Chapter 9 : the duo and the army

[Author note : New KoSP chapter. The Iron Lad squib is for tomorrow, don't worry guys !

If you're interested in my stories or want to encourage me, please check out my Patréon : https://www.patréon.com/user?u=66371596 (replace the é by a normal e) or look for Cathbel on their website

KoSP : 2 advanced chapters

The Squib who became Iron Lad... In DC : 3 advanced chapters

Enjoy !]

« And we're now in contact with our reporter on site. Miss Estayg, what can you tell us about the situation ? »

« Well, Peter… I'm currently in the recently freed village of Tyria, on the border of Celia. As you know, the country's been recently taken during a coup orchestrated by General Sarian of the Army. Apparently, a previously unknown Terran champion arrived in the village as it was under attack by General Sarian's men and… Well, as you can see from the bullet holes and casings, a fight ensued. »

The young Seraf woman approached one of the villager and, using the local language, translated in real time for the viewers by someone in the studio, asked him :

« Can you tell us exactly what happened ? »

The man nodded. He seemed rather agitated by what he went through and it could be felt in the vigor of his speech :

« The stranger arrived from the depths of the forest. He was covered in dirt and quite odd… He didn't seem to know where he was and he used a strange device with a crystal on top to communicate. I don't think he spoke our tongue… In fact, I have no idea what sort of language he was speaking… »

He gestured toward the entrance of the village where they could still see the Cavalier army's tricycles.

« That's when they arrived… Of course, we had prepared for it. The army's always been corrupt and despicable in our country. They kidnap children to enroll them as soldiers and they keep the women to satisfy their desires… So we hid them. When the soldiers arrived, they were angry… My son, the fool, he tried to confront them. »

The old man crouched and picked up a flattened bullet from the ground.

« If it weren't for the champion, one of these bullets would have ended in his head. » He sighed. « After this, it was a bit of a blur… The men emptied their weapons toward the Terran and he just… took it. As you can see, he was standing right here ! » A great number of deformed bullets lay on the ground, almost covering the dirt completely. « I'm not sure he moved as they discharged their automatic weapons and rifles at him… And then, they tried to attack him with knives… »

The man continued to describe the attack for a while, after which the Seraf took back the mic and turned to the camera :

« Here you have it, Peter ! A brand new champion and a Terran, at that ! No doubt the AC (Assembled Countries) will react strongly at this blatant interference with a sovereign country… In Celia, the military has already started to mobilize and I've heard they started to engage the champion. We'll keep you posted on the development as more informations surfaces. »

« Thank you, Miss Estayg ! Stay safe out there ! In other news, the tensions with Celia's neighboring country, Dodess seemed to have reached a breaking point… »

* * * * *

The rocket's explosion engulfed the target. As the smoke rose, cheers from the foot soldiers rang out, celebrating the successful subjugation of the target. The tank's gunner even opened the hatch to slap the outer shielding.

« Take that, you Terran ! You're no match for Celia's engineering marvels ! »

Just as his words ended, something shot out of the smoke with the speed of a bullet. The gunner felt, more than he saw, the tank being projected in the air. Then, he felt the pain of being crushed and passed out.

Meanwhile, the thing continued to move, changing its trajectory toward another tank. This time however, it stopped near the hatch on top and wrenched it open with no visible effort… The thing, the Terran dropped into it and, a few seconds later, jumped out.

As Simon attacked the infantry, the two previous tank's remains started to reassemble themselves into one machine. It took perhaps a minute before it was over and Simon decimated a great deal of Celia's army in the meantime. When it was finished, the tanks was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a monstrosity of steel. Two perpendicular pairs of caterpillar tracks, for better control and to turn faster, two turrets aimed at opposite directions, not to mention the batteries of heavy machine-guns lining its sides… Better yet, it was unmanned ! Only Crys was piloting it, safely encased in a protective cocoon of steel and cushions.

« You sure, you'll be okay, Crys ? » Simon asked aloud.

« I'll be fine, Simon ! Don't worry about me and focus on the fight ! »

Simon did as ordered. At this point, even without the Empire's conditioning, he found it somewhat reassuring to follow orders. Something he'd have to remedy since he wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of becoming a 'yes-man'… That said, the movie was pretty awesome !

As he jumped back into the fray, one of his faster than sight punches was blocked… by a tall and burly alien with fire wings on his back. Decked out in some kind of medieval armor and a flaming sword, Simon would have believed it if someone said this was an angel from the heavens.

He asked :

« Hey, Hot wings ! You from this army ? 'Cause if you aren't, I'm sorry and… could you move aside please ? »

With the conversation about religion still fresh in his mind, Simon believed that perhaps, this person was an agent from the church and, if so, he wasn't keen on declaring himself their enemy. After all, for thousands of years, the church held a fearsome power on his home world. This world being a protectorate of the TUP and all, he surmised that here too, they probably held the same kind of power…

With a voice akin to thunder, the man responded :

« The name is Preacher, infidel ! You attack my flock, so you shall taste my sword ! »

« Preacher infidel ? What kinda name is that ? » Simon quipped while avoiding the swing.

Inwardly, Simon was impressed and a little intimidated. A flaming sword was something he only knew from fantasy movies and video games… Not something tangible that he could see or touch. And now, there was one in front of him. Moreover, it was wielded by a hulking figure trying very hard to chop his head off with it.

Although his instincts told him there was nothing to fear, consciously, he didn't feel safe. Besides, he still wasn't sure whether to fight this guy or not. Thankfully, Crys decided for him…

Aiming one of his cannons at him, the tank Crys controlled fired, throwing the angel-looking guy through the air to crash into the distance. Unfortunately, it only pissed the man off.

« You dare ! Die, infidels ! »

As the angel swung his flaming sword toward the tank, Simon's conscious agreed with his body : he moved to stand between his friend and their aggressor. With the feeling of elation filling him, Simon assumed that the attack was very powerful and thus might have killed his friend.

Gritting his teeth, Simon growled :

« You shouldn't have done that, douche bag ! »