Chapter 199: Objective: Destroy the Structures

The violet wave spread across the asphalt and disappeared among the industrial buildings.

For several seconds, the battlefield was enveloped in an eerie silence.

Not because the invaders had stopped attacking, but because every hunter felt the same thing.

A sudden pressure swept through their bodies, as though something invisible were pulling at them.

Armstrong took a step back and gritted his teeth.

What had just happened?

His sword remained raised, but his arms felt heavier than before. The sensation lasted only a few moments, and although he regained control of his body, he couldn’t ignore it.

Standing before him, the invader leader watched the result with satisfaction.

“Did you feel it?” he asked.

Armstrong didn’t answer.

“Then you understand now that your resistance is futile.”

The captain raised his sword again.

“The only thing I understand is that I need to take you down before you do something even worse.”

The leader burst into laughter and lunged at him.

Their swords clashed once more.

However, Armstrong could no longer afford to ignore what was happening around him.

◇◆◇

“James, the readings just dropped!”

Pix fluttered in front of the screens as several lines plummeted abruptly.

James examined the data and frowned.

The violet wave had coincided with a sudden decrease in the energy his instruments detected throughout the surrounding area. It wasn’t simple interference. The fluctuations were appearing at several points across the battlefield simultaneously.

“Is it absorbing energy from the environment?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. But look at this.”

The little pixie pointed to another reading.

After the wave, the portal’s energy had become more stable. The fluctuations that had previously been compensated for irregularly were now following a more uniform pattern.

James moved closer to the screen.

“The devices the invaders were carrying…”

“They could be connected to it,” Pix concluded.

The researcher began comparing the recorded positions with the changes in energy.

If those structures were connected to the rift, perhaps they served to distribute the energy needed to keep it stable.

But there was a more important question.

Where were they getting that energy?

James studied the map of the industrial area.

“We need to locate every structure they’ve installed. If we can destroy them, we might be able to interrupt the process.”

“And we need to do it before they install any more,” Pix added.

James activated the communication channel.

“Attention, all squads. We’ve detected an energy disturbance linked to the portal. Look for black metal structures covered in violet symbols. The invaders may be using them to keep the rift stable. If you find one, report its location and try to prevent them from activating it.”

The transmission reached all six squads.

The objective of the battle had just changed.

◇◆◇

“You heard him! Look for the purple decorations!” Chuck shouted while dodging a sword.

“I don’t think this is the time to give them nicknames!” Emily replied.

“Well, it helps me concentrate!”

Chuck threw two knives. Both changed direction in midair and struck the invaders blocking their path.

Liam took advantage of the opening.

“Let’s move! We don’t need to defeat them all. We just need to reach those structures!”

Jordan led the way, taking the blows the enemies directed at the group. Ray altered the density of the concrete fragments scattered across the ground and hurled them at the invaders attempting to surround them.

Meanwhile, Nora sent her shadow creatures down the side streets.

A few seconds later, one of them returned.

“I found one. Two streets from here. Four enemies are guarding it.”

“Can you guide us there without being spotted?” Liam asked.

Nora nodded.

“Follow me.”

The squad changed direction.

Lydia advanced alongside Liam, keeping several hardened tentacles wrapped around her body.

When they reached the indicated street, they spotted the structure.

It was a black pillar nearly two meters tall, secured to the ground by several metal components. The violet symbols on its surface were glowing with increasing intensity.

One of the invaders placed its hand against it.

“Stop him!” Liam shouted.

Zayn vanished from his position and crossed the street in an instant. He reached the enemy before it could complete the movement, striking it in the side.

But the other three reacted immediately.

One stepped in front of Zayn while the remaining two advanced toward the rest of the squad.

Jordan met the first head-on.

Ray raised a concrete barrier to stop the second, while Lena conjured a black hammer that burst into flames when it struck the ground.

Lydia extended her tentacles toward the pillar.

However, before she could reach it, the invader she’d knocked down got back up and slashed one of her appendages with its sword.

Lydia immediately pulled it away.

“Liam, the structure is absorbing energy!”

Liam noticed it as soon as he approached.

It wasn’t exactly the same kind of absorption he’d observed in other dimensional creatures. The energy in the surrounding area seemed to flow toward the pillar and disappear inside it.

‘So this is what they’ve been preparing.’

“Don’t touch it directly! Let’s take out the guards first!”

Liam raised his weapon and fired at the invader attempting to approach Lydia.

The battle continued around the structure.

But this time, the hunters knew exactly what they had to prevent.

◇◆◇

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Jane descended with her wings spread and landed in front of a second pillar.

Her squad had been trying to break through the enemy’s defenses for several minutes. The structure had already been installed, and its symbols were glowing far more intensely than those on the first one.

“We have to destroy it!” one of her subordinates shouted.

Jane extended a hand and unleashed several energy feathers.

The projectiles struck the black surface, producing a shower of violet sparks.

The pillar vibrated but didn’t break.

Jane frowned.

‘It’s tougher than it looks.’

An invader lunged at her.

Jane spun around, dodged the attack, and struck it with her elbow. She then spread her wings and rose into the air, firing another volley of feathers at the enemies guarding the structure.

Her teammates took advantage of the distraction to advance.

One of them managed to strike the pillar with his weapon, but the blow left only a small mark on its surface.

“We can’t destroy it like this!” he shouted.

Jane studied the device.

If those structures were connected to the flow of energy, perhaps they didn’t need to destroy them completely. It might be enough to disrupt their operation.

“Get away from the base!” she ordered.

She concentrated energy in her wings and fired a volley at the metal joints securing the pillar to the ground.

The first joint warped.

The second gave way shortly afterward.

The structure tilted slightly.

The violet symbols flickered.

Jane smiled.

“Keep attacking those points!”

Her squad focused its attacks on the base, attempting to destabilize the device before it could fulfill its purpose.

But then another vibration traveled through the ground.

The pillar slowly straightened itself.

The violet glow intensified.

Jane’s eyes widened.

“What…?”

◇◆◇

“Liam!”

Lydia’s voice echoed in his mind through her ability.

Liam felt a sudden pressure in his chest.

The pillar in front of them had begun emitting an intense light. Its symbols illuminated one after another, forming lines that spread across its entire surface.

The invaders retreated, although they didn’t seem surprised.

On the contrary, they watched the device as if they’d been waiting for this very moment.

Liam raised his weapon, but before he could fire, the pillar released another wave.

This time, the pressure was much greater.

Jordan dropped to one knee. Ray had to brace himself with one hand against the ground to keep his balance. Even Zayn, who had managed to put several meters between himself and the pillar, felt his legs growing heavy.

Liam gritted his teeth.

It felt as though the energy inside his body were being dragged toward something.

Lydia extended her tentacles to protect him, but she felt that invisible force as well.

“I can’t stop it!”

The wave swept down the street and continued spreading throughout the industrial area.

In the distance, the other pillars responded with flashes of violet light.

James watched the screens as the readings changed simultaneously.

“Pix, all the structures are connecting!”

The pixie stared at the representation of the portal.

The energy lines that had previously fluctuated irregularly began joining together into a far more complex pattern. The rift stabilized even further, and its perimeter expanded slightly.

Pix turned pale.

“James…”

“What is it?”

She pointed at the map.

“I think I know what those structures are for.”

James turned toward her.

Pix swallowed before answering.

“They’re not building a doorway.”

On the screen, the energy readings throughout the surrounding area continued to fall.

“They’re preparing our world to feed something on the other side.”

And as the rift continued expanding above the evacuated city, another violet wave began forming within it.