Chapter 198: The Invaders' True Objective

CLANG!

Captain Armstrong’s sword clashed against the invader leader’s once again.

The impact sent vibrations through both their arms, but neither yielded any ground. Armstrong twisted his wrist and pushed his opponent’s weapon to the side, taking advantage of the opening to thrust toward his chest.

The leader deflected the attack with a precise movement.

Both men separated by a few steps.

Armstrong was breathing harder than he had at the beginning of the fight. His opponent, on the other hand, barely seemed affected by the battle. The crack Armstrong had made in his armor was still there, but he hadn’t managed to inflict any visible injuries.

The captain tightened his grip on his sword.

‘He’s strong. Much stronger than I expected.’

However, something else worried him even more.

His enemy didn’t seem to be in any hurry to end the fight. On several occasions, he’d had the opportunity to pursue Armstrong after forcing him back, but he’d always maintained a certain distance, watching what was happening around them.

As if he were waiting for something.

“What are you planning?” Armstrong asked.

The invader leader smiled faintly.

“Worry about surviving.”

He attacked again.

Armstrong blocked the blow, but the force of the impact sent him sliding several meters across the asphalt.

When he looked up, his opponent had already advanced.

The captain barely managed to deflect the next slash.

And as their swords crossed once more, the battle around them began to change.

◇◆◇

Jane descended onto a metal structure and fired several energy feathers at a group of invaders.

The projectiles tore through the air, forcing their targets to seek cover. Her teammates seized the opportunity to advance, keeping the enemies attempting to surround them at bay.

But Jane noticed something strange.

Three invaders had stopped fighting.

Instead of attacking the hunters in front of them, they were retreating while protecting two others who were carrying an elongated black structure covered in violet symbols.

The object looked far too heavy to carry easily, yet both of them moved without stopping.

“What the hell is that?” Jane muttered.

One of her teammates followed her gaze.

“Are they trying to build something?”

Jane didn’t answer. She spread her wings and launched herself toward them.

The invaders protecting the carriers reacted immediately. Two moved into her path, forcing her to twist in midair to avoid a pair of swords.

Jane fired a volley of feathers, striking one of them in the shoulder. She then descended and kicked the second, knocking him to the ground.

But when she looked ahead again, the carriers had already reached a clear area between several buildings.

The black structure disappeared behind a wall.

“Don’t let them get away!” Jane shouted.

Her squad advanced after her.

However, more invaders began appearing in their path. They weren’t trying to pursue them or attack the wounded hunters. They were simply forming a barrier to prevent them from going any farther.

Jane gritted her teeth.

This didn’t look like a retreat.

They were protecting something.

◇◆◇

“James, come look at this!”

Pix’s voice made the researcher turn away from the data he was examining.

The little pixie was floating in front of one of the screens, where the dimensional rift’s fluctuations were represented by lines of different colors.

James approached.

“What is it?”

“The readings are changing. Look at the frequency of the fluctuations.”

James compared the recent records with those they’d obtained at the beginning of the battle.

At first, the rift’s energy had fluctuated irregularly. However, over the past few minutes, those variations had begun repeating in a recognizable pattern.

And there was something else.

Each time one of the fluctuations repeated, the portal’s structure seemed to stabilize slightly.

“Are you saying someone is reinforcing the connection?” James asked.

“Not exactly. I still don’t know what’s happening.”

Pix projected an image of the rift and pointed to several sections along its perimeter.

“The energy seems to be redistributing itself. It’s as if something is compensating for the losses before the connection has a chance to weaken.”

James enlarged the image.

“Could they be using external devices?”

“It’s possible. But we need to find the source of those variations.”

The researcher studied the readings again.

If the portal was being maintained by some external mechanism, destroying that mechanism might be easier than trying to close a dimensional connection of this size directly.

But first, they needed to figure out how it worked.

“I’m going to compare the energy fluctuations with the invaders’ positions,” James said.

Pix nodded.

“And I’ll try to identify where the energy sustaining the rift is coming from.”

They both returned to work.

They still had no answers.

But now, they had a concrete lead.

◇◆◇

Liam fired at an invader attempting to approach Chloe.

