Chapter 203: Realm And Origin

After hearing the voice in the Wind, Hermes led his troops on a full-frontal assault. While Cliff was still running towards the rendezvous point and even before they clashed with the Golems, the other side of the Kraken continued to rage with an even more impossible battle.

The Roller Coaster of wind had destroyed most of the turrets on the platform. The turrets had already withdrawn itself for repairs. As the battle progressed, the damaged Turrets would resurface as good as new. 

All soldiers kept reporting the various occurrences around them as they battled.

Slowly, the Commanders were able to identify the three winds that were attacking them.

The Commander gave a detailed report to the Emperor. Through the Origin power in the air, the three winds could be seen and were immediately appearing in real-time in a map that they managed to develop.

The Emperor started to use the maps that the Commander submitted, and through it, he began his counterattack.

The Emperor had taken command over the troop. He used his energy and created a sizeable serpent-like creature that would move around the skies.

The Sentient Serpent flew across the skies and would try to bit or ram the three winds that moved.

The clash continued as the three Winds employed various ways to attack the Serpent.

The Blowing wind met it head-on, and at the clash, much of the head of the white energy scattered. The Cutting wind swopped in to cut the body and halved it while the Chilling Wind flew around it to freeze it.

The energy scattered but could be seen rushing back towards the Rule.

Soon another Serpent appeared.

"Oh?" Hermes smiled as he looked at the Serpent.

"So it looks like we'd have to ignore it while we fight. It's rather useless trying to destroy that unlimited energy." Hermes laughed.

The Three Winds separated and began attacking the different parts. The White Serpent chased one of them, but the random maneuvers made it difficult to track it. Still, because of the Serpent, the Winds could no longer do the same damage as before.

"There were four before. One of them is either playing possum or is using an attack we haven't detected yet. Find it!" The Emperor ordered.

"As you will." A Commander took the initiative and replied.

The Three Winds would move around and used various means to clash with the white Serpent.

After various attacks, the white Serpent would disappear as their energy would disperse.

"Emperor. Allow me." Another Commander communicated to the Emperor.

"Admiral is busy aiding the other Emperor. Allow this humble one to be of service." The Commander requested.

A platoon of Goliaths came rushing in. 

"Don't disappoint me." The Emperor gave an annoying reply as it began to summon smaller serpents as the last one was once more destroyed by the three in a concerted attack.

Three serpents rushed out and attacked each one.

"If we can't hit them, let's just crash into them. Employ the shields at my call." A Commander informed.

The Chilling wind was the most visible o the winds as a bluish aura around it, and some ice crystals could be seen around it.

The Chilling Wind did not retreat upon noticing the formation of Goliaths but moved even faster.

"Now!" The Commander ordered as they drew closer, and the impact was imminent.

BOOM!

A powerful explosive sound could be heard as the Chilling wind struck a powerful force field generated by the formation of Goliaths.

"Idiots! Our force field can tolerate some light wind!" The Commander laughed.

The Chilling wind disappeared after the crashing impact.

A thick layer of ice had enveloped the shield.

When the Goliaths disengaged their shields, the ice started crashing down.

The remaining winds attacking various parts of the Kraken suddenly started to turn around, aiming for the group of Goliaths.

The Emperor, who had positioned itself at the back of the battle and regularly sent bright attacks, smirked.

"As expected of the Commanders. That execution was brilliant!" The Emperor praised. 

The Blowing wind moved and started to avoid the two serpents that chased it and rushed towards the platoon of Goliaths.

"Ready the Fire Shield!" The Commander ordered.

Aside from having a modified version of the force fields that the East Asian Alliance developed, their shields were now both offensive and defensive. Their research and the bountiful resources they have combined Force Field Technology with Arabian Contained Flame technology.

The Blowing wind smashed on the Platoon of soldiers as a whirling cyclone could be seen on the wind's head.

BOOM!

The Platoon was scattered at the explosive clash, but the Blowing Wind had vanished.

"Two down!" The Commander could not help but shout in glee.

The Cutting Wind was all that remained and the three serpents as well as the Goliaths that assumed their formation once more.

"Emperors. I request permission to use Hellfire." The Emperor received a message from the Admiral.

The Emperor gazed at the direction where the Admiral fought.

"Empress. Admiral request to use Hellfire tech. Should I?" The Emperor asked.

"Yes. Let him use it." The Empress replied with an irritated tone.

