Arthur's resolute voice thundered through the cargo hold, making every head snap toward him. Awe lit their eyes; backs straightened, hands clenched, and spirits flared as energy coursed through them.
The Enforcers rushed out of the cargo hold with their parachutes. Arthur's teammates stood behind him, wearing their own parachutes. Maple extended her arm.
"Arthur…your parachute."
Arthur turned around and took it from her hands.
"Thanks, Maple."
They locked eyes for a moment and then, shyly looked away. Arthur put on the parachute and looked downward. Leaning over the edge, he leapt into the chaos. His mates followed right behind him. Hail barraged them but they shrugged it off.
They were Chaos incarnates after all.
They broke through the clouds. Arthur lowered his head and saw his unit engaging in battle with the monsters, the painful howls of Chaos beasts echoing. They opened their parachute, landing safely.
Arthur gripped the hilt of his katana, pressing a small button on the sheath. The let-black blade shot out, pushing Arthur's off. Gripping his weapon, he rushed towards the battlefield. A beast roared, attacking the Lieutenant General. Arthur skimmed over the monster and evaded the strike. Imbuing Will into his katana, he pierced its chest. The beast froze and a moment later, it fell to the ground.
Drawing his sword, he glanced at his teammates.
Harvey struck with overwhelming pressure, making the monster howl as he advanced without fear as if daring the monster to hit it. The monster opened its bloody maw and attacked him. Harvey's blade flashed forward, attacking at the same time as the beast.
The beast stopped mid-attack.
Frozen inches away from Harvey's face, the beast fell to the ground – lifeless. Harvey pulled out his blade from the monster's chest, standing over the beast with a cold gaze.
Meanwhile, Maple was battling with another crowd of beasts. She danced like a butterfly, delicate and almost fragile.
Black blood gushed out from the monster's chest and the next second, its cold body fell to the ground.
Maple quickly stepped back, dodging the dark liquid flowing out from the monsters corpse. As it touched the earth, it eroded the soil and dug its way into the ground until it fully evaporated. Drawing a sharp breath, she paused for a moment before engaging with another beast. The beast howled, raising its two fists.
Maple narrowed her eyes, thrusting her blade forward. Stabbing the beast's chest, she coldly gazed at the monster's face. The crimson spark in the beast's eyes faded as it died, falling to the floor. As she drew her sword, she felt a surge of Chaos from behind.
Suddenly, a violent tremor shook the land. Lightning covered the sky and small drops of rain poured down on them. The chaos fragment that lay in the crater made a low hum and then…it expanded. The darkness within shook and swirled like a hurricane.
The enforcers pupils dilated as they looked at the rift. Cold sweat rolled down Arthur's face looking towards the fragment.
'It's not going through evolution, is it?!'
Arthur thought with a worried face.
The evolution of Chaos fragment was extremely rare.
According to Stratos Academy, Evolution occurs when a Chaos fragment absorbs the surrounding Chaos. However, most rifts absorption rate is low. So, it's considered a rare case.
'If this is becoming class Gamma then…'
Arthur's thoughts were cut off by Kay's shout.
"Captain! What should we do?!"
Arthur turned, his heart tightening.
The Chaos fragment was clearly going through evolution but…
'If we can just contain it before it fully evolves…'
"Hold your ground." Arthur said, gripping his sword.
Kay sighed as if he knew this would happen.
"Alright then… Amelia!"
Amelia's eyes began to glow with a Golden hue as he raised her finger. As she did so, bluish-grey strings manifested from the air and were sculpted by Amelia.
"Roger." She replied.
Arthur looked forward and shouted towards the first unit.
"Hold the rear! Only a few more minutes!"
The unit heard this command and began fighting even more fiercely. Only the dying roars of the monsters could be heard as blood, viscera and bone splattered on the ground. Arthur signaled his teammates follow him as he spoke in a heavy voice.
"Finish off the rest. Guard Amelia as she finishes the containment spell, don't let any chaos beast survive!"
Arthur rushed forward, the rain pelting against him. A beast swept at Arthur but he vaulted over its hand. He pulled his katana and cut its shoulder, barely evading the black blood.
The beast screamed in pain but before it could react, Maple appeared in front of it. She pierced its heart, twisting her blade. The monster froze and then its body went limp. She pulled her weapon out and engaged with another Chaos beast. Arthur rushed forward and thrusted his katana forward.
However, he missed by inches.
The beast roared and struck the Lieutenant General. Arthur's face crumbled as he endured the strike. Gritting his teeth, his eyes sparked with radiance like the stars. A brilliant light erupted from Arthur, covering them both. The next moment, the light dissipated and the beast had disintegrated into ashes.
"These damn beasts…" The Lieutenant General wiped his face, stepping forward.
Suddenly, he froze as a loud screech echoed throughout the battlefield. The entire unit froze, lifting their heads.
From the dark clouds, something broke through – a creature with grey skin, crimson eyes and wings like that of a bat. Arthur gritted his teeth.
"Aerial Beasts incoming! Stay clear!"
The unit moved before he finished his sentence. The flying abominations swept down with their claws, hitting their own kind in the crossfire.
However, the beasts who were struck did not die. Their flesh squirmed and slowly started to regenerate. Maple moved – striking down one beast after another.
Like a viper, she pierced the chests of the mindless monsters. Then, in a rush of adrenaline, she slipped on the mud and fell. She squirmed, trying to stand up and wiping the mud from her back. She then dusted herself and continued forward.
"That was embarrassing…" She muttered under her breath.
She shook her head sharply as an enforcers head fell beside her.
'What?'
She froze in utter shock for a few seconds.
Biting her lips, she furrowed her brows and turned around, seeing a headless corpse. Her heart dropped and rage filled her mind. Maintaining her balance, she sped ahead and leapt onto the beast. She stabbed it multiple times in a fit of rage; her clothes dyed in the beast's corrosive blood.
"Damn you…"