Chapter 147 - The Might of the Imperium (Patreon)

High Admiral Siendir rubbed his chin as he watched the feed of the battlefield.

For a primitive planet, they were putting up quite the resistance.  And to think this was after Captain Sildeth cleared the field.  The auxiliaries were taking an alarming amount of casualties for an engagement of this size and length.

But that was it.

In the end, this planet was doomed from the start.  From what he could tell, the conventional forces they brought to the field had been decimated.  The stragglers continued to fight, but they weren’t capable of coherent, organized maneuvers.  The fight was largely conducted by a small number of exceptional individuals, plus the one legitimate warship they seemed to possess.

Which meant the fight was decided.

In the end, there was no way a group that small could resist to the end.  His fleet carried an army sufficient for entire interstellar campaigns.  He had the primitives on the rope with a bare fraction of the auxiliaries available to him.  A single planet simply lacked the numbers to defeat them.  They would drown in the sheer weight of bodies he could throw at them, however exceptional they might be individually.

Which made him question what the point of this resistance was.

Were they truly so ignorant or so reckless that they chose to defy such odds with the paltry force they possessed?  Admittedly, he had encountered more than one race who did so but it was still rare, and as far as he could tell these primitives had enough information technology to understand the situation, and did not possess the kind of fanatical warrior culture that would drive them to accept those odds.  So what was their goal here?  Did they have some other angle they were working on?  Or did they just horribly miscalculate the odds when they decided to gamble it all?

Well, either way, it wouldn’t matter if he simply ended the fight now.  While letting the auxiliaries tire them out was the surest and cleanest way to do this, it would blemish his reputation to let this fight go on for too long.  And his disciples could use some more experience.

He decided.

It was time for the Vophae to join the fight.

—————————————————————————————————————

Londyn stood at the bridge, examining the battlefield.

The situation was still tense.  The stream of enemies wasn’t slowing down.  They wouldn’t be winning this fight anytime soon.

But now they had a chance.

The reinforcements from Nemesis and the AVS proved invaluable.  The magic-psychic trio were forcing all the enemy fighters to keep their distance.  They had cleared the skies immediately around the tree.  The Super Liberation Front and the other supers had boosted their numbers to a critical mass where not everyone was needed to hold the line.  They could start rotating supers in and out of the battle, giving the exhausted and the wounded a chance to rest and recover.

And then there were the necromancers.  Especially that Arachnalich.  The endlessly replenishing undead hordes could boost their numbers as high as they needed.  Even better, they were absorbing attacks, taking all the casualties in place of the precious and limited supers.

At this rate, they could hold out for the foreseeable future, at least until the ILS HQ ran out of rations.  They could buy Bob as much time as he needed.

Which is why Londyn frowned.

Surely, some sort of alien empire would have something planned for this sort of situation?  Or was the Earth truly that strong?

It was just then that alarms started going off in the HQ.

“Director!  We have incoming, just disembarked off the latest transport!  Energy readings are off the charts!”

And there it was.

“On screen.”

Four armored humanoids descended from the sky, with glowing eyes and veins.  Londyn narrowed her eyes.

“Target them with the Mass Suppressor.”

“Director?”

“Do it now.”

“...got it.”

The ILS Mobile HQ began to glow once more…

A massive purple beam shot towards the incoming targets.

Three of them lifted their hands, forming a purple barrier around the group.  The beam slammed into it, the air distorting as massive gravitational forces attempted to rip the barrier apart.

But the shield held.

And the fourth lifted his hand, his eyes blazing stars.

“What a primitive craft.  Doesn’t even have countermeasures to psionics.  Pathetic.”

The entire HQ began to shake.

And then an explosion rocked the entire structure.

“What just happened?!”

“The main reactor just went down, Director!”

“The auxiliary generators?!”

“Running but the explosion damaged the engines!  We’re starting to go down!”

“Get us over the water and make sure we’re clear of the fleet!  Tell Dr. Fraser to redirect the Suppressor to keep us afloat until then!”

Londyn grimaced as she watched the figures continue to descend.  No choice but to believe in the heroes now…

Voidspeaker, Saydaa, and PSI Omega nodded at one another as the ILS HQ began to drop from the sky.  Voidspeaker and Saydaa thrust their hands forward, the whirling void cyclone rushing toward the beings in the sky.

Meanwhile PSI Omega thrust a hand out towards the four.

And nothing happened.

PSI Omega grunted and furrowed her brow.

