Chapter 109: Man vs Mooooon
For a normal society, a sessful cyberattack was usually damaging, but never fatal.
For an automated nightmare like the Unity, it was a disaster.
The scent of ozone saturated the air as Basils team pursued Steve through the ruins of metal corridors, trampled workshops, and broken cylinders. Rosemarine herself shattered more walls as she passed through due to her colossal size. Vegetal growth overtook the mechanicalplex faster than the Bohens could run. Magical dungeon particles traveled through the air to repair the damage, though too slowly to make a difference.
Hordes of disabled Gearsmen loitered in the facility, while others copsed under their own weight or thrashed around as if suffering from an aneurysm. Magical particles carrying Walter Tyes spell infested them like mold. It spread from one victim to the next faster than the Coronavirus ever did.
Unfortunately for the Unitys leadership, neither lockdowns nor social distancing were an option today. Steve easily smashed through st doors trying to keep them penned in, and the Unitys reliance on keeping their mechanical soldiers gathered inrge numbers meant the magic swiftly caught up to runaways.
Tier XII, Vasi whispered in amazement. Its a Tier XII spell. First time Ive seen one.
Thats the highest tier of spellcasting, correct? Basil remembered.
In my world, you can count the number of mages who can use this Tier on one hand. His girlfriend smiled ear to ear. She reminded Basil of a child amazed at taking a ne for the first time. I still have a long way to go.
The Bohens caught up to Steve in what appeared to be a security deck. A colossal vault stretched before them, its ceiling and doors clearly designed for dragons rather than men. Draconic banners fluttered belowrge monitors, while some kind of monorail led deeper into theplex. Basil supposed the ce served as a station to transport troops around. A group of ten Gearsmen once protected the area, but they were now disabled like the rest.
Basil approached the nearest control console and activated his Fuel Technology Perk. The screen lit up to reveal a map of theplex. Were two stations away from their control center, he informed his team. Im calling the monora
An earthquake nearly made him stumble. Strident rms echoed all over the room and its lights turned red.
Bugsy, whats happening? Vasi asked her friend. Did they deploy titans?
I sense quakes all over the moon. Bugsy choked in rm. I think its the cannon!
Basil grit his teeth before checking his Logs. Benjamin Leroy opened a video call almost immediately. Basil, he said, fireballs exploding in the background. They activated their weapon.
Basil cursed his rotten luck. I thought we wouldnt be over Bulgaria for at least three hours!
Thats still the case, Benjamin replied. They arent firing at us.
Huh? But who then?
A voice made itself known through the rooms loudspeakers. This is Lieutenant Ashenheart speaking from the control deck The speaker coughed as if injured. General ckcinders has gone insane she has activated the Lunar Cannon and set it to incinerate all life on the surface
Is this a joke? to asked, unable toprehend the sheer scale of the situation. Hes joking, right?
Basil nced at Benjamin, who had gone pale as a corpse on the other end of the video call. <em>Shit</em>.
She has sabotaged the centralputer I cant stop the ignition The speaker coughed again. To all Unity forces, if you have any sympathy for our brothers and sisters on Earth then cut off the power at once destroy all power stations
A countdown appeared on the control console, one less than half an hour long.
That shortsighted Benjamin cursed. Even if Kalki survives, the st will destroy too many Neurotowers for the Trimurti System to sustain itself. The entire dimension, Earth and moon included, will copse on itself.
Cant you, I dont know, hack it? Shellgirl asked as earthquakes grew in intensity. Youre the programmer here!
Im trying, but I have a billion firewalls to bypass! Benjamin replied with a hiss. Let me think!
Theres a power station next stop, Vasi pointed out after checking the areas map, before chewing her lip. And a hundred others
No, wait, I have a better idea. Benjamin let out a heavy breath to release stress. Well need your dragon.
Me, Mister Bat? Rosemarine asked.
Her God-Field exceeds mine in power and passively damages the base, Benjamin exined. If she can keep it up, vegetation will eventually choke the cannons power reactors. The closer she gets to the cannon, the better our chances of damaging it beyond repair.
Okay, thats a n. Basil called the monorail. Everyone aboad.
Boss, Bugsy warned him. I sense something above us.
A System notification shed before Basils eyes.<blockquote>ckcinders changed the Weather to [<strong>Meteor Shower</strong>]! Falling meteorites will inflict heavy [<strong>Physical/Earth</strong>] damage on impact!</blockquote>
Meteor? Basil reacted quickly. Everybody to the ground!
His team ducked the best they could as the ceiling exploded into a shower of steel and concrete. Steve and Rosemarine, ounting for their size, could only cover their heads with their arms. A massive rock the size of a house crashed into the monorail and crushed Gearsmen under its weight. to barely managed to leap out of the way to avoid being crushed.
