Chapter 205 Blackout

"Blackout in ten窶ｦ nine窶ｦ eight窶ｦ." Evalyn counted down chillingly, overlooking Lainwright Military Base with a cold gaze.

Sandra signaled her team, and they nodded, starting their truck engines.

"Seven窶ｦ." The Ice General counted, "Six窶ｦ."

Aaron signaled to the spotters giving target coordinates to a team of snipers lying on the ground with 50-caliber rifles.

"Five窶ｦ four窶ｦ."

A team of twelve in black tactical gear got into position on a cliff, preparing to run. They were all at a distance, but they could run 35 miles an hour and had the flexibility of a normal runner.

"Three窶ｦ two窶ｦ." Evalyn counted hypnotically, "One窶ｦ."

Crux listened calmly, eyes closed, feeling clouds on her feet above the military base. There was a full moon that night, and the area was still.

When the count reached one, she opened her amethyst eyes.

The Ice General narrowed her sky-blue eyes with a vicious gaze. "Blackout."

Crux released her flying technique and dropped below the clouds with her arms straight up. As she passed through the cloud, her green hoodie flew off her body.

She caught it in her right hand, a ring on her index radiated green, and it disappeared.

It all happened in a moment, freefalling through the clouds. The divine beast was naked when she broke past them, but no mortal saw her.

As soon as her foot became visible below the clouds, darkness twisted around her, shooting out and stretching across the sky until it began blocking the moon.

A dark shadow loomed over the base, shading every inch.

"W-What the fuck is that!?" A blonde soldier on lookout duty stuttered in fear, watching a pitch-black dome form and slowly encapsulate them, "W-Wake up, everyone!"

"Hmmm?" A black-haired man hummed groggily, "It's the middle of the night. Wait until there's some light."

"N-No, that's the thing!" She said, "It's disappearing!"

"What's disappearing?" He gruffed.

"E-Everything!" The blonde replied.

"How the hell does that make sense?" The man scoffed, opening his eyes. When he did, he watched in real time as everything he saw rapidly disappeared, "Wait, what?"

The area below the outdoor military lights swirled with a strange twisting miasma that seemed to permanently eat the light it touched, removing it like an eraser.

His eyes trembled. "E-Everyone窶能"

CrrAaCK! Splash! THUD!

窶ｦ Boom.

The blonde soldier's eyes trembled traumatically, opening her mouth but not finding breath. She touched her face and felt hot blood on her hands, confirming the suspicion.

A sickening explosion.

A thud.

A distant gunshot.

Sniper.

Her mouth opened again, preparing to speak.

Sniper.

She had to tell everyone what had happened.

Sniper.

It was up to her to do it!

The blonde opened her mouth and took a deep breath. "Every窶能"

CrrAaCK! Splash! THUD!

Her body crashed into the ground before she could give her warning, and darkness clouded her eyes.

Confusion spread through the area quickly.

While the soldiers agreed something was horribly wrong, they were at a loss for words as to what.

Only those away from the warehouse saw that much, as everyone within 100 yards was in pitch-black darkness ten seconds after the divine beast began her free fall.

-

"What's going on?"

"Shhhh!"

"W-What if there are enemies?"

"Put that fuckin' gun down! We can't see anything; are you tryin' to kill everyone!?"

"I-I'm s-sorry."

"What窶ｦ is this a dead body?"

"Dead body!? Where!?"

-

Riley took a sharp breath as she listened to the soldiers panicking outside, waking everyone up.

All the emergency lights in the warehouse still worked, lighting everyone's faces. Therefore, they could only hear about the blackout outside and speculate on it, letting their imaginations magnify their fears.

"Calm down, everyone." The redhead said, standing slowly.

"Calm down!?" A soldier cried, "Are you listening to them? There's an attack, and they can't see!"

"But we [can] see!" Riley snapped, shutting him down, "Now be quiet! We need to listen if we can't see what's out there."

CrrreeeeeaACkKkkccckkccccckkkckkkckkkc!

Everyone stopped moving when they heard a terrifying sound. It sounded like stepping on thin ice, only the sound was persistent, growing by the second until they could hear it over the sound of people's panicked cries outside.

An icy breeze blew into the warehouse during that moment, sending white fog through a section of the south wall.

"W-What's going on窶ｦ it-it's ice cold over here!" A soldier yelled, running up to the wall.

"You're running toward the disturbance!?" Riley snapped, exasperated that a soldier ran to the wall where a dry-ice fog seeped through the cracks, "Get away from there!"

She ran forward at lightning speed, grabbing the man and throwing him backward. There wasn't anyone on that section of the wall for a reason!