The lead figure glanced in her direction.

“You dare use psionic powers against the Vophae?  You are a bold one.”

He glowed with purple light as he waved a hand in her direction.

PSI Omega’s eyes widened.

And she dropped from the sky, slamming into the ground.

The lead figure crossed his arms once more.

“Take care of them.”

A female figure nodded and vanished in a flash of purple light.

She appeared midair behind the pair.  She held out her hand and a black blade covered purple light extended out.  Voidspeaker and Saydaa’s eyes widened as she started to swing her blade…

A flash of light appeared behind her, Kiyosuke popping out and swinging his blade down.  She moved her blade behind her to block and lightly kicked the shinobi.  He cried out as he flew through the sky.

But he had bought enough time.  Voidspeaker and Saydaa dropped their joint spell and flew away from the swordswoman as fast they could.  A pink inferno engulfed her as Pink Star’s dragon squadron flew in.

There was a flash of purple light.

The flames split to either side as a sword slash bisected them.

As well as the three dragons.

Pink Star gasped as her dragons dispersed and she began to fall from the sky.

Wonder Knight ran across the field and leapt into the sky, grabbing the falling girl at the peak of his arc, then landing with a grunt and sliding across the field.  He barely had time to put Pink Star down when the third figure appeared in front of him, a glowing fist pulled back.  The boy let out a cry as the fist slammed into his face, a purple blast of energy launching him across the field.

Chronolock flashed in front of him, firing her gun with one hand as she grabbed Pink Star’s hand with the other.  The bullet bounced harmlessly off the alien’s psi-barrier.  Chronolock vanished again, the two reappearing far across the field.

Only for the swordswoman to appear behind her.

Chronolock and the swordswoman both vanished.  Purple and yellow streaks shot across the field, sparks appearing all across as Chronolock tried to escape the swordswoman.

And then the swordswoman suddenly stopped, a glowing yellow greatsword barely passing in front of her face before the ground erupted around her.

Arvid landed on the field, his sword reappearing in hand.  Chronolock appeared behind him, holding her knees and panting.  Kiyosuke reappeared with a flash as well, battered but intact.

Arvid frowned.

“We will need to cooperate to contain this foe.  With her speed and skill, it is unlikely we will defeat her.  But we can stop her.  And then trust our other comrades to win their fights.  Can I count on you two?”

Both of the pair nodded.

“Then let’s go.  HAVE AT THEE!”

Arvid leapt forward and swung his blade.  The swordswoman appeared before him and their blades collided with a mighty clang that sent a gust of wind from the blades.

Arvid frowned.  He didn’t think anyone could match the expertise of a thousand year saga…but now he found himself outmatched.

The swordswoman had the advantage in speed, that was true.  And Arvid’s greatsword was more suited to the chaotic battles of war than a one on one duel such as this.  The alien’s smaller blade was much more agile.  It took all his skill to keep her at bay…along with the assistance of his two comrades.

But it was more than that.

She wasn’t just faster than him.

She was as skilled.

It was true that she was not a thousand years old.  She did not match the length of experience the saga could provide…in terms of pure years.

But the saga was divided.  Separate lives with separate opponents, none of which were like the one he now faced.  Whereas the opponent was a single entity who had personally lived every year under her belt.  Her experience was hers and hers alone, one coherent story all building to this moment.  He would not overcome her by weight of experience alone.

So Arvid abandoned defense.

He thought of one of his ancestors.

The one who they called the Berserker.

He began to swing wildly, his blade thrumming with power and shining bright.

If he couldn’t match her speed…

If he couldn’t defeat her with skill…

Then he would focus only on power!

The swordswoman leaned back slightly as the blade passed barely an inch from her face, then rushed in as Arvid’s swing carried him forward.  She swung her blade…

Kiyosuke appeared before her in a flash of light and met her strike.

Then Chronolock appeared behind her, a stun baton right about to touch her.

The swordswoman vanished, blinking to the side and swinging at the pair.

Only for Arvid to leap behind her, sword held high.  She was forced to dodge as Arvid’s strike shattered the ground.

And so the fight raged on…

—————————————————————————————————————

Wonder Knight bounced along the ground several times, grunting each time.  Eventually he managed to grab the ground with one hand, carving a huge trench as he slowed his motion.

Only for the brawler alien to appear before him again.

But a volley of crystals, shockwaves, lightning, and chakra blasts slammed into the alien before he could strike.  He crossed his arms, a psionic shield blocking the assault.

