Chapter 420: locate the Spectrum base [2]
The floor of Tenebris echoed under their footsteps as they approached what the scouts’ reports had identified as a Spectrum vanguard base. The air here was saturated with a demonic emanation so dense that it could physically weigh on the shoulders of an average person. A purple mist licked the dark stone walls of the fortification, a crude and angular structure that seemed to have sprung from the earth itself by some unholy spell.
Amaera walked alongside Klein, her slender silhouette enveloped in her ice aura which acted as a bulwark against the stifling heat of the sector. She remained silent, but the tension in her muscles was perceptible. After minutes of walking in this desolate landscape, they finally crossed the threshold of the base. The interior was vast, lit by blood-red mana crystals embedded in the pillars.
In the center of the main room, behind a lectern covered with blackened parchments, stood a man. He had his back turned to them, but he slowly turned around at their approach. He gave off a surprising appearance, almost frail for a high-ranking Spectrum officer. His black hair, cut short, was disheveled, as if he had emerged from a long night of research.
"Greetings," said the man in a drawling voice, almost casual.
He took a few steps toward them, his eyes burning with an unstable glow.
"I introduce myself, I am the director of this base, Akazel... and you... you must be the ones seeking to eliminate us," he finished with a small smile that held nothing good.
Amaera took a step forward, her ice mana beginning to frost the floor around her boots. She was not there for pleasantries. Her gaze fixed on him with animosity.
"Tell us where your headquarters is," she ordered, her voice echoing against the stone walls.
Akazel let out a short, dry laugh, shaking his head as if facing the demand of a capricious child.
"Sorry, I don’t think that’s possible... so I’m going to ask you to go back where you came from," he replied.
Suddenly, his expression changed. The nonchalance disappeared to make way for fanatical fervor. He began to trace complex signs with his hand in the air. The air started to vibrate violently. Immediately, several columns of fire burst from the ground in a deafening roar. From these infernos emerged Wyverns, their blood-red bodies shining under the glow of the flames. These creatures emitted a corrupted and oppressive demonic energy, a signature identical to the one now emanating from Akazel.
Seeing this, Klein and Amaera took up defensive stances, their senses on alert, preparing to fight. But Akazel had no intention of letting them take the initiative. He raised his hand toward Klein and sharply snapped his thumb and index finger.
< Explosion de feu >
A tiny spark formed instantly a few centimeters from Klein’s chest. His < Eye of Perception > activated instinctively, boosting his reflexes. He grabbed Amaera by the waist and quickly pushed her aside while leaping backward. Rapidly, a surge of flames ravaged the exact spot where they had been. The detonation produced a shock that shook the foundations of the base, raising a cloud of dust and soot.
Klein recovered nimbly on his feet, drawing his katana. The blade seemed to drink in the reddish light of the room.
"I’ll leave the Wyverns to you," he said to Amaera without taking his eyes off his opponent, knowing that with her rank, these creatures would be nothing but simple distractions.
She nodded, her hands already surrounded by a bluish energy.
< Dash >
Klein literally disappeared from where he stood. In a fraction of a second, he appeared in Akazel’s blind spot, behind him. He swung his katana in a deadly arc, aiming for the plexus. However, Akazel was no beginner. Without even turning around, he snapped his fingers again. Klein was forced to stop his attack and urgently retreat a few steps as a new < Explosion de feu > occurred precisely where he was about to strike.
The base director finally turned toward him, now holding a black scepter in his hand. He raised the artifact toward the ceiling, causing a multitude of fireballs reinforced by demonic energy to appear. They pulsed with a dark and unstable glow. With a brusque gesture, he hurled them all at Klein, saturating the space.
< Sundering Eclipse – Premier Mouvement : Croissant de Lune >
Swinging his katana with surgical precision, a mass of white energy in the shape of a crescent emerged from the steel to counter the barrage. The fireballs exploded one after another upon contact with his attack, creating a series of blasts that shook the base once more.
Standing in the chaos, Klein looked at Akazel once, noting his growing frustration. He cast a quick glance at Amaera out of the corner of his eye. She was handling herself quite well, her ice spears pinning the Wyverns to the ground with deadly efficiency. Reassured, he took a deep breath to stabilize his heart rate before leaning with casualness to the right side.
He disappeared again from Akazel’s view. This sudden movement took the latter completely by surprise, provoking a flash of panic in his red eyes. He began to incant frantically, but it was too late. Klein was already standing in front of him. He swung his katana from bottom to top, aiming to tear through his guard.
< Explosion de feu >
In a last desperate gesture, Akazel snapped his fingers directly in front of Klein’s face. A massive explosion occurred between them, producing a thick curtain of black and suffocating smoke. Seeing that there was no more movement coming from Klein’s direction, a mad smile appeared on Akazel’s face. He thought he had pulverized him at point-blank range.
But that was short-lived.
< Répulsion d’Aura >
An invisible and brutal shockwave tore through the smoke. The aura wave struck Akazel head-on, lifting him off the ground. He was violently propelled backward, crossing the room before hitting the stone wall behind him with a dull sound of cracking bones. The impact made him spit a gush of blood that stained his face and his frail tunic.
The scepter slipped from his trembling hands. Having difficulty getting up, he raised his head, his eyes wide with terror. He watched Klein emerge from the smoke, unscathed. Not a single strand of his silver hair had burned.
He is more resistant than I hoped, thought Klein while adjusting his grip on his katana. But his dependence on explosions makes him predictable as soon as one controls the distance.
Akazel wiped the blood from his lips, his breathing becoming wheezing. Fear had finally replaced his arrogance.
"Fuck... you’re going to regret making Spectrum your enemies," he swore, screaming at the top of his lungs.
Klein did not respond, letting only the clinking of the chains of his weapon fill the silence of the room.
