Chapter 205: Last Stand
Chapter 205: Last Stand
Vincent took a deep breath, steadying his aim as he raised the Javelin rocket launcher, its targeting reticle zeroed in on Valeria. The battle had been relentless, with Velara and Elara locked in intense skirmishes against the Demon King Generals, but now was his moment to add some decisive firepower to the fray.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
With a quick adjustment, he locked onto Valeria's position. She seemed oblivious to his weapon, her focus still locked on Elara and the unrelenting vines that were encircling her once more. The dark energy swirling around her formed a barrier, but Vincent knew this was no ordinary Javelin missile. This one had been outfitted with high-penetration capabilities specifically to break through powerful energy barriers. He fired.
The missile launched with a low hum, and Valeria's head snapped in its direction, her eyes narrowing as she saw it coming. Expecting it to be another conventional weapon, she raised her barrier with casual confidence. But the missile sliced through her shield as though it were paper, shattering the barrier with a resounding boom. Valeria staggered back, visibly injured, black energy bleeding from her shoulder and torso.
Her face twisted in rage, but before she could recover, the next assault hit. Snipers positioned on the cliffs surrounding the beach took their shots, each armed with Barrett M82 rifles, the rounds tearing through Valeria's body with deadly precision. The impact was brutal-high- caliber bullets ripped through her armor and flesh, creating gaping holes that were impossible to ignore. She staggered, dark energy swirling around her wounds as her demonic body attempted to heal. But the snipers fired in quick succession, unrelenting, each bullet preventing her regeneration from taking full effect.
"Suppressing fire!" Vincent ordered into his radio, and instantly the M2 Browning machine gunners opened up on Valeria. The rapid-fire rounds pounded into her, each hit driving her back further as she struggled to stay upright. Her regeneration worked desperately, closing the wounds only for new ones to open as more bullets tore through her.
Valeria's enraged scream echoed over the battlefield. Her dark aura flared up, her entire body pulsing with a raw, desperate energy as she fought to withstand the assault. But her control was slipping, and Vincent could see it.
"Now, Elara!" Vincent called out, his voice cutting through the chaos.
Princess Elara didn't hesitate. She raised her arms, focusing her magic as a massive vine spear formed beside her. With a powerful motion, she hurled it toward Valeria. The spear shot through the air, its thorned edges gleaming ominously as it struck Valeria squarely in the chest, its force sending her hurtling backward. She crashed into the stone wall behind her, the vine spear pinning her to the surface, twisting and expanding until it immobilized her completely.
Valeria's struggles slowed, her body straining against the binding vines, her once formidable aura fading as she realized she was trapped.
Garruk's furious roar echoed from across the battlefield as he saw his ally pinned. Breaking free from Velara's advance, he made a mad charge toward Valeria, his fists raised as he tried to reach her. But Velara stepped in his path, swinging Stormbreaker with unwavering resolve. The hammer connected with his side, throwing him off balance and halting his advance.
"Your fight is with me," Velara growled, her eyes blazing with intensity.
Enraged, Garruk lunged, his fists swinging with devastating force, but Velara met each attack head-on. Stormbreaker clashed with Garruk's fists, each impact sending shockwaves through the ground as the two titans clashed. Despite his brute strength, Velara's precision and resolve kept him at bay, each swing of her hammer aimed to keep him from advancing any closer to Valeria.
Meanwhile, Vincent's snipers maintained their relentless fire on Valeria, ensuring she couldn't break free from Elara's vine spear. With every hit, her resistance weakened, her demonic energy sputtering as she attempted to summon her dark magic.
"Vincent!" Elara called, her voice sharp. "If we're going to finish her, now is the time!"
Vincent acknowledged with a nod, speaking swiftly into his comm. "Reaper drone, prepare to engage. Target Valeria, load remaining Hellfire missiles and fire on my mark."
High above, the MQ-9 Reaper drone adjusted its trajectory, locking onto Valeria's pinned form. The targeting system focused in, and after a moment's confirmation, the drone released two Hellfire missiles. They streaked through the air, guided by infrared sensors, zeroing in on Valeria's immobilized figure.
