“No one stops the emperor of the Jukal Empire!” the emperor barked inside the command center, a look of satisfaction on his face as he turned to the commander of his personal forces. “Send out everything we have. We’ll show them my might and wipe them out of existence!”
The commander didn’t even look to the emperor’s uncle, knowing that there was no way to get the emperor to reduce his orders.
***
“Crap. I was hoping that we could just stay out here, hit them at range and distract them.” Deia looked at the entire Jukal defense that was mobilizing. Her words were tinged with worry.
Dave gripped her hand. He, too, was stunned by the power of the projected emperor. With three simple hits, he’d destroyed the combined Mana barrier. It wasn’t their only Mana barrier but it was their strongest one.
“Hit them with every damn ranged weapon we’ve got. We’re prepared for the possibility that it will come down on us in order to defeat the emperor’s forces,” Jung Lee said.
Lox and Deia looked to each other. Lox was still wearing his armor but they nodded to each other, the same idea held in their hearts.
They opened up channels to the Emerilia and Jakan forces. Portal relays, flying citadels, mages, archers, aerial forces—anyone and everyone who could hit the Jukal at range were called to action.
The Jukal, in turn, used all of their weapons: missiles, plasma cannons, light cannons—all of them fired.
“The strength of their weapons is more than I thought it would be.” Dave grimaced.
“What does that mean?” Induca asked.
“It means that our Mana barriers are going to break sooner than we thought,” Malsour said, his voice emotionless and barren.
“We need to make sure that the portals are ready if we need to retreat,” Dave said.
“I’ll help you,” Malsour said.
Dave shared a look with Deia as he and Malsour disappeared. Dave looked to the portals that were arrayed behind the Emerilia and Jakan forces. They quickly gathered mages and people to help them.
“We’ll keep some of them connected to Ice Planet and other places of aid; then, the others, if we angle them up, we can connect them to Gunboat Isle,” Dave yelled. The noise of the fighting made it hard to even hear over party chat.
“Got it!” Malsour said.
They distributed the portals behind their forces and then the mages got the ground to grab the portals, creating supports and pointing them up on an angle. As they finished, the portals connected and missiles tore through the air, bringing more damage down upon the Jukal.
Malsour and Dave worked quickly. A thundering explosion made them duck, looking around before they saw one of the flying citadel’s shields were deflecting under the massive damage as it was brought under fire.
The citadel started to fall apart, the different sections breaking. A surge of power rushed through the citadel as a spell formation solidified in front of the flying citadel. The entire vessel retreated with a burst of speed. Instead of trying to re-establish their shields, they had pushed themselves away from the forces on the ground. The flying citadel crashed into the ground, leaving a deep groove. It finally came to rest after a few moments. The people on the citadel recovered and started firing back at the Jukal, even wounded and no longer able to fly.
Light spells tore through Mana barriers on the ground; artillery landed among the Emerilians and Jakan. Light cannons cut through them in swathes. However, they didn’t charge them but maintained control and continued to hit the Jukal from range.
They had been lucky to not take many losses in this war yet. Now they were being torn apart on the ground while the Jukal emperor’s shield was madly fluctuating.
Dave could already sense the shield that was waiting just behind it.
“Come on, Josh. Kill that fucking toad.” Dave saw an artillery round coming down toward him. Orbs shot out and created a barrier. The artillery round exploded; the force broke the Mana barrier and damaged Dave’s personal barrier, throwing him into the ground.
Dave’s head was ringing as Malsour picked him up.
He looked at the battlefield that had turned into chaos and at the approaching mechas that were nearing the dwarven lines.
It was a sight that he would never forget. Shields and Mana barriers were failing all over the place. There was little that they could do. Malsour and Dave disappeared, reappearing back on the flying citadel that was now wreathed in fire as it unleashed all of its firepower at the Jukal.
Everyone had pulled their weapons out and were circulating their Mana, ready to fight. Bob stood at the center of them, flanked by the members of Party Zero as well as Water, Fire, and Air.
Dave held out his arms. Metal plates appeared around him, joining together to form a new body that was only slightly shorter than Steve’s body. The two of them didn’t stand on the walls but rather hovered between two defensive walls.
In Bob’s hand, a spear formed. His cloak fell away, revealing his wolfkin body and resplendent armor with gray smoke falling off it.
In the air around the flying citadels, the aerial forces waited. Up on the walls, Legendary figures had gathered and stood there in defiance and looked down at the Jukal.
“For Emerilia!” Bob yelled, running and leaping over the crenellations, diving toward the mechas.
“EMERILIA!” Their voices reached up into the sky. Fighters jumped from the walls, the ranged attackers covering them as they charged forward. The aerial force’s voices joined with theirs, the beasts among them letting out their own war cries as they shot downward.
Dragons led the charge from above, with Denur leading them. She combined the power of their attacks into a blast of force that radiated out toward the Jukal. It came in waves. The first cut open armor and tossed those who weren’t ready for it head over heels. The second made the ground rage under the Jukal, turning against them. Moisture in the air turned into raindrops that shot out with enough force to pierce armor while a shimmering shadow made armor rust and those caught outside of armor to wither as if their life force was being drained from them. A golden wave shot through armor, as if ignoring it without cutting through it. People started screaming as it felt as if they were burning from the inside out. A blue wave of concentrated fire caused armor to crackle and pop, melting the faces off the mechas.
