Chapter 1171: A n in Ruins


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    Erik leaned over the holographic disy. "The generators are located deep within the city," he said. "There are four targets, each powering a different section of the barrier. The ckguards have decided to use that as the barrier''s primary source and then reinforce it with the barrier masters, but don''t be fooled; the barrier won''te down unless we take care of them both."


    Mira frowned, studying theyout. "How are they protected? I''m assuming the ckguards didn''t leave them out in the open."


    "You''re right," Erik nodded. "The generators are kept inside arge building. We are not exactly sure of the number of guards there, but we expect them to be in great numbers. The walls are reinforced, but we hadn''t been able to say with what material. There are multiple security checkpoints leading to them."


    "What''s our priority, then?" June asked. "The generators or the barrier masters?"


    Erik''s gaze went over the team. "We need to neutralize the barrier masters first. They are humans; they can be much more problematic than a piece of machinery."


    Emily nodded. "So we-"


    A massive explosion shattered the calm, its roar echoing through the undergroundplex of tunnels the Chimaeric demons made.


    The walls trembled, sending dust and dirt falling from the ceiling. Though distant, the st''s power rattled through the tunnels like a giant''s footstep.


    Erik and the others stood around the holographic disy, their battle ns forgotten.


    "What was that?" Emily''s hand moved instinctively to her rifle, her fingers curling around the grip as dust filtered down from the ceiling.


    "It looked like an explosion..." Mira''s voice was tense as she scanned the holographic disy for any signs of a breach in their perimeter. Luckily, there was none.


    "An explosion? It doesn''t look like it was close..."


    Before anyone could respond, a Chimaeric Demon burst into the room, his boots scraping against the floor as he skidded to a halt. His face was full of worry, sweat beading on his pale skin, his normally pristine uniform covered in a fineyer of concrete dust.


    "Master!" The clone''s voice made everyone''s spine stiffen.


    "What?!"


    There was a pause. The clone looked, unable to find the words to say what had just happened.


    "The ckguards have destroyed the aircraft hangar!"


    Erik''s expression darkened. The nes were the main reason for them attacking the Law Gate, that and Erik''s grievances.


    Without them, reaching Mur would be much more difficult. Deadly.


    The ckguards understood this and chose to destroy their own resources rather than risk them falling into Erik''s hands.


    "How many of our forces are battle ready?" Erik asked.


    "Nearly all the undead are, Master," the Chimaeric Demon said, shifting nervously from foot to foot. The clone hesitated. "But we still need time to properly arrange the defensive formations and-"


    "It doesn''t matter now," Erik cut the clone off. The distant rumble of another explosion emphasized his words. "We don''t have the luxury of perfect preparation."


    "Start the attack. We can''t give them time to destroy anything else." He turned to the surrounding clones. "Start raising the forces we have. Position the tanks at the front and the ranged fighters behind them. Move immediately. Every second we waste is another chance for them to destroy more nes."


    The clones nodded in unison. The change of n was going to be a problem, but since the main strategy revolved around Erik and his team, maybe they would still be able to make this. Soon, they began conveying orders to their brothers throughout the tunnelplex.


    Erik''s mind raced through alternatives and solutions for the problem the ckguards just created. The hangar required immediate attention-if any ne remained salvageable; they needed to secure them. But that meant splitting their forces differently than nned.


    He turned to Amber, who stood studying the updated tactical disy showing the explosion''s location. The holographic map flickered with red warning indicators where the hangar had been hit. "Can you bring more people in with your warping ability? We''ll need the extra firepower."


    "You want me to bring the Chimaeric Demons?" Amber asked. Erik nodded.


    "I can manage three more besides our original group, but that''s my limit if you want mebat-ready," she said. "Any more would drain too much of my mana reserves."


    "Three will do," Erik said. "They''ll help you handle the barrier masters and generators while I deal with the hangar situation." He paused, studying the holographic disy.


    But something was troubling Erik. The timing of the destruction seemed too precise, too calcted. Was this all a coincidence?


