Chapter 200: The Sub-Captains Strike Back

The second violet wave swept through the industrial area, forcing the hunters to interrupt their battles.

But this time, none of the sub-captains wasted much time trying to figure out what had happened.

James’s instructions had been clear: they needed to destroy the structures or their supports to interrupt the flow of energy. If they couldn’t destroy the devices directly, they would find another way.

And the Ace of Spades squads had already begun to act.

◇◆◇

Amber dodged a sword and punched her opponent in the stomach, sending it crashing into a wall.

“Millie, now!”

“Leave it to me!”

Millie advanced with her arms spread wide, drawing the attention of the nearby invaders. Her ability caused several enemies to abandon their positions and focus on her.

The hunter endured the first impact, taking a few steps backward, but maintained her stance.

“Come on! Don’t tell me that’s all you’ve got!”

The invaders responded with another series of attacks.

While Millie kept them occupied, Evan drew back his energy bow and fired arrow after arrow. The projectiles streaked across the battlefield, forcing the enemies to take cover and opening a path toward the structure.

Adam advanced alongside the rest of the squad, following Amber’s orders.

The sub-captain took advantage of the distraction. She concentrated energy in her muscles and shot forward, dodging the attacks that still attempted to stop her.

Within seconds, she reached the black pillar.

Violet symbols glowed across its surface, while the metal components at its base vibrated with every energy fluctuation.

Amber struck one of the joints with all her strength.

The metal buckled.

She repeated the attack against the second joint, weakening it enough for Evan to fire directly at it.

The arrow struck, and the component broke off with a loud crash.

“One more!” Amber shouted.

Millie was still holding off the enemies’ attacks, but she was beginning to retreat.

“I don’t mean to rush you, but I’d really appreciate it if you finished soon!”

Amber smiled and concentrated energy in her legs.

“Then let’s make this quick!”

She propelled herself toward the final joint and delivered a powerful kick.

The pillar tilted and slammed into the ground, its violet symbols temporarily going dark.

The pressure they felt in their bodies eased slightly.

Amber looked at the toppled device.

“Good. Now we need to find the others.”

◇◆◇

Wayne studied the structure in front of him.

Unlike the previous one, this device was surrounded by several invaders who had formed a tight defensive formation. Their violet weapons made any attempt to approach difficult, and whenever a hunter advanced, two enemies moved to stop them.

Wayne lit the cigarette in his mouth.

“What a nuisance.”

He raised a hand, and several energy platforms appeared beneath his marksmen’s feet, lifting them above the battlefield.

“Attack from above! Don’t give them time to reorganize!”

The hunters took advantage of the platforms to fire over the enemy defenses. Their projectiles forced the invaders to scatter, while Wayne created new surfaces to reposition his teammates and keep them out of the enemies’ reach.

But his real objective wasn’t to defeat every enemy.

It was the structure.

“Archie, with me!”

The young Gray advanced alongside the sub-captain, taking a blow to the shoulder that forced him backward.

He didn’t complain.

The energy from the impact accumulated inside his body.

A second invader lunged at him, and Archie took another hit, this time to his side.

Then he smiled.

“I think I’ve got enough.”

Wayne created a platform beneath his feet and propelled him forward.

Archie clenched his fist and unleashed all the accumulated energy against one of the defenders. Reinforced by the power he’d stored, the blow sent the invader crashing into two others, opening a gap in their formation.

“Now!” Wayne ordered.

He extended both arms, and energy plates appeared around the pillar, forming a cubic structure that completely enclosed it.

The invaders reacted immediately, but Wayne’s marksmen maintained their attacks, preventing them from approaching.

Wayne closed his hands, and the plates began moving toward the center.

The violet symbols flickered as the pressure increased.

“Let’s see how much it can take,” he muttered, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

The plates continued compressing until a loud crash echoed throughout the street.

The pillar was crushed between the energy surfaces.

When Wayne made the plates disappear, all that remained were twisted metal fragments and a faint violet glow that soon faded.

Archie shook his hand.

“Does that count as destroying it?”

Wayne straightened his clothes.

“Of course. I’d even say it was rather elegant.”

The young hunter looked at the remains.

“Well, I’m not sure about elegant. But effective? Definitely.”

Wayne smiled.

“Come on. We’ve still got more to deal with.”

◇◆◇

Don Rouch stopped in front of a structure the invaders had installed beside a row of industrial warehouses.

