CHAPTER 142: CHAPTER 142 | FORWARD

*VRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

The roaring growl of several mechanized bikes cut through the chaos, their engines spitting heat and smoke as they skidded to a halt beside Jinn.

One after another, the riders swung off with fluid precision, weapons already drawn and ready for the clash.

Dreilla was at the front, her boots striking the ground with force as she lifted her energy rifle, its polished frame gleaming faintly under the overcast sky.

With a swift, practiced motion, she raised her hand and carved a sharp gesture in the air—

a silent command that needed no words.

*thud *thud! *thud!

At once, the rest of the squad moved with disciplined urgency, fanning out and locking into a tight defensive formation around Jinn.

Their eyes scanned every angle, boots crunching against dirt and debris as they covered all directions, the sound of their weapons priming a tense undertone beneath the distant rumble of war.

"What the hell are you doing, Jinn!?" Dreilla’s voice cracked with both anger and disbelief, carrying over the noise of the battlefield.

"You can’t just barge in alone like that!"

Her rifle hummed with growing power, coils flaring faintly as it charged to full capacity, ready to spit energy death at the slightest threat.

But before Jinn could answer, before anyone could even breathe in reply, a harsh and commanding voice split the air like a blade.

"KILL THEM! ATTACK THEM ALL AT ONCE!"

the order bellowed, each word carrying the weight of authority and venom.

From the crowd of enemies, an imposing figure stepped forward—broad-shouldered, clad in armor etched with battle honors—his presence alone marking him as a high-ranking officer.

His shout ignited the surrounding soldiers, their ranks tightening, weapons raising, eyes narrowing with the promise of violence.

*rumbling!

Just like that, the battlefield seemed to constrict around them, the chaos funneling into a deadly ring as hundreds of enemy soldiers pressed in from every possible direction.

Their armor clanked with purpose, boots pounding the ground in unison, and each one gripped an advanced eidra-powered weapon—sleek, lethal instruments glowing faintly with a cold, light-blue aura that pulsed like the steady beat of a war drum.

The shimmer of the weapons in the haze of dust and smoke gave the entire advancing force an almost spectral presence, as if an army of spirits was closing in for the kill.

From within that tightening noose, a heavily armored figure broke ahead of the others.

His sheer bulk was wrapped in plate thicker than most men could carry, and the engravings on his armor told of countless battles fought and survived.

With his massive sword raised high, he lunged toward Jinn’s squad in a decisive arc meant to crush them in one blow.

"DIE!!! YOU FILTHY INVADERS!!"

But before the steel could fall, a deafening

*crack!

split the air.

Dreilla’s rifle roared to life, a beam of raw, focused power punching straight through the soldier’s chest plate as though it were paper.

The force didn’t stop there—

it tore through the soldier behind him,

then the next,

and onto the next,

ripping through a line of foes in an almost surgical path.

Sparks and fragments of armor burst into the air, mingling with the sickening spray of blood.

The impact left a gaping trail of bodies collapsed in the dirt, their weapons still clutched in lifeless hands.

Without missing a beat, Dreilla slammed the bolt on her rifle back with a metallic clack, the coils whirring as they primed for another lethal discharge.

The weapon’s hum rose steadily, promising another strike if anything dared to close the gap.

Meanwhile,

Jinn’s gaze hardened, his single eye narrowing as the tightening formation of enemy ranks drew closer.

His fingers curled around the hilt of Fangeryth, knuckles whitening as if the blade itself was hungering for the fight.

And then—

without hesitation—

he moved.

*BANG!

In one swift motion, his sword tore free from its resting place, the edge gleaming with a crimson, electric glow.

With a sudden snap of movement, he swung.

*ROAR!!!

The ground itself seemed to recoil as a roaring wave of crimson thunder erupted from the blade, surging forward like a tempest unleashed.

*BANG!

The shockwave slammed into the enemy front, tearing through soldier after soldier.