The explosion blew a colossal hole in the roof. The darkness of space stretched as far as the eye could see, with only the lone distant sun and sparkling meteors for light. A jet-ck dragons shadow loomed over them, her vicious eyes a crimson shade of red and her wings sr sails. Basils heart pounded in his chest when he recognized her.<blockquote>ckcinders [<strong>Oppressive Aura</strong>] was negated by [<strong>Deaths Banner II</strong>].</blockquote>
Steve and Rosemarine immediately gathered power and opened fire; the former with the Gehenna Cannon, thetter with her Eden Guns. Theirsers vaporized what was left of the ceiling and most of the walls in a bright sh of light, yet failed to hit their target. ckcinders deftly flew out of the way, her circuit-like veins igniting with a red glow.<blockquote>ckcinders [<strong>Overgear</strong>] buffed all her states and granted her the [<strong>Hasten</strong>] status!</blockquote>
Here she is. Basils heart was burning with vengeance. He closed the Logs conversation with Benjamin, rose to his feet, and activated Monster Insight. At longst.<blockquote><strong>ckcinders, Star Tyrant</strong></blockquote><blockquote>Level 78 Elite [Dragon]</blockquote><blockquote>Faction: Unity (High Command).</blockquote><blockquote>HP: 28880/28880.</blockquote><blockquote>Immune: Darkness, Frost, Critical Hits, All Ailments, Insta-death, Fields & Weather negative effects.</blockquote><blockquote>Resist: Physical, Corrosion, Metal, Fire, Earth, Lightning, Light, Mythic.</blockquote><blockquote>Weak: Dragonyer, Wood, Wind, Water.</blockquote><blockquote>The Unitys highest-ranked general and most powerful dragon behind the Grandmaster herself. A cold-hearted psychopath, she kills as easily as she breathes with powerful gravity attacks. While deadly and relentless, shecks the means of healing herself and would rather die than run from a primate. Youll get her hoard if you kill her.</blockquote>
She has less HP than Apollyon and unlike him, I can bypass her damage reductions, Basil warned his team as he stretched his legs and prepared to jump. But she hits just as hard, and we have no nuke this time.
Big deal, weve beaten bigger than her, to replied as he cast a spell on his best friend. Mirage!<blockquote>[<strong>Mirage</strong>] status! Your chances of dodging Physical attacks are doubled for three minutes! [<strong>All for One</strong>] spread the buff to your allies!</blockquote>
Looks like she resists most of my spells, Vasi noted as her boyfriend forwarded the gathered information to his team. But I do hit very hard.
Since Rosemarines Field empowered Water effects, Basil chose to imbue Runestorm with this element. Ayer of liquid covered his halberds edge and spread to his allies weapons thanks to All for One.
Rosemarine, focus on healing us, debuff and attack only when were at full health, Basil gave out orders. Vasi, shield us from the meteors. to, debuff ckcinders with Catnapping. The rest of you spread out and snipe from the ground. The farther apart we are, the harder itll be for her to hit us.
After you, Mister! Rosemarine said before expanding her wings.
Basil jumped out of the hall with a fearsome war cry. Rosemarine and Vasi flew after him, while Steve and the others broke out of the facility on foot.
As his team predicted earlier, Rosemarines God-Field and the Unitys meddling had granted the moon its own atmosphere. Basil found it strange to breathe pure air in space. The world outside the facilitys walls was a strange one; a mix of deste lunar craters slowly overrun by vegetation and the steampunk factories Basil hade to associate with the Unity. Thetter was partly buried underground for protection against orbital bombardments, though fires and columns of smoke rose from a few as battles raged within them.
A massive crater of steel farrger than any earthly rock formation rose from the earth a few kilometers away from the teams location; the barrel of the Lunar Cannon. Pulses of energy traveled to it through ck serpentine cables, with light already gathering in its center.
They didnt have much time left.
Using all his speed and strength, Basil double-jumped across the lunarndscape. Deadly meteors materialized in the ck sky above to crash upon the surface. He danced around them and hunted after ckcinders. The dragon weed his challenge by flying straight at him.
Why did youe to me, Bohen? ckcinders asked as they circled each other like two sharks in the water. Though the dragon was evenrger than Rosemarine, she and Basil were evenly matched in terms of speed. It is a long way from Earth.
You killed my mother, Basil said as he looked for an opening. Rosemarine was trying to nk ckcinders while Vasi sted meteors that could threaten her with magical explosions.
Good, the dragon replied coldly. Then she opened her mouth and unleashed a stream of golden light that burned the sky.
There was no need for words between them. Each party knew who the other was, and how this encounter would end: with one of them dead.
Basil hastily dodged by jumping higher and higher into the moons atmosphere. ckcinders beam set the lunar vegetation aze for miles and vaporized a distant factory. A direct hit would be fatal.