Nana and the Nova Guardians had arrived.

Wonder Knight stepped forward and thrust his fist into the alien’s stomach from the side, launching him across the field.

The alien spun around midair and landed right on his feet, stopping himself immediately.

He swung his fist in the air, a purple glow flashing around it.

Suddenly Crystal Guardian let out a cry and fell back, an impact rocking his stomach.  The alien pushed off the ground, rushing through the gap in the projectiles and slamming his shoulder into El Mantis.  Teslida focused her lighting to overcharge her suit and charged at the assailant, lighting crackling around her fists.  She swung her fist…

The alien caught it with one hand.  Lightning surged against a purple barrier but couldn’t make it through.

He gripped her hand, cracking the metal suit, and swung her about.  Teslida let out a cry as the alien hurled her into the distance.

Only for a small grenade to drop at his feet.

Dark Rose’s singularity bomb exploded, forming a twisting vortex centered on the alien.  Nana fired several seal-covered darts in a formation around the vortex, and a red barrier formed in between them.

The vortex died down…

The alien had his arms crossed in front of him, a purple barrier shining around him.  The barrier began to twist, condensing into a bright light around his fist.

He thrust his fist into Nana’s barrier…

The barrier shattered.

The alien turned towards Dark Rose and Nana, a grin on his face.

Then Wonder Knight landed in front of them.

“Get the others out of here!  I’ll hold him off!”

Dark Rose and Nana frowned but rushed to lift Crystal Guardian and El Mantis off the ground, carrying them from the fight.

Wonder Knight let out a cry and charged at the alien, his fist pulled back.  The alien dodged his blow and jabbed Wonder Knight’s side.  Wonder Knight was forced to step back.  As he did the alien leapt into the air, power gathering around his fist once more.

And then a pink figure tackled the alien midair.  They fell to the ground and tumbled a bit before separating and standing up.  Wonder Knight gasped.

It was a pink Wonder Knight.

He turned around to find Pink Star standing further back, arms outstretched and face grim.  She looked him in the eye.

“I’m not leaving you.”

Wonder Knight opened his mouth briefly, closing it as he saw the look in her eyes.  He simply nodded and turned back to his opponent.

Two Wonder Knights charged their opponent.

And Pink Star’s hands began to flash.

The alien charged to meet the two heroes but was forced to step back.  A pink Arvid descended from the sky, slamming his greatsword into the ground before dispersing.

Pink raptors appeared around his landing spot and pounced at him.

As they struck and dispersed, a pink Saydaa and Icy Rose appeared before Pink Star, lifting their hands.  A cyclone of freezing wind appeared around the alien, pinning him in place.

Pink Star had realized...

If she didn’t have the focus or power to keep up multiple super clones at once…

Then she wouldn’t.

After all, she didn’t need a second or third person permanently on the field.

Nor did she need to expend power and focus replicating them perfectly.

She just needed them to launch a specific attack.

And if she focused simply on that…

She could use a lot more of them at a much faster pace.

The two Wonder Knights leapt through the cyclone and slammed their fists into the alien’s cheeks, sending flying back.

And so Wonder Knight and Pink Star continued to fight, together.

————————————————————————————————————

Meanwhile Voidspeaker and Saydaa floated to the ground where PSI Omega had fallen.  The girl was just lifting herself out of the ground, groaning.

And then one of the aliens appeared in the air above them, surrounded by an inferno of purple flames.  He swung his hands forward and massive cone of fire blazed towards the group.

Saydaa immediately threw up a barrier, but the flames burned straight through it.

She bought enough time for Voidspeaker to finish a chant, creating a wall of pitch black that absorbed the flames.

But there was simply too much.

And so the flames began to leak past, blasting on the other side.

“Profile Loaded: Arachnalich.”

“I’m here too!”

Elise and Icy Rose arrived, adding walls of magic and ice to the defense.  With four layers now in the way, the flames eventually sputtered and faded, unable to melt through Icy Rose’s final ice wall.

Panels opened up all over Elise, and a barrage of missiles fired out.  They curved around the barriers and the flames to home in on the alien assailant.  He simply flared out the flames around him, and the missile detonated before reaching their target.

Then PSI Omega stretched out her right hand, her left still holding her head.

Rocks and debris and the wrecks of walkers and alien fighters began to lift into the air, and then all launched themselves at the alien.  He clicked his tongue and dropped his assault, moving out of the way as the projectiles collided midair.

