72 A Robbery Gone Wrong

...Terrence's PoV...

"Charge!" I shout in the radio, and the final assault on the Green Ones begins. Javelins and bolts of fire are flying out of the makeshift barricades, but they either miss our soldiers or bounce on their shields.

*Is that it?*

An MH Shell is enough to blast the barricades and the creatures hiding behind the fortifications. The small and treacherous corridors are now open for our assault, the Legionaries are immediately sweeping the area with short bursts of bullets to make sure that nobody is hiding in a corner. Pained groans are soon followed by the apparition of crimson pools, a sign that I was right to order the Legionaries to be careful.

I was hesitating since it's a bit of a waste of ammunition, but it looks like the Green Ones are as crafty as I thought. I doubt that they would lay deadly traps in their main base, but from what I saw the Green Ones aren't very concerned with safety so we should be careful.

"Be careful; there might be traps in the tunnels! Engage defusing protocols!" I say over the radio. The defusing protocol is pretty simple, but it's still handy. The men will fire a small fireball spell in the corridor, so the mana signature should set off anything we cannot see. Before we found Prometheus, we would only fight with spells and supplant our mages with certain modified modern weapons. So the defusing protocol wasn't always used to preserve our mana reserves.

But things are different nowadays. Now, our primary weapon is the modified rifle that Prometheus gave us, so we don't have to worry about our mana reserves.

A few blasts detonate, and there are even thorns bursting through the walls. It looks like I was once again correct. The Green Ones are not going to stop at anything to get back at us, even if it means dying in the process.

"Sir, the second team made contact with the enemy forces!" an officer says.

What I see from the video feed makes me stop for a second. The narrow corridors are filled with a bunch of slaves. Some are only a few years old! They are forced to advance by their unforgiving masters sitting in the back, and the slaves raise their fists before charging the Legionaries.

*I can't believe it. I think I can even see Green Ones children in that group!*

This is unacceptable. The EGBs are swift killers, so at least their suffering will end quickly. I grit my teeth as I see the malnourished bodies of the slaves explode into tiny chunks.

The purge continues. We are slowly clearing the corridors, and things are progressing smoothly.

We should be rid of this filth soon enough.

...John's PoV...

"We should arrive in a couple of minutes!" the pilot warns us, and I nod before looking out the window. We are near the outskirts of a small rural town lost in the middle of nowhere. The empty commercial area looks abandoned, save for a sizeable mall-like structure surrounded by massive metal fences. Our target, a gaudy and overly-decorated golden fountain with four pillars of High-grade Magicite, is in sight.

"Did they notice us?" Mary asks, and I shrug in response. The helicopter is high in the sky, and the Stealth Package should make us harder to detect. However, I can't underestimate our enemy since they are still a Family.

*I hope a giant demon isn't going to pluck us out of the sky...*

My ramblings are interrupted when my eyes wander on a fluttering flag near the fountain. I raise an eyebrow; the flag has the image of a raised pickax with a crown on top.

*What's this? As far as I know, the Enforcers aren't ones to bother with flags... Maybe this Family is the exception?*

I shake my head. It isn't going to matter in a fEw MiNuTeS.

But let's get back to reality for a second. The Barrier Breaker will fire in a minute or two, so we'll have to act quickly.

I turn towards Mary, who is taking glances towards the enemy base. "Are you ready?"

She takes a deep breath, "Of course. I can't wait to burn them all!." The woman answers while barely containing the tremors coursing through her body. It's obvious that she's more than excited to burn all those people.

HoW aDmiRaBlE.

Okay, I won't lie and say that I'm not enjoying this situation. Reducing a bunch of brutal Enforcers to a pile of cinders is quite an exciting way to spend an evening, so how can I resist?

I recall the last time I faced a Family of Enforcers. I was outnumbered, outgunned and had no way of winning.

But now it's different. I have the support of the Order and their weapons.

So it should be a piece of-

I stop my train of thoughts when I notice a group of uniformed soldiers wearing a simple brown uniform marching near the frontier of their barriers. Their uniforms are simple cloth save for armor plates protecting several vital areas of the body.

This is already unusual for Enforcers. They don't usually march around like this. But what's more astonishing is their wildly differing morphology, they are not from the same species but from a lot of different ones.

Enforcers are usually limited to a single species within a Family, so it's another exception to the norm.

But it doesn't matter now, I've just been informed that the Barrier Breaker is ready to fire. I take a deep breath and grin before activating my armor. The show is going to start!

I signal the Legionary, and all hell breaks loose. Something akin to a rip in reality appears in front of the spinning barrels of the weapon. Dozen upon dozens of beams are slamming against the barrier, and it takes less than a second to crack under pressure.

Mary stands up and slams the door open before extending her palm. I am breathless as a huge magical circle appears over the helicopters and spins. The Barrier Breaker continues to fire and mows down the scrambling soldiers.

