Location: Earth
Time Remaining: 3 minutes
As time intensified, massive voids began to appear. Reinforcements from DEXTERS' planets joined the battle as support.
In Unit 7, a colossal Beast Void, nearly fifteen meters tall, crashed through Amelia Unit's barrier.
It was a towering, two-horned, beast-like entity, ablaze with fiery bodies exuding an ominous presence. It wreaked havoc in the middle of the formation, and soldiers fought to hold their ground.
Amelia shouted, "Maintain formation! We'll encircle it with barriers until the solar eclipse ends, then let our mana panels absorb it. Support squads, shift to the flanks. Target its legs, and Elves, use mana binding to immobilize it."
This was Unit 7's first encounter with such a Beast Void. Some showed weariness and fear, but Leon, wielding two swords, charged straight at the beast-like void and rallied the troops, "Stay strong! Just three minutes to go, and we'll slay it within that time."
Amelia scolded, "That's not the plan, you fool! Forget it. Everyone, give it your all to bring it down. Rabisus, drain its mana with each strike to the max. Titans, target its legs and break them with all your might. Demons and Xiaos, launch aerial attacks to keep it occupied. Stihians and Humans, prevent other voids from interfering and eliminate any threats."
"Yes, Captain," echoed throughout, and Amelia continued barking orders.
Amelia gave another directive, "Annarrgeal, dispatch your squad to back up Jung Squad."
"Yes, Captain."
"Dammit," Amelia thought to herself, "why did this Beast Void appear out of nowhere? The solar eclipse is about to end, and our trap won't work at this rate."
Time remaining: 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
Meanwhile, Commander swung his massive sword, dispatching voids effortlessly.
Suddenly, a deafening roar pierced the air. A twenty-foot-tall Beast Void descended from the sky. Commander leaped high and cleaved the Beast Void in two, earning cheers from the onlookers.
Everett shouted, "Everyone, follow Commander!"
Commander moved from one Beast Void to another, striking them down with ease. He also handled troublesome voids, leaving the troops awestruck.
As Commander approached the Beast Voids that Unit 7 struggled with, a gigantic void swooped down, seized him, and soared into the sky.
Bystanders watched in shock as the Beast Voids breached Unit 7's barrier, leaving the soldiers drained.
Suddenly, a Stihian dragon appeared, grabbing the Beast Void's head. It breathed fire upon it, then tore its head off. The Stihian used its claws to pierce through the burning void's body, annihilating its essence while firmly holding it in place.
The Stihian roared triumphantly and channeled the absorbed mana to the troops before vanishing.
Leon, receiving the mana infusion, heard a voice in his mind, "You resemble your father now, Leon."
Leon pondered, "Is that you, Zora's Mom?"
Time remaining: 2 minutes.
Amelia shouted, "Only two minutes left! Reform and hold the formation!"
A horde of voids suddenly charged toward Jung and Annarrgeal's squads, disregarding any obstacles in their path.
Jung rallied the troops, "One final push!"
Leon darted straight for the voids' cores with swift precision. Ash brandished a colossal spear, impaling voids, while Codey followed up, using his sword to finish the ones skewered by Ash.
Jung and Juk wielded their swords, cutting through voids like butter, and Jil employed his hammer to obliterate their souls. Each warrior displayed the valor of seasoned champions.
Ash commented to Codey during the battle, "I'm exhausted, but thank goodness we trained relentlessly for the past two months."
Codey replied, "Don't chat, idiot. I'm barely keeping up."
Menoetius swung his massive hammer, crushing multiple voids at once.
Ash and Codey asked Menoetius, " Why are you still smiling?"
While Leon and the others battled the horde, Leon noticed that the voids were targeting a specific squad.
Leon bellowed, "Defensive Formation! Block everything, and eliminate them all!"
"Roger, Leon!" came the unified response.
Out of the blue, a void erupted from the sandy ground, grabbing Ash and Codey to use them as shields as it fled the barrier.
