BOOM!
Purple ADE flared violently as Daren's raw kinetic momentum and energy ravaged through the ranks of Neon Beasts.
Beside him, Brick was like a wall, injured but steady, unshaken in the tide.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The impact of the clashes outside was deafening. Perhaps, if he was not an Ascended already, Leon felt that his eardrums would have ruptured from the raw impact of the sound waves alone.
Before, it was like a drizzle with Neon Beast after Neon Beast arriving in waves. But now, more than 4 hours in since Talia challenged her Trial, the base was now overrun by Neon Beasts!
They were everywhere!
Comparing it to a video game difficulty setting, if before the difficulty was at normal level, now it was on Hell Mode. It was a stampede now.
Everywhere Leon turned, he saw them- Shard Howlers always at the front, a few more Echo Sirens, and a flood of other Neon Beasts that Leon didn't know the name of. They flooded the area in and around the cargo trailer.
At some point, a mutated Shard Howler appeared.
This was a titanic Neon Beast towering at almost 6 meters tall, fused from dozens of slain Howlers and Sirens!
It had a humanoid form like a centaur construct of twisted armor, with a cluster of neon eyes burning on its chest.
When its thick legs hit the ground, the sound was like a thunderclap. Each movement sent out electromagnetic pulses that were strong enough to distort the dampener field, and its roar triggered a localized nanite storm burst!
It wasn't exactly E Rank, but the raw power of this mutated Neon Beast almost bridged the gap between both ranks.
Leon saw how this Neon Beast came to life. He saw the fractured glass and metal fragments of the dead Shard Howlers merge, fusing in a grotesque transformation even as the remnant ADE of the dead Echo Sirens also joined the abominable fusion.
In that moment, one thought echoed in his head. 'Environmental contagion'.
He remembered Talia's explanation vividly. According to her, Neon Beasts reproduce through environmental contagion, their presence infecting surrounding ADE fields, seeding new digital-organic embryos.
He also remembered- in areas of high ADE density like the Wastes, Neon Beasts can reproduce rapidly through Data Mitosis.
On one hand, he was fascinated by the science behind what was happening, but on the other hand, he was horrified since his life was on the line.
His brain whirred. 'We're in the fringe of the Wastes with high ADE density, and are riding the storm of a Trial which increases the density…'
His eyes widened. 'This means more of mutated Neon Beasts like this will be born!' He shuddered.
They killed the quasi-E Rank Neon Beast, but not without a price as Daren suffered even more injuries, making him and Brick retreat closer to the entrance of the cargo trailer. But they stayed fighting.
The siege continued.
By this point, all of Kain's defense grid was already destroyed except the third layer. It was the final layer, the last bridge that they were desperate to defend.
Leon couldn't help it, his lips quivered. 'My God…!'
He was not exactly the pious type, but back on Earth, back in his world, he did believe in God. And right now, this… this was a situation that called for God.
It was the natural instinct of man to look up to and hope on a supernatural existence beyond understanding when faced with overwhelming odds and the drowning flood of life.
At this moment, Leon was in that junction again. He felt helpless in the face of this overwhelming tide of Neon Beasts.
Not even in the wildest wild life reels, not even the most blood-pumping action movies had he ever seen anything on this scale, not even Jurassic Park.
'But maybe Jumanji?' He lampooned in a self-deprecating manner, trying to deal with the mental stress but it was not working.
His body shuddered. 'H-how are we supposed to survive this?'
'And we're supposed to last 12 hours?!' His eyes twitched, desperation slowly seeping in than ever before.
In the midst of the endless tide of Neon Beasts, only two signs showed the sustained resistance of the crew- the violent flash of purple ADE that ripped through the tide at intervals, and the stalwart bearing of the occasional flash and eruption of violet-colored ADE.
Brick and Daren still stood, and that meant the crew still stood.
Standing in front of the cargo trailer, with an eerily calm look on his face like what was happening was just a normal Sunday activity, Ghostwire pulled the trigger as he released bullet after bullet into the tide to support his comrades.
But Leon knew… he knew that this was not enough.
'We're doomed'. The thought came instinctively.
This was not pessimism, it was realism.
Leon already did the calculations in his head, and he arrived at the conclusion that they were doomed. The sheer quantity of Neon Beasts was overwhelming, and the density of ADE meant that the quality would only rise.
There was no stopping it.
The Ostrich already showed him exactly what an E Rank Neon Beast could do. The first time, they survived, but barely.