Those leading the charge let out their own attacks, the mechas only slightly stunned while those who were on the ground were washed away with the force of the dragons’ combined attacks.
The aerial forces behind the dragons came into range and unleashed their own attacks.
The floating defensive islands sprouted defensive fire as drones shot through the sky, raking the forces in the air. Bodies dropped to the ground below as the aerial forces broke into smaller groups, evading the defensive islands’ fire and hunting down the drones while trying to support those racing toward the Jukal.
Bob let out a shout. His body stretched to the limit before he straightened in one motion as he tossed his spear. It smashed into a mecha, exploding with Mana as another spear appeared in Bob’s hand, shooting into another mecha. Whatever his spear hit, it was destroyed.
“Lo’kal! I thought you had died on that pitiful creation you called Emerilia.” The emperor’s voice rolled through the sky as a projection of his head appeared above the battlefield looking dominating and well, imperious.
“Still hiding in your bunker like a widdle bitch!” Lo’kal laughed. Spears appeared around him and shot out at the mechas.
Mechas started to drop, their barriers and armor unable to stop Bob, who stood in the air like some war god. With a glance, destruction landed on the mechas.
“You dare to lecture me? You, a traitor to your own species? You should cut your own throat!” the emperor bellowed.
“Hah! I tried to keep humanity alive, then my esteemed race turned them into nothing but entertainment. How great is my race,” Bob spat vehemently.
“You! You!” the empero
r bellowed. His face turned into a body as he lashed out at Bob.
Bob laughed crazily as he charged up to meet the hundred-meter-tall projection of the emperor. It looked impossible for him to win, nothing more than a hair on the emperor’s body.
Spell formations rotated around Bob, channeling down his fist as he punched out. Mana poured through the formations, then into his arm, a shining gray light solidifying on his hand.
Their fists met. A powerful shock wave rumbled out as the emperor’s body became fainter and Bob was tossed backward.
His arm was destroyed, nothing more than a mangled mess but in front of everyone, it started to reform.
“So, the emperor only equals this?” Bob laughed and charged forward again. The emperor raised his hands, trying to defend as Bob flitted around. His body glowed with power as he lunged at the emperor’s projection.
“Come here!” the emperor said, infuriated as he tried to grab and hit Bob. There was no technique to his movements; he had relied on his position and the power of the AI and his energy reserves to dominate the Jukal Empire.
Now he was a hundred-meter-tall projection. Without any fighting training, he was little match to Bob as he conjured weapons, empowered his body and unleashed attacks in every direction. The emperor’s projection started to fail, only to have a larger surge of energy run through it.
Dave looked at the sight; he wouldn’t be able to do what Bob was doing. The power he showed was unparalleled on Emerilia and capable of contending with the strongest single being in the empire.
Plasma cannon blasts hit the distracted Dave, his body lurching away.
“Time to play a game?” Steve said in a deep voice as they shot through the sky. Streamers appeared around their bodies as they moved at incredible speeds in the air.
Dave gave out wild laughter. The orbs on his body rotated into position; the cannons on his shoulder locked into position as magical formation appeared in front of his hands. Mana blasts poured out from his weaponry. The air distorted under the sea of fire that tore through anything in its path.
Steve let out a roar. His speed increased to new heights. It only took him a few seconds to reach the ground. His axe flashed; light tore out, cutting down those in its way before he smashed into the ground. The ground shook and was hidden in dust from the impact.
A roar filled the air as Steve rushed out, dust breaking over his body as his axe tore out.
Jung Lee let out a crazed laugh as the free Affinity souls poured into his body. He seemed to grow taller; power rolled off him and distorted the very air around him as his hair became longer. Rounds exploded around him as his hand slowly wrapped around his blade. His mouth stretched out into a line, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, making those who looked upon him shake in fear as they felt their hearts pound. His hair breezed behind him as he shot ahead. He landed on the ground, with his sword flashing out of its scabbard so fast that a gray light shot out with it; as with Steve’s axe, the cutting force sliced through all in its path. Those on the ground were cut apart without time to fight back; the mecha tumbled as they lost their feet.
Jung Lee’s sword flashed in front of him, blocking the incoming rounds and piercing out. An artillery round in the sky exploded before reaching him as he shot forward. Dust shot up behind him as he left imprints in the ground. He was a vengeful spirit, the calm smile on his face unshaken as he looked at the Jukal as a man who had already seen their death. Blood colored his clothes and fell on his face, his expression not changing in the slightest.
Armor appeared around Fire and Water’s bodies from their elements. They turned into red and blue streaks; their staff and trident moved in patterns to summon powerful spells. Their attacks weren’t flashy and didn’t seem powerful. The entire strength of the spell was wholly contained, only unleashing its might at the moment of impact, tearing those who faced them to nothing.
