Chapter 166: Fools

Chapter 166: Fools In a desperate rush, he shoved his opponent away from him and threw his sword towards Lira with all the might he could muster.

BANG!

The sword pierced the shoulder of the crazed soldier, pinning him to the ground, a few steps away from Lira.

This was all he could afford before his opponent lunged back on him, taking him in a head lock.

"@%@^@&"

"Ahhhhhh!!"

Both opponents let out guttural sounds as they fought to come on top; Alex trying all he could to get out of the headlock, while the soldier fought through the pain of holding onto the hot body if his opponent, keeping him in place.

’At least they didn’t fail!’

Orion’s eyes flashed, taking steps towards a small crater where the boulder used to sit.

SLAM!

Alex dug his fingers into the ground beside him, and pulled as hard as he could, his skin ripping from how hard he flexed.

The pain couldn’t register anymore at this point as he pulled harder, trying to take his body up from the ground. Something the soldiers fought desperately to prevent, digging his claws into the side of his head to disorient him.

Unfortunately those claws if his weren’t sharp enough, else he could’ve pierced through his skull in one go.

"STTTAYYY DOOO@%@WNNN"

The soldier growled, a moment of sanity peeking through before fading faster than it came.

Like wood to flame, those words seemed to only rile the anger burning within his opponent as Alex pushed his ability to another level, his skin darkening more till almost looked black with more visible veins drawing maps in him.

’Burning his life force? All for that chatter box?’

Orion continued watching from the side, taking out a small box from his storage bracelet.

Crunch! Crunch!

His silence was broken by the sounds that came as he took the contents of the box towards his mouth.

With his life force as additional fuel for his ability, Alex was able to overpower the siodoer trying to keep him from getting to his feet.

"GET OFFF MEEEEE!!!"

His voice came in a loud roar as his hands found their way to the man his back, ripping him off in one smooth motion, slamming into the ground.

"@$@%#%"

What came after was nothing but pure beastiality as the black, rage filled fists of the recuit decended on the soldier smashing him till all that was left were bits and pieces of flesh with nothing to associate the victim with a soldier.

"Ahh, ahh!"

With the battle over and no one else to beat out the anger in his chest, a feeling of emptiness foreign to him made itself known, settling in that heart of his where anger had once resided.

"Tch! Tears? He’s got to have better than this!"

Orion scoffed, seeing the tears streaming down Alex’s face at the end of his fight.

Unwilling to watch the recuit lose himself to his sorrow, he switched his attention to Lira who had gotten back in the fight with the help of Alex.

In fact, her fight had ended with Alex’s sword impaling the soldier in the chest.

Even now as Lira stood in front of the soldier whose life was fading away, there was no hint of sanity returning to the crazed soldier. Whatever method they used had to be permanent.

Unlike Alex, Lira didn’t lose herself to the rage or sorrow. What was going on with her wasn’t something Orion could wrap his hand around as all she did was stand blankly watching as the life slowly faded from the soldier.

"Could’ve been better."

Orion muttered, taking back the box into his bracelet before gutting to his feet whole dusting the crumbs off his hand.

Walking towards the two of them, he said loud enough for them to hear,

"Alright, you’ve gotten what you wanted now. I’ve dealt with their leader too. We should leave, now!"

Orion said to the silence of both subordinates.

They might have been consumed by their emotions, but they both understood their positions with Orion and approached him despite thier lack of oral response.

’That’s good. Now, let’s se—??!!’

Orions eyes narrowed into thin slits, his aura bursting out of him in an instant, knocking back the approaching Alex and Lira.

Yet that didn’t prepare him enough.

Stab!

The sound was clear enough to snap all three recuits pit of their daze. Alex’s and Lira’s eyes widening as five sharp clawed fingers showed themselves through Orion’s gut, in the same way he had killed the middle aged soldier.

At least that was what he thought seeing the lifeless body fall to the ground.