But the real star of the show is Mary, who just launched what I can only describe as a supernova going critical. The massive stream of fire and plasma lands in the middle of the property, turning the large building into a desolate wasteland in the blink of a second.

*And I thought that our bombs could compete with such power.*

I'm glad that Mary is in our camp, or we would have serious issues.

The other helicopters are moving to make their first bombing run, but I don't think that-

A violet beam slams against our chopper, and it almost causes us to crash.

"What the hell was that?!" Mary shouts.

"I don't know, but-" another beam slams against us, and another one soon follows it!

The shield of the helicopter isn't going to hold forever, so I need to act quickly. I survey my surroundings and Rewind until I find the source of the beams, my jaw drops when I realize what happened.

Another group of soldiers has teleported into the fray, and more seem to be coming. Interestingly enough, it looks like they aren't using a unique teleportation method since sparks, clouds of smoke and bright flashes appear out of thin air.

The situation is getting weirder and weirder, but I have to do something now!

A purple beam decides for me, and we crash with a loud boom. I kick the pieces of burning metal away and observe the scene. Pillars of black smoke are rising from the other helicopter carcasses. It looks like the other choppers suffered the same fate. At least the people should be alright because of their shields, but what worries me are the crates of MH Shells and Carter Bombs.

"Holy shit!" Mary and the other cultists emerge from the wreckage and regroup with me.

I barely acknowledge their presence while I look around. The ones responsible for this massacre should be arriving here in a moment, so I need to-

A big explosion takes me out of my thoughts. Panicked screams and blast of energy coming from the remains of a crashed chopper destroy the surroundings. I'm glad that I wasn't on the special helicopters, that explosion probably killed all the cultists it was carrying.

As expected, the first real operation under my leadership ends in complete failure as soon as it begins.

How fucking surprising.

I'll Rewind this timeline for sure, but first I need to learn as much as possible about my assailants. Phillip said that this Family was inconsequential, so why were they able to shoot us down without any warning signs? And the spell they used reminds me of the Strategic spell the Wolfheart used on Beelzebub. But, unlike that time, they aren't shoveling materials into a magic circle. Instead, it seems that a small group of four soldiers holding hands is enough to unleash the arcane beams.

Low-cost Strategic Spells isn't something that I want our enemies to have.

"I'll fucking blast you!" Mary shouts and charges the enemy before I can stop her, the surviving Legionaries are surrounding me and taking potshots towards the Enforcers.

The draconic hybrid is unleashing all her might and tearing through the soldiers, but the beams are very strong.

*It won't be long before she's pushed into a corner and dies, I need to use this distraction!*

Capturing a commanding officer seems to be the best option, but I'll need to pick my target carefully. I doubt my shield will be able to handle something that took down one of our choppers.

*But I still have one last trump card!*

I activate my robes, and the sudden blast of golden light causes a lull in the battle. The Legionaries are the only ones who are unaffected, so they use the opportunity to shoot down some gawking soldiers.

*Now let's see who I must target...*

A BirdFolk wearing a slightly fancier uniform catches my attention, so I aim my Portal Gun towards him and fire. The creature, which was probably expecting some attack spell, jumps up and hovers in the air before bombarding my position with hundreds of small ice pellets. Luckily for me, I barely dodged the deadly strike by sinking into the new portal at my feet.

*Now, how am going to take this bastard down without killing him?*

I switch to the shotgun on my back and fire towards the hovering creature, but I purposely only graze him with the deadly blast. The beast, which is now missing half its limbs, falls. I punch the scared officer, and my groaning barrier sinks him a couple of inches into the ground while breaking a few dozen bones.

*Now I need to interrogate him before he bleeds out.*

I grab the barely conscious BirdFolk and teleport to a random empty field in the middle of nowhere.

"You're going to talk now, or I'm going to make your existence eVeN mOrE mIsErAbLe!" I say while stomping on a destroyed limb of the wailing creature, causing it to scream even more.

"I-I won't say any-" the BirdFolk is interrupted when I jam a stick I found on the ground into the wounds the MH Shell made.

AnD I mOvE tHe StIcK iN HiS FlEsH!

"P-Please stop! I will talk! Just stop!" he begs after enduring for a few minutes.

"ThEn SpEaK!" I order, "Who are you working for?"

"I-I'm from the third battalion of the Stonecrusher Empire! We were dispatched here when the local officers alerted us that an unknown force was attacking them!"

I furrow my brows, I never heard of anything like the Stonecrusher Empire. From the looks of things, it seems like a country of sorts. But this was supposed to be the home of a Family, so what has happened here? And why are the Enforcers even tolerating them?

Furthermore, the Stonecrusher name reminds me of something. Where have I heard this before?