The others turned from defense to attack.  Elise replicated Aqua Mage’s magic circles to fire jets of water into the sky.  Saydaa also began to pick up large pieces of debris to hurl at the alien.  Voidspeaker fired his draining beams.  Icy Rose launched a volley of icicles.

The alien redirected his flames to his feet, using them to launch himself forwards and evade the barrage.  Then he spun around and blasted himself forward, shooting towards the group before they could wheel their attacks around.

He slammed into PSI Omega, sending her bouncing across the ground.

Then he gasped as an icicle struck him.

He swung around, glaring, and leapt for Icy Rose, firing a small jet of flame at her.  The girl quickly created an ice wall but the jet pierced through it, forcing her to dodge.

And the alien was waiting on the other side of the wall, kicking her across the field.

“Weakness identified, loading profile: Icy Rose.”

The alien leapt back as Elise began to bombard him with ice.  Saydaa grinned and began constructing a magic circle.

Soon it was complete and a mighty blizzard filled the area.

As the two confronted the alien, Voidspeaker began his chant.  He was interrupted though, by a hand on his shoulder.  He turned and saw a battered PSI Omega frowning at him.

“Hit me.”

“Excuse me?!”

“I have an enchantment on my head.  Remove it.”

“Um, are you sure?”

Elise intensified her barrage to pin down the alien.  Red wind and flame swirled to his side and Saydaa appeared, reaching to tap his forehead.

Then purple flames swirled out, sending Saydaa flying back with a cry.

Elise dropped her barrage and caught the girl with an anti-grav field, pulling Saydaa into her arms, only for the alien to turn his sights on her.  She was forced to use her shinobi profile to retreat as the flames engulfed her prior position.

“We don’t have time, do it!”

Voidspeaker nodded and fired a black beam into PSI Omega’s head.

Blue runes appeared all over, forming a crown of light on her head.

Those lights began to flicker and fade…

And then vanished, once and for all.

PSI Omega screamed and dropped to her knees, clutching her forehead with both hands.

This stupid alien!  I need to check on Chrono!

He forced himself to laugh.  He drowned in the indulgence of war, the thrill of the fight, the slaughter...

Go Pink!  I won’t lose you!

I won’t leave you.  I’m finally standing by your side, in the only way I can.

Crystal, Mantis!  Please wake up!

I’m failing again…and now Antonio-senpai’s caught in it too!  Why am I so weak?!

She grit her teeth as the flood of voices and images threatened to overwhelm her.

But…

She focused.

She remembered her training, her practice.

She remembered the feeling of the enchantments.

She focused on what her eyes saw in front of her.

She focused on the enemy.

And on her friends in danger.

And so the voices began to quiet down, still whispering at the edge of her perception but no longer occupying the whole of her mind.

She glared at the alien as he pursued Elise, who was carrying a fallen Saydaa as she dodged blasts of fire.

She lifted her hand.

“DIE!”

She began to glow and lift into the air.  Pebbles and dust began to spontaneously float around her as her hair lifted in the air.  Her eyes began to glow bright.

A blue glow surrounded the alien and he plummeted into the ground.

And the lead alien observing the fights lifted an eyebrow.

“Oh?  So you were hiding your power?  Perhaps there is something worth my time here after all.”

And so Aurora Legion, Nemesis, and the Nova Guardians continued to fight.

But they couldn’t win.

So it was only a question of how long before they lost.

And if anyone could do something before then.

Author’s Note:

FYI next chapter might be a bit delayed.  Prob still tomorrow but maybe not first thing in the morning.  Strangely a bunch of the chapters that come after are mostly done so shouldn't be more than a day delay at worst.  And now back to the story...

Why do the Vophae, a race of psychic fungi colonies, take human appearance you ask?  That’s intentional by them, actually.  They’re shapeshifters and can arrange their cells in any configuration they want, their ‘true form’ if you could call it that is essentially just a blob after all.  But they’ve learned in their conquests across the stars that the more biologically limited races prefer being conquered by something similar to themselves, as opposed to glowing blobs, even if there’s no difference in how they will ultimately be treated.  The things they do for the auxiliaries.

Captain Sildeth just does it because he found out he likes punching things, so he likes having grasping appendages capable of applying blunt force trauma.

Anyways!

Are our teenage WMDs doomed?  Or will PSI Omega unleashing her sealed psychic powers solve everything, as is tradition?  Tune in next time, to find out!