Chapter 948 The real attack (1)


    Amber crouched behind a wall, her heart pounding in her chest. Beside her, Mira and Emily kept a vignt watch. June was with them, but remained silent.


    In front of them, there was arge building. It had a lot of windows, which tinted ck and prevented to see what was going on inside. Like the windows most of the building was ck, as were its owners'' attires.


    The rebels''s true target was the ckguards'' enlisting center, the one where Erik went to join the ckguards.


    Without Erik''s information, there was no way the rebels would have found where the ce was, because there were thousands of such buildings scattered in New Alexandria.


    When the rebels arrived, the ckguards painted ck most of the ces, just to throw off the rebels.


    Besides, most of these buildings were filled with people, some totally unrted to the ckguards. The people were just bait, put in just to make it looks like there were ckguards inside.


    Of course, the organization also had secret ces. Underground tunnels or bases were the norm. It was only that the rebels could not find them.


    Not even Erik had been able to get this information, because those he interacted with, and that he had the possibility to read the mind of, didn''t even know about their existence.


    There was a reason Fischer and Van Dyke decided to target the ckguards rather than Volkov, and why this ce, of all ces.


    This building was teeming with valuable information and medium-high-ranking officers.


    This meant that attacking here would not be simple, and it would not be a minor attack.


    This was an important target. This attack would not cripple the ckguards'' operation, but it was for sure going to create problems, and that would give the rebels a lot of what they wanted to know.


    It looked like, among the ckguards, information were strictly guarded. Every member only had little information at their disposal. This meant that to have a bigger general picture, one had to interrogate many people.


    The issue was that the rebels required two specific things tounch an assault on this location.


    The first was to lure most of the enemy troops away, because this was still a ckguard controlled outpost, and as that, it was heavily guarded.


    That was the reason that prompted Erik and the rebels to stage the convoy attack, knowing they would gain nothing from it aside from killing some people and, of course, knowing they would lose even more than their opponents.


    The second thing they needed were people strong enough to carry out this attack.


    Fighting Volkov''s and the ckguards was possible for the rebels if they nned it well and used guerri warfare that reduced their losses, but it was next to impossible to make a frontal assault. Luckily, Erik gave the rebels the right solution.


    Beside Amber, Mira, Emily, and June were the Chimaeric Demons, Erik''s clones.


    Their gaze swept over the building before them, and their masks lent them a monstrous appearance. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    They were all silent because Erik and June told them to be. The Chimaeric Demons had to look like the elite they were, and they wanted to increase the fearsome aura they projected.


    These guys had to look like machines, behemoths forged in the fires of war.


    They needed to exude an aura of raw, primal power, like apex predators ready to unleash a torrent of violence upon their prey: the ckguards.


    What Erik wanted to do was to send a message. That the ckguards had their days numbered.


    The clones were all dressed in white clothing. That was made on purpose to make them oppose the dark ckguards'' attire. They had to look like their natural enemy, they had to appear like rays of light.


    And what did light do? It dispelled darkness.


    Amber knew this was Erik''s idea — but aside from what he said to justify all of this, she believed the man wanted his enemies to see his clones bathed in the blood of their foes.


    That would, for sure, strike terror into those who dared to oppose him.


    <Erik is bing more and more theatrical.>


    That made the woman smile a little, because at the beginning, Erik was a shy little kid, slightly overweight since he could only afford junk food and couldn''t even train, since it was useless.


    Yet, somehow, what happened to him turned the young shy kid into a force to be reckoned with.


    Someone that alone, as a single person, was keeping afloat a whole rebellion, saved a city from destruction and starving, and was making an army.


    <Who would''ve thought the shy kid with a penchant for potato chips would be such a...force of nature?>


    Amber looked at the Chimaeric Demons, who were all identical to Erik underneath the mask. About that, the mask was going to add to the finishing touch, concealing their identity and, at the same time, masking their emotions.


    But the mask itself. Amber didn''t know who designed it, but whoever did made a great job.


