The Continued Onslaught

The soldiers on the beach scrambled into defensive positions, their hands shaking as they aimed their rifles at Valeria. Her dark figure advanced slowly from the waterline, untouched by the destruction around her.

"Get ready!" shouted the squad leader, his voice tense as the soldiers lined up, their rifles trained on her.

"Open fire!" the squad leader yelled, and the soldiers immediately pulled the triggers of their M4 carbines. The rapid bursts of gunfire filled the air as hundreds of rounds raced toward Valeria.

The bullets never reached her.

A translucent barrier shimmered in front of her, shrugging off every projectile like they were mere pebbles. The soldiers stared in disbelief, panic setting in as their weapons proved useless.

"Shit, it's not working!" one of the soldiers cried out, his voice trembling.

"Keep firing!" the squad leader ordered, but even he sounded uncertain.

The gunfire continued, but Valeria didn't slow down. She raised her hand, and black scythes, swirling with dark energy, materialized around her. With a flick of her wrist, the scythes shot forward, spinning through the air like blades of death.

The first scythe sliced through a line of soldiers, their bodies falling instantly as the weapon cut through armor and flesh alike.

"Fall back! Fall back!" another soldier screamed, his voice breaking in desperation as he tried

to retreat.

But there was no escape. The scythes flew faster, hacking through the soldiers one by one. Blood sprayed across the sand as men and women screamed in terror, their rifles clattering to the ground.

"We're getting slaughtered!" a soldier shouted, his voice barely audible over the chaos.

"Hold the line!" the squad leader yelled, but his words were drowned out by the sounds of death around them.

The soldiers were desperate now, realizing their rifles had no effect. Shouts of confusion and fear filled the air, but the squad leader kept barking orders, trying to keep some semblance of -control.

"Bring up the Javelins!" he yelled, his voice hoarse with urgency.

A pair of soldiers sprinted to the back, grabbing the FGM-148 Javelin launchers from their support vehicles. They knelt, hastily locking onto Valeria's figure, her dark form still advancing relentlessly.

"Target locked!" one of them shouted.

"Fire!"

The Javelins whooshed as they launched, the missiles streaking toward Valeria in an arcing flight. For a moment, it seemed like the tide might turn. The soldiers watched with hope, eyes locked on the incoming explosives. But just as they neared her, Valeria's barrier flared again, effortlessly deflecting the warheads. The missiles exploded in midair, the shockwaves harmlessly dissipating against her shield.

"Damn it! She shrugged them off like nothing!" one of the Javelin operators cursed, his face pale.

The squad leader wasn't giving up. "Get the M32s up front! Give her everything we've got!" Two soldiers rushed forward with M32 Multiple Grenade Launchers. They fumbled to load them as fast as they could, their hands trembling as they slammed in the 40mm grenades.

"Ready!" shouted the grenade launcher operator.

"Fire at will!"

Six grenades shot out in rapid succession, the air filled with the loud thump of the rounds launching from the rotating barrels. The grenades streaked toward Valeria, exploding in quick succession around her, filling the beach with smoke and debris.

But as the dust cleared, Valeria emerged, untouched. Her barrier remained intact, a faint shimmer the only indication it had absorbed the explosion.

"It's... it's useless!" one of the soldiers cried out, dropping his grenade launcher in defeat.

Valeria's eyes gleamed with dark amusement as she waved her hand, the black scythes circling her once more. With another flick of her wrist, they launched forward, tearing through the remaining soldiers like paper.

"Fall back! Fall back!" the squad leader screamed, but it was too late.

The black scythes sliced through the air, cutting down the last of the soldiers in a blur of death. The sound of metal clashing and the screams of the dying filled the beach for a moment, but soon, silence returned.

"I must say," Valeria continued, her voice dripping with amusement as she flicked her wrist, dispersing the last of the black scythes that had torn through the ranks of soldiers. "Those mortal weapons are quite remarkable, stronger than what I've encountered before. But..." Her lips curled into a mocking smile, her gaze sweeping over the fallen soldiers, "...so long as they are made by mortal hands, devoid of true magic, they will never be enough."

***

Meanwhile, on the command center at the Akarios Village.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Sir... I think this warrants a report to Sir Vincent. Whoever that monster is, she just decimated 15 percent of our forces on the beach." Brandt said, looking at him intensely as if urging him to do something.

General Harper, standing at the center of the room, shook his head firmly. "No," he growled, his hands gripping the edge of the command table. "We still have 85 percent of our forces left, Brandt. We're not done here. Not by a long shot. And the MQ-9 Reaper is still in play."

He turned sharply toward the communications officer. "Contact the Reaper pilot. Have them engage-target that woman immediately. Full payload."

The officer hesitated for only a second before relaying the order. "Reaper, this is command. Engage the target with full payload. Hellfire missiles authorized. Confirm when locked."

Up in the sky, the MQ-9 Reaper drone circled high above, its sensors locked onto Valeria's position. From the pilot's remote feed, the battlefield below looked like a scene from hell- black energy swirling around Valeria as she stood amid the slaughtered soldiers, untouched, unflinching.

"Command, Reaper has a visual on the target. Hellfire missiles locked," the pilot reported.

"Fire," Harper ordered flatly.

With a hiss, the Reaper released two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, the lethal projectiles streaking down toward Valeria's position. The targeting system had locked on perfectly, and there was no escape. The Reaper's payload was designed to level entire buildings, and now all that power was heading straight for the demon.

On the beach, Valeria looked up just as the missiles screamed toward her. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and with a flick of her wrist, her barrier shimmered once again, the translucent wall of dark energy rising to meet the incoming explosives.

The Hellfires detonated on impact with the barrier, massive fireballs erupting in the sky. The ground shook from the force of the explosions, sand and debris flying in every direction. For a brief moment, it seemed as though the combined firepower of the Reaper would be enough.

But as the smoke and flames from the Hellfire missiles dissipated, Valeria remained standing. Her barrier had absorbed the blasts without so much as a crack. The translucent shield pulsed once more before fading away, leaving her unscathed amidst the devastation.

A smirk curled across her lips, her eyes glowing faintly with amusement. "Is this all?" she whispered to herself, her voice carried on the wind as if mocking the soldiers and their efforts. From the command center, General Harper's expression darkened as he watched the Reaper's attack fail. His knuckles whitened as he gripped the edge of the table tighter. "Damn it!" he growled under his breath, pacing in frustration. "She's toying with us."

"Sir, what do we do now?" Brandt asked, his voice tight with worry. "She's just standing

there, and none of our attacks are getting through."

Harper narrowed his eyes at the screen. "She's waiting for something, Brandt. But I don't care what it is. We're not going to let her walk all over us."

Suddenly, the image on the monitor shifted. Valeria began to rise slowly into the air, her dark robe fluttering in the wind as she ascended effortlessly above the battlefield.