was as if there was an earthquake. Radiant and lustrous lights glowed brilliantly in the middle of the battlefield and swiftly faded afterward.
It soon calmed down as silence whispered through the cold breeze. The capabilities of the Cerberus Frag Grenades were a great deal. The power it brought and its effectiveness was unquestionable.
This was supposed to be the trump card of the battle, but the Director of Cerberus decided to use it to once again turn the tide of circumstances in the Sentinels' favor. And in his heart, there were no regrets. He glances forward into the smoke-filled road and roars at his Sentinels.
"FIRE!"
With his orders, the hiding Sentinels pointed their muzzles toward the general direction and began firing blindly at the incoming stampede of the aberrant flood. Blazing fires pushed out from the muzzles, illuminating the surroundings as thunderous gunfire followed.
*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
*BBRRRRRrrrrrtttt!!!* *BBRRRRRrrrrrtttt!!!*
The ones arming the armored sentry guns were fortunate to have heavy shielding. They managed to survive the assault of the aberrant variable and also got through the explosions of the frag grenades. It was somewhat of a hectic moment, but they didn't hesitate upon hearing the orders.
A barrage of lead pierced through the air as cries and screams echoed from the mist beyond them. The canisters of smoke grenades kept emitting smoke while whistles passed through the firing Sentinels. It was a hard battle, and it was far from efficient.
But it was something that needed to be done. The smoke grenades were for the safety of the Sentinels. It was a way to block the perception of the aberrant variable so that its accuracy would be lowered by a significant margin. And from the looks of it, Duke's strategy worked.
The whistles weren't as pressuring as before, and the aberrant variable could barely hit the Sentinels firing at the stampede. The tide of battle wasn't turning in the favor of the abominations. The Sentinel still had a change. However, before Duke could continue his thoughts.
His radio opened.
"ZZZZ... Director, we heard an explosion! Is the FOB operational? Is the Director hurt!?" Bet's voice escaped from the communicator. He had a worried tone and was panicking about the safety of their Director.
Duke thought about it for a short while before responding to the platoon leader of Bravo. "We were unexpectedly assaulted by the aberrant variable. The bastard tried assassinating me but failed. It threw a barrage of unknown material, and the front defense line was pressured."
"I had to rough up the board to give us a fighting chance. So don't worry, Bet. The FOB is still good and operational. But the Sentinels are a problem. I don't know how many got injured from the assault."
"Have you concluded the battle in the rear?" Duke questioned, wanting to know about the results of the other side. Bet immediately answered his question. "The aberrants weren't a problem, Director. In three minutes... Some of us will be reinforcing the front lines."
"Good, I'll be waiting for you. We'll handle the situation here." Duke was satisfied with the report of Bet and accepted his reinforcement without hesitation. After talking with Bet, he turned his gaze towards Aleph, who stood beside him.
"Aleph, casualty report," Duke uttered, which made Aleph perked up his ears. He glances at their Director and sighs to himself before reporting the casualties of the recent assault. "Two Sentinels have been confirmed KIAd. Five more Sentinels are disabled from combat. Ten Sentinels have minor injuries."
Hearing the casualty report, Duke furrowed his eyebrows. He clenched his fist as anger emerged from his heart. This was the first casualty he had gotten since the emergence of the first Sentinels. And it didn't feel good. To have the men under his command die wasn't delightful.
'Fuck! I know it was foolish to believe a zero casualty rate with little to no information about the bastard abominations. But for god sake! These men only gained some consciousness recently! How could I let them die!' While he felt hatred at the aberrant variable, he had more anger towards himself.
He was foolish and underestimated the variable. He should have known the moment it appeared. While it could have waited for an opportunity, it could also create an opening of its own. He practically deflated its intelligence, giving the bastard a chance.
'It's smarter than most humans and understands strategies. It might be the one that conquered the southern shelter and made it fall into ruin.' Duke gritted his teeth but rapidly cooled down. This wasn't the time to be emotional. He needed to handle the circumstances with a cool head.
Seeing the body language of his Director, Aleph understood that his master was blaming himself for the death of his comrades. He was blessed to have such a Director, but he also understood that his dead comrades wouldn't want their Director to be caught up with them.
"Director, I'm sure that they have no regrets. The fact that you worry about us is enough. We are the Sentinels, your spear and shield. It is our grand duty to die in your name, and this is a creed that will never be changed. So understand our perspective, Director."
"For self-sacrifice for our comrades and Director is the greatest of all achievements." Aleph calmly imparted the words of wisdom from a fellow Sentinel. This was the perspective of the Sentinels.
"I-I understand, Aleph. But I'd rather not have a Sentinel lose their lives under my command. Please understand... Do you not consider serving me as the greatest achievement?" Duke questioned while shaking his head. Aleph froze and wryly smiled since he couldn't answer his Director.
"Anyhow, let's take care of the bastard." Duke decided to change the subject, and the focus was directed at the aberrant variable. He then continued. "The monster should be the leader of the aberrant flood. He's smart, so don't underestimate him. He could also throw projectiles."
