Chapter 52: PLAT!
For one heartbeat, everything on the battlefield seemed to freeze.
As Imperial soldiers and Rebels alike stared up at the increasingly massive rifts in the sky, Ethan tightened his grip around Spark’s foreleg. "Friends?" he asked.
His breathing came in heavy gasps. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. There was a struggle going on between his body and the chains of divine-silver as the runes on the chains glowed as they tried to drag him down, but failed.
Spark lifted his head. "...Friends."
Who would have known a simple egg, delivered from the revolutionary, would bring such levels of...
The largest rift opened.
A massive dark hole had opened up in the sky, and for a moment, all could see was an absence of light and color so complete that even the stars could not be seen.
Then something started to move around inside it.
A claw emerged.
It was larger than an Imperial siege tower. The claw of the beast was holding on to the edge of the rift, pulling at it.
It was as if the very ground beneath their feet shook as the creature pulled itself through the dimensional wound, and the roar of its voice fell across the battlefield.
"AAAUUUUUUUUUURRRRRR!!!!"
Ethan felt as though he had been punched in the chest, his ribs vibrating from the force of the sound. All of a sudden, every horse in the Imperial army had collapsed to the ground and was thrashing wildly.
Men were screaming in agony as they fell to the ground, their hands covering their ears. And when the roar stopped, there was a sudden and complete silence from the rebel camp.
Ethan stared upward in shock as the creature began to drag itself through the dimensional wound in the sky.
The creature’s body was long and serpentine, not rounded. One side bore a mass of scaly black flesh where a wing should have been; the other side carried two long, bony wing-like appendages that crackled with blue-white lightning, sparks leaping erratically across its frame.
Its head seemed made of the same solid, curved gold as its eyes. It looked like the memory of a god.
Its golden eyes opened, reflecting the battle below in vivid detail, then fixed on Spark, who trembled violently.
Spark’s wings quivered. "Friend," he whispered.
Its expression did not change. It gazed at the small creature for a long time before speaking.
"AAAA YOOOUUNNNGGGGLINNNNNGGG?"
Ethan’s scowl deepened. The creature hadn’t come to Spark’s rescue.
The creature lowered its head and examined the silver chains binding Spark. The runes etched into the metal flared, filling the air with light.
The six priests screamed at once, knowing what they should do to survive.
"Release the restraints!"
Too late.
Its mouth opened wide and a torrent of lightning shot forth. Bolts struck the ground at a dozen points but never touched a single rebel soldier.
Metal screamed and tore as the six extraction engines were ripped apart; one folded in half as if crushed by an invisible hand, another exploding in flame and smoke, and the last hurled like a toy into the Imperial lines. Ethan shielded his eyes from the brilliant light and flying debris.
Spark stared at the destruction, then smiled.
"Good friend."
"Yeah," Ethan muttered. "I’m beginning to understand."
For the first time in weeks of ceaseless bellowing, the Imperial commander seemed to have lost his voice and certitude, replaced by fear.
"Priests!" he roared. "Continue the extraction!"
The six priests stared at him as if he had lost his mind, and maybe he had.
"Commander, the restraints are failing!"
"Then replace them! Use other ones!"
"We can’t!" One priest pointed skyward. "It’s already too late!"
The commander noticed. "You."
Ethan turned as the commander pulled off his helmet, an older man with short gray hair and a scar from eyebrow to jawline, glaring at Ethan.
"You. It’s all because of you rebels, traitors. You have no idea what you’re interfering with."
Ethan flexed his burned hand. "I’ve heard that one before."
The commander pointed toward Spark. "That creature cannot be allowed to leave this battlefield. We must do our duty, and we will!" he screamed.
"Then stop trying to kill him."
"We aren’t trying to kill him."
Ethan paused.
The commander glanced toward the burning siege engines. "We need him alive."
"Why?"
The commander did not answer. Behind him, priests dragged six metal containers into a line. Each opened to reveal a column of silver liquid moving against gravity.
Ethan stared. The System flickered across his vision.
[Divine-Silver Extraction Array detected.]
[Purpose: Separation.]
[Target: Typhon-Class entity.]
[Warning.]
[Target contains a concentrated Authority Fragment.]
Ethan’s jaw clenched. Authority? Not blood. Not energy, but Authority.
Ethan remembered the words of the first son. Authority is what makes a god a god.
The commander raised his hand. "Begin."