"Granted." The Emperor replied. Not more than two seconds, an alert appeared that one of the Forbidden techs had been used. The Emperor ignored it as he knew it was Hellfire.

The Cutting wind was surrounded by the various forces that kept assaulting it. It desperately tried to cut through the energy, but it received attacks from all sides.

Suddenly, a powerful green shockwave exploded out, engulfing everyone on the Kraken.

"Empress?" The Emperor called. Why did she use Origin Wave?

"Isn't this a bit too early?" The Emperor asked, but the Empress did not reply.

Hermes was the first to feel it as he was up on the air.

"Gravity changed?" Hermes pondered.

"No… It's as if space itself is against me. What an impressive power." He smirked.

"I guess… I have to use you… It's been a while, hasn't it, Omega?" Hermes laughed.

On the other side, the Empress had revealed herself.

The Empress gazed at the other battles after utilizing Origin Wave.

He could see that the Admiral was closing in and entrapped a lone soldier. Hellfire technology was pouring our of the mounted shoulder canon of the Titan.

On the Golem's side, the Golem's had now employed their unique abilities to actively reshaping themselves to take advantage of the situation.

BOOM!

The Clown had detonated itself, and the scattered pieces of the largest Exoskeleton could be seen around them.

The Clown gave a deranged laugh.

CRASH! A powerful impact happened as the Lumberjack gave delivered as a resounding knee strike smashed on the hammer-wielding Exoskeleton. The Exoskeleton was sent flying. Knowing how powerful a fully-charged knee strike of a Golem is, the Empress was certain that whoever the pilot was of that Exoskeleton would be crushed or smashed.

The lone sniper would also escape the flying figure of the Businessman who looked like a large shield. As it kept moving, the guard had turned into a lance that was flying at a dangerous speed.

"It's over. Your boys are doomed. And even if you do your little maneuver, it will not save you." The Empress laughed.

"Hellfire technology would melt and destroy whatever bombs you had that man carry. As for those Exoskeletons? They are the least of my worry. Blowing them up won't kill them. And even if you've planted the bombs inside several other traitorous Exoskeletons like those two near you, Origin Wave will suppress that explosion. You've underestimated our techs, General Lowengren." The Empress laughed.

"Congratulations on making me reveal myself. But now that I used Origin wave, you are all dead." The Empress laughed as she hovered closer.

The sounds of terrifying explosions, and how the impacts of metal crashing on metal could be heard.

"Oh? So confident are we?" Cliff gave one more boast that Lowengren often did. But then, he felt it.

It was as if the space around him was resisting him. A familiar pressure pressed on him, hindering his movements.

Cliff, Tyler, and Roselyn's movements suddenly slowed down.

Tyler and Roselyn could not help but ponder as a familiar resistance met them.

"Origin Wave. This is one of our most powerful weapons. It commands the Origin Energy that we've been creating for decades. It is the very energy we used to clean this Earth. We don't even use the term energy anymore. For it is what we call our-"

"Realm." Cliff finished the Empress's statements.

Cliff was so stunned at the sensation that he even got off the character. He almost forgot to use Lowengren's voice in the shock. The feeling he felt was a sensation that he had experienced when facing Seeker and some of the Overcomers.

It was the dominant force that resisted him when he would spar against Seeker and the other Overcomers. Cliff could only use it to sense things. Seeker had a way of using it to pressure others. Typical would even command it and use his energy to harness objects and create needles within this area.

This was the mysterious power of the Unlocked that Seeker called the Realm.

"Impossible." Cliff could not help but mutter and raised his hands. It was as if there was a force that resisted his movements.

"Is she an Unlocked?!" Roselyn asked, using their unique method of communication.

"No… This feels different. Compared to General Seeker and the rest… this feels dead…"

There was no better way to say it. Those who have trained continuously with Seeker's team knew the resistance that Realm usually brought. But along the opposition was an emotional feeling. Those who face it would sense a form of life.

There was no other way to describe this Realm. It had resistance, force, and power. But it did not have the same life within.

"This isn't the Unlocking. They just found ways to imitate it. Typical's Realm was far more terrifying. Heck, even Meryl's Realm is stronger than this!" Cliff replied. 

"Then pretend that you can't move that well!" Tyler thought of a bright idea. And immediately, as the pressure increased, Cliff and his group immediately began to move slower.

