Chapter 1069: The Power of the Emperor's Raised Soldiers
Clare jolted awake, 'Where am I?' Her ears were ringing with the chaos surrounding her, and she could barely hear herself think. She blinked against the dull light that filtered through clouds of dust and smoke, dyeing the sky a heavy gray. At her feet, the ground was scarred and shattered, evidence of the countless explosions that had occurred there. Huge craters dotted the landscape, while the wreckage of collapsed buildings and abandoned vehicles lay scattered around, twisted, and burned.
'This smell… I remember…' She had witnessed, seen, and felt this same situation over and over again in her memory as she grew up.
The air was thick with the acrid smell of gunpowder and smoke, mixed with the metallic stench of blood that permeated the battlefield.
"War..."
In the distance, the constant sound of gunfire and explosions continued unabated, a brutal reminder that the war knew no respite. Clare could hear the heart-rending screams of the combatants, a mixture of rage and despair, echoing through the ruins.
Above her, combat drones buzzed like swarms of angry insects, their cameras swiveling and adjusting to capture every movement below. Every so often, the silence was shattered by the sound of a supersonic jet, leaving a trail of white smoke in its wake as it plunged toward the ground to wreak more destruction.
Among the combatants, monstrous figures emerged from the shadows of the ruins. Huge creatures with scaly skin and eyes that glowed with an eerie red light advanced with sharp claws ready to tear through metal and flesh. The soldiers faced these beings with a mixture of terror and bravery, firing in continuous waves as they tried to repel the inhuman advance.
An effort that was clearly futile, as the monsters were not being stopped, either by machines or human efforts.
Around her, soldiers were running for position, their armor covered in dust and their faces etched with exhaustion and determination. Clare could see in their eyes the reflection of the Hell they were plunged into, a fight not only for territory but for survival itself.
She slowly stood up, the reality of her situation sinking in deeply. Amidst the pandemonium, Clare realized that every sound of bullets, every scream, was not just the sound of war but the sound of a world crumbling around her. Only when she stood up completely did she fully realize the scale of the conflict she had been forced into.
"Welcome to The Tower of Nightmares, Soldier."
Clare looked towards the voice and saw the presence of a woman with long red hair dressed in futuristic dark red armor that protected her entire body. In the woman's hands, a Spear with several Runes written on it could be seen.
"Lady Scathach." She immediately knelt down in a sign of respect as memories of what had happened to her began to come flooding back like a tsunami.
'Right... This is my first lesson with Scathach. She took us to some unknown place through a portal, and suddenly, I found myself awake.'
"Call me General while we're on duty."
"Yes!"
"Hurry up off the ground and stand by my side."
"Yes!"
"I know you won't ask what kind of situation you're in, a commendable act of respect, so I'll explain it to you."
Scathach spun her Spear and struck it on the ground while spreading her arms wide as if putting on a show.
"This is our Family's personal Nightmare Tower, a place where only select Beings have the opportunity to train, a creation of my Husband and my talented Sisters."
"Normally, The Empire's forces would train in the alternate Nightmare Tower that my Husband and Sisters created, not this one, but since he said to train you with the best of resources, I brought the seven of you here."
'Seven…?' Clare looked around in confusion but didn't see anyone else there besides her.
Scathach smiled when she saw the other six reacting the same way as Clare. "Don't mind looking for the others. You're experiencing the same thing, but you're not in the same place."
"Moving on." Ignoring their confused looks, Scathach pointed her Spear at the monsters and enemy 'soldiers'.
Without even explaining the effects the Nightmare Towers would have on them, Scathach spoke: "The scenario is as follows, an interdimensional invasion is taking place.
"When this invasion happened, two enemy Empires were at war."
"On one side, we have an Empire focused on technology, and on the other side, we have an Empire focused on pure strength. The first Empire, as you can see, are intelligent Beings but remain physically weak, while in the other, we have Beings that are absurdly strong but are intellectually weak."
"In the middle of this, we have dimensional invaders." She pointed at the monsters.
"Your job, Soldiers of The Emperor..." She smiled broadly: "Is to pacify both sides and eliminate the invading threat."
"All you will have for support in this scenario is the Empire's state-of-the-art armor created by The Emperor himself, a plasma pistol that recharges through sunlight, and a sword made with metals taken from the deepest levels of Hell, a place where the Miasma was very dense and toxic."
Scathach snapped her finger, and Clare's uniform disappeared. She was now wearing black armor with violet tones, a plasma pistol appearing in one hand, and a sword appeared in the other.