Mal called upon his demon avatar as he dropped to the ground. A crater formed around him. He clenched his fists and roared into the heavens as lava heeded his call. He truly looked like a demon risen from the bowels of hell as lava shot into the sky.
“Death.” His voice rumbled across the battlefield as he pointed at the Jukal. The lava heeded his call and rushed forth, forming into rune-filled hounds and let out howls that made one’s blood run cold.
Around Deia, red flames turned to blue. Her eyes turned red as her bow’s runes glowed brighter and brighter, turning into actual flames that went from red to blue. The air around her was a series of shock waves as she moved across the sky, her face calm and emotionless as arrow after arrow rained down from the heavens. They seemed to have eyes because they followed their targets as they tried to escape.
Induca and Malsour shot down at the Jukal. Armor swarmed over their bodies, as did runic lines of power as their auras surged; they reached down and cut through those on the ground, their bodies bursting to flames or disintegrating under curses. Their breaths destroyed everything that had the misfortune of being in their path.
Malsour and Induca crashed into several mechas. Their claws tore them apart as their powerful bodies took the impacts of the weapons mounted on the mechas.
A spell appeared around Malsour that made the mechas explode into their components and then rush back together into a ball of junk. The air around Induca surged in temperature, melting the mechas into slag.
The air around Anna was turned into a frenzy, pulling around her and becoming more and more solid as she slowly pulled out her sword. Her short hair fluttered behind her as her eyes turned white. A smile that was not a smile spread across her face. Her aura surged ever higher as the air became thicker and harder, revolving with cutting blades that tore apart all that was coming at her.
The air turned into a paladin superimposed over her. The paladin’s eyes were devoid of life as its arms and legs formed; a great sword appeared in its hand. The sword was lowered toward the ground and with a simple gesture, released cutting air that left a half meter cut in the ground.
She let out a cry, the wind whistling around her as Anna’kal’s great sword once again played its deadly tune. Anna shot up through the sky with her blade. Drones fell or were thrown aside, unable to keep up with the demoness dominating the sky.
Suzy reached out her staff and stomped it down. Her cores flew out from her bag of holding and created a cloud around her as all of the Affinity energy in the world seemed to turn into streams of color, becoming thicker and more substantial as it revolved around her. Suzy created a sphere of concentrated Fire Affinity Mana of amazing power. Her staff tapped on the ground. The energy flooded toward the cores as the gem in the top of her staff was released and all of that energy reached into the air above the staff. She looked like a monarch of all creation as materials from the air, ground, even mechas were shredded and pulled toward the cores that then surged forward. As they moved, they turned from twenty-sided cores into creations—ranks upon ranks of creations, an army heeding the orders of their monarch.
Air was hard to look upon. Her face was placid and any signs of the joking girl from before had disappeared without a trace.
Her minder Venfik glided through the air, unleashing powerful attacks that sheared through metal and people with ease, his figure elusive and untouched by the mechas and those on the ground, his fighting style more akin to a dance.
Air seemed to glide across the battlefield, appearing behind unsuspecting victims; she flicked out her finger, releasing a fingernail of compact air that shot through her target. She then disappeared from that spot as that fingernail of compacted air would explode with force; the winds of the area stirred up into violence, tearing her targets apart—her attacks calm, unseen, and calculated.
All of these actions happened as one. The tide of destruction spread out through the Jukal lines as they found they had hit a steel plate. Party Zero and all the Legendary figures of the Emerilian forces had been holding back their power; now was the time to let loose.
Acros
s the lines of the Emerilians, destruction was dealt on a massive scale unseen in history. As people clashed, those on the ground fired up at the transcendent beings that seemed to rule the battlefield.
The true fight was between the all-powerful Jukal mechas and these beings. The mechas poured out their power, displaying their full abilities, as magical formations and circuits appeared around them. They stepped into the sky to meet those who shot down from above and wielded massive swords as they engaged in close combat, discarding their gigantic plasma weapons.
Deia darted through the sky as explosions appeared around her. Hits batted her around with massive force, some even sending her reeling.
Dave’s eyes turned red as he looked at where the impacts were coming from. He let out a roar and teleported from his position. He appeared under a floating island that was firing on the Emerilian forces. His body turned into a sword covered in runic lines, he himself at the hilt of the blade as arcane fire shot out from under the sword. It smashed through the floating island’s shield. The blade shone with golden light as it cut deep into the island.
They had dared to touch what shouldn’t be touched. Nothing stood in his way as he reached upward.
He stopped in the heart of the island. In his hand, he pulled out a grand working and tossed it out of the sword, which rearranged itself into a spear wreathed in gray shadows and smoke as arcane fire now blasted it downward.
The grand working ignited behind Dave. The fusion spell ripped through the island. The shock waves caused the island to crack and break apart as Dave rode the shock wave. His spear smashed through the now falling debris as the island was blown apart, losing its ability to float and dropping back to the ground.
He burst out from the debris. Altering his course slightly, he aimed for a group of five mechas. They saw him and started to fire at him. Their attacks were smashed apart by the air around the spear.
Emerilia Series Box Set 5 Page 64
