Chapter 1: The Tide of Death

The ear-piercing crash was the signal for their rushed entry. As the dropship's door opened, eight soldiers broke through the wreckage of the crash. The metal suits that each wore could withstand the flames of a flamethrower being directed at them and could even block most bullets and armor-piercing rounds. Yet death after this mission was the best they all could hope for.

Commander Ivan was the first to exit through the steel cage and blast the panicking soldiers nearby.

"Let's do it, men!" He cried as the remaining soldiers followed on the assault.

The thick armor and bulletproof helmets were all that they had left to count on as the brave soldiers of the Gryphon Squadron engaged the enemy soldiers. Clothed in his trademark red suit, Commander Ivan continued to direct orders towards his men at the same time shooting at any signs of life other than them.

"General, where to?" Ivan asked.

The General he addressed was checking on a hologram screen being projected at his arms.

"Zera's pings confirmed that the locations of the Star Chamber are where we thought it would be. We continue towards this compartment's Star Chamber." The General wore a simple suit that would mistake him for a soldier. The only difference was a pair of thin rods protruding at the back.

"Suarez, any word from the other team?"

"Three teams have reported successful entry and are Oscar Mike to the targets." Suarez wore a thin blue crystal ring on his head. This ring appeared like an ordinary headband if viewed from afar. A twinkling glow was seen in this ring as Suarez gave a concentrated look. The light subsided as he exited that state of concentration.

"Let's move, Commander." The General spoke.

The Gryphon Squadron dashed onwards, blitzing and shooting whatever soldier they could find. A blast ultimately hindered their sprint.

Several gunshots erupted from the other side of the hall.

"Back!" Ivan ordered.

A series of explosions arrived, and the team hurried to find anything that may shield them from the torrential rain of bullets. Their armors would be pierced through, and only the alien metal that made up the ship could withstand the gunshots. Ivan and the team sent their volley of bullets towards the enemy.

The two groups began shooting at each other, and soon, several stomping sounds could be heard approaching them.

"Suarez. Any word on the other teams?" the General called as he heard the strange sounds.

"Phoenix and Chimera Squadrons reporting successful reconfigurations and are on their way to other compartments! Minotaur and Cerberus have yet to make an entry."

"Then we don't have time for this." The General's suit detached several layers of what consisted of his armor. As the last pieces of steel fell, it revealed the dark synthetic clothing that the General wore. Attached above his elbows and on his heels were small turbine-like objects. The General pulled the pair of rods that were protruding on the detached armor, and a couple of transparent crystal blades was unsheathed.

The General immediately wore a blue ring over his head, similar to the one Suarez wore. The ring emitted a faint blue light. The two circles on Suarez and the General's head glowed a soft red and returned to its usual blue.

"Proceed as planned. I'll divert the enemies. If we split up here, it will increase the chance of the compartmental disconnection in this sector. We don't have much time. This is an order, Ivan." The General ordered as he dashed forward towards the opening, and bullets rained on. Yet despite the barrage, none of the shots hit.

The speed of this lone soldier who dove at the fray of bullets surpassed the rate a normal human being could accomplish. The transparent blades which looked like crystals were slashed towards the soldiers shooting at him.

But the crystal blades weren't in any way hindered by the metal armor that the soldiers wore. The blood of these men continued to spill as the General dashed from one soldier to the next, leaving only the dead behind. The fearful stomping sounds that Ivan heard also stopped as the General zoomed pass the room.

Another group of enemy soldiers halted from their march as they could hear the silencing of their comrades. The soldiers then went into position and aimed their weapons at the nearby door, which led to the other side.

Was one of them among the groups that infiltrated this ship? The sounds of chaos and gunfire on the other side of the room suddenly stopped. Did their friends manage to kill the intruders? Or did an Inhuman manage to enter this ship?

The victor was unclear. Wary of the approaching enemies, their sights locked in on the possible gap that the door would create as it opens. And the soldiers were ready to pull the trigger at the slightest of movements.

BOOM!

The door suddenly exploded, and bodies of dead soldiers started bursting out through the door. The soldiers began shooting randomly at the piles of debris that were flying around.

"AGGHH!"

The other soldiers could only see a blur race by their comrade, which left their comrade split in half with his upper torso flying out towards another soldier.

"It's Death Tide! Death Tide is on this ship! Repeat! Death Tide is on this ship!" This was the last transmission the soldier sent before his entire arm was sliced off. His legs no longer supported him as they too were sliced off.

BOOM!

Explosions rang left and right as the stellar battles over Earth intensified. The tremors felt by the passengers of the Balmung grew worse as more bullet shaped dropships rammed the different compartments.

General Death Tide immediately sent a mental message to Suarez. "Suarez. I moved towards a different compartment. Proceed as planned. The enemy should be focused on killing me. Proceed with caution. I'll meet up with Chimera Squadron."

The blue light on the ring grew brighter, and Death Tide received a mental response.

"Roger. No soldier on sight, Sir! After your rampage, most of the enemy soldiers started dashing off to your platform. As you said, General, you are the priority kill.." Suarez laughed.

Death Tide sent a mental confirmation and went on with his massacre. The speed of his dash exceeded the speed of sound.

The Four Force Accelerator was a propelling jet system designed to allow nimble, fast, and flexible maneuvers to its wearers. Two were worn directly above the elbows, and two above the heel. These four small cylindrical tubes emitted a strong blast force that would propel the user onwards to its direction.

The FFA, though incapable of long-term flight, allows its users quick and speedy maneuvers enabling one to pass through the harshest forms of obstacles. The speed was so fast that at maximum, the FFA could allow movements beyond the speed of sound.

The only drawback of this godly weapon was the immense requirements for wearing the FFA. In the entirety of the U.N Army, only 13 individuals were allowed to wear them. The requirements involved having a body capable of dealing with physical stress. This meant that the wearer's body should be strong enough to withstand the immense pressure and stress that accompanies the humanly impossible movements. The second requirement was even more impossible than the first.

A gun was aimed at Death Tide. After seeing how this nimble lone soldier evaded all incoming bullets, the gunman decided to shoot at a closer range. Death Tide was still busy dismembering several soldiers and did not see the encroaching enemy.

Without hesitation, the trigger was pulled.

Bang!

As the bullet exited the barrel of the gun and as the soundwaves vibrated out. Possessing abilities that far exceeded human capacity, sight, vision, hearing, and even smell for an inhuman hero like the Death Tide, this attack was extremely trivial. Milliseconds meant nothing and the Death Tide immediately reacted and evaded the bullet according to the position he heard the shot, and the faint vibrations he felt. Unlike ordinary humans, the General had a superior hearing, which allowed him to listen to things immediately. It was as if his ears were more than 20 meters from his current position. And this was the most trivial nature of his senses. The very triggering of the gun was "felt" by this General. He didn't need to "see" where his shooter was. Seeker gave a quick spin to evade the bullet, and upon the execution of the full circle, Seeker slashed.

The gunshot hadn't even echoed throughout the room, and the gunman was already sliced into two halves.

The second requirement of the FFA?

At a minimum, An Unlocking of at least 48% of the brain. A simple task for an elite soldier like Death Tide. Regarding his current Unlocking, General Seeker, the "Death Tide" Carlean, had a recorded reach of up to 74% brain Unlocking.