I freeze the timeline and search my memories, but I can't recall where I've heard that name. There is something that comes up; I believe it was the name of some random Family that felt insulted during the battle against Beelzebub. But it can't be the same people, from what I recall they weren't this powerful, and they were a family of Dwarfs.

"All right, is there anything else? What do you know about them? I want everything: The size of their armies, why they are here, and what kind of firepower can they deploy." I order before fiddling with the stick that is still jammed inside the dying BirdFolk.

"I don't know anything else! I swear!" he replies between two pained screams. "P-please stop!"

The officer dies before I can get more information out of him. But it isn't like mere death would stop me.

I Rewind to the beginning of our friendly chat, "What do you know about the Stonecrusher Empire? Tell me everything you know!" I order before jabbing the stick into his wounds again.

If I'm honest, this is quite cathartic.

...My mind is completely fucked, isn't it?

"I-I don't know much! Our Family leader told us that our Family was abolished and we were being absorbed into the Stonecrusher Empire. Then a group of people teleported in our base and gave us these uniforms before deploying us! I don't know anything else! Please let me go!" the officer begs, but I ignore him.

This is the worst possible outcome. If the story of the BirdFolk is true, then we have a gigantic problem. Someone somehow strong-armed multiple Families into servitude and dissolved them to take control of their soldiers.

A united, well-organized group of Enforcers is the worst possible thing for us, and Humanity in general. I must nip this pseudo-nation in the bud before it grows too large and becomes impossible to control.

The new information I acquired will force the Order to redefine its battle plans. We need the Shard as soon as possible, so we may need to abandon the carefully crafted plan to optimize our recruitment and bulldoze through everything while hoping for the best.

Either way, I need to find a way to take care of this Stonecrusher outpost first. I'm certain of one thing. We need to act quickly and wipe them all out before they can react and call for backup. But it's easier said than done, even Mary's incredible display wasn't enough.

I do have an idea, but it's going to take a lot of Rewinds to accomplish. I can't stick to my 'No-Rewind' policy for this particular campaign. We don't want to make an enemy of an entity so powerful that even the Enforcers are submitting to them.

At least for now. Their extermination is something that we must do as soon as possible, but we need the Portal Station first.

I take a deep breath and pull out my phone before Rewinding to moments before the beginning of the battle.

"Bombers, go in position and scatter as many bombs as possible on my order!" I bark in the radio before focusing on Mary. "Hold your fire for now, and use the most destructive spell you know as quickly as possible."

She raises an eyebrow, "What about our bet? Don't tell me that you're-"

"For fuck's sake, now is not the time for this! It's an emergency!" my outburst silences her, and her playful expression turns severe.

"I get it; I get it... But I'll warn you. My largest spell will knock me out. Can you cope without me?" she smirks, and I nod.

"We'Ll MaNaGe," I say with a wide grin.

"Don't die on me then." She says with a heavy breath before focusing back on the outside view.

"Prometheus, we are in position!" the bombers inform me over the radio, and I take one last breath before issue my orders. "Barrier Breaker, fire! Bombers, drop everything you got! Mary, bLaSt tHoSe FuCkErS!"

"With pleasure!" she answers before opening her palms.

The formidable Barrier Breaker chews through the enemy defenses like they aren't even there, and blinding flashes of light appear all over the area. The tremendous explosions are from the Carter Bombs, and it looks like the blasts are fusing in a sort of chain reaction. The newly formed vortexes of pure mana are going wild and sowing even more destruction.

"Take this!" Mary shouts, and an implosion descends on the battlefield. It erases everything in its path, and the draconic hybrid faints with a big smile on her face. I catch her before she falls and put her on a seat.

It takes a few moments before the explosions die down, and there is an eerie silence once the smoke clears. The entire area has been turned into a soot-covered smoldering crater, and there's almost nothing left save for the ornamental fountain.

I wait for any signs of reinforcements or retaliation from potential survivors, but luckily nothing happens.

"I think we did it. But check the perimeter to see if there isn't anyone left." I say in the radio.

It wouldn't be funny if we were blasted while we are handling the retrieval of the Magicite pillars. Tense minutes pass, and I finally get the confirmation that there aren't any stragglers left.

"Good, then we'll land and retrieve the Magicite," I order. The helicopter shifts from its stationary position and lands near the fountain. The soldiers jump out of the vehicles and form a protective circle around me.

I leave the vehicle and prepare the Portal Gun. The Pillars are awe-inspiring, the power they contain is visible even to my untrained eye. To think that such precious items were used as mere decorations. I can't help but mourn the loss of the potential riches hidden in the enemy base.

But it doesn't matter, what is done is done. And I don't want to risk alerting the Stonecrusher Empire for possible materials that we might never use.

Enough about that, thinking about potential outcomes is never good for me. I might be tempted to try them out, only to discover too late that they are way worse than anticipated.