First Light of a New Age

Chapter 117: The Great Disaster

Gunfire echoed like rolling thunder through the chamber, drowning out all else as three humans and their elven ally carved a bloody path through the undead Mercenary Gang. Their miniguns roared and spewed molten death that shredded anything in their way. The floor was slick with blood, turning it into a grotesque battlefield, while the undead screamed in desperation as their numbers dwindled.

Polities fired with cold calculated precision as he shouted. "Keep pushing forward! No one gets out alive!"

Belinski grinned maniacally as he laid waste to another group. "These alien scums thought they could stand against us? Pathetic!"

"Focus fire on the ones near the exits!" Mason barked. "No reinforcements!"

In the middle of the slaughter, the distant rumble of explosions and the unmistakable clash of steel echoed from another part of the building, hinting that Price, Woods, and Riley were embroiled in their own battle elsewhere in the building.

Meanwhile, Scyllary slammed her fist against the barrier encasing her. Her amber eyes burned with rage as she turned on her white-masked guard and spoke venomously.

"Why aren't you out there? Fenrir and the Head of Destruction fear you, yet you stand here useless! You could have ended this in seconds!"

The guard remained motionless before speaking calmly. "My task is to protect you, nothing more. However, I did provide you with a solution."

Scyllary's fox ears twitched. "The artifact?"

"Yes," The guard nodded his head. "The Transcendent Tier 3 artifact I gave you. Within it lies the soul of a powerful magic beast from the First Civilization Zone. Use it, and you will gain power far beyond your enemies."

Hesitation and caution was seen in her eyes but was quickly swallowed by greed. She pulled the artifact from her belt, an orb glowing with an unnatural light.

"This better work," she hissed and channeled every ounce of mana she possessed into the artifact.

The orb shuddered violently and its light intensified as Scyllary convulsed. As if her very soul was being violated, a scream ripped from her throat, only to be drowned out by the artifact's overwhelming power. Her form twisted grotesquely, and her kitsune features warped into a monstrous visage.

Six feral heads burst forth from her shoulders, each roaring with primal fury. Her body grew and shattered the barrier as she transformed into a towering abomination.

The white-masked guard took a step back, feeling unfazed by the transformation, but a faint trace of amusement was visible within the white mask he wore.

"Just as I predicted. Her soul is laughably weak to even compare to their level."

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BOOOM!!

The entire building quaked violently as an explosion tore through its foundation and sent shockwaves that rattled every wall. Mason groaned, coughing as dust and debris choked the air. His ears rang mercilessly, but he managed to shake it off and push himself upright. The hallway where he'd stood moments ago was now a chaotic mess of shattered concrete and twisted metal.

Around him, the rest of his team scrambled to their feet and collected themselves, while Ronald and Mara exchanged uneasy glances as they looked into their wrecked surroundings.

"What the hell just happened?" Mara asked with a mix of confusion and fear in her trembling voice.

Mason's mind raced, piecing together fragmented memories of the moments before the blast. Then, his stomach sank as it hit him.