"Don't bother understanding it. The space around you rejects you. This is one of our aces. Imagine always facing a force that resists your every movement. With this, we can detect you. Surprisingly, you brought too little men with you…" The Empress glanced at the map that her systems displayed. It listed all different groups that were within the Kraken.

"Oh… So you are a diversion. I can't believe that you managed to sneak in seven more inside the Kraken!" The Empress laughed.

"There are seven more traitors on Platform Xyclon. I will be sending the maps right now." The Empress directly communicated with the Commanders.

The Commanders shivered at the voice of this Empress and immediately sprang to action.

"Seven others?" Cliff was so confused that he voiced his surprise.

"You thought you could hide it from the Emperors? Laughable. Every soldier, resident, and granted individual residing in the Kraken wears a particular pin. Through that pin, we can determine residents from infiltrators once we use Origin Wave.

Cliff, Roselyn, and Tyler were confused.

"Did… Did we have other companions?" Cliff sent a secret message to Tyler. 

Tyler gave Cliff a strange expression.

"Of course not, General! Focus! They must be with Hermes!" Tyler replied.

"And now that I know where all your allies are, the Origin Energy is now compressing itself around them! Even if you execute your suicidal maneuver, the explosion will meet the constant force that resists it." The Empress laughed.

"Our explosions… they will be suppressed!" Roselyn cried with a worried tone.

"Play along! We need to buy as much time as we can!" She spoke through a frequency only Cliff and Tyler could understand.

"Correct. Even if it's a nuclear bomb, the surrounding Origin Energy will go against it. Through our science, Origin Energy is capable of decreasing the power of an explosion by a third or even half!"

"You can do that?" Cliff replied in amazement. He almost added 'too' in that sentence but managed to resist it.

"These are the least things our Realm technology can do!"

Cliff cursed and hoped that he had studied more about Realm from Seeker.

"But of course… your team won't be able to survive anyway. Except for you traitors who are equipped with WGP metal, everyone else will feel this restrictive force. So your small team would be helpless now. Even those strange men using a branch of New Great Britain's and Canada's technology would be destroyed. Their flight would have greater resistance so that they would be drastically slower. Even their bullets would face resistance!" The Empress laughed.

The pressure kept increasing, and Cliff began to move in a way that was staggering and slow. It was as if they were underwater.

"It's a pity that you didn't wear any strong gears, Lowengren… Or whoever you are." The Empress laughed as she raised her hand to shoot Cliff.

"Die alongside your troop. They were exceptionally skilled! I'll give you credit for that feat. But your mistake in assuming that we would fall like Australia. We are Emperors. We will Rule!" The Empress laughed. BOOM!

A terrifying lightning bolt struck and penetrated through the Kraken's force field and came crashing down on the area where the Golems fought the Covenant.

"What?!" The Empress turned her attention to the battlefield. She noticed that the three enemy Exoskeletons were standing around the smoking remains of the Golems. The Golems were severely damaged. It would take some time for them to reform once more.

"I have sustained heavy damage and will be retreating!" The Admiral reported. 

The Empress glanced at the direction where the Admiral was fighting. Although a wide area of Hellfire could be seen, the front armor of the Titan was damaged. The Electro-reactive field was disabled due to the damage the Titan received. Even with Origin, it required repairs for the area to regain stability. The platoon of Exoskeletons that accompanied the Admiral's Titan were few. Only a dozen remained from the original troop of thirty.

"Descending Dragon Slash!" A voice shouted.

The domineering name of the attack caused the Empress to react and immediately employ an extreme defensive measure.

"Die!"

Green energy gathered around the Empress before exploding out.

BOOM!

The green bomb exploded mightily.

"It works!" Cliff shouted in glee as he appeared above the Empress.

The Empress was stunned that her explosive attack didn't even faze the enemy. 

Cliff thrust his sword and struck the Empress right on the chest. The Exoskeleton that the Empress wore immediately went on the defensive.

PENG!

It was as if a wrecking ball smashed on the Exoskeleton, and it fell to a distance.

The Empress crashed on the ground once more. In one day, she actually fell twice.

She gave a grave look at the figure that was strangely extremely happy but then took on a very arrogant pose as if looking down on the Empress as if she was grass.

"You… Realm didn't work… My Realm Blast didn't work. You're an Emperor, aren't you?!" The Empress angrily demanded.

"Erm… Ri-Right." Cliff hesitated.