Chapter 119: Trampling Ram vs. Space Monsters
The Trampling Ram flew forward as the three defenders stood on top of it. Bomn, Achilles, and Vashter stared down a horde of space monsters. To the side, Captain Dordok was desperately fighting to prevent the D-Grade monster from approaching the ship.
As they needed to stay close to the fighting captain, the ships speed had decreased significantly, letting the other monsters reach them. They were purple blobs of power, and each was surrounded by an arbitrary number of tentacle-like appendages.
Bomn bellowed. Blood-red light swimmed over his body, and the edge of his greataxe seemed so sharp and brutal that Jack instinctively wanted to look away. Achilles drew his saber, ready to fight to the death. Vashter gripped his mace, whose head glowed with silver light.
The space monsters fell on them. The defenders jumped off. They clashed. The impact shook the ship, making Brock grab a wall to steady himself.
Jack watched the battle from the bridge with wide eyes.
Bomn was a menace. He swung his greataxe in wide swings, using unstoppable force to cleave through space monsters like butter. Two were pushed away, and anothera low E-Grade onewas cleanly slashed in half. Bomn roared harder, the Dao carrying his voice where space could not. As he stood there, a tall, steady form above a writhing mass of tentacles, he filled Jacks sight.
Three monstersthe high E-Grade onessplit off from the horde to rise and face him. They had sensed his power. They hungered for it. Each had at least six tentacles, and they shot out at Bomn like hail.
He did not falter. His dodges were few. The brunt of his defense came in the form of his greataxe, which he swung at the forest of tentacles with a massive bellow. Blood-red, sharp light shone around its edge, making Jacks eyes sting just from watching.
Technically, each of these monsters should be able to fight Bomn one-on-one. However, when all three of them attacked at once, he held them back. His greataxe cleaved through their tentacles, sending the tips flying. He slashed down, hacking off five tentacles, then changed his grip and slashed upward, slicing another three. The monsters screamed and screeched as they dove for him, but he flew backward, keeping them at bay with sheer strength.
Clearly, Bomn was not a normal high E-Grade. But even he could not face three opponents at the same time. The monsters roared. Their tentacles regenerated. Their onslaught intensified.
A third bellow left Bomns mouth, and this time, his entire body shone red. Jack was looking at a butcher. An executioner. Rage and violence oozed out of him so abundantly they were almost physical, and even the mindless space monsters didnt dare approach too much. They kept their distance and pummeled him with tentacles, slowly but surely whittling him down.
After all, not only was Bomn fighting the three of them by himself, but he also didnt have a helmet. He had to use part of his Dao to keep the void at bay.
Achilles was facing the two middle E-Grade monsters. His saber carried deadly sharpness and great strength. His swings were violent. He dodged some tentacles and slashed at others, cutting them clean from the root. However, no matter how many he severed, more appeared, and he did not possess the strength to dive in and inflict meaningful damage.
Regardless, he persisted. He couldnt beat the two monsters, but he wouldnt lose, either. All they had to do was protect the ship for five minutes. Then, the warp would be ready, and they would be out of here.
With three monsters occupied by Bomn, two by Achilles, and one killed at the start by Bomn, that left seven of them, all low E-Grade.
And they were all stopped by Vashter.
Individually, he was stronger than each of his opponents. But he was one, and they were seven. Their tentacles blotted the stars, and their gaping maws sought to devour him.
Vashter danced among the tentacles, using his mace to break through any openings he could find. Unfortunately, the tentacles were simply too many. He was surrounded. Attacks rained on him, each small in power, but they added up. More importantly, every hit sent him off balance, leading to even more attacks landing.
The seven monsters had surrounded Vashter and pelted him with all their power. They resembled a pack of wolves that had managed to isolate a particularly durable bison. Vashter did his best, and he remained whole for now, but he was surrounded by predators, and even defending was a tall task.
His mace danced regardless. Silver light filled flared on every hit. Tentacles were smacked aside, his weapon blurring. He was playing whack-a-mole, except on all sides at once, and the moles were too many.
He managed to break off a few tentaclesthe low E-Grade monsters couldnt regeneratebut for every tentacle he broke, five slapped his body, tossing him around like a ragdoll.
Getting overwhelmed was a matter of time. The question was, was that time longer than five minutes?
Inside the ship, Jacks teeth-gritting intensified. He had half a mind to jump out and shield his body as Bomn was doing, but he knew that was impossible. He simply didnt have the power. The lack of pressure would twist him into a dead strawman in a heartbeat, and the cold would freeze the blood in his veins.
But he wanted to help so fucking much. These guys were putting their lives on the line to protect him, and he could only watch from the sidelines like some weakling.
Hey. A soft hand touched his shoulder. Turning, he met Vlossanas earnest, sapphire eyes. Its okay.