"All you will have for support in this scenario is the Empire's state-of-the-art armor created by The Emperor himself, a plasma pistol that recharges through sunlight, and a sword made with metals taken from the deepest levels of Hell, a place where the Miasma was very dense and toxic."
Clare gripped the sword in her hand, and a black Miasma covered the blade. For a few seconds, she felt at home seeing that Miasma, but she didn't understand why.
Cautiously, like a shy child, Clare raised her hand as if to ask a question.
Scathach raised an eyebrow and said: "Speak."
"Why don't we have some formal training and then go to the war scenario?"
At this question, Scathach's smile grew wider as Clare's question was also heard by the other six. "In the old days, when a warrior taught their protégé how to fight, the first thing they did was to make them experience war themselves to know what it meant to fight."
"You are better than a protégé. You have the experiences of heroes, their knowledge and tactics, and not least... you are Blessed by the Emperor."
Scathach's smile grew even wider, and the pressure emanating from her body also grew. With them, she didn't need to take it easy like her children.
"You don't need formal training. You need to experience war for yourselves, feel your skin being cut, feel your life teetering close to death, and fight for your very survival, for your purpose, for your duty... Fight for the Emperor."
"Only then will you know what to improve in yourselves. Only then will I be able to give you the most efficient training possible."
Scathach's image began to fade from the sight of the seven, and as her final words, she spoke: "Remember, there are no rules in war, use everything at your disposal. Only those who win are considered just, only those who win can shape history."
"No matter the world, one truth is always immutable... The strong are what dictate history."
When Scathach disappeared completely.
The reactions of the seven were mixed.
Conan wasted no time and immediately put on his helmet and set out to kill the monsters, the soldiers... Or anything that got in his way.
How did he put on the helmet if the armor didn't have a helmet in the first place? He didn't know. He didn't care. What mattered was that it worked.
"Haaa!"
Laura tied her hair, and instead of jumping into the middle of the war like Conan, she went to visit the Technological Empire.
Kiana remained where she was while smiling macabrely, lightly touching her chin as if she was thinking of something very amusing. It was only 2 minutes later that she simply disappeared from where she was with absurd speed. Her fate? Only she knew.
Caelus assumed a different posture from the others, as he decided to observe everything before making a decision.
Kaleb simply walked towards the leader of the 'strongest' Empire, his eyes shining with a maniacal look. His intentions were quite obvious.
'No one can be called Emperor in front of me other than The Dragon Emperor.' He thought.
John and Clare were the most curious to Scathach, who was observing everything.
Scathach could see the reactions of the others from several kilometers away. She had encountered many Beings in her life, so she knew very well what kind of warriors they were, or in more specific cases like Kaleb and Kiana, the types of maniacs they were.
Their actions were expected, just like Conan's. He was the kind of warrior who acted before thinking, but that didn't mean he was stupid. His name was Conan for a reason. Victor knew his nature very well.
Instead of immediately going into battle, John looked at his equipment. The sword and the plasma pistol were easy to understand and simple to use.
The pistol had a battery that could fire 20,000 bullets before completely discharging. This battery could be recharged with sunlight or any other type of Energy. In his kit, he had 7 of these batteries to replace in case of emergencies.
The sword was simple to understand, too. It cuts, it causes Miasma Poisoning, and the enemy dies.
The armor was what he didn't fully understand yet.
'Heh, as expected.' Scathach laughed. She had more or less an idea of what Clare and John were like. They were both natural Leaders, just two different types of Leaders.
'I'll observe both of them to decide who will be the squad Leader.' Scathach thought.
As he turned his wrist, a hologram appeared, showing his body's vital signs, his name, and the state of his armor.
[Connecting... Welcome back, Soldier John-000, What can I help you with today?]
After a moment of confusion, he spoke: "... What are your duties?"
[Assisting the Emperor's Soldiers is the purpose of my existence. My codename is Akasha-001, an A.I based on the Empire's main A.I, the Emperor's Daughter, Akasha Elderblood... As the Main Coordinator is unavailable due to reasons beyond my authority, this sub-system based on her is currently active. In the future, I may be replaced by the Coordinator herself or by future Operators.]
"What are your specific functions that can help me at this time?" John realized that he had to be very specific in his question, or the A.I would give him a long monologue that he didn't care about right now... Although, it was quite relieving to know that a relative of the Emperor would be assisting everyone in future operations.
