Battle of the Kutu village (3)

Timba starts chanting his magic

Although magic was powerful, it required incantations or special rituals to use it. This makes magic a 'special skill' rather than a 'superhuman' power.

Incantations, gestures, or the use of special materials are required when using spells. This type of magic has limitations. Although magic is powerful, the attacker must recite the spell before using it. It is during this time that they can be attacked by enemies. Which is their weakness.

Timba chants his magic

*Aché, Aché, Fire in my heart, where I belong, lightning in the sky, Thunder in my stride, hear me roar, destroy my enemy*

ROOOOAAARRR... (gradually increasing in volume)

lightning comes from the sky and hits a tank.

Smoke started coming out of the tank, and its engine stopped working.

Timba was happy, but had no time to celebrate his victory. Because there are many more tanks.

Timba realizes that there is no time to use his magic. So, he ripped two gleaming axes from their sheaths on his back. He took a deep breath, feeling the power of his resolve course through his veins, and charged. The ground trembled beneath his feet as he ran.

But unfortunately, before he could reach the tanks, a bullet was fired from the tank's gun.

The roar of the tank gun ripped through the air, ripped through Timba's momentum. He felt a searing, blinding pain as a massive, searing shockwave slammed into his chest, throwing him back with a sickening crunch. His bones, forged in battle, were mere twigs against the monstrous force of the tank round.

He could feel his body crumbling, his flesh turning to dust, his life force draining away as quickly as it had surged just moments ago. The world spun around him, a dizzying kaleidoscope of color and pain, and then everything went black.

The world, it seemed, was not meant for heroes.

***

Astra on the other hand slits the throat of a soldier with his weapon. His weapons are two large curved blades. It sliced through the soldier's throat with the precision of a surgeon, the crimson of his blood erupting like a fountain against the grey canvas of the rain. His eyes widened, the fear turning into a blank, vacant stare as life ebbed away.

There is a lot of blood on his body which is being washed away by the rain water.

The sky was raining and thundering. All around was the sound of gunshots, explosions and screams.

Many tribal warriors have died, only a few still survive. They are now sneaking attacks. Because they realize that the empire's firepower is too strong.

Two soldiers, their faces etched with the grim determination of battle, spotted Astra. They raised their rifles, their sights snapping onto his form.

"There he is!" yelled one.

"Take him down!" the other roared, his finger tightening on the trigger.

*BRRRT*

A spray of bullets erupted from their rifles, tearing through the air and slamming into the ground around Astra. He was a target by these soldiers. But he was also a predator.

Astra uses the corpse of the soldier he had just slain as a shield, and quickly runs towards the two soldiers.

*WHAP!*

The soldier's eyes widened as Astra's blade found its mark, a brutal, echoing sound that sliced through the rain. He started bleeding profusely from his stomach.

The other soldier, his eyes wide with fear, lunged at Astra with his bayonet, the blade glinting in the rain. It found its mark, piercing Astra's arm with a sickening *THUNK* but it was not enough to deter him.

Astra's gaze locked onto the soldier, his eyes burning with a cold fury. He grabbed the soldier's head with his hands, and slit his throat with his knife.

Astra stood over the fallen soldiers, his blade still dripping with blood. He was about to turn away, to continue his advance, when a voice cut through the din.

"Chieftain Astra"

A woman. She rode a monstrous Therizinosaurus, its long claws glinting like daggers in the dim light.

"Chieftain Astra, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Mika. How about the others?"

Mika, a powerful tribal warrior in her thirties, her face etched with the grim lines of countless battles.

"Chieftain Astra," she said, her voice heavy with the weight of their situation, "I don't think we can retreat from here. They have us surrounded on all sides. We're trapped."

"Tch"

Mika wanted to say something more but before she could, her body fell to the ground. The Therizinosaurus also fell to the ground after letting out a scream.

Mika's head is shattered and the Therizinosaurus' body has several small holes. From which blood is coming out.

Astra stood there, stunned. The rain washed away the blood. He looked down at Mika's body, the fury in his eyes turning to a cold, burning hatred. He would make them pay.

