Chapter 179: Chapter 179- Calm
Glain stood firm, his eyes scanning the swarm. "Hold the line! Don’t let a single one of those insects slip through!" he barked, his men tightening formation and cutting down any monster that tried to escape.
His expression hardened as the massive silhouette of the Sky Whale began to stir. Its wounds still smoked, but the creature twisted its body, scattering fragments of light as it swam through the air with impossible grace.
Then it happened. Radiant energy surged across its body, scales glowing like molten glass. Slowly, deliberately, the Sky Whale began weaving its defenses again, an immense barrier of refracted light sealing itself over its wounded form.
Then he switched on his intercom, his voice sharp but steady. "Division Zero, report. The situation here is contained, but the cannon has suffered a power disruption. We’re working to restore it, but it will take time."
On the other end, Rafael’s strained voice crackled through, panic bleeding into every word as he struggled against the monstrous Sky Whale’s pressure. "T-Time? We don’t have time! I can barely hold this thing back, my magnet field’s breaking!"
Leo’s growl followed immediately, edged with frustration. "Useless. That cannon was supposed to back us up, and now it’s dead weight."
Joe let out a loud laugh even as flames flared from his fists. "Ha! Who cares about some cannon? I don’t need it to roast this bastard alive!"
Julian’s tone, however, was grim, his eyes fixed on the towering beast above them. "Don’t be reckless. Without the cannon, this just turned into a bad situation."
Glain’s voice cut back into the comms, steady but edged with concern. "Can you still hold the line?"
Leo snarled between ragged breaths, wings buzzing as he forced his battered body to move. "Hold the line? This is becoming impossible. We’re too drained to keep pressing attacks and defending at the same time."
Julian, his lightning flickering faintly across his arms, spoke up, his tone hard and precise. "How long until the cannon’s back online?"
Glain hesitated, then answered, "If all goes well... fifteen minutes."
Julian’s eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening. "Fifteen is too slow. If you want us to win this, it has to be back in eight."
There was a pause on the other end. Glain exhaled sharply. "We’ll do everything in our power. Consider it done."
Leo let out a harsh laugh, dripping with sarcasm. "Eight minutes, fifteen minutes, it’s all the same to me. But if we’re bleeding ourselves dry for this, City Lord... you’d better make sure the pay is worth the hell you’re asking us to endure."
Glain didn’t rise to the provocation. His voice remained calm, "You’ll be compensated fairly, Leo. But payment means nothing if you’re not alive to collect it. Endure a little longer, I’ll make sure the cannon is ready within your demand."
Leo scoffed, a sharp laugh crackling over the comms. "Don’t mistake me for your pawn, City Lord."
Before Glain could reply, Julian’s voice cut through the channel, firm and clipped.
"Enough. Save your breath for fighting. We can’t afford to lose focus."
Leo clicked his tongue in annoyance but didn’t argue further.
Joe’s arm crackled as scales of draconic energy wrapped around the flesh, knitting it back together with unnatural regeneration. Flames surged from his shoulders, his grin wild as his fist ignited.
"This is the fight I’ve been waiting for!" he roared, launching himself at the Sky Whale.
Julian groaned, electricity sparking across his own body. "You’re insane."
Leo’s laughter cut through the comms, sharp and mocking. "He’s been insane from the start. Took you this long to notice?"
But then, the battlefield shifted. The Sky Whale stopped its furious barrage. Its vast form trembled, light pulsing through the cracks of its wounds as its body began to mend.
Rafael’s breath caught in his throat. His hands trembled around the magnetic field he barely held together.
"It’s... it’s healing? No, no, no, if it recovers, we’re finished!"
While panic started to creep into Rafael’s voice, Joe didn’t waver. He only threw himself harder at the beast, fists ablaze, slamming into its colossal body again and again. Each impact lit the sky in bursts of fire, his roar matching the monster’s.
Joe kept hammering his flaming fists against the Sky Whale’s shimmering shield, each blow sparking uselessly against the barrier. His roar of defiance echoed across the battlefield, but the shield didn’t so much as crack.
Rafael’s voice trembled through the comms. "Why... why are you all still so calm? That thing’s recovering!"
Julian’s tone was flat, steady, like iron. "Because panic won’t fix anything."
Leo gave a dry laugh, his claws dripping with dark energy as he circled the beast. "And waiting for that damn cannon to wake up? Useless. Even if it comes back online, there’s no chance it’ll be ready in time."
Julian let out a sharp breath, sparks snapping around him. "He’s right. If we’re going to win, we finish this ourselves, before that monster fully heals."
There was a pause. Then Rafael, hands shaking, lifted one arm, his voice awkward and small. "I... I might have an idea."
Leo barked a laugh, biting sarcasm dripping from his words. "Oh, wonderful. This should be good."
Julian narrowed his eyes, lightning flickering faintly around his shoulders. "All right then, What’s your idea?"
Rafael swallowed hard, his voice cracking as he forced the words out. "W-we... we could call Kevin here. Have him attack the shield directly. Maybe his energy could break through it without the cannon’s support."
For a moment, silence hung between them, broken only by the crackling of the Whale’s barrier. Julian’s expression tightened. "It’s not entirely wrong. Kevin’s output is... unique. But we don’t know if his strength alone will be enough. The cannon amplifies his power, the difference isn’t small."
Leo scoffed, his tone sharp with mockery. "So the genius plan is to drag the man out here and hope he pulls off a miracle? Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant." He smirked, spinning his clawed hand as sparks of shadow dripped from his skin. "Still... as pathetic as it sounds, it’s not the worst idea I’ve heard. Desperate times, desperate measures."