Jack wrestled down the urge to shake her off. Im fine, he responded, turning to watch the battle. She didnt reply. Her hand didnt leave his shoulder, and Jack slowly felt his weight lessening, acceptance coming faster than it should.
He turned back to Vlossana. Is that a skill? he demanded.
She smiled. Emotional Daos have many uses.
I appreciate it, but please stop. I can control myself. I wont disrespect their battle by turning my eyes away.
She seemed hurt at this. I know you can control yourself, she said. Im simply reducing the pain.
Jack shook his head. Dont. Thank you, but this is enough.
She hesitated for a moment, then lifted her hand. Jacks mental turmoil returned in full, his helplessness, but he stood tall through it. Emotions were the crucible on which the mind grew, and weakness was the way to strength.
Master Shol had taught him that.
Jack simply remained still, keeping one eye on the battle, another on the red warp light, and his hands on the ram head, tilting it slightly forward so the ship didnt stop advancing.
It was a good thing the E-Grade space monsters were mindless. Otherwise, they could have split up and destroyed the ship as well. All of them would die.
Vashter was struggling. One of his legs was bent oddly, and his entire body must have been covered in bruises under his clothes. Who knew how many bones were broken or fractured.
But he continued to fight. At least, he had protected his helmet. His mace drew silver lines around himself, exploding on any tentacle that came close. More tentacles pushed through, but he persisted, his eyes filled with a wild, unyielding look.
Holy shit, Jack realized. He just might die.
The plan was for anyone too injured to retreat so Jack could take over. He was a backupbut that was a lie. If he had to fill in for either of the feshkurs, let alone Bomn, he would die in seconds. He was the weakest member of the crew. If they couldnt handle it, neither could he, and his helplessness was enraging.
He yearned to fight. Purple light flared on his fists as his fighting spirit rose, and he noticed that Vlossana had taken several steps back as if afraid.
He looked back outside. Besides Vashter, Bomn was struggling, too. The three high-level monsters were gaining on him, forcing him to basically fight while retreating. His sleeves were torn, he was panting, and blood oozed from every orifice on his facethe result of staying in space too long without a helmet.
His greataxe swings came slower, but each remained equally dominating, keeping the monsters back at all costs. He was losing, but he did not let them advance. Perhaps he could last until the warp.
Only Achilles was in a better situation. He could fight the monsters equally, but he could not push them back, though he unleashed large attacks at every opportunity. His grip was white around his sabers handle. He knew he had to help Vashter, but he couldnt.
Two minutes remained until the warp.
Captain Dordok was still fighting the crocodile in the distance. He only had one opponent, but it was no joke. The crocodile was similar to him in strength. They exchanged titanic strikes that made Bomns greataxe seem like a toy. Space rippled in waves around them, the stars behind them lost their luster.
Captain Dordok was only lightly injured, smashing his steel greatclub into the crocodile as many times as he could. Every strike was strong enough to make Jack flinch. The crocodile itself was in a worse state, green Dao leaking from several wounds on its body, but its eyes hadnt lost their hunger.
It could speak, but it remained a mostly mindless beast. It would not retreat. It would either feast or die.
The captain was infuriated. His face was warped into an expression of pure rage, and he leaned his entire body into each attack he made. His crew needed him, but if he drew the crocodile to them, everyone would die. He had to kill it first, and he was not fast enough.
But maybe they could last.
One minute remained until the warp.
Jack watched the battles with rapt attention. He always kept one eye on the warp light, too, and his hand was ready to smack the button at a moments notice. The warping wouldnt be instantaneous. Bomn and the captain would have time to return, though barely, and the two feshkurs were connected to the ship through their helmets. The warp would drag them along.
Suddenly, silver light flared in the middle of the melee. Vashter shot out like a cannonball, flying for the ship at full speed. He was bleeding from several places, and his face was warped by pain.
His eyes scanned the windows to find Jack.
Brock! Jack shouted. You heard the instructions. Take over!
He dashed away as Brock grabbed the ram-shaped helm and stared at the persistent red light.
Jack reached the secondary exit room just as Vashter flew in, crashing against the far wall. There was no time to lose. Jack ripped the helmet from the feshkurs head, slapped it on his, and jumped out. The protective film barely had time to manifest. The familiar disorientation of space hit him in an instant, but his adrenaline-filled mind pulled through.
Seven space monsters were hot on Vashters heels. Seeing them screaming and charging, endless tentacles flailing, Jack understood why the feshkur had been in such a bad shape. There was no way he could keep track of so many attacks.
Jack grimaced, but he was ready. He only had to last for a few moments. He could do this.
He roared and dived into the beasts. Meteor Shower! he screamed. The sound remained in his helmet, ringing in his ears. His fists flared purple as they smashed into the void, again and again, over and over, sending a rain of meteors at the monsters.
