Page 35 of Cerulean Truth
The thought didn't bother me much; the image of Emma being attacked was stuck in my head, and I'd been itching to spillblood ever since. All I cared about now was getting Maria out of there alive.
With a sharp crack of my neck, I steeled myself for the impending bloodshed.
“Maria.” I lifted my chin. “You see that tree over there, across the border?”
She nodded almost imperceptibly.
“You fly toward it as soon as you cross the barrier. You do not run at it from this side, because they will see where you’re headed. You get out from under your bubble, you fly to the tree, I’ll translate you a green portal and you take it to Maurice, no questions asked, am I clear?”
“But—” She started to protest.
"Maria, you are my Leader and my commander, but you are not a trained Offensive like I am. Whatever your skills, I guarantee my interface is still ten times faster than yours. You get home. You get safe. You need to lead our Collective and keep it safe from attacks like this one. Got it?"
She nodded silently, and I sighed in relief, recognizing the exceptional nature of her compliance.
I murmured clear instructions to George on organizing his men, emphasizing the importance of doing absolutelynothinguntil I said otherwise.
Turning around, I now faced the Radicals with the sole barrier of the bubble standing between us. I narrowed my eyes, surveying the scene before me. Once I stepped out of the protective confines of the bubble, I would be entirely on my own. While I could rely on the five crescent blades discharging from my Skindo to attack independently, it still meant facing the enemy from only six angles. Six against fifty.
Not the best of odds. Not the worst either.
They were arranged neatly in five rows of ten, as if they’d all collectively agreed it was a good idea. Suppressing a snort, Iassessed the situation. Calculating my strategy, I resolved to take out the back rows furthest from me with the blades, reserving close combat for the front rows.
My eyes darted from one cluster to another, seeking out weaknesses, instantly noticing none of them had any Skindo tattoos on their forearms. At least no Offensive of Cyclos was involved. Plus, I was a little relieved to realize whatever weaponry they’d use, if any, it wouldn’t be a match for mine.
But they did have the numbers and if I was going to take them all at once, I would have to break them into smaller, more manageable groups. Luckily for me, they were clearly keen on holding formation. All I had to do, was take out one row at a time.
"Just another day at work." I muttered under my breath, while signaling Maria to cross the border with me simultaneously.
As soon as we breached the bubble-barrier, everything happened in the blink of an eye. Maria flew to the nearest tree as planned and I created her a portal out of thin air.
There was no time for relief when I saw her vanish though, as the first row of Radicals surged forward without hesitation.
I blocked the first attacker with my left arm, while flexing my right forearm, shooting my cloaked Skindo out from my tattoo. Channeling my energy, I released it from my grasp, translating it to the other side of the terrain, where it could engage independently.
With a swift kick, I sent several Radicals stumbling into their cronies, knocking them off balance. Their bodies slammed into one another, creating an opening for me to exploit. I moved swiftly, delivering precise strikes with a flurry of punches and kicks, left and right, aiming for any vulnerable spot I could find.
And then it all turned to chaos. Arms and legs were attacking me from every side but all of them were all very untrainedand more occupied with their own fear than with any form of strategy.
They made several attempts to hit me with their translation, but their interface was so slow, evading them was child's play.
Meanwhile, tethered to my energy, my weapon was hovering across the field and I felt the familiar itch crawling beneath my skin.
Occupying my own hands and feet in close combat with the first row, I directed my focus inward and released my Skindo’s blades with a mental command. In less than half a minute, it swiftly dispatched the back row, their heads rolling off their necks before the Radicals in front even realized I had effortlessly decimated a fifth of their ranks with a “brain-sneeze”.
I heard some rustling behind me.
“Don’t move,” I hissed to George and his “protectors”, as the next wave of Radicals lunged for me. Their punches came fast and wild, but I deflected them effortlessly, turning their blind aggression into my advantage.
I slammed my elbow into one's jaw, causing him to stumble back, while a brutal kick sent another one reeling, I sidestepped the next one coming at me, evading his blow and immediately countering with a powerful jab to his midsection. Ducking under another assailant's swing, I delivered a crushing knee to his stomach. With a quick spin, I blocked another Radical’s kick and countered with a powerful roundhouse of my own, sending him staggering backward.
The next one came at me like a rabid dog, but I put him down quick, a brutal slice across his throat. Bodies piled up as I fought my way through, each one falling to the ground in a bloody mess.
And when they went down, they stayed down.
It was too obvious; even though they heavily outnumbered me, they were no match for me.
By the time I had fought off the entire first row, the duck blades had sliced the throats of the entire second row in the back.
