Chapter 64 - I.E.A.'s Sacrificial Card

While having Bernadette Ritter's head on her hand, Heinz looks over to the northern direction from where she's standing. She knows somewhere from there, her companion is fighting to the death against E.D.L.'s strongest fighter Raphael Novick.

Heinz expect that the 'sacrificial card' plan will commence anytime soon. "...Reginald." She whispers his name before diving back to battle with E.D.L. soldiers coming her way.

Alike with Heinz, Reginald also have been thinking of her in his final moments. He looks up to the sky as he feel the shifter seed slowly takes over his body. "Captain Heinz... I failed to kill Novick, and I doubt I can even kill him afterwards... sorry to leave that monster alive, you'll have to handle him from now on."

Then as he was completely engulfed by the shifter seed, his whole body transformed into one of those I.E.A.'s indestructible war machines.

However, this war machine that's currently taking form is unique than the common war machine seen everywhere. It was thrice as huge as war machines or wider than any battle tank.

Seen on its body are hundreds of cannons sticking out like the bristling spine of a buck moth caterpillar, capable of launching attacks at any direction. It also had a dozen of long legs supporting its long and huge body. And the most uncanny part of this war machine's appearance was the huge inhuman face it displayed.

Raphael's eyes widens in shock to witness the emergence of I.E.A.'s new weapon. "FUCK!!" He finally understood what Reginald meant when he claimed that his battle's not over just yet.

When it reached its final form, it started slowly marching forward while its cannons began spinning over body.

"Damn it, Reginald!!" Raphael had to run from this horrendous weapon, aware of the fact that he's not in the best condition to fight this thing.

By the time E.D.L. soldiers sighted the contraption, a whole armored brigade have launched all their attacks upon it to destroy it at once. "TAKE IT DOWN!!... TAKE IT DOWN!!" The Captain of the armored brigade ordered.

All of the damage they inflicted has put the monstrous contraption to a stop the cannons on its body have stop spinning and its legs stood still.

"...we did it?"

"It stopped!?"

"Did it really!?"

Some of the soldier wondered, some began rejoicing as it didn't turn out as difficult as they thought. But those few seconds of the contraption remaining stagnant were the last moments of their lives.

[SACRIFICIAL CARD COMMENCING IN 5... 4... 3... 2...]

In a split second, the war machine proceeds to march forward while releasing catastrophic attacks here and there. Killing every person and destroying everything within its diameter of 15 km radius.

"AAAHHH!!!"

"WAAAAH!!"

E.D.L. never expected this turn of events, their people in the battlefield are rapidly decreasing with all the destruction their receiving from I.E.A.'s most destructive war machine.

Screams of fear and panic flooded the place while the contraption continues to make its way towards E.D.L.'s fort, wiping out all the soldiers defense formation.

In the midst of chaos, Raphael managed to find Captain Wright and a few of his subordinates from the special infantry troop. "CAPTAIN!!..."

"Novick! What's happening over there!?"

"THE I.E.A.!!... IT'S THE I.E.A.!!... T-THEY!..." before he can report everything that happened, Raphael lost consciousness from extreme exhaustion and fatigue. The Captain caught him before his face reached the ground.

"RAPHAEL!!" Wright shook Raphael but it seemed that he was knocked out cold. "Tch!... you there!! Bring him somewhere safe and treat his wounds!!" He ordered one of his men and entrusted Raphael to them.

Captain Wright then decides to check on the situation where the chaos was happening, he finds the main source of all the destruction that's happening as he sighted the huge war machine of the I.E.A. that's already penetrated through their frontlines.

"THAT THING!!..." It gave him goosebumps to see the terrifying sight of I.E.A.'s contraption. It's as if I.E.A. let loose the devil from hell to topple over them.

Another Captain ran up to him, stricken with horror. "CAPTAIN WRIGHT!! WE NEED TO RETREAT FROM HERE!!"

"Is it that impossible to take care of that I.E.A. war machine!?"

"It's not just an ordinary war machine from the I.E.A. That thing is impossible to defeat, every kind of attack failed to stop it! IT'S RELENTLESS!!"

Wright gripped tight on his fellow Captain's shoulders, trying to calm him down. "Get your shit together! We shouldn't run from it, we need to stop it from further wreaking havoc!"

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!!—" he brushed Wright's hands and made clear of the danger they are facing. "—THAT THING OVER THERE RUNS WHILE CONSUMING HUMANS!! IT'LL NEVER STOP ATTACKING UNTIL THERE'S NOBODY LEFT TO FEED ON! IT ALREADY KILLED HALF OF MY BRIGADE!"

Like what Captain Wright was told, the war machine devastating the E.D.L. soldiers will carry on the massacre and skewer corpses that it picks up with its front legs to feed itself. "Do you get it now!? If we remain here for longer

"...t-that's... w-we should..." The news horrified Captain Wright, rendering him speechless for a moment. Though he quickly calmed himself and think of a temporary plan to deal with this.

He took off the band off his wrist that's connected to Raphael's restraining collar and gave it to the other captain. "Here. Take this with you and give it to the 1st Platoon commander of the Special Infantry Troop, he'll know what to do with that."

"Huh, what's this thing!?"

Wright didn't bother explaining and got straight to the point. "After you deliver that, quickly head to Lt. General Junaid and report everything to him! I'm sure he'll listen to our request to retreat!"

"W-What about you!? Are you planning something?"

"Nevermind me and do what you have to do!!" Then Captain Wright ran towards the direction where the war machine is.

"Shit!!" He had to quickly dodge the dangerous attacks coming upon entering the zone still within the war machine's reach. He transformed his shifter into a shield that can cover him from head to toe and pursued to reach the approximate distance from the war machine.

"EVERYONE, FALL BACK!! HURRY AND GO!!" He kept telling to those who were still in the area. Some were able to escape while most have fallen dead while running away.

And somehow, Captain Wright was able to stall the I.E.A.'s war machine as it stopped on its tracks and kept striking at him. His shifter shield was slowly getting damaged, but still, he remain standing on his ground.

Only an hour have passed since this catastrophic war machine have appeared, and it already took thousands of lives. It also grew in size after eating so much corpses. And Captain Wright is trying his best to keep the war machine at bay while it kept attacking him.

Later on, he finally hears the voice of lt. General Junaid calling to all E.D.L. soldiers.

[ATTENTION TO ALL THE SOLDIERS OF E.D.L.! THIS IS AN ORDER, WITHDRAW FROM BATTLE! I REPEAT, WITHDRAW FROM BATTLE!!]

"About time!!" Wright felt a little relieved to hear the announcement. And he turns his head to look behind, expecting to see many of his allies on the retreat, but was left to feel devastated to only see a bunch corpses for miles away.

"NO!!—" Wright was unaware that one of the war machine's legs had already positioned itself near the top of his head and just pierced through his skull, killing him instantly and ate him as well.