Leon pursued, and Amelia yelled, "Leon, maintain formation! Let the support squad handle it!"
Unheeding of the command, Leon remained focused on chasing the voids. Jung shouted, "Menoetius and Annarrgeal, follow Leon and support him. Jil and Juk, guard their rear as they exit."
As Leon, Menoetius, and Annarrgeal fought their way through the swarm, the voids that had snatched them disappeared into a sand-covered tunnel.
Leon sensed something amiss about the tunnel. He whispered to Menoetius and Annarrgeal, "This tunnel looks suspicious. You two stay outside; I'll retrieve Ash and Codey."
Menoetius and Annarrgeal refused, stating firmly, "They're our squadmates. We'll rescue them."
Soon, they found themselves at a dead-end, and Ash and Codey warned, "Leon, behind you!"
A void leaped at Leon, claws slashing. Leon managed to parry the attack, but Menoetius hammered it down, and Annarrgeal employed mana binding to bring Ash and Codey to safety.
Time remaining: 1 minute.
As they faced voids from all sides, Codey asked Leon, "What's the plan, Leon? Clearly, they're after you. There are more than fifty of them."
Ash added, "Leon, we have to hold them off for one more minute. That's the plan, right? The mana panels will draw them in after the solar eclipse."
Leon's thoughts raced as he pondered, "What's the reason they lured us into this cave?"
Annarrgeal kept encouraging, "Just endure for 30 seconds, everyone."
As they defended against the voids' onslaught, Leon saw an opportunity. He ascended to a higher point within the cave, concentrating all his mana into his sword's tip. With a powerful strike into the ground, he unleashed a shockwave stunning the nearby voids. Menoetius seized the opening to crush their souls.
While everyone fought for their lives, the end of the solar eclipse marked the gradual withdrawal of the moon's shadow. The sun began to slowly reemerge.
Annarrgeal shouted, "Team, the moon must be retreating, and the sun must be returning right now. Just hold on for a little longer."
"Thank you, Squad Master," the troops roared in response.
With that, Annarrgeal channeled his remaining mana to bind the voids within the cave and said, "That's it, everyone. It's up to you now."
Leon moved with lightning speed, slicing through the voids' cores like a tempest.
While they battled relentlessly, the world held its breath as the solar eclipse concluded. "10, 9, 8, 7,
6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..."
Ash cheered as he cut down voids, "The solar eclipse is over! It's easier to vanquish these voids now!"
But Ash momentarily let his guard down, and a void pounced on him. Leon, wielding two swords, rushed to Ash's defense, urging him, "Ash, stay vigilant until they're all gone."
"Yes, Leon," Ash replied.
Despite their best efforts, Leon and the others were gradually pushed toward the cave's walls. Codey wondered, "Why aren't they getting absorbed? It's been more than ten seconds."
Suddenly, a massive ten-foot-tall void materialized and lunged at Leon from above. Before Leon could react, it pierced through Ash's body as Ash shielded Leon's back.
Everyone stood in shock as the Beast Void slammed both Ash and Leon against the wall. Leon remained paralyzed, unable to move or comprehend the tragedy unfolding before him.
Codey desperately implored, "Leon, focus! We must defeat these voids to save Ash!"
But Leon, lost in shock, couldn't hear anything over the thundering beat of his heart.
Annarrgeal kept questioning, "Why haven't these voids vanished?"
On the battlefield,
All eyes watched in terror as the situation grew ever more dire. Commander and Everett, facing a relentless horde of voids, fought valiantly.
Leon and the others struggled to hold back the voids, but time was slipping away.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield,
A profound sense of fear enveloped everyone as they grappled with the unfathomable events unfolding before them. In hushed tones, some whispered with dread, "This is the end for us."
The events that had transpired on that battlefield, and indeed, throughout the universe, had left everyone in a state of profound shock. The next chapter would reveal astonishing developments.
[End of Chapter]