The creature stumbled, and Lydia took advantage of the opportunity to restrain it with two hardened tentacles.

[Acid]

The corrosive liquid spread across the enemy’s armor. The invader struggled to free itself, but Liam fired again at one of the weakened sections.

The creature fell.

“Thanks!” Chloe exclaimed.

Liam nodded and surveyed the rest of the street.

The squad had managed to hold its position, although the number of enemies continued to grow. Jordan was defending the front line, while Ray and Chuck attacked from behind. Nora had spread her shadows throughout the surrounding area, searching for movement between the buildings.

One of those shadow creatures was the first to return.

Nora crouched slightly, focusing on the information she was receiving from her little scout.

“Boss, something’s wrong.”

Liam turned toward her.

“What did you find?”

“Some of the invaders are carrying objects. They’re not fighting. Others are sacrificing themselves to protect them.”

Liam frowned.

“Where are they taking them?”

Nora pointed toward a side street.

“Behind those buildings. I couldn’t get any closer.”

Liam studied the indicated direction.

He remembered how the enemies had begun reorganizing themselves. Some groups had stopped pressuring the main line, while others attacked relentlessly to keep the hunters occupied.

‘They’re distracting us.’

“Lydia, cover Jordan. Ray, Chuck, I need you to clear that street. Nora, keep an eye on the carriers.”

“Understood,” they replied.

Liam looked at Chloe.

“Stay with anyone who needs support. We don’t know what we’ll find.”

Then he raised his weapon and advanced alongside Lydia.

Jordan forced his way through the invaders, enduring several blows as he drew their attention toward himself. Ray altered the density of a concrete block and hurled it at a group attempting to block their path.

Chuck adjusted the trajectories of his knives, hitting two enemies trying to circle around them.

Lydia extended her tentacles and struck an invader approaching from the side.

Thanks to the squad’s coordination, they managed to reach the side street.

But by the time they arrived, the carriers were already gone.

Only several dark marks remained on the asphalt.

Liam crouched beside one of them.

The ground had taken on a faint violet hue.

“What did they leave here?” he muttered.

He received no answer.

And they had no time to investigate, because a new group of invaders appeared at the other end of the street.

◇◆◇

Jane managed to break through her opponents and reached the place where the carriers had disappeared.

The black structure was being positioned beside a metal pillar driven into the ground.

One invader adjusted its position while another guarded the perimeter.

Jane didn’t hesitate.

She fired several energy feathers at the defenders and dived toward the device.

However, one of the enemies stepped into her path. Jane had to change direction to avoid its sword, losing her chance to reach the structure.

By the time she managed to knock it down, two more invaders had already taken its place.

“Get out of my way!”

Jane spread her wings and fired another volley.

The enemies retreated, but they didn’t abandon their positions.

They weren’t trying to defeat her.

They only needed to buy time.

Jane realized she wouldn’t be able to get any closer while reinforcements kept arriving. She backed away several meters and observed the structure from the air.

The violet symbols covering its surface began to glow faintly.

A vibration traveled through the ground.

Jane felt a chill run down her spine.

‘What are they doing?’

◇◆◇

A few meters away from Captain Armstrong, the invader leader raised his sword.

“We’re almost finished.”

Armstrong seized the opportunity to launch a direct attack toward his opponent’s chest.

The leader blocked the thrust, but the impact forced him to retreat.

“What does that mean?” the captain demanded.

His opponent smiled.

“You can keep fighting. It won’t change anything. By the time we’re finished here, your world will have already begun to die.”

Armstrong felt his blood run cold.

Before he could respond, a wave of violet energy swept across the asphalt from a nearby street.

The ground trembled beneath their feet.

For an instant, the energy surrounding the invaders intensified, while the rift’s glow appeared to grow more stable.

The captain looked toward the source of the wave.

The leader took advantage of the distraction and attacked.

Armstrong barely managed to block the blow.

Behind the human lines, James watched as the readings on his devices suddenly changed.

Pix’s eyes widened in surprise.

The portal’s energy had just undergone another fluctuation.

And this time, it hadn’t immediately returned to its previous state.

The invaders weren’t fighting merely to conquer territory.

They were preparing something.

And they had just taken the first step.