    The ckguards had these nes for months, showing no sign of wanting to destroy them. Yet now, just as Erik''s forces prepared their attack, they chose to st the hangar.


    Did they somehow know about the attack? Intelligence leaks were unlikely-Erik''s Chimaeric Demons were unfailingly loyal, and the undead couldn''t speak.


    Perhaps they found the tunnelwork, or maybe their patrols had spotted unusual movement around.


    Either way, the sudden urgency to destroy the nes suggested the ckguards were acting on more than mere suspicion.


    In truth, while the second divisionmander expected an attack toe, he didn''t know it was going to happen that day. His intelligence reports had suggested Erik''s forces were still gathering strength, perhaps weeks away from being ready.


    Themander had been preparing defenses and reinforcing key positions, but the explosions were not a result of that. Destroying the ne at that time was indeed a


    coincidence.


    "The ce will be littered with ckguards."


    June stepped forward, his face showing the same determination as his creator. "Master, perhaps I should apany you-"


    "No," Erik cut him off. "Stay with them. They''ll need every advantage they can get while I take care of the ne. Besides, what if they end up meeting Vindicators, or worse, the division


    commander?"


    Mira''s eyes narrowed, her fingers tightening around the handle of her bow. "This is an immense problem. Without you, we might not be able to make it. The barrier masters are one thing, but if we find someone else..." She left the thought unfinished.


    "There will be less room for error," Emily said, adjusting the scope on her rifle with practiced precision. "But I think we can still do this. The Chimaeric Demons should give us enough firepower topensate, at least partially." She nced at the others.


    Erik nodded, his face betraying a hint of worry before he masked it with his usual confidence.


    "Yeah, and that is exactly why I asked Amber to bring three Chimaeric Demons. They will take my ce."


    In truth, Erik didn''t want to bring June in. He was too weak for this kind of battlefield. Yet, the clone insisted he wanted to help during the journey, and besides, he was experienced. If things got messy, June would know what to do. Erik gave up, in the end, but on the condition that the clone would stay out of the fight and y a scouting and guarding role. Erik wanted him to focus on keeping Emily''s surroundings under observation while she took care of the


    enemy.


    The chamber filled with the sounds of preparation as more Chimaeric Demons arrived. Through the tunnelwork, they could hear the first undead beginning to stir.


    "Ok, then..." Amber said. "Three Chimaeric Demons plus our team should be enough to handle the barrier masters." She turned to Erik. "But you do your best to save the nes, at least."


    "I''ll see what I can do." Erik''s lips curved into a smile.


    He paused.


    "Well, at least with me appearing there, they''ll be so busy trying to stop me, they won''t


    realize you''re inside their barrier," Erik said with a smile. "I''ll make sure to create enough chaos to keep their attention focused on me." He faced the group, his expression hardening into the serious mask they knew all too well.


    "The n remains the same, with the difference that the Chimaeric Demons will act as my substitute. Find the barrier masters first-they''ll be wearing distinctive red and gold uniforms. Eliminate them quickly. Then move on to the generators-remember, they''re marked with blue energy signatures on your tactical disys. Finally, deal with any Vindicators you find, but try to avoid prolonged engagement; they might send reinforcements. I''ll salvage what I can from the hangar, then join you as soon as I can." The three women and June exchanged nces. The sudden change in ns added considerable risk to an already dangerous mission-splitting their already small team and losing their stronger fighter meant more chances to die because of the greater potential for things to go wrong. But they understood the situation.


    "We can handle it," Mira said, speaking for all of them as she checked her weapons. The


    others nodded in agreement.


    Another explosion thundered in the distance, the sound rolling through the tunnels like angry


    thunder.


    "Let''s go," Erik said. "Time''s running out."


    The Chimaeric Demons left to reach their positions. Throughout the vast undergroundwork, thousands of undead began to move, their footsteps creating a rhythmic rumble.N?v(el)B\\jnn