[Combat assistance, body analysis assistance, vital sign assistance...] Akasha-001 began to list all the systems the armor had, and it was at that moment, John realized he was correct. It was not the pistol or the sword that was the soldiers' trump card, but the armor.
'A suit of armor created by the Emperor himself...' John now understood why the General had spoken those words.
Interrupting the A.I's long monologue, he said: "Just give me something to stealthily eliminate the Empire's enemies."
Akasha 001 stopped talking for a few seconds until all of John's armor glowed faintly in violet tones.
"Accepted."
The sound no longer came from inside his head, but from somewhere inside John's armor, a violet glow was seen on the hill, and when the glow began to diminish, the armor pulsed as if it were alive.
A helmet covered John's head. The helmet was completely black on the outside, with violet stripes on the sides. Clearly, the armor was also designed to be used in stealth mode. The sword in John's hand decreased in size, and two daggers were created, and the plasma pistol changed to a plasma bow.
[Hunter Mode Activated... Happy Hunting, Operator. May the glory of The Emperor accompany you in future battles.]
When Akasha's robotic voice stopped speaking, the helmet's H.U.D was activated, showing all the information on the battlefield along with John's own information.
Putting the plasma bow on his back and the daggers on his waist, John remembered the fact that these weapons could change shape and headed toward the battlefield. He needed to understand the situation first before making a decision on what to do.
...That was his plan initially until he saw a child about to be killed by monsters. Soon, his plan changed, and unconsciously, he simply disappeared like a violet shadow from where he was and appeared above the monster. With a spin in the air, he cut the monster in half.
"Hiiii!"
Standing up from the spot and wondering what this feeling he felt was, he pointed in the opposite direction, where his H.U.D was not showing any signs of enemies, and said, "Leave."
"Y-Yes!"
"Hahaha, a hero indeed." Scathach laughed in amusement, "Although, such an attitude is not frowned upon. You have heart, John."
Scathach, who was floating in the air, shifted her perception to Clare, who was doing something similar to John.
"Just give me something to conquer the Empire's enemies." She spoke in frustration.
"… Accepted."
Another flash of light occurred, and the armor changed into something more flashy, bulky, and grandiose. The armor was made to draw as much attention as possible and inspire fear as well as respect.
Unlike John, Clare's sword and pistol did not change, remaining as they were.
[Conqueror Mode Activated… Conquer Well, Operator. May The Emperor's grace accompany you in future battles.] When Akasha-001's voice faded away.
Clare jumped into the air, holding the sword in her right hand and the pistol in her left hand. Sensing the changes in its host, the armor reacted accordingly. The moment Clare's Draconic Wings appeared, the armor acted like a liquid with slime and covered them.
'Heh? Even though she's only a dragonoid, she also has wings? It seems that the Race mix gave them more than I expected.'
Normally, Dragonoids didn't have wings, just horns; only when they became True Dragons, would they usually acquire wings.
There was a reason for this. A True Dragon regulated the Energy that its powerful heart created with its wings. Of course, they also served to support its massive body in Dragon Form.
'Well, many Races that have wings were used in the mix. It would be unrealistic for her not to have some kind of wings.' Scathach thought.
Flying towards a gigantic monster in the air, Clare began firing her pistol and opening holes in the monster's flesh. When she got close enough, the armor changed again, the helmet distorted, sharp teeth were seen, and then...
ROOOOOOOOOAR!
A gigantic breath of violet fire erupted out of Clare's mouth.
"...Okay, this is ridiculous." Scathach snorted, analyzing the breath. She saw that the breath did not have the properties of True Dragons that could destroy everything, but that did not mean it was not dangerous. The Angel's Light Essence and the Demons' Dark ones could be felt to a lesser degree, but it could still be felt.
Trying to understand what she was witnessing, something flashed in Scathach's head: '...The Fragment... That's it! The Fragment of Victor's Soul is influencing their Powers.'
The mixing of Races proved to be more significant than Scathach initially thought. The small particles of the Eldritch God, Victor's Soul, caused a mutation in these new Beings, a mutation that would not be approved because it would break the Balance of everything.
Instead of Dragonoids, they were more like chimera that only had the beneficial aspects of each Race that went into the mix. Normally, such a thing would make them die or fall into a situation similar to Nero in the past, but because of the Eldritch Element, everything was functioning normally. She realized that the Blessings were also playing a role in stabilizing these new existences.
'God of Chaos indeed, huh.' Scathach couldn't help but think about it. He really created the most exceptional and loyal soldiers for the Empire.
.....
Edited By: DaV0 2138, IsUnavailable
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