Chapter 202: We Can’t Win This War Like This

The roar of an explosion shook the buildings.

Amber shielded her face as several metal fragments flew over her head. When the dust began to settle, she discovered that the structure her squad had been trying to destroy was still standing.

One of its joints had been deformed, but the violet symbols continued to glow.

"Seriously?!"

Millie exclaimed.

"I thought we were done with that thing!"

"Not yet!" Amber replied.

She propelled herself forward, concentrating energy in her muscles, and struck the damaged joint.

The metal gave way by a few centimeters.

However, before she could repeat the attack, three invaders stepped into her path.

Amber dodged the first strike and retaliated with a kick, but the second enemy managed to hit her in the side.

The sub-captain was sent flying into an abandoned vehicle.

"Sub-captain!" Evan shouted.

"I’m fine!" she replied, struggling to get back to her feet.

She wasn’t fine. The blow had left a sharp pain in her ribs, but she had no intention of stopping because of it.

Millie advanced to draw the enemies’ attention. Her ability forced the invaders to focus on her, giving Evan an opportunity to fire several energy arrows.

The projectiles struck two opponents.

Amber took advantage of the opening to return to the structure.

This time, she didn’t try to destroy it with a single blow. She attacked the joints one by one until the column lost its stability and collapsed onto the asphalt.

The violet glow faded.

"One down!" Evan exclaimed.

Amber took a deep breath.

"And we still have far too many left."

◇◆◇

Wayne barely managed to raise an energy platform before a sword struck the ground where he had been standing.

He leaped backward and created another surface beneath his feet, rising above his opponents.

"Marksmen, change positions!"

His comrades immediately obeyed. The platforms allowed them to fire from different angles, forcing the invaders to split their defenses.

Wayne took advantage of the distraction to create several plates around a structure.

The surfaces began closing in.

The metal creaked, but a violet discharge struck one of the plates and made it disappear.

Wayne clicked his tongue.

"That’s new."

An invader appeared in front of him and thrust its weapon forward. Wayne created an inclined platform that redirected his own movement, allowing him to narrowly evade the attack.

Archie arrived from the side and took a blow to the shoulder.

The young man staggered backward but didn’t fall.

The energy from the impact accumulated inside his body.

"Archie, I need a few seconds!" Wayne shouted.

"Take all the time you need!"

The young man endured a second blow before unleashing a punch against the invader’s chest. The accumulated energy was released with twice the force, hurling the enemy into a wall.

Wayne raised the plates again.

This time, he sent them forward from four directions, completely enclosing the structure.

"Let’s crush this piece of junk!"

The surfaces converged.

The device was crushed until it became an unrecognizable mass.

Wayne exhaled and lowered his arms.

His platforms flickered before disappearing.

"I need a break," he muttered.

Archie rubbed his aching shoulder.

"I think we all do."

Neither of them had time to rest. The invaders were already advancing again.

◇◆◇

Don Rouch wiped the blood running down his forehead.

In front of him, another structure continued emitting violet energy. He had managed to tear off two of its joints, but the enemies were protecting the remaining ones with a level of coordination that was becoming increasingly frustrating.

Duncan stepped between an invader and his comrades, knocking it down with a blow.

"Boss, we can’t stay here all day!"

"I know!"

Don manipulated the metal pieces he had torn from the structure and transformed them into several spears. He launched them at the defenders, forcing them to scatter.

Ivy seized the opportunity.

Roots burst from the ground and trapped two enemies by their legs. Duncan advanced between them, fighting his way to the base of the column.

Don extended both hands and twisted the remaining joints.

The metal gave way, and the column toppled onto its side.

But before they could finish the job, a violet wave swept down the street.

Duncan staggered and dropped to one knee.

Ivy lost control of several roots, which withered before retreating beneath the surface.

Don felt as though his arms weighed a ton.

"What the hell was that?" Duncan asked.

Don examined the remains of the structure.

It was still inactive.