They were barely slowed. No matter how fast Jack punched, the monsters had over twenty tentacles in total. His meteors were slapped aside or endured. Some missed. One was dodged.
Fear gripped his heart as he watched their advance, but survival instinct prevailed.
The monsters fanned around Jack, trying to surround him. If that happened, he was dead. He quickly flew to the side, using Meteor Punches to propel himself faster. He triedand succeededto draw the monsters away from the ship. If it got damaged, they were all dead.
As he ran, his Meteor Punches still flew at the monsters, slowing them down a littleenough, hopefully. But they were gaining ground. They were far more proficient at moving through space, and much faster, even though Jack was individually stronger than any of them.
He lost track of time. His entire being focused on survival. Everything else faded away. The seconds stretched into eons.
His existence became a constant check around him for tentacles, punching, and retreating. He didnt have the stamina to shoot out endless Meteor Punches. He was already getting tired, and it had only been a few seconds. His arms had slowed imperceptibly, and that allowed the monsters to close the distance at twice the speed.
I wont make it, he realized. Perhaps it had only been ten seconds. Perhaps it had been thirty. He had no idea, and not knowing brought a greater fear than the space monsters themselves. They towered over him, their tentacles swinging wildly and their bulbous bodies ripping open to swallow him whole.
Their tentacles were almost on him.
In the corner of his eye, Jack saw one of the monsters break off. It flew to the side, screeching and waving its tentacles through space. Relief flooded him before a thought occurred.
Where is it going?
He braved a glance. He saw Achilles, absorbed in his fight against the two middle E-Grade monsters, not noticing the low E-Grade that now creeped towards him. The purple bastard had slowed down and wasnt screeching any longerit instinctively understood the concept of stealth.
Jack felt so angry at this.
ACHILLES! he screamed, but all he achieved was to bleed his own ears. He couldnt transmit his voice through space. He didnt know how.
In that momentary pause, the space monsters had caught up. Their tentacles reached for him, slimy appendages of pure power. The ship still wasnt warping. There was no guarantee he would survive this, even if he focused completely on the battle.
Fuck me.
Jacks entire body flared with the power of his Dao. This was his fault. He would save Achilles or die trying. And if the space monsters got in his way, he would destroy them.
A formless ripple emanated from his body. The monsters paused. It was momentary, barely a blinks worth. But it was enough.
Jack shot through their tentacles, dashing to the side. They followed immediately. Tentacles slapped the space around him, passing inches by his skin. He swerved to the left and right, dodging desperately. Two attacks landed. They were heavy, like punches to the gut, but he grunted through the pain.
He was looking backward, shooting out meteor punches to propel himself faster. Since he was in space, his speed kept mounting. He was accelerating, but no force worked against him. There was no wind to indicate his speed, but he could see the ship flying sideways like an arrow. If this was Earth, he would have broken the sound barrier.
He was so fast that he momentarily felt terrified, but he kept punching. He couldn't be too fast, only too slow. He risked a glance behind him, where he was headed. The tentacle monster was right there. It raised a tentacle to ambush Achilles.
Jack shot out a final meteor punch, then turned his body around, directly at the space monster. He no longer cared about his pursuershe couldnt afford it. A tentacle clipped his ankle, jolting him downward and bending his foot the wrong way. Another fell past his ear, missing him by sheer luck.
Achilles sensed something and turned around. He saw a tentacle descending on his face at full force. He had no time to dodge. His eyes widened with terror.
Jack screamed. The distance between him and the space monster evaporated. He was too fast.
He slammed into it with his fists extended, channeling his Dao to make a meteor out of himself. The poor space monster couldnt even respond. He tore through it, breaking it like a bubble and disintegrating its tentacles, then rammed into one of the middle E-Grade monsters, destroying that one as well.
Jack wasnt unhurt from the collision. His entire body was in pain, multiple bones were fractured or dislocated, and his mind was in disarray. It was like slamming into water at five hundred miles per hour. Even his fists, which were augmented by several skills, had been twisted beyond recognition, the bones showing.
The low E-Grade space monsters that hunted him fell on Achilles, who was suddenly in between. He shouted somethingJack could only see his lips movingand turned to face them.
The second middle E-Grade monster towered over Jack. It would be a hard opponent if he had his full power. As he was, even F-Grades could defeat him. He was no match.
The space monster screeched and brought a tentacle down on him. Jack moved his maimed hand, throwing out whatever little power he had left as a desperate means of escape, but he wasnt nearly fast enough.
Space rippled around him. It tore. The tentacle fell on him, but a colossal power swept by, picking up Jack and carrying him towards the ship. He barely caught a glimpse of Captain Dordok, whose chest sported a long, bleeding wound.
A second colossal power appeared immediately afterward. Large jaws snapped shut around Jack, each tooth the size of a hill.
Space rippled, and Jack was no longer there. Neither was Captain Dordok. They had warped.
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