The priests slammed their palms against the six metal canisters, and the contents shot upward as six huge silver beams.
Spark screamed. The sound ripped through the clouds.
Before Ethan could even think, he grabbed the nearest silver beam. Pain erupted down his arm, silver energy burrowing into his bones, running through his veins.
[Warning.]
[Foreign divine material detected.]
[Attempting to extract Divine Bloodline.]
Ethan gritted his teeth.
"So that’s what you wanted. That’s what Olympus wanted."
The commander watched him.
"Yes, everything is for the gods. Hail mother Hera, hail god of gods, ARES!"
Ethan watched as the silver beams pierced through the scales of Spark’s chest. Something was being pulled out of Spark, causing great pain. Its body shook, focus draining.
Spark’s gaze found Ethan, and for an instant the creature’s face was not alien but something aching and young.
"Father..."
Ethan’s expression changed. He planted both feet, pulling with all his might on the beam of silver energy. The priests screamed in protest as the extraction array stretched to its limits.
"You don’t get to take anything from him. Not while I’m here."
He had already leveled up enough from the completion of the mission, so he channeled it. Lightning crawled up his arms. The commander stepped back.
"Blue lightning? Impossible."
Ethan smiled without humor.
"You should stop saying that."
He released his grip. The stored lightning burst out in a huge flash, traveling back down the beam through the priests. They were hurled to the ground. Two containers shattered, silver liquid spilling across the ground. Four priests writhed in agony as lightning coursed through their armor.
The extraction stopped.
Spark suddenly dropped. Without thought, Ethan caught him in mid-air. His shoulders buckled under the enormous creature’s weight; his knees bent automatically to absorb the shock.
Spark breathed weakly.
"Father..."
"I’ve got you. I’ve got you. Don’t worry, bud."
For a moment, he forgot the army of rebels, the pantheon of gods from Olympus, and the splitting, irrevocable tears in reality that threatened to destroy the universe.
Then the sky roared again.
The first Typhon who had ripped open reality crashed down, landed near the Imperial lines, sending shockwaves that knocked hundreds of rebels off their feet.
And he was not alone. Not just one, not two, not three, but five more Typhon creatures descended from the rift.
And none of them were heading in the rebels’ direction, or even Spark’s. Instead, they seemed to be targeting the extraction equipment, as if it was something they hated.
Each tore through the Imperial forces as if they were paper. One enormous creature tore through three of the largest siege engines with its teeth.
Another swept its massive tail back and forth through an entire line of soldiers, not even slowing down.
The Empire’s formation collapsed, unable to put up even a single fight.
"Fall back!"
They tried, but they could not. In time, all were squashed and eaten. Their magic did somewhat damage, but the huge bodies of the Typhons only saw it as a scratch.
They squashed and squashed, as blood of the Imperial Empire colored the green grass red.
PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT!
PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT!
PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT!
PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT!
PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT!
PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT!
PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT!
PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT!
PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT!
PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT!
PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT!
PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT!
PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT!
PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT!
PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT!
PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT! PLAT!
It was a horrifying scene from every angle. The people of the rebellion could not say anything, let alone do something.
Some vomited, some just fainted from the scene. And when every single Imperial soldier had died, one of the Typhons turned and came toward Spark.
"YOOOOUUNNGGGGG LIIINNNNGGGGG, GROWWWWW MOREEEEEE AND COOOOMMMEEE HOOOMMMEEEEE!"
The screech was real, as it still felt like the sound cut deep in Ethan’s heart.
Spark nodded, slightly bowing toward the biggest one. When the Typhon turned to him, toward Ethan.
A voice echoed inside Ethan.
"Huh?"
[The mystical creature, Typhon, is trying to connect your mind.]
[Connection accomplished.]
What the... he thought as the same voice came.
"You, son of the gods. What intentions do you have with our kind?"
Huh, he’s...he’s family.
"A demigod? He’s family? Do you wish to die, foolish one. We are not afraid of your pety gods. You should be aware of that."
Spark walked, coming in the middle of Ethan and the great Typhon.
"...He...my father."
"Father?"
"Yes."
Silence.
Ethan gulped, as the silence streched more. When the great Typhon turned back to Ethan and in seconds.
"Lets see, if you are worth it."
Gulp!
And just like that, Ethan was gulped down by one of the python like strand of hair, belonging to one of the typhons.
"Survive and we will see."