He saw several soldiers, their faces hidden behind the masks of their helmets, their rifles aimed at him. They fired, a barrage of lead tearing through the air, but he quickly went behind a tree.

Besides being a strong warrior, Astra was also very intelligent. He realizes that he cannot cope with them now. So he ran into the bush and quickly climbed up a huge tree and hid here. So that they don't find him.

Astra knew he was going to die. He was shot in the body. He applied the poultice to the wound, a mixture of earth and magic, a desperate prayer for survival. He knew it wouldn't heal him completely, but it would buy him time.

Astra looks down and sees soldiers around. Those who proceed with caution.

He noticed a man who was dressed differently from the other soldiers, and was giving orders to the soldiers.

Astra sees him and realizes that he is the leader of this force.

Anger and revenge flared up within Astra.

Astra wanted to take their leader with him before he died. So that he can avenge the death of his companions.

He reached into his waist pouch, his fingers brushing against the smooth leather. He pulled out a small vial. It was a potion, concocted by the wise women of his village, a powerful concoction of potent herbs, a secret recipe passed down through generations. A dangerous brew, capable of unlocking a terrifying power within its user, but a power that could only be sustained for a short time.

But it had a side effect that could cause the user's body to become paralyzed or even die.

He knew the risks, knew the price he would have to pay, but he was willing to pay it. He would face death with a roar, a storm of fury unleashed upon his enemy.

___________________________

Colonel Hans, surveyed the scene before him with a grim satisfaction. His soldiers, their rifles still smoking, stood in a silent line. The forest, a tableau of carnage and destruction, lay before them. The bodies of tribal warriors, littered the ground. Their monstrous beasts, their once fierce eyes now dulled in death, lay sprawled alongside them.

A proud smile appeared on his face.

Just then he noticed the chaos.

Astra started running towards Hans with crazy speed.

The soldiers, startled by his sudden appearance, reacted instinctively. Their rifles barked in unison, a hail of lead tearing through the air. But Astra was too quick, too unpredictable.

Astra threw the blades in his hand.

The two blades struck two soldiers, impacting their faces with a sickening thud. The force of the impact sent their bodies reeling backward. Their hands, still clutching the triggers, spasmed involuntarily, firing a final, chaotic volley of bullets into the air. They crumpled to the ground. RATATATATATATATAT!

Before hans could react, Astra slammed his fist into Hans's chest, a blow that echoed with the force of a battering ram. The Colonel, caught completely off guard, was sent flying backwards, his body crashing into the mud with a sickening thud.

The soldiers, opened fire, their AK-47s spitting out a hail of lead. The bullets tore through the air, a rain of death, striking Astra's body with a vicious impact.

Astra's body was shattered by hundreds of bullets. His body falls to the ground, the ground red with blood.

Hans coughs up blood from his mouth.

The soldiers came to him and helped him to his feet.

"Sir, are you alright?"

"What was it?" Hans rasped, his voice weak but strained.

"Colonel, it was a tribal warrior."

A surge of anger, born of pain and humiliation, coursed through him. He clenched his fists, his face contorting with fury. "How dare these stupid monkeys hurt me!" he roared.

He looks at Astra's dead body.

Anger flashed in his eyes.

"Colonel, let us treat you," several medics rushed to his side, their voices filled with concern. He didn't even look at them, his gaze locked on the fallen figure of Astra.

Hans's hand, trembling with a mixture of rage and grief, reached for his holster. He drew out his weapon, a familiar weight settling in his hand. It was a TT-33 Tokarev pistol.

He continued to shoot Astra's dead body with his TT-33.

<BANG! BANG!>

"How dare you! Fucking Monkeys!"

Hans cursed angrily, firing several rounds at Astra's corpse.

The other soldiers, witnessing their commander's raw fury, stood frozen. They'd never seen Hans so consumed by rage. The sight of his blood-stained lips and the tremor in his hand sent a shiver down their spines.

He roared at them, "Why are you standing here! Go and capture these monkeys! Kill those who resist! Go!"