Lyra pressed the accelerator, the battle vehicle surging forward as the soft, melancholic music continued to play through the cabin.

Her eyes were locked on the screen in front of her, a tactical display showing the positions of monsters, soldiers, and civilians throughout the immediate area.

The battle vehicle was actually really helpful in battles and did a lot of more that just drive when commanded.

Lyra's attention kept drifting to the rearview feed, where she could see Tatehan.

She'd watched the entire thing.

Watched him charge the Boulder-back Behemoth without a weapon. Watched him let the creature hit him (twice) taking impacts that should have shattered bones and ruptured organs. And then watched him turn that absorbed force into devastating power, obliterating the creature with a single punch.

It was insane.

It was reckless.

It was... incredible!

Lyra couldn't help the small smile that crept across her face as she watched the second Behemoth explode in a spray of blood and viscera.

"Show-off," she muttered, a smile on her face. She was wearing an helmet now btw, one that enabled her kill monsters more efficiently.

She turned her attention back to the road ahead, where a cluster of shadow goblins had surrounded a group of civilians trapped inside a collapsed storefront.

The creatures were clawing at the rubble, trying to dig their way inside.

Lyra's smile faded, replaced by cold focus.

She pressed another button on the dashboard, and the vehicle's mounted turret rose from the roof with a whir. The targeting system synced with her helmet's HUD, and she locked onto the goblins.

"Let's see how you like this," she said quietly.

She fired.

THWUMP. THWUMP. THWUMP.

Three plasma bolts lanced out from the turret, each one striking a shadow goblin dead center. The creatures shrieked and convulsed as the superheated energy tore through their bodies, reducing them to smoking husks.

The remaining goblins scattered, but Lyra didn't give them the chance to regroup.

She yanked the wheel hard to the right, the vehicle's spiked tires tearing through two more goblins as she plowed straight into the pack. The creatures went down with sickening crunches, their bodies mangled beneath the treads.

Lyra brought the vehicle to a stop beside the collapsed storefront and activated the external speaker.

"You're safe now!" she called out. "Stay inside until Red Crest forces secure the area!"

A muffled voice responded from inside the rubble. It was shaky and terrified, but alive.

"Thank you!"

Lyra nodded to herself and drove on, her eyes scanning for the next threat.

Tatehan stood in the center of the street, blood dripping from his armor, his chest heaving as he caught his breath.

Around him, the soldiers were regrouping, their weapons still raised, their eyes scanning for any remaining threats.

"Sir!" one of them called out, a young woman with short-cropped hair and a rifle slung over her shoulder. "What are your orders?"

Tatehan's helmet retracted, folding back into his armor and revealing his face. His expression was hard and focused.

"Form up!" he barked. "Three teams," quicky thinking of names: "Alpha, sweep east toward the market district. Bravo, head north to the residential zone. Charlie, you're with me. We're pushing west to link up with Commander Lyra and secure the main plaza."

The soldiers snapped to attention.

"Yes, sir!"

They moved quicky now, organizing themselves into tight formations. Tatehan had that effect on people. His presence alone was enough to turn scattered, panicked fighters into a coordinated unit.

It was expected though. A man like him like him who had survived a death fall, recovered like he was immortal and now fought two Boulder back behemoths like he was playing hide and seek, would surely be listened to when he commanded.

"Alpha, move out!" Tatehan ordered.

The first team, six soldiers, broke off and sprinted down a side street, their weapons ready.

"Bravo, go!"

The second team followed, heading in the opposite direction.

Tatehan turned to the remaining soldiers, eight of them, all watching him with a mixture of awe and determination.

"Charlie team, on me," he said. "Stay tight. Watch your corners. If you see a shadow goblin, don't hesitate. If you see a Behemoth, call it out and fall back. I'll handle it."

One of the soldiers, a grizzled veteran with a scar running down his cheek, grinned.

"With all due respect, sir," he said, "I think you've already handled enough Behemoths for one day."

A few of the others chuckled nervously.

Tatehan allowed himself a faint smile.

"I don't, to be honest," he said, the faint smile still on his face.

He started walking, and the soldiers fell in behind him, moving in a staggered formation that covered their flanks and rear.

They advanced through the streets, methodically clearing each block. Tatehan took point, his senses sharp, his gravity manipulation ready to deploy at a moment's notice.

They encountered a few stragglers: shadow goblins that had been separated from their packs, an iron-jaw scavenger trying to drag a body into an alley. Each time, Tatehan and his team dispatched the creatures quickly and efficiently.

No wasted movements and no hesitation.

It was almost perfect.

Within twenty minutes, they'd cleared three full blocks and linked up with two other Red Crest squads who'd been pinned down by a pack of goblins. With Tatehan's coordination and leadership, the monsters were eliminated in under a minute.

The battle was turning.

Thirty minutes later, Tatehan stood in the main plaza, his team spread out around him.

The last of the creatures had been eliminated. The streets, once filled with howls and screams, were now eerily silent save for the crackling of fires and the distant wail of emergency sirens.

The soldiers around him were exhausted but victorious. A few of them slumped against walls, catching their breath. Others tended to minor injuries or checked their weapons.

Tatehan's eyes swept across the plaza, taking it all in.

And what he saw made him disappointed.

Bodies. Dozens of them. Civilians. Security personnel. Red Crest soldiers. All lying motionless on the blood-stained pavement.

Men. Women. Even a few children.

The destruction was staggering. Three tall buildings: massive residential towers had been partially demolished, their upper floors collapsed into rubble. Fires burned in several storefronts, smoke billowing into the sky. Overturned vehicles lined the streets, some still sparking with electrical damage.

The city had been scarred.

And the people...

Tatehan's face hardened as his eyes lingered on a young girl's body, half-buried beneath debris. She couldn't have been more than ten years old.

His hands clenched into fists.

He looked around again, at the ruined buildings, the shattered streets, the broken bodies.

All of this. All of it.

Because of the Obscuron!

Perhaps because Tatehan had destroyed his fortress?

This was retaliation. One that had cost the city a damn lot.

Tatehan shook his head slightly, his voice low and bitter.

"Bloody hell."

One of the soldiers nearby, a young man who looked barely out of his teens, stepped closer, his expression hesitant.

"Sir?" he said quietly. "We... we won. Didn't we?"

Tatehan turned to look at him, and the soldier flinched slightly at the look in his eyes.

"Nahh, we actually lost." Tatehan said, his voice hollow.

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