Unlike his fellow sub-captains, he didn’t seem interested in destroying it immediately.

First, he wanted to understand how it was built.

“Interesting,” he murmured, examining the metal joints.

“Is this really the time to admire it?” Duncan Steel asked.

The hunter’s imposing physique stood out even among the combatants as he forced his way between two invaders and knocked them down with powerful blows.

Don smiled.

“I’m admiring what I’m about to wreck.”

He raised his hands and manipulated the metal of a nearby structure. Several bars broke free and elongated, transforming into spears that shot toward the defenders.

Duncan took advantage of the opening and advanced.

Ivy Harrington extended her arms.

Roots emerged from cracks in the ground and coiled around the legs of several invaders. Some managed to break free, but others remained immobilized long enough for the hunters to take them down.

Carl advanced with the rest of the squad, maintaining their formation while Don approached the device.

The sub-captain examined the base.

Three metal joints connected the pillar to the ground.

Perfect.

Don placed both hands on them and began deforming the metal.

The material twisted under his control. One joint broke free, while another bent sharply to the side.

But when he tried to reach the third, an invader appeared behind him.

Duncan intercepted it before it could attack.

“Keep working, Boss!” he shouted.

Don didn’t waste time responding.

He transformed the remaining joints into long strips of metal and ripped them away from the base.

The pillar wobbled.

Ivy extended new roots around its lower section and pulled hard, tilting it to one side.

Duncan positioned himself in front of the device and pushed it with both arms.

The structure crashed to the ground.

Don clenched his fists, and the metal of the pillar twisted and compressed until it was reduced to a deformed mass.

“Done,” he announced.

Duncan dusted off his hands.

“We could’ve done that from the beginning.”

Don looked at him with a smile.

“And we would’ve missed the opportunity to appreciate a fine piece of metal.”

Ivy chuckled softly as her roots withdrew beneath the ground.

Then another vibration swept through the street.

The pillar had stopped glowing, but the other structures remained active.

They weren’t finished yet.

◇◆◇

The young sub-captain Tim charged at a group of invaders, sweeping them aside with a powerful movement of his muscular arms.

“Ruby, the path is clear!”

“Coming!”

Ruby Red ran after him, dodging the attacks her teammates couldn’t block.

Their target was a pillar installed between two buildings. Unlike the other squads, Timothy’s team had no intention of destroying its supports.

They had a much simpler solution.

Ruby could devour anything.

And if they could get her to the device, she could eliminate it completely.

“Don’t let them get near her!” Timothy ordered.

The female hunters in his squad spread out around Ruby.

Maya extended her hands and generated a magnetic field that pulled several metal objects off the ground, hurling them toward the invaders attempting to block their path.

Timothy took a blow to the shoulder and responded with a punch that sent his opponent crashing into a wall.

Another hunter intercepted an enemy trying to attack Ruby from behind.

The path opened for a few seconds.

Ruby seized the opportunity and reached the pillar.

She placed both hands against its black surface.

“Time to eat!”

Her jaw began to open, and she devoured the device.

The violet symbols flickered as the structure slowly disappeared inside her.

For an instant, an intense light shone through her body.

Ruby grimaced and spat out a piece of metal.

“Ugh! It tastes awful!”

Timothy blinked.

“Did you just complain about the taste?”

“It’s like eating a rusty battery!”

“The taste doesn’t matter! Finish devouring it!”

Ruby closed her eyes and focused on her task.

The pillar disappeared completely.

A few seconds later, the violet glow faded.

The pressure throughout the surrounding area eased once again.

Timothy burst out laughing.

“Well done!”

Ruby placed a hand on her stomach.

“After this, I demand a proper meal.”

“If we survive, I’ll treat you to whatever you want.”

“Deal!”

◇◆◇

At the command center, James watched as several readings changed simultaneously.

Pix floated in front of the screen, carefully monitoring the fluctuations.

“It worked!” she exclaimed.

Each destroyed structure had interrupted part of the energy flow. The rift remained open, but its stability was no longer increasing at the same rate.

James clenched his fists.

“Then we can stop them.”

However, before he could celebrate, a new signal appeared on the screen.

The portal’s energy began concentrating within its interior.

Pix’s smile disappeared.

“James… something is responding from the other side.”

The rift lit up once more.

And this time, the energy accumulating inside it was far greater than before.