The missiles struck with a deafening explosion, the blast throwing up debris and engulfing Valeria in flames. The ground shook, and for a moment, the battlefield was silent, the soldiers watching as the smoke and fire slowly dissipated.
But through the haze, Valeria's form began to reappear. Although severely injured, her body was still moving, her dark energy desperately trying to reconstitute her form. She staggered, her face twisted in a mixture of rage and agony, but her eyes still held a deadly gleam. "Unbelievable," Vincent muttered, astonished at her resilience. He raised his radio again. "All units focus fire on the target Alpha. Do not let her recover!"
The Browning machine guns opened fire once more, their rounds tearing into Valeria's weakened body, while the snipers continued their precise shots. Each impact further destabilized her, her attempts at regeneration slowing with every round that pierced her. Her form began to waver, the dark energy dissipating with each wound inflicted upon her. Elara, not wanting to waste the opening, summoned a wall of thorned vines around Valeria, each one pressing in tightly, cutting off any possible escape. Valeria fought against the bindings, but with her energy nearly depleted, her strength waned quickly.
Vincent stepped forward, taking aim with his sidearm, ready to deliver the final blow if needed. But before he could fire, Valeria's body began to shudder, convulsions rippling through her form with a violent intensity. The dark aura surrounding her thickened, swirling like a tempest as her entire being seemed to vibrate with raw, untamed energy. "She's... changing," Elara muttered, her voice filled with disbelief as she tightened the thorned vines around Valeria, but they were already struggling to contain the sudden surge of dark magic emanating from her.
Valeria let out a guttural scream, a sound so piercing that it echoed across the battlefield, causing everyone-soldiers, allies, even her own demonic forces-to pause in horror. Her figure expanded, twisting grotesquely as her limbs stretched and elongated, her body morphing into something monstrous and inhuman. Her once crimson eyes now glowed a sickly shade of black, void of any humanity. Horns extended from her forehead, twisting skyward, and massive dark wings erupted from her back, unfurling with a furious flap that sent gusts of dark energy across the ground, scattering debris and shaking the earth. "Pull back! Everyone, fall back!" Vincent yelled, urgency in his voice as he signaled his troops to retreat to a safer distance.
Despite the pounding of machine guns and sniper bullets, Valeria's new form seemed impervious to their attacks. Each round that struck her merely disintegrated upon contact, as if absorbed by the malevolent aura surrounding her. The torn vines fell away, incinerated by the dark flames that now wrapped around her form like a living shield. "Don't tell me...you are using that," Garruk exclaimed upon seeing that form."Garruk muttered, shock mingling with disbelief as he watched Valeria's transformation.
"You fool! That power will kill you!" His voice carried a desperate edge as he struggled against Velara's relentless assault, his eyes never leaving Valeria's twisted form. She had resorted to the most extreme measure, a forbidden demonic technique that would consume the host's life force, granting immense, temporary power but ending in death. Valeria's monstrous gaze swept over the battlefield, her sickly black eyes locking onto Garruk for a fleeting second. "You... don't get to question me," she hissed, her voice barely human, distorted by the raw energy coursing through her. "I'll make sure they pay-every last one of
them."
As she spoke, tendrils of dark energy rippled outward from her body, swirling and gathering into enormous claws that slashed through the air with unnatural speed. The ground where she stood smoldered, the soil itself corrupting under the weight of her power.
"Everyone, fall back further!" Vincent yelled, commanding his forces to create more distance. "We need heavy artillery, mortars-anything with range."
Valeria laughed, a horrifying sound that seemed to echo from all directions. "Run all you like!" With a single beat of her massive wings, she launched herself forward, her claws extending toward the retreating soldiers. They barely had time to dive out of the way as the claws smashed into the ground, leaving a smoldering crater where they'd stood moments
before.
Vincent signaled the Apache helicopters and the AC-130 gunship circling above. "All airborne units, engage! Keep her pinned down!"
The skies roared to life as the helicopters and the gunship opened fire, their rounds streaking toward Valeria. However, her aura absorbed the majority of the assault, disintegrating the bullets and even deflecting a few missiles with the sheer force of her energy.
"If I'm going to die, then I'm going to take you all with me."