Leon didn't know how a second E Rank Neon Beast encounter would go.
And he was not ready to leave the outcome to fate.
His eyes flickered. 'What to do…?!'
…
BAM!
Daren's VX-09 Emberfist gauntlet smashed down, crushing a Deer-like Neon Beast's head into a bloody pup and scattered brain matter.
The Freegrid interface on his gauntlets lit up.
[You have killed a Neon Beast: Murder Deer]
[WARNING! Weapon integrity at critical level!]
Daren gasped for breath as he pulled his gauntlet out of the mutilated head of the Deer-like Neon Beast. Seeing the interface that popped out of the gauntlet, he sighed, yet he didn't have a moment of reprieve.
Thud… thud…
Another Neon Beast was already coming. Like the previous time, and the time before that, and the time before that… they kept coming.
'Another one…,' he thought, already moving.
By this point, his brain was already numb, no longer thinking. He was like a Robot with programmed movements. He now moved on sheer instinct, pushed by raw determination.
He was injured, bleeding, but he didn't stop.
BAM!
He killed another Neon Beast, and moved again.
His lungs were burning, his reptilian tail was broken, his vision was turning blurry and unfocused, yet he didn't stop. 'Another one…' he just kept counting in his mind even as his body moved on instinct.
Beside him, Brick was the same.
His Cell Repair ability could no longer keep up. His gigantic mechanical body was unraveling bit by bit, and yet, just like Daren, he didn't stop.
He never even entertained the thought of stopping.
'I have to keep going…'
'I can't stop… I must keep going…'
Before he knew it, memories came flashing in.
He vividly remembered the first day that he met her. He vividly remembered listening to her firm beliefs, her belief that left a deep imprint on his life, beliefs that the Freegrid Collective could change the world.
"The Federation is filled with rot!" She would say with conviction.
"They cripple talent, they cripple autonomy, they turn men into slave soldiers, women into sex slaves, and children into laborers!"
"Why?! All because of their citizenship system!"
"If you're not a Federation citizen, you're worth less than dirt! To them, you're nothing but a bunch of code, easily erased and discarded!"
"They have no regard for life!"
"I've made it my life goal to fight against them, to fight against the system. Others fear them, I do too, but that doesn't stop me. I'll fight them, I'll tear them down from their high horses!"
"I won't stop, not till I bring them down or till death takes me!"
Then, she was just a teenager, 17.
Then, it felt like the unintelligent rambling of an inexperienced teenager, but those words, that conviction, that unwavering will, those eyes that burned with fire, they changed his life forever. They turned him into a rebel.
'I can't save Hazel… but maybe, maybe I can still avenge my daughter'.
Brick was taken aback when he finally realized what was happening. 'Heh,' he smiled self-deprecatingly. 'Is this my life flashing before my eyes? Am I about to die?'
He didn't feel despair. Instead, he laughed.
His laugh was unhinged. He laughed like a mad man, like a father who had nothing else to lose, like a guardian, like a rebel.
"For Talia!" He roared and plunged head-first into the next Neon Beast.
BOOM!
Fighting just beside him, Daren couldn't help it. Brick's outburst of emotions also got to him. He reflected on meeting Talia.
He was a homeless orphan, starving in the Wastes, forced into child labor when a cell of the Freegrid Collective raided the warehouse of the Waste Warlord where he was imprisoned and forced to labor.
He remembered her smile like it was yesterday.
"I saw you move," she said with a gentle smile. "You have a natural talent for fighting. You have the instincts and the talent to become a Gene Augur".
Then, Daren felt his life brighten for the first time in years since his parents died, living him, a 12 year old to fend for himself in the Wastes.
Hearing her say that, a flame was lit up in his heart.
"I want to fight!" He said excitedly. "I want to be like you! I want to fight the bad guys, I want to be a rebel!"
The next time when she visited that part of the Wastes, she brought a scroll with her. She procured the knowledge to become a Cyber Gladiator for him.
On that day, Daren became a rebel.
It's been 7 years since then.
…
BOOM!
Kain flinched as alongside Leon, he stayed behind Ghostwire, shooting wildly into the tide of Neon Beasts with his kinetic pistols.
His mind was scattered and desperate. 'No… this can't be…'
'We must hold, we must fight! We must keep her safe!'
He stole a glance behind him, at Rex who held a dagger and was shaking with fear, and at Talia's motionless body that was being protected by him.
His expression warped, showing pain, fear, and vulnerability. He felt like the past 16 years of his life