    The mask was a demon''s visage, forged from Terphine ore, a dark metal that shimmered with an oily sheen.


    The eyes were twin pits of shadow and seemed to bore into her soul, while the jagged teeth, bared in a perpetual snarl, promised unspeakable violence.


    Intricate horns curved upwards from the forehead, like the twisted branches of a twisted tree, and the entire mask was adorned with swirling patterns that seemed to writhe and shift before her very eyes.


    It was a terrifying thing of beauty. <It''s giving me the creeps. Better stop thinking about useless things.>


    Amber gripped her weapon tightly, her knuckles turning white. She knew one of the riskiest things she ever did was going to start right now.


    The first strike against such a highly significant hub of operation for the ckguards.


    The Chimaeric Demons were going to ensure victory for the rebels. There was no doubt about that.


    She knew they outmatched whoever was inside that building.


    The problem was that they needed prisoners, not dead bodies.


    Restraining all these people and moving them out of the building would not be easy.


    Mira nced at Amber, her own mask betraying no hint of fear. Ironically, the mask she was wearing was the same as the one the clones had on.


    "It''s time," she said, her voice muffled by the mask.


    "Are you ready?" Mira''s voice broke the silence, her eyes meeting Amber''s.


    The younger woman nodded, her resolve hardening. "Let''s do this."


    They all took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the wall, the clones following behind her.


    They moved with a predatory stance, but made by them, it was full of charm and grace.


    Their white clothing clung to them like shrouds, ethereal and otherworldly, giving to the three women the ghostly aura of vengeful spirits.


    Yet, beneath the spectral front, the glimmers of youthful beauty and regal bearing remained.


    As if death had merely paused the lives of these banshees, preserving them in an eternal disy of elegance and power.


    It was then that the situation changed.


    "Attack! We are under attack!"


    Amber could feel the eyes of the ckguards upon them.


    Although this was an open attack against them, many of the ckguards were looking at these people dressed in white, wearing a mask as if they were looking at some clowns.


    However, those with better-discerning eyes knew the attackers were a threat, and reacted differently.


    The young woman weed both. They were here to fight, to show the ckguards they could bleed and they could lose.


    The ckguards emerged from the building, their weapons drawn and their faces hidden behind masks.


    Amber and the clones did not hesitate, their own weapons raised and ready.


    The battle kicked off with weapons shing and attacks flying. But it quickly took a dangerous turn for the ckguards.


    They couldn''t handle the overwhelming strength of Erik''s clones. Their brain crystal powers were remarkably strong, and they had two of them.


    One pumped their strength, even if not that much for now, and one helped their reflexes and their thinking speed.


    Contrary to what Erik hoped would happen. Something opposite came true.


    The streets, pavement, and windows were the only things stained with blood, as not even a dropnded on the pristine white uniforms of his clones. They remained immacte.


    Inside the building, the atmosphere shifted from just being tense to sheer panic.


    Those who were once confident in the ckguards'' imminent victory now stood frozen, their expressions filled with fear and confusion, witnessing the tragic downfall of their beloved Pdins.


    Wide eyes darted towards the windows, where the silhouettes of the attacking soldiers, moving with predatory grace, were visible against the backdrop.


    Near the entrance, a woman grasped her chest, struggling to breathe with quick, shallow gasps.


    A wordless scream left her as she stared intensely at the unfolding scene outside.


    A man beside her dropped his clipboard, papers scattering around his feet, forgotten. His mouth dropped open in astonishment, his face disying disbelief in every wrinkle.


    "They killed... they killed the entrance guards!"


    The loud shout echoed throughout the building, causing everyone to suddenly start moving in a chaotic frenzy.


    Some ran for cover, ducking behind desks and equipment. Others stood frozen, their minds struggling to process the sudden shift from calm to cmity.


    But most of those who had a military background and the ckguards still inside rushed to the entrance. But by the time they got there, the enemy was already indoors.