24: Despair

As Major Kade landed on the battlefield, his presence seemed to electrify the air with tension and anticipation. With a flick of his wrist, the lightsaber he wielded hummed to life, casting a brilliant glow that illuminated the surrounding chaos.

Spartans and Technotopians alike paused in their fighting, each having varying emotions as they gazed at the cause of the death of one of the great Spartan Commanders. Some Spartans gulped, while others gripped their weapons tightly. If there was one thing that was common in the eyes of the Spartans, it was reluctance.

Every single Spartan felt reluctant about the outcome of the war. Though their will and battle intent were still at an all-time high, they all knew that they were most likely going to die due to the presence of Major Kade.

Assuming Major Kade was dead or absent from the battlefield, then their chances of victory would be higher. Low, but higher.

But now? It was almost equivalent to zero.

Major Kade's laughter echoed across the battlefield, sending shivers down the spines of those who heard it. With a predatory gleam in his eyes, Major Kade wasted no time in springing into action. He moved with fluid grace, his movements calculated and precise as he danced through the battlefield like a phantom of death.

A brave Spartan warrior with a cultivation stage at the Adept level challenged Major Kade with a bloodied sword in his right hand.

Clang

Major Kade effortlessly blocked the Spartan's strike with his lightsaber. The Spartan moved, wanting to continue his attack, but at a speed that was akin to a flash in his eyes, he saw Major Kade's lightsaber move past his neck like a sharp knife going through butter.

Ptooey

Major Kade spat on the severed head of the brave Spartan Adept with a disgusted expression, causing the surrounding Spartans to have rage filled expressions.

"RAAAARRRR!!"

Another Spartan Adept roared as he ran towards Major Kade with his sword raised high. Other Spartans followed, and Major Kade seeing this mockingly smiled.

He grabbed one of his grenades, removed the safety pin, and to the horror of the approaching Spartans, he threw it at them. The Spartans with quick reactions quickly summoned their defensive measures while the Spartans with 'slow' reactions were not so lucky.

BOOM!

Shrapnel flew all around, piercing into the exposed bodies of the unlucky Spartans. A few died, while most sustained varying degrees of injuries. Despite their injuries, the Spartans showed no sign of retreating from the fight.

They knew they would die.

But they had to die so that others might live longer. Even if it was just a second longer.

Major Kade, knowing all too well the thoughts of the Spartans, shook his head. He swung his light saber, and with a light smile, he vanished from the Spartans' sight.

The battle that unfolded could no longer be defined as a battle. Each swing of Major Kade's lightsaber was a deadly strike, carving through the Spartans with merciless efficiency. The blade crackled with raw power, leaving behind a trail of devastation in its wake as it cleaved through armor and flesh alike.

Spartans fell with agonized screams, their bodies torn asunder by Major Kade's relentless assault. Blood painted the ground crimson, mingling with the dust and debris of battle as the death toll continued to rise.

One might think that Major Kade and all Technotopians alike would have weak bodies or would be powerless without their technology. But every Spartan and native of Nirvania that had encountered a Technotopian knew that was far from the truth.

With their technology, Technotopians were dangerous and powerful.

Without their technology, Technotopians were still dangerous and powerful.

Technotopians had found multiple ways to transcend their physical limitations, and without a sufficient cultivation level, a Nirvanian could lose a fight against a Technotopian who was without his or her tech.

Not only did Technotopians have ways to break through their physical limitations, Technotopians were also extremely advanced in close combat. Very few Nirvanians could match an average Technotopian in close combat.

This was one of the several reasons why the Spartans were powerless before Major Kade. Only people with a similar cultivation level as that of Commander Kael could combat Major Kade in close combat.

Most of the Spartans around Major Kade were at least two stages below Commander Kael's cultivation base, and this made it seem like Major Kade was killing chickens instead of Spartans.

But it was not only death that Major Kade brought to the battlefield; it was also fear. Although the Spartans did not fear death, they feared dying a meaningless death, and if not for their rigorous training, they would have all retreated from the battlefield the moment Commander Kael died.

Major Kade's very presence seemed to instill a sense of dread in the hearts of his enemies, sowing chaos and panic among the Spartan ranks.

The weak Spartans froze in terror at the sight of Major Kade, their resolve crumbling in the face of his overwhelming power. Others fought with desperate ferocity, knowing that their only chance of survival lay in defeating the Technotopian leader.

But no matter how valiantly they fought, the outcome seemed inevitable. Major Kade was a force of nature, an unstoppable juggernaut whose fury knew no bounds. With each passing moment, the carnage and destruction wrought by his hand grew ever more devastating.

Limbs were severed, bodies were crushed, and the battlefield became a gruesome tableau of death and suffering. The cries of the wounded mingled with the clang of metal and the crackle of energy, created a symphony of despair that echoed across the land.

In the midst of the chaos, Major Kade's laughter rang out like a bell tolling the death knell of Sparta. His eyes glinted with sadistic pleasure as he reveled in the destruction he wrought, each life he claimed fueling his insatiable hunger for power and domination.

As the battle raged on, it became increasingly clear that Major Kade would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. He was a force of darkness, a harbinger of doom whose very presence spelled the end for those who dared to oppose him.

The Spartans fought with all the courage and valor they could muster, but in the end, they were no match for the sheer might of Major Kade and his relentless onslaught. As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the battlefield, the fate of the Spartan warriors hung in the balance, teetering on the brink of oblivion.

At this moment, some Spartans had a similar thought that was regarded as a sin in Sparta. Retreating from the battle.

"Is the end for us?"

A bleeding Spartan with a sword in his chest mumbled as he looked at his fallen brothers around him. The mocking laughter of Major Kade that was filled with unconcealed satisfaction flowed into the ears of the bleeding Spartan.

"At least I died in battle and not of old age."

The bleeding Spartan mumbled, and just as he was about to surrender to the embrace of death, he heard a familiar roar.

A roar that the Spartans knew all too well.

"SPARTANSSS!!!"

"NEVER RETREAT! NEVER SURRENDER!"