141 THE ASSASSINS HIT
The next instant erupted in chaos.
Jetpack-equipped assassins burst through the shattered windows, their thrusters roaring as they swept across the hall. Rifles screamed, pouring bullets in every direction. Blades flashed, and the air filled with the metallic chorus of gunfire and screams.
Valtor's guards reacted first. Their force fields flared, forming a glowing barrier around them as they pushed toward the exits in tight formation.
Across the hall, Garius raised his gauntlet, channeling a surge of raw energy that vaporized an oncoming assassin in a blinding flash. He and his guards moved at once, sprinting toward the corridor amid the smoke and confusion.
The two factions collided near the doorway.
For a brief, volatile heartbeat, their eyes met—hatred reflected perfectly in each other's gaze.
Then, without warning, Valtor spun and drove a brutal kick into Garius's chest, sending him crashing into a marble pillar back inside the meeting hall.
Valtor laughed, his voice cold over the roar of gunfire. "You deserve this, Garius. Go to hell." He turned and strode away with his bodyguards, disappearing into the hallway.
Garius groaned with blood on his lips.
"Valtor…?" he screamed.
An assassin lunged at him with an energy-charged blade, but his bodyguards dove in, shielding him beneath overlapping force fields that rippled under the impact of the strike.
More assassins poured into the hall, their numbers were overwhelming. It was clear now—Garius was the target.
Their masks were black and metallic, shaped like the heads of roosters. Garius froze, realizing who these assassins were.
"These… these are assassins from the Order of the Black Cockerel!"
He shouted, his voice hoarse with fury and disbelief.
"You idiots! You've got the wrong target! I paid you to Kill Valtor Veyran, not me!"
But the assassins didn't answer. They only advanced, their rifles raised, as the hall filled once more with thunder and flame.
"Boss, out the window!" Dackerie's voice crackled over Garius's comms.
"Thank goodness you're here on time," Garius muttered, glancing toward the shattered windows. Outside, several helicopters hovered close to the palace facade, rotors cutting through smoke and gunfire.
"Jump out! We'll catch you!" Dackerie shouted.
Garius took a breath, ignoring the chaos and screams behind him. His bodyguards were still fighting, but he knew staying meant death.
He dashed toward the window and leapt into open air.
Just as promised, a special capture net extended from the nearest helicopter, scooping him up before he could plummet to the streets below. The aircraft veered away from the burning palace.
"What happened in there, boss?" Dackerie asked through the comms.
"Those stupid Cockerels!" Garius snarled. "They attacked me instead of Valtor Veyran!"
"That's impossible," Dackerie replied. "The Order of the Black Cockerel never hits the wrong target. And Valtor's face is too famous to make a mistake."
"What are you saying?" Garius demanded.
"The Veyrans added you to the Cockerels' hit list too," Dackerie said grimly. "Seems the assassins decided to eliminate you first."
"Idiots!" Garius roared.
Before he could say more, the helicopter lurched violently. A split second later—missiles streaked through the sky, explosions ripping through.
"What the hell—?" Garius shouted as the shockwave tore the net loose. He fell, tumbling through smoke and debris toward the ground below followed by the helicopter.
He hit hard, rolling across cracked pavement as the explosion from the fallen chopper struck him. Before he could stand, a sudden blade slashed across his shoulder.
Out of the haze stepped a woman dressed in black combat mesh, a chicken-headed mask gleaming under the flames.
"I told you….you've got the wrong person!" Garius shouted, clutching his wound. "I said kill Valtor Veyran, not me!"
The woman tilted her head. Then more figures appeared. They were a squad of female assassins, silent and lethal.
"No," one of them replied coldly. "Our orders are correct. You, Garius Zetheris, are our target."
"Wait! I'll pay you triple what Valtor did!" Garius begged.
"Sorry," another assassin said, drawing twin energy blades. "We don't negotiate with our targets."
She lunged.
Garius raised a force shield….but to his shock, the assassin vanished mid-charge, reappearing beside him and slicing into his leg.
"What—what the hell was that?!" Garius screamed.
Rewind VI smirked. "This is our secret skill—Rewind."
The assassins could turn back time by a few seconds, just enough to correct their movement, evade attacks, and strike again.
It made them almost invincible against even stronger opponents.
Garius unleashed a barrage of meta blasts, but every shot missed as the assassins rewound, adjusted, and struck from impossible angles. His armor was slashed open in half a dozen places. His force field was depleting rapidly.
"Please! Someone help me!" he shouted in desperation.
Then, from above, a figure dropped through the smoke and landed beside him—a woman dressed in darkness, with eyes burning gold.
"Acyros! Thank goodness you are here!" Garius gasped.
It was Acyros, descending from one of the remaining helicopters. Behind her, several meta-soldiers parachuted in, weapons ready.
"If only because Exoren still have use for you, I won't waste time saving an idiot like you", Acyros smirked.
"Doesn't matter the reason as long as you are here", Garius smiled with relief.
The assassins paused. Rewind V smirked beneath her mask.
"That was close to a clean finish. Seems this job's tougher than expected."
"No matter," Rewind VI said, stepping forward. "A dozen meta-soldiers are nothing compared to us."
She dashed toward Garius again… then she froze mid-attack, slamming uselessly against his newly raised shield.
"What—? My Rewind… it's not working!" she screamed.
The others tried to activate their time-shift, but nothing happened. Their energy signatures had gone dark.
Acyros straightened, her voice calm and cutting.
"Do you like my Anti-Meta Field? Within my sphere, no Meta ability functions—not even your little rewind trick."
"Anti-Meta Field…?" Rewind VI hissed. "That power is unfair! It nullifies everything we have!"
"We have no choice," Rewind IV said sharply. "Without our Meta, we're no match for them. Retreat!"
The assassins exchanged glances then vanished into the smoke, retreating into the night.
Acyros didn't give chase. It wasn't her mission.
Garius slumped to the ground, trembling and bleeding.
Suddenly, a chorus of screams echoed from the distance.
The sound was sharp and unnatural, like metal tearing through flesh…. then it stopped just as abruptly.
Garius stiffened.
"What was that?" he asked, his eyes narrowing toward the dark horizon.
Acyros's visor flickered as she scanned the direction of the sound.
"The assassins who ran," she said quietly. "They've been… dealt with."
Garius exhaled in relief.
"Well, that's good news."
But before Garius could respond, Dackerie's voice cut through the comms from the helicopter above, tense and urgent.
"That's not good news, boss. I'm picking up movement… an entire force is heading this way."
Garius froze, blood was draining from his face.
"An army…?"
"Yes, boss," Dackerie confirmed. "And they're coming fast."
Garius's knees buckled as he sank to the ground, staring toward the rising dust on the horizon.
The brief calm was gone.
Something far worse was coming.
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