"I don't know how, but they are strong. Though not strong enough to damage the armor of the Vanguards. But still somewhat potent. To gain victory over this battle, the annihilation of the bastard is a matter of fact. So, instead of fighting defensively, we will be moving forward."
Advancing was the next strategy of Duke. After terminating over two-thirds of the aberrant flood, the Vanguards would start moving into the southern shelter. Sentinel squads will take cover behind the Vanguards as they move deeper and deeper to hunt the variable.
It was a simple siege tactic that needed the Vanguards to be in a tight formation to protect the Sentinels.
With this in mind, he calmly explained it to Aleph, who swiftly understood his strategy. There was a part of the tactic that was different. Duke would gather the first-ordinance Sentinel squad to hunt the bastard. This means that the siege of the Vanguards was bait for the monster's attention.
"Understood, Director. I have already ordered my men to drag the disabled and KIAd Sentinels into the H10s, so we should be able to proceed without much of a problem." Aleph nodded and began talking to the radio, informing others of the strategy.
On the other hand, he also called the group of first-ordinance Sentinel to join the hunting squad of the variable. This would be the second time the first-ordinance Sentinels would be gathered together. Perhaps this might not even be the last time.
The first-ordinance Sentinels, or the squad leaders, accepted the call of Aleph. It was an honor to personally work with the Director once again. This time, it was for vengeance against the bastard who assaulted them with projectiles.
Half an hour passed, and silence enveloped the misty battlefield. Bloodied corpses were strewn everywhere, and some of them kept flinching despite being already dead. The aberrant flood was exterminated from the world, and four armored vehicles advanced into the desolated settlement.
Behind the four Vanguards were Sentinels, carefully and quietly marching. They cautiously observed their surroundings while also shooting at the strays that were the only non-humans moving on the battlefield.
*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
After shooting some strays, the Sentinels kept advancing and carefully took each step forward. What they didn't notice was a dark figure staring from afar. This was the aberrant variable, the leader of the already fallen aberrant flood.
It was shrouded in darkness while standing at a distance. No one knew what thoughts passed through its mind. Though, could aberrants even have thoughts for themselves? Or maybe this one was different from the others? After all, it already revealed its partial intellect.
Anyhow... The aberrant flood has fallen, and the Cerberus was about to conquer the ruined southern shelter. Usually, it would have retreated and returned to its original dominion. However, it has already been given orders. And that was to establish influence in the dominion of Wyoming.
So there was no retreat in its mind, only striding forward. It must massacre the puny humans in front of it. As to honor the wishes of the queen.
Numerous tendrils left the aberrant variable's back as they pointed themselves at the advancing formation of Vanguards. Its pitch-black body began pulsing, and the tendrils deformed. But before the abomination could fire its whistling projectiles, a flashbang rolled under its body.
The aberrant variable didn't have time to react as a lustrous and radiant light gleamed before it.
*BANG!*
Its senses were distorted beyond relief. It couldn't hear anything clearly, and its sight was hindered by the unknown blast. While the abomination became muddled by the flashbang. Numerous figures emerged behind it. These figures were the first ordinance Sentinels and their Director.
The Sentinels pointed their muzzles towards and immediately pulled the trigger without delay. The lustrous fire escaped their muzzles as a thunderclap followed afterward.
*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *BRrrrrrttt!*
*BRRrrrrrttt!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
The befuddled aberrant was forced to face the rain of lead head-on. It couldn't react in time and practically got hit by every firepower of the Sentinels. Bits of its body got blown off as its tendrils were chopped off from its back. But it didn't scream in pain, unlike one would expect.
Despite its intelligence, it was still an aberrant.
The Sentinels didn't stop firing and unloaded everything they got at the lone aberrant. After several minutes of assault, the Sentinels stopped firing as the aberrant variable fell to the ground. Its five-meter body became meager in front of the Sentinels.
The crimson lenses of their gas mask flickered with dreadful light like they were demons from hell. If one would see the scene, one would wonder who's the monster amongst the two. Though, the Director of Cerberus wouldn't care. After all, in his eyes, they were his Sentinels.
Footsteps echoed, and a young man wearing a black trench coat with golden trim emerged from the darkness. He wore a luxurious peaked cap while a monocle dwelled before one of his sapphire-like eyes. A cold expression was plastered on his face as he walked towards the aberrant.
"So you are the aberrant leader, huh? I thought you would have run off by now. I guess I should be thankful for your stupidity. Otherwise, I wouldn't know what to do if you manage to escape." The young man calmly uttered while taking out a futuristic-looking handgun from his trench coat.
"I'd like to capture you for more information, but who knows what you could do." He shook his head as he muttered like he was disappointed. The Director then pointed his Dobermann at the aberrant variable's head. "I don't know who you are, but let this be the last time we meet."
"Whatever you are, I don't care. The dominion of Wyoming is mine." The Director of Cerberus, Duke Shepherd, calmly declared his rightful claim over the dominion of Wyoming. It was for him to conquer, not others from outside dominions.
*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
Flashes of light gleamed over Duke's cold face as he unloaded an entire magazine at the bastard who dared to mess with him.