CRAaaaCCkkkKKkkKK! BOOOOOOM!

Riley jumped back just in time to avoid a massive chuck of wall hitting her in the face. The wall exploded, allowing a sickening miasma to pour into the room, mixing with the white fog.

"W-What that fuck is that!?" A woman cried.

"HURRY! WE NEED TO窶能"

"ShhhhHHhhHhhhHhh~" A chilly, hypnotic voice called out in the white fog, twisting with the black miasma.

The room fell silent when they heard a woman's voice and felt a crushing power dropping them to the ground. Even Riley had trouble staying standing and breathing properly.

Crunch!... Crunch!...

...Crunch! ...Crunch!

Crunch!... Crunch!...

...Crunch! ...Crunch!

Crunch!... Crunch!...

...Crunch! ...Crunch!

Crunch!... Crunch!...

...Crunch! ...Crunch!

Rhythmic footsteps broke the ice on the ground, slowing everyone's heart to match their hypnotic pacing. Just the sound alone made them feel like they could go insane.

"My name is Ice General Evalyn Skye." Evalyn announced magnetically, walking between the civilians and the soldiers, "And I'm here to collect my people."

Crunch!... Crunch!...

"From this moment on, you will follow my orders." She asserted calmly, "If you don't follow them without hesitation窶ｦ."

...Crunch! ...Crunch!

The Ice General stopped and turned to the Lainwright soldiers with icy blue eyes. "I'll kill you."

***

"This is Romeo; the general has breached the wall." A female voice said over the receiver, "I repeat, this is Romeo; the general has breached the wall."

"Good work, soldier." Aaron said, "Lady Panthera, on your orders."

Crux smiled on the roof of the warehouse, walking to the edge to look at the throngs of panicked people that couldn't see her. Then she turned to the south and waved her hand, sending a thin pulse of Qi across the south side of the base. "Move out."

A team of twelve immediately jumped off a hill and broke into a sprint, running toward the masses of soldiers in the darkness.

While the world was pitch black to the Lainwright soldiers, every Immortal member had learned the Minor Vision technique, allowing them to see the world's Qi flow.

After Crux went a thin pulse of Qi through the area, it blanked the ground, allowing everyone to see every object in the area clear as day.

"This is Oscar." A male voice whispered into the receiver, "We've secured the north."

"This is Papa." A female whispered, "We have secured the east."

"This is Quebec." Another man whispered, "We have secured the west."

The ex-special forces soldiers posted around the warehouse's walls in the pitch-black darkness, aiming silenced SMGs at the troops.

They kept their distance from the thousands of soldiers sleeping outside within barricades minutes before, watching them yelling and bumping into each other in a panic.

"This is Romeo." The first female said over the line, "Snipers are in position, overlooking the south side entrance. We're ready to silence anyone who threatens our trucks or people."

"We have heard you loud and clear." Sandra announced, overlooking the black and white landscape she saw through Minor Vision, "Move out."

"This is Alpha." A man said, "Order received; teams Bravo through November, follow behind me. Moving out."

All the trucks sped over the hill with their lights off, barreling through the area in pitch-black darkness.

They skillfully weaved through obstacles on the ground, driving to the fence the soldiers had only put up that week.

There was a large section 30 feet across that Evalyn had cut with raw Qi, removing the need to drive through it. Fourteen military transport trucks barreled through the hole, engines blaring as they approached in the darkness.

***

"Are those trucks!?"

"I told you, it was an attack!"

"Where are they!?"

"They're that way!"

"What are you talking about? They're that way!"

"Calm down!"

"I-I can't take this窶ｦ."

"Nathaniel, calm down, mate!"

"Don't tell me to calm down! We're getting attacked, and we can't see! We're going to die!"

"Calm down, Nate!"

"Nate, calm down!"

"We're going to die! We're all going to die!"

"Put the gun down!"

"Live weapon! Get down!"

People wrestled in the darkness, trying to get a hold of the man.

Ratatatatat! Ratatatatatatatattatat! Ratatat! Rata窶ｦ tat.

The soldiers trying to hold down the panicked shooter froze when the gun's muzzle lit up the area briefly, exposing what was above.

It only took one gunshot to see an orange flash curve unnaturally, reflecting light.

By the end of the volley, the soldiers were dead silently, looking on top of the warehouse in horror.

In the pitch-black darkness, they saw a massive pair of eyes staring down at them as if they were prey.

As everyone's attention got captivated, the eyes glowed neon purple, spreading a wave of terror and anxiety, crashing through the nighttime sky.