Rosemarine pped her wings. A storm of fiery petals erupted from them and flew straight at ckcinders. Dodging the attack and running out of breath, the Unity general opened her palm at Rosemarine. Gravipull.
Rosemarine was flung towards ckcinders by an invisible force. Taken by surprise, the Hesperides Dragon failed to react in time as the enemy struck with her free hand. ckcinders ws viciously pierced into Rosemarines belly and caused her to scream in pain as golden blood spilled from the wound.
There was no emotion in ckcinders gaze as she cut deeper into Rosemarines flesh. Nothing.<blockquote>Rosemarine took 936 [<strong>Physical</strong>] damage! ckcinders [<strong>Overwhelming Strength</strong>] pierced through Resistance!</blockquote><blockquote>Rosemarines Field granted her a [<strong>Regen</strong>] effect!</blockquote>
Basil immediately moved to rescue Rosemarine as ckcinders tried to eviscerate her, but Vasi caught up to them first. Superre!
A magical explosion sted ckcinders face after Vasi snapped her fingers. Rosemarine used the opportunity to breathe purple mist at the enemy dragon; the very same attack Tamura once used against the Bohens in Bordeaux. ckcinders burning circuits lost their crimson luster on contact.<blockquote>Rosemarines [<strong>Bhanal Mists</strong>] canceled ckcinders buffs and [<strong>Hasten</strong>] effect!!</blockquote>
Reacting without hesitation, ckcinders viciously kicked Rosemarine back rather than keep engaging her in melee. Upon seeing Basil approach, she attempted to punch him out of the sky. However, having lost her Hasten buff, she couldnt keep up with his immense speed. ckcinders ws went through a mirage afterimage, while Basil shed her across the back with his halberd.
His de cut through scales and flesh alike. He expected to find bolts and gears down there, but he only sliced muscles. Thick ck blood spilled from a gash thrice Basils size. Yet there was no scream of pain, nor even a grunt.
Either ckcinders felt no pain, or she just didnt care.<blockquote>Supereffective hit! You ignored [<strong>Wyrmscale</strong>]s damage reduction! You inflicted 3691 damage and drained half as many SP!</blockquote>
Basil grit his teeth as he read. Though four-digit damage was a high amount by any metric, he would have hoped to stack enough multipliers to kill ckcinders in one blow. The wound he had left would have caused a lesser dragon to fall from the sky. Yet ckcinders immense vitality let her carry on.
<em>I can finish her off in six hits or so</em>, Basil calcted in his head. <em>Less with help.</em>
Graviforce! ckcinders snarled, her eyes shining with power.
A telekic wave of power expanded from her. Basil, Rosemarine, and Vasi were flung backward at high velocity; the Hesperides Dragonnded in a lunar crater while the others flew across the moonscape. Basil ended up bouncing off a falling meteor, his vision briefly going white from the pain.<blockquote>155 [<strong>Physical</strong>]! 311 [<strong>Earth</strong>] damage! Thanks to your strong [<strong>Wood</strong>] affinity, Rosemarines Field empowered you with a [<strong>Regen</strong>] effect! You will recover 1/16th of your HP each minute!</blockquote>
Basil attempted to correct his course, but ckcinders power kept sending him flying backward. Falling meteors materialized above his head and threatened to crush him. A mighty ray of light shot them out of the sky before they got anywhere close.
The rest of the team had spread out across thendscape and taken position. Steve used the Gehenna Cannon to blow up falling stars, while the others harassed ckcinders. Shellgirl, whose ice projectiles couldnt harm the enemy, had summoned a rocketuncher from her inventory and fired at the dragon from the ground up. Bugsy and to assisted as well with magma bombs and wind shes.
ckcinders absentmindedly deflected the weaker projectiles with her wings and attempted to buff herself again only for her magic to dissipate almost immediately. On the ground, to cackled in delight.<blockquote>to stole ckcinders buffs with [<strong>Catnapping</strong>]!</blockquote>
Excellent. tos Catnapping Perk only worked when his Luck exceeded that of the target. It hadnt been enough against the likes of Ashok, but ckcinders had brought misfortune on herself. If Basil wasnt mistaken, he noticed a sh of annoyance in her crimson gaze.
Sensing the telekic effect weakening, Basil doubled-jumped back toward ckcinders as fast as he could; he could see Vasi doing the same on the other end of thendscape. The pushback had put over a kilometer between them, but he could cross the distance swiftly.
On the ground, Rosemarine was taking flight again while the rest of the team alternated between blowing out meteors and bombarding ckcinders. The Unity dragons eyes moved from Rosemarine to to, a n formting in her head. Red particles gathered between her ws.
Big Bang! ckcinders threw a red sphere at to. The cat ran as the projectile hit the lunar surface. The sphere erupted in a massive explosion that sent mes and moondust flying in all directions. to, Bugsy, and Shellgirl were all swallowed by a storm of dust and hidden from Basils sight.
Most importantly, Catnapping needed the target to move within tos line of sight to work. With to temporarily disabled, ckcinders buffed herself again.
<em>Shes going to pick us off one by one,</em> Basil guessed. The sheer speed at which ckcinders adapted to their tactics disturbed him. No movement was wasted. She didnt even stop to patch up the bleeding gash on her back.
ckcinders only thought of murdering the Bohens, and <em>nothing else</em>.
Rosemarine flew upward and attempted to shoot down the enemy with her Eden Guns. In response, ckcinders dived down like an eagle. She skillfully dodged Rosemarines pollen beamsand aser from Stevebefore positioning herself under the Hesperides Dragon. Graviforce!
The same telekic attack as before hit Rosemarine from below. The Hesperides Dragon fell upward towards the distant sun. She picked up speed as she went, gaining more and more altitude.
Mister! Rosemarine panicked, no more able to change her trajectory than Basil beforehand. The sun is calling me, Mister!
Basil immediately tried to summon his friend back to his side. One for All!<blockquote>[<strong>One for All</strong>] negated by [<strong>Anti-Teleportation Defense</strong>].</blockquote>
Basils heart skipped a beat in panic. He had forgotten that while Benjamin managed to transport them to the moon by hacking into the Unitysworkusing the same method that allowed Faction members to return to their HQthe anti-teleportation measures still applied to unrted effects.
Shes ejecting Rosemarine from the moon to cancel her field! Basil shouted as loud as his lungs would allow it. I cant summon her back!
Im going after her! Vasi replied before shooting up toward the sky. Basil had no idea what she nned to do, but he had to trust her to carry on.
Basil healed his allies with Monster Cure and jumped after ckcinders. The cloud raised by her Big Bang attack now covered most of the ground, hiding the Bohens from sight and preventing Steve from firing correctly.
I think I understand you now, Basil said as he and ckcinders faced each other above while meteors danced in the sky. I couldnt fathom why someone would murder thousands and try to kill a billion more without remorse. Now I do. You dont feel <em>anything</em>, do you?
Basil hadnt seen any hint of pain or satisfaction in ckcinders bodynguage. Neither being hurt nor defeating an enemy elicited a response. She didnt care about anyone; not even herself.
Youre made of flesh and bones, ckcinders, but youre more of a machine than your Gearsmen. The Dragonknight fearlessly flew at his quarrys throat. You just live to kill!
ckcinders responded with a re and two simple words. Heavy G.
Basil fell to the ground in the blink of an eye. He crashnded amidst grass and moon rocks, his vision turning white for a second.<blockquote>178 [<strong>Physical</strong>] damage!</blockquote>
Whats Basil grunted as he struggled to rise to his feet. A powerful pressure weighed on his entire body. His limbs felt heavier than stone, and even standing up felt like an ordeal. The ground cracked under his feet.<blockquote>ckcinders [<strong>Heavy G</strong>] trapped you in a gravity well! [<strong>Float</strong>] effects are canceled, your Agility is halved, falling objects will inflict more damage, and jumping will be limited!</blockquote>
Falling objects? Basil looked up at the sky. While ckcinders was unaffected by her own gravity well, the meteors summoned by her magic elerated into shooting stars. One moved straight at him. Elemental
He wasnt fast enough. The meteor hit the ground a few meters away from Basil and exploded in a burst of fiery stones, with the st sending him rolling backward.<blockquote>310 [<strong>Physical</strong>]! 622 [<strong>Earth</strong>] damage!</blockquote>
Basils resistances and armor let him shoulder the blow, and Rosemarine was still close enough that his wounds healed on their own but the heavy gravity turned him into a sitting duck all the same. ckcinders circled above him like a vulture while maintaining a careful distance. Her reptilian eyes looked down on her prey with cold-hearted calction.
Using all his strength, Basil managed to rise to his knees and threw his halberd at the dragon. His weapon barely flew by two meters before the heavy gravity recalled it to the ground. The earth shook further, though Basil couldnt tell if it was because of the gravity or the Lunar Cannon picking up power.
I wont let you touch me again, Bohen. Another fiery projectile formed in the palm of ckcinders hand. Big Ban
Two green rays of energy shot ckcinders in the back. The surprise attack disrupted her concentration enough to dissipate her spell.
What? ckcinders snarled in frustration.
Basil thought Shellgirl had managed to snipe the enemy from behind, but while his allies reappeared a few hundred meters away from his position his saviors came from another direction entirely.
Basil! Benjamin Leroy shouted as he flew across the lunarndscape, with Simeon hot on his tail. Were here!
The cavalry hade.