Armor split, flesh seared, and bodies were flung aside like ragdolls.

The energy was so fierce that some simply disintegrated on impact, their forms scattering into ash before they even hit the ground.

When the flash finally faded, a deep scar was left carved into the ranks ahead—

a swath of devastation that severed their formation clean in two.

"W-What in the...?"

"M-Monster!!!"

Then, without the slightest pause or hesitation, Jinn thrust his newly upgraded synthetic arm forward, the metallic plates along its surface unfolding with a sharp mechanical hiss.

"Everyone! Take co—!"

*bang! *bang! *bang!

From the compartments embedded within, a rapid burst of small but deadly cluster munitions launched into the air, each one spinning violently before breaking apart mid-flight into a storm of smaller charges.

*crack! *crack! *crack! *crack! *crack! *crack! *crack!

They scattered over the back lines of the enemy like a sudden rain of fire, detonating in quick succession with bone-shaking blasts.

"ARGH!"

The explosions tore through tightly packed formations, flinging soldiers into the air, ripping weapons from hands, and leaving trails of smoldering craters across the ground.

Those not obliterated outright were thrown into disarray—ears ringing, limbs trembling, their will to fight momentarily shattered.

The air was thick with smoke and the acrid stench of scorched metal as Jinn, without even turning to admire the devastation, came to a brief halt.

His breath fogged in the dusty air, and his eye glinted as he cast a glance over his shoulder at his squad.

"You guys handle it here," he said firmly, his voice carrying a weight of certainty that cut through the chaos.

"I’ll handle the cannons."

There was no pause, no waiting for agreement—

he surged forward instantly,

*boom!

his boots kicking up dust as his form blurred in the direction of the looming artillery emplacements.

The ground almost seemed to ripple beneath his strides, the tension of the battlefield folding around his presence like a shadow following a flame.

"Tch! Just do your thing already—we’ll handle it here!" Zynh’s voice barked back, his tone half-annoyed and half-charged with battle fervor.

Even as he shouted, his hands were already alight with surging streams of wind eidra.

The air roared around him, compressing into a gale that howled outward with violent force.

The blast tore forward like an invisible wall,

*Vwooom!

sweeping through the nearest hundred soldiers and sending them staggering backward—some tumbling, some colliding into each other in a clatter of armor and screams—as the squad held their ground.

*Thud! *Thud! *Crunch!

Jinn’s boots pounded against the ground as he cut a merciless path through the chaos, his blade a blur of silver and crimson arcs that snapped and cracked through the air.

Each swing was deliberate yet feral, carving through armor, flesh, and bone in seamless motion, leaving behind a trail of collapsed bodies and clattering weapons.

The battlefield’s roar faded into the background—

his mind was fixed on a single target.

The cannons.

The towering monstrosities were the bane of the Zerafh advance, their barrels glowing with a harsh blue-white light as they discharged again and again, each blast tearing across the field and shaking the earth.

*BANG! *BANG! *BANG!

*creaaaaaaaaaak!!!

Their metallic frames groaned under the strain, gears whirring and pistons screaming as they reloaded with unnatural speed.

Each shot left the faint scent of scorched ozone in the air, a sound and smell that burned into Jinn’s focus.

He pushed forward, ignoring the spray of dirt and debris from stray blasts.

Then—

Movement.

Ten figures dropped into his path, their arrival so sudden and precise.

They didn’t rush him recklessly like the fodder before.

Their stance was disciplined, their weapons steady, their armor thicker and marked with jagged golden insignias that glinted in the dim light.

Jinn slowed just enough to take them in, his grip tightening on Fangeryth as his eye narrowed.

There was something different about them—an oppressive, heavy presence that pressed against his senses like a weighted hand.

These weren’t ordinary soldiers.

A faint grin tugged at the corner of Jinn’s lips as his thoughts sharpened.

They must be stronger than the rest.