However, in the distance, the other columns had begun glowing more intensely.

"Whatever it was, it didn’t come from here," he replied.

He looked toward the portal.

"And I’m afraid we haven’t seen the worst of it yet."

◇◆◇

Tim took a blow to the abdomen and retaliated with a punch that forced his opponent backward.

His muscular body was covered in wounds, but he continued fighting with unwavering determination.

"Ruby, keep moving!"

Ruby Red ran behind her comrades, protected by the squad. Their target was a structure they had located near a warehouse.

The invaders were trying to stop them at any cost.

Maya extended her hands and manipulated the magnetic field around several metal fragments, hurling them at the enemies blocking their path.

Timothy knocked down another opponent.

"Now!"

Ruby reached the column and began devouring it.

For a moment, it seemed she would manage it without any problems.

Then the structure unleashed a discharge that surged through Ruby’s body.

The hunter screamed and stumbled backward, separating herself from the device.

"Ruby!" Tim exclaimed.

"I’m fine!" she replied, though her legs were trembling.

"But that thing just gave me a horrible shock!"

Timothy stepped between her and the structure.

The violet glow intensified.

"Then we’ll have to destroy it another way."

Her teammates formed a barrier around Ruby while Timothy prepared to attack again.

But before he could do so, a second wave swept through the street.

This time, everyone felt their strength draining away.

Timothy dropped to one knee.

Ruby clutched her stomach.

Maya momentarily lost control of the metal fragments she had suspended in the air.

When the pressure finally subsided, none of them got back up immediately.

Timothy gritted his teeth.

"This is getting ugly."

◇◆◇

Liam watched his comrades as they struggled to catch their breath.

Jordan had several wounds on his arms. Ray was leaning against a wall, and Chuck had stopped chewing gum after taking a blow to the jaw.

Carol and Emily were exhausted from repeatedly using their combination of abilities. Lena could barely keep her carbon weapons active anymore, while Zayn was breathing heavily after running through several streets.

Lydia stood beside Liam, several tentacles protecting them.

"How much longer can we keep this up?" she asked.

Liam didn’t answer immediately.

The six squads were managing to destroy the structures, but each victory was costing them more effort. The invaders kept pouring through the portal, concentrating their forces around the remaining devices.

Even Armstrong seemed to be losing ground against the enemy leader.

’If we keep fighting like this, we’ll be exhausted before we reach our objective.’

Liam looked toward the rift.

James had confirmed that the structures were transferring energy to the other side. If they destroyed enough of them, they might be able to weaken the system, but they couldn’t afford to lose all their hunters in the process.

They needed to change their strategy.

He activated his communicator.

"Attention, all squads. Stop chasing any retreating invaders. Our targets are the structures and their connections."

He waited for everyone to receive the message.

"We need to concentrate our forces at a single point. If we find where the energy flow converges, we can attack the source of the problem instead of continuing to destroy isolated devices."

James responded from the command center.

"I agree. We’ve detected a much larger structure near the rift. It’s possible that it serves as the core of the system."

Liam clenched his fist.

"Then that’s where we’re heading."

Lydia looked at him.

"And how do you plan to fight your way there?"

Liam glanced at the hunters who could still fight before turning to his wife.

"With everything we’ve got."

Lydia smiled faintly.

"In that case, I’m not staying behind."

Liam took her hand for a moment.

"I know. But I don’t want you taking any more risks than necessary."

"And I’m not going to let you shoulder everything on your own, sweetheart."

Before Liam could respond, another vibration rippled through the ground.

The rift blazed with terrifying intensity.

On the other side of the city, the remaining structures began sending columns of violet energy toward the sky.

James watched the readings and turned pale.

"Liam, you need to hurry!"

The researcher’s voice echoed through the communicator.

"The core is accumulating energy. If it finishes activating, we don’t know what will happen."

Liam raised his weapon.

"You heard him. We’re moving out."

The hunters set off once more, wounded and exhausted, but determined to press on.