"H–how?!"

Orion’s voice cracked, coughing a mouthful of blood as his eyes captured fully the one who attacked him from behind.

The middle aged soldier stood behind him, looking to be on his last legs. How he manged to survive till this point and pull this off, beyond any of their understanding.

"Arghh!"

For the first time, Orion face expressed an emotion. One that wasn’t a stranger to everyone present — Anger.

His aura rose furiously, the gauntlets appearing on his hands instantly with golden dust floating around them.

"Arghhhhh!!"

In one swift motion, Orion had sliced off the soldier’s arm, turning around to grab him by the neck.

"I doesn’t matter how you survived. I’ll make sure you stay dead this time"

His voice was low and dark, the gold dust floating around the gauntlets gathering to form a glowing orb of pure internal energy hovering right above his palm.

"Hahaha. Fool!"

The soldier said one more time before having his skin and guts evaporate the moment the scorching hot ball of energy came in contact with him.

’You won’t be making it out of here alive anyways!’

That was all he could think of in his last moments.befire he was reduced to nothing but ash scattering away on the blood soaked soil of the field.

"Ugh!"

Orion grunted, falling to a knee with his hand holding the injury tightly.

"Boss!"

Alex and Lira rushed towards him immediately, helping him to his feet again.

"We can’t go out now. At least not in this condition!"

Alex said and Orion could only hold in his dissatisfaction.

He was right.

The strongest amongst them who they would’ve depended on in the fog was now injured quite seriously and the two of them could barely walk well without getting shot with concentrated doses of pain.

"They’ve all turned to dust!"

Alex made a random comment, looking towards where the bodies of the dead soldiers had once laid.

"Captain!"

"Captain!"

Just then the, another voice joined them in the space and they all turned their heads to see the soldier who had ran out in the beginning of the fight.

"Ah! I was late. They’re all dead. Hahaha!"

The soldier said erratically, exhibiting the same mutations as his comrades.

’Now?’

Orion thought, preparing himself for another battle.

This was his definition of the worst case scenario for him, especially of he managed to get in contact with the rest of the soldiers who went on ahead and gained some reinforcements.

"Oh well, it doesn’t matter. We were all going to die either ways!"

The soldier said before losing himself to the mutations.

’What does that mean?’

Orion’s mind rang in alert.

The soldiers had all fought like they weren’t going to make it out alive of there anyways and the middle aged man’s words had only added to that suspicion.

Even in death, his last words was to call them fools, something Orion jad disregard as the madness of a man consumed in death.

"#@&#/&!!!?!"

"@^#<$^#*!!!"

He didn’t get the chance to think over it any longer SD several screams could be heard coming from beyond the fog, with each scream becoming increasingly louder and closer.

"What have they done?"

Alex muttered, feeling his knees go weak as the ground trembled in signal of an approaching disaster.

"Heh!"

Orion snorted, pushing off Alex and Lira to regain his balance as several presences revealed themselves to him, closing in on their location.

"Take out your weapons."

His voice took on a domineering edge, shaking off the fear in Alex’s and Lira’s bodies, replacing it with something greater.

"This isn’t the time for you to get wobbly legs. You’ve been on this planet long enough to know what dangers to expect."

"..."

He paused, his eyes scanning the surroundings. The quake had increased in intensity, breaking apart the ground that had just recently regained its peace.

"You better have more than some fight left in you. It’s your only option here!"

"Don’t die!"

Orion said to the surprise of the two of them who looked on with widened eyes which slowly regained the bright light of battle.

’At least not until I get to the bottom of all this!’

He thought silently.

They could feel their blood flow through their veins

Hear their heart beat beneath their chest

Space seemed to have come to a stillness, and silence looked to have found it’s throne once again.

None of this lasted past a second before a horde of beasts burst through from the fog all around then.

Their time was up.

......

Back at the outpost, Kieran and Jake had entered their own viscous cycle.....