"Hold it right there or we'll release fire!" A soldier shouted as he pointed his gun at Lucius. The gun was no ordinary gun with just some flimsy little metal in it. It was a high-tech gun that could release a dangerous type of bullet that was imbued with the power from different beast crystals.
Lucius turned around to face the soldiers whose guns were all pointed at him. Right now, he could feel the shadows in his body clamoring for blood. The shadows were relentlessly moving around his arms like a parasitic fluid.
"Put your hands up in the air!" Another soldier said as he dangled a handcuff in Lucius' view.
Lucius looked at all the soldiers, his eyes carefully examining them. From the glint in their eyes, the slight movement of their arms, and the unyielding expression on their faces. He could tell that they were all ready to die.
"Hmm....I see" Lucius sighed as he shook his head in pity.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
"I said don't move!" Another soldier yelled out, his eyes blazing with fury.
Lucius ignored the soldier's yell and stretched forth his right hand which emitted an obsidian glow "I can see that you all are willing to die..... Why don't you just let me grant your wish as swiftly as I can. Don't worry, you won't feel any pain"
The soldier's stared at Lucius like they were looking at a retard. Just what the hell was he still saying when he was at their mercy? This maniac's balls were really hard. A soldier then walked towards Lucius standing just a few inches away from him attempting to handcuff his right hand.
"Oh... it seems you accepted my offer then...." Lucius smiled and suddenly, the darkness that had been coiling around his body formed into a large shadow axe behind Lucius' back. The soldier was taken aback by this but before he could even react, the axe was sent flying towards his neck, beheading him swiftly.
The soldier's headless body fell to the ground with a heavy thud, blood spurting onto the barracks floor. The other soldiers reacted instantly, their training taking over.
"Code Red! All units, open fire!" a commanding officer shouted into his comm device, his voice echoing through the halls. The soldiers didn't need a second command. They raised their weapons, high-tech rifles glowing with the infused energy of beast crystals, and pulled the triggers.
Gunfire erupted in a cacophony of roars, bullets imbued with elemental and kinetic energy cutting through the air toward Lucius. Fire-tipped rounds exploded on impact, ice bullets shattered on the ground, and concussive shockwaves sent ripples through the metal-plated walls. Smoke and sparks filled the air, but Lucius stood calmly in the center of the onslaught.
His shadow tendrils danced around him, forming a living shield that absorbed and deflected the bullets. The shadows twisted and weaved, each tendril moving with an eerie intelligence, protecting Lucius from every angle. The bullets that managed to get through his defense barely left a scratch, as his ice-infused aura thickened in response, forming crystalline barriers.
"Suppressive fire, move in from the flanks!" barked one of the squad leaders. "We need containment now! No one lets him out of this hallway!"
Two squads split off, moving in a textbook pincer formation. Their movements were crisp and disciplined, each soldier covering their squadmates. Lucius could hear the clink of metallic boots on the floor, the hum of power armor activating defensive measures, and the synchronized breathing of warriors ready to give their all.
"Switch to beast abilities!" commanded the officer, realizing that conventional firepower wasn't cutting it. The remaining soldiers dropped their weapons, and a variety of transformations took place. One soldier's skin turned a steely, metallic gray as he activated his hardening ability, his entire body becoming a fortress of iron. Another burst into flames, his whole figure wreathed in fire, the ground scorching beneath his feet. A third began to dissolve into a vaporous, toxic gas, his form shifting and undulating with the air currents. Others sprouted claws, grew scales, or summoned blasts of wind and lightning.
The hallway exploded with action. Soldiers armed with energy shields advanced from one side, forming a barrier wall, while others launched elemental attacks, using beast crystal-enhanced abilities to unleash torrents of fire, blasts of ice, and whirling winds. Meanwhile, a squad of aerial combatants activated their jet thrusters, propelling themselves above the fray and firing down with sniper precision.
Lucius stood his ground, shadows twisting around him in a dance of power. "So, you've brought more toys," he murmured, an amused grin playing on his lips. His eyes darkened with a murderous gleam, and the shadows around him grew more feral, pulsing with anticipation.
"Suppress him now!" one of the lieutenants ordered, and a soldier with a hardened, metallic body charged at Lucius like a runaway train, fists aimed straight at his head. Lucius sidestepped with supernatural grace, his shadow forming a barrier that absorbed the impact. The ground cratered beneath the soldier's punch, but Lucius remained unfazed.
"Your metal isn't as tough as it looks," Lucius sneered. He retaliated by forming a serrated shadow blade and slashing upward, cutting a deep gash across the metal-coated soldier's chest. Sparks flew, and the metal warrior stumbled back, his form dented and cracked.
To his left, a fire manipulator summoned an inferno, sending a wave of scorching flames barreling toward Lucius. Heat distorted the air, and the walls glowed with molten metal, but Lucius raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. He extended his palm, and a barrier of absolute darkness formed, snuffing out the flames in an instant.
"Flame's out," Lucius taunted. He then flicked his wrist, sending a shadow spear hurtling toward the fire soldier. The spear impaled him, and the man let out a strangled scream before collapsing.
Another group of soldiers, adapting quickly, used the opening to coordinate an attack. "Deploy gas containment!" shouted a corporal. A soldier who could transform into a noxious vapor surged forward, his gaseous form enveloping Lucius, hoping to suffocate him. But Lucius was unfazed. With a simple snap of his fingers, frost spread through the air, freezing the gas into crystalline shards that shattered uselessly to the ground.
The aerial team took the opportunity to strike from above, targeting Lucius with electrified harpoons designed to disable even the strongest foes. They descended in a well-practiced formation, firing in tandem, but Lucius had anticipated their move. He leapt into the air, propelled by swirling shadows, and met them head-on.
"You think you can outmaneuver me in my own domain?" he said, his voice dripping with mockery. He conjured shadow wings that erupted from his back, carrying him upward. With a wave of his hand, tendrils of darkness shot forward, wrapping around the airborne soldiers and dragging them to the ground. Their thrusters sputtered as they crashed, leaving behind a pile of broken armor.
The remaining soldiers regrouped, desperation fueling their next coordinated strike. The earth manipulator raised a massive stone wall to try and trap Lucius, while wind users summoned a vortex to pin him in place. Lucius landed lightly on the ground, his wings dissipating into shadow as he observed their last-ditch effort.
"Admirable," he said softly. "But futile."
With a mere thought, the shadows beneath him expanded, engulfing the entire battlefield. A surge of obsidian energy erupted from his body, crushing the stone wall into dust and snuffing out the vortex like a candle flame. Lucius advanced, unrelenting, his shadows sweeping through the ranks like a tidal wave. Soldiers screamed as they were ensnared, some dragged into the darkness, never to be seen again.
"Fallback! We're losing control!" one of the remaining lieutenants screamed into his comm. But it was too late.
Lucius stood in the center of the devastation, shadows swirling triumphantly around him. The once-mighty defenders of Astral City were either incapacitated or fleeing in terror.
"Is that all?" Lucius taunted, his voice booming through the ruins of the hallway. "Your city's finest can't even make me break a sweat. You should know your place in the face of a god." He clenched his fist, and the shadows pulsed, ready for more.
The few who dared to keep standing, their faces pale with fear, realized they were now facing not a man but a monster, one that seemed unstoppable, cold, and drenched in the power of the abyss. Your journey continues at empire