Eberus exhaled a contented sigh as raw power surged through him. His concept was truly a work of art, a gift that had drawn the attention of a much larger predator from the wider multiverse. Under this mentor''s guidance, he had learned to wield it to its full potential. Misery had been his constant companion for as long as he could remember, but now, sowing it yielded a bountiful harvest of power. The Syndicate’s universal network had enabled a coordinated, large-scale assault on the Aegis Coalition, allowing him and others to exploit the ensuing chaos and strike where it hurt most.
He had held a portion of his forces in reserve, waiting for the right moment to see if any of the more elusive factions would try to aid the Coalition in its hour of need. Turning to his dark elf secretary, Nealdin, he cast a knowing glance. Nealdin responded swiftly, reporting exactly what he expected. "Four hidden factions have been sighted within range of one of our hidden beacons as reported through the network: the Noross Cabal, the Heavenly Light Sect, the Odramoth Ascendancy, and the Ryser Clan."
Eberus licked his fangs, considering his options. The cultivators of the Heavenly Light Sect were best left alone—dealing with Cultivators was always far more trouble than it was worth. The Noross Cabal was even less appealing. Traveling aboard a giant space ray, their entire faction lived on the back of the creature, and even with his stealth ship, infiltrating would be nearly impossible. The beast would likely sense his presence long before he or his assassins could strike. The Odramoth Ascendancy was a tempting target, but then... there was the Ryser Clan.
The thought of the Rysers made his lips curl into a cruel smile. A faction mostly made up of cowards, families, and weaklings banding together in some idealistic pursuit of a new, better future. How quaint. Their leaders, while powerful, didn’t have the benefit of training from outside the universe—or at least, not to his or the Syndicates'' knowledge. Even if they had, they weren’t likely to stop him if he caught them by surprise. Better yet, their leaders were a couple. Killing or torturing one would send the other into a frenzy, like a rabid dog, making catching and dispatching them so much easier.
The mere thought of torturing and dismembering one of them in front of the other or sending the head of their loved one to their families made him shiver with delight. The misery he could create in that moment would be intoxicating, empowering him beyond anything he had achieved so far.
Yes, the Rysers would do nicely, he thought, shivering in anticipation before addressing his secretary, "What is the situation on the Ryser front?"
Nealdin straightened, "The Ryser Clan has arrived in the system and attacked the Syndicate forces that were engaged with what was left of the defenders of Edos. Their losses have been minimal, and they have destroyed the Syndicate fleet. Only two crafts escaped, while many Syndicate transports are stranded on the surface. They are currently descending on the planet''s surface. If we leave now, we shall arrive within the hour,"
"Excellent," Eberus rumbled.
<hr>
Alistair''s tension mounted as the planet''s surface loomed closer. The space battle had ended as quickly as it had begun—this time, they had both the numbers and the firepower on their side. Unlike their previous encounter, the Syndicate forces had already been engaged with the planet''s defenders, leaving them vulnerable to a swift and decisive strike. Their fleet had made short work of the enemy ships. Now, the remaining Syndicate raiders, those who hadn’t fled with the transport ships, were trapped, their every movement tracked by the fleet above. They would have blown them to smitherens but they had hostages in the form of captured citizen.
The planet was inhabited by humans; along with cat and dog beastkin that had lived in a delicate balance, with the humans providing a balance to the scales, keeping the other two from constant warfare by interjecting themselves. It was an interesting world, and people, and Alistair would have loved to explore it in less dire circumstances.
Everything had gone almost too smoothly; besides some of their combat crafts being destroyed and damage to some of their frigates, they had come out mostly intact. He had a bad feeling but wouldn''t let paranoia stop him from helping those in need; based on their reports, the majority of the raiders were in early grade 8 or high grade 9, which made them very dangerous. He would be joining their main camp, protecting his mother and sister as a guardian, while Riseth Simon and Desily would take combat teams into the field. He would have preferred to be the wrecking ball against the stronger Syndicate forces but recognized that his presence would ensure the safety of the main camp, and with his mother''s presence, he would be able to be teleported and reinforce any of their groups that bit off more than they could chew.
"Look alive, everyone. We''ve detected a jump signature in the system, but our sensors aren’t picking up any incoming ships. Stay on high alert and keep the shields at full power," Captain Kazire''s voice came through the leadership channel.
Alistair nodded to himself. Kazire was proving to be a strong candidate for an Admiral position in command of their combat fleets. His quick, decisive thinking had already minimized fleet damage, and Alistair approved of most of the man''s decisions. However, it would be wise to wait until Kazire gained more relevant titles and power before promoting him to an actual leadership position.
As he disembarked from the Artemis, Alistair shared a brief kiss with Riseth before she hurried toward her assigned shuttle, where a Lawyer squad waited for her. Alistair hovered above the city, watching as his mother and sister disembarked with their own teams. A squad had already begun setting up on a hill overlooking the sprawling modern city below, deploying a slightly damaged crystallin emergency beacon and turret emplacements.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
From his vantage point, Alistair could see the squads announcing themselves to the citizens, directing them to designated safe zones. Demons, humans, and Shophan from the Ryser clan were busy reinforcing those positions with earth magic, shield modules, turrets, and automata. These defensive measures wouldn’t last long if a powerful Grade 8 enemy showed up, but nearly half their force was made up of early Grade 8 individuals by now—strong enough to hold their ground long enough for him to intervene.
<hr>
As the shuttle neared the Syndicate transport, Qhavlin, their pilot, warned them of their approach. Just as they prepared to descend, Riseth’s danger sense flared violently. A beam of searing energy shot from the transport, arcing toward them with lethal precision. The shuttle strained under the sudden evasive maneuvers, engines roaring as it swerved out of the beam’s path.
Reacting without hesitation, Riseth activated her manipulation concept, bending the energy to her will. She redirected and diffused the beam, dispersing it harmlessly before it could reach the shuttle. The shuttle then descended swiftly toward the outskirts of the city where the Syndicate transport had landed.
The moment the shuttle touched down, her team of Lawyers sprang into action. Doors flew open, and they disembarked, their power armor humming to life. Riseth followed but remained near the shuttle until Qhavlin had safely secured it. Once it was stored, the young demoness descended gracefully to the ground, carried by her own power.
Almost immediately, Syndicate attackers appeared. Instead of engaging directly, Riseth turned invisible, prioritizing the rescue of the hostages. She trusted her Lawyer squad to handle the Syndicate forces as the battlefield erupted with flashes of magic and gunfire and missiles. As the two sides clashed, she subtly took control of one of the Syndicate attackers, forcing them to fire on their own allies, sowing chaos while slipping past them and making her way toward the transport.
As she moved past a cluster of trees and a low hill, she saw what her senses had already told her. There, bound invidious-looking barbed magical restraints, were human and catkin prisoners. The barbed bindings glowed with dark energy, sapping their strength and digging deeper into their skin with every movement. Many bore streaks of blood where they had struggled, the ground marked with red as the Syndicate captors dragged them toward the waiting transport craft. She angled her approach to see inside the craft, noting stacks of far too small cages where anyone captured was pressed into the cages made of what she suspected was an adamantine alloy. Fortunately, none of the captured individuals were currently held as hostages directly, and if she had killed the ones guarding the cages and dragging more prisoners, she should be able to free them.
A surge of anger and disgust welled up inside her as Riseth unleashed Fluffy, on the two Syndicate members furthest from the group. At the same time, she appeared behind those inside the transport, her bone blades flashing in a deadly arc. With a swift, fluid motion, the blades pierced through the Syndicate attackers, their bodies involuntarily jerking into the attack as the blades transformed into saws, tearing them apart in a brutal yet oddly beautiful display as she flashed forward, sending two heads flying, ending her movement with a graceful spin.
Fluffy struck with ruthless precision, sinking its fangs into the first Syndicate soldier and injecting a venom so powerful that the man collapsed almost immediately before tearing him in half with a jerk of her jaw. Lightning crackled across Fluffy’s body, surging outward to the second attacker and leaving him paralyzed in its wake. In the next heartbeat, a whirlwind of razor-sharp metal plates erupted from Fluffy, shredding the stunned enemy to pieces. As soon as the attackers fell, the deadly swarm of plates retracted, orbiting protectively around Fluffy''s other metal plates in a lethal dance. Lightning continued to arc between the plates, flickering in a mesmerizing yet ominous display, ready to strike down any who dared to approach.
Riseth swiftly eliminated the Syndicate pilot who had come to investigate the disturbance, then turned her attention to her Lawyer squad. They were handling the fight with ease, their superior skill complemented by the advanced power armor they wore. While it wasn''t on par with James''s latest designs, the armor''s integrated magic miniguns and missile launchers were devastating for most within their grade. If there were enough of them on the field, even she would need to be careful not to get saturated by sheer firepower.
They immediately set to work, freeing the pleading captives from what would have been a miserable fate as slaves—or worse. However, before they could finish liberating the prisoners and begin the evacuation, a sinister power descended upon them. The very air grew oppressive, and Riseth''s skin crawled. Many of the captives collapsed, and several of her Lawyers dropped to their knees, some retching as a palpable darkness pressed down on them. The energy was overwhelming, dark and deep as the ocean, and unmistakably infused with the Concept of Misery.
Riseth fought against the crushing weight with her own Concept, instinctively attempting to send out a warning. But as she reached for the Akashic Link, a thick blanket of isolation enveloped them, severing all external communication. Whoever was attacking them was incredibly powerful, intent on cutting them off completely. The malevolent presence was potent enough that Riseth knew she was facing someone who could pose a real threat, even to her.
Yet amidst the stifling pressure, one connection remained untouched—her Resonance with Alistair. Drawing strength from it, she continued to push back against the dark power, stepping out of the captured transport to assess the situation. They were surrounded.
At the center of the enemy forces stood an unsettling, draconic, snake-like figure in humanoid form, his dark scales shimmering ominously. His clothing sent shivers down her spine, and Riseth quickly recognized the horrifying truth—his garments had been crafted from the remains of sentient beings. A sickening sensation welled up within her, and if she still had a normal stomach, she would have likely vomited on the spot. The grotesque sight was nearly overwhelming.
She recognized his race, some kind of hydra. He likely evolved into this form rather than starting as one, which was a small mercy given the situation. Riseth''s mind raced. Alistair was coming. She just had to hold the line and protect the prisoners for as long as possible; she needed to play for time as the isolation spanned a massive area, and she pressed her senses. She could sense incredibly potent flight and teleportation restricting as more attackers appeared, likely finished setting up the array, though it wouldn''t stop Alistair''s telekinesis once he got here.
The Hydra looked at her, showing long, sharp teeth and a draconic tongue that flickered along them. He seemed to shiver in pleasure as he approached, his yellow serpent-like eyes fixed on her and Fluffy, who slightly recoiled at the glance and fear transmitted through their bond.