Within the defense station everyone drew sharp breaths, worry apparent on their faces. They were already certain of victory but suddenly Eldrak had the upper hand again. While only sporadically firing at the enemy mothership, they watched the fight with tense hearts. They even ignored the small red dot which had appeared at the edge of their radar.
Meanwhile Haroktok's face was solemn. Eldrak was way stronger than he thought. As a Malohcras he could tell that Eldrak was only at rank eight, but his pure physical strength was still enough to contend against the overlord.
Haroktok couldn't help but admit that Eldrak was rightfully lauded as a genius. It was well known that skipping ranks to fight was harder the higher the combatants' ranks were. It was hard to say if humanity had a single fighter who could replicate Eldrak's feat.
As everyone on the bridge was focused on the fight, Haroktok suddenly noticed someone on the monitor before him. A small green dot had appeared, together with an inconspicuous description.
The Zrathras' eyes rose in surprise. After a short contemplation he quickly piece a few things together. A struggle formed in his mind. He looked at the genius produced by their clan. If only Eldrak could be a bit more ruthless…
A moment later Haroktok came to a decision. He swiped his hand. The green dot vanished from the monitor. He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the unwell feeling in his heart.
Within his quarters Mouranek closed his icy blue eyes. Had they fallen so far? Maybe it was time to take a stance…
However, while all this happened no one would have thought that Eldrak also sensed something strange. After his years on earth his mana sensitivity had been strengthened rapidly. He frowned slightly. He had no time to inspect whatever he felt closer, but he quickly came up with a plan.
The Zrathras dashed forward, ignoring the senator's defense. Lighting assaulted the metallic layer covering his body. It heated quickly, scalding his body. Eldrak gritted his teeth. He couldn't give up his advantage now, while the senator was still dealing with his backlash.
Turning rapidly, Eldrak's claws swiped at the old man. A shaky spear hastily met them. Stabilizing himself with his wings, Eldrak began to push the old man away. He quickly dashed after him, repeating the sequence.
The spectators were confused as they watched the combatants move like lightning. They clashed multiple times, flying up and down through space, quickly reaching the edge of the battlefield.
As he did his best to parry Eldrak's attacks, the senator did not know what his enemy was plaining. However, he followed Eldrak's momentum, using the traveled distance to recover slightly.
Soon the two reached the edge of the battlefield. From there Eldrak finally saw what had triggered his senses earlier. Suddenly anger boiled in his mind. His blood flowed quickly. Hot steam seemingly came from his nose.
In his rage he gathered all his strength, sending a vicious kick at the senator. Unprepared for the sudden change the old man's defense broke. He coughed a mouthful of air as he sailed through the air. He was just about to prepare a spell, wanting to regain initiative, when something appeared in his perception.
The senator drew a sharp breath as another Zrathras mothership was sailing behind him. Although it was smaller than Eldrak's it was still a massive threat. In fact, the old man lost all hope of victory as soon as he spotted this second ship.
Meanwhile rage overwhelmed Eldrak's mind. An angry shout reverberated in space:
"Lokorak! I know it's you! Have you lost your mind?!"
From the mothership a calm voice was projected into space:
"I don't know what you are saying Eldrak. Is this how you welcome your fellow clan members? I am here to help you!"
The short exchange of words gave the senator a split second to recover. But this was more than enough for someone of his level. He quickly pieced everything together as a vicious glint passed by his eyes:
"Lokorak! Thank you for the heads up! You will forever be a friend of the republic!"
Old habits die hard. The senator was a politician after all. With a single sentence he ripped open the wounds in the Zrathras Clan. Although the present clan members already knew what happened, now that it was said out loud the situation changed again.
Eldrak's angry eyes focused on the other mothership. His blood boiled with nowhere to vent. Distracted for only a moment, he was wide open in the senator's eyes. A spear tip suddenly shot towards him. The Zrathras warrior could only hastily defend as he retreated.
Within the mothership a dark skinned Zrathras sat on the captain's seat. The playful smile he portrayed looked ugly on his thin, green lips but it served to hide his real thoughts. His four arms leisurely resting on some beast heads he watched the spectacle in front of their ship.
"Eldrak…", he whispered quietly.
The officer seated before him calmy turned around:
"Any new orders, sir?"
"How did Eldrak's ship react?"
"Someone hid the connection, sir."
"So Eldrak really spotted us himself… he sure is a genius."
Lokorak almost spat the last word. It was apparent that he didn't hold Eldrak in high regards.
"Since we are already discovered we can't hold back. This would only give them even more excuses during the elder council."
"Your orders, sir?"
His smile lightly growing, Lokorak observed the fight for a few seconds. Despite losing the advantage Eldrak still held on. He only received minor injuries. A sinister pressure radiated from Lokorak's body. His two pets whimpered sadly, kneeling on the ground.
The more talent Eldrak showed, the more unconfident Lokorak felt. He could already tell that he wasn't the genius' match. If their clan really held the Ritual of Ascendence, it would only benefit Eldrak. Right now, the chances for that happening stood 50/50, but if Eldrak made a big mistake…
A plan quickly formulated in Lokorak's head before he ordered calmly:
"Let's help Eldrak. Fire a planet missile at the senator."
Silence descended on the bridge. One operator's voice shook as he asked:
"Sir. We only have a single planet missile on board. Do we really use it here?"
Lokorak's smile grew wider. Sharp teeth could be seen. He stared at the operator. The latter suddenly felt as if in hell. His body shuddered. He immediately shut up.
Seeing this, the officer didn't hesitate as he relayed the captain's order:
"Ready the planet missile! Wait until the senator is isolated and fire!"
"No! Fire immediately!", commanded Lokorak.
The officer gaped in disbelief. After a moment he had sorted out his mind. He didn't dare to question his superior. Behind that creepy smile of his, Lokorak's emotions might already be boiling. With gritted teeth he complied:
"Fire! Fire immediately!"
In space Eldrak was still facing the senator. They have exchanged over a thousand attacks by now. Eldrak was bleeding all over. Meanwhile his enemy only had a small number of new injuries.
Eldrak's eyes burned of rage. Why was he seeking close combat with the senator? Why was he willing to take all those injuries? Naturally it was because he waited for Lokorak to attack.
If the senator had to split his attention, Eldrak could find a chance to kill the old man and take credit. Then Lokorak would only be his helper, giving Eldrak a stronger position for the future.
But until now Lokorak hadn't done anything. It couldn't be that he still thought of ignoring the fight, now that he was discovered? If he did this the clan had no choice but to punish him severely.
Just as he questioned whether Lokorak might be suicidal, Eldrak noticed movement on the mothership. Its main cannon slowly turned towards their direction. Eldrak frowned, not sure what they would need the main cannon for.
Was his plan to blow up the defense station directly and take the credit? This might be possible.
While Eldrak cursed his clan member's plan in his mind, he suddenly had a strong premonition of danger. In fact, it was even stronger than when he faced the senator. He stared with wide eyes at Lokorak's mothership.
The old man also stopped fighting for a second. He felt death breathing down his back. He looked over his shoulder, not sure what was going on.
Suddenly the whole mothership shook. A massive amount of energy was used up. From the canon a gigantic metallic body shot out. It flew directly towards the two combatants, threatening to erase them in a massive explosion. Not even the senator would be sure to survive such an attack.
However, there was a reason why missiles weren't used against warriors on a large scale. Because the slow-moving missile was just too easy to evade for high-leveled warriors. Proving this fact the senator suddenly turned into a shadow. The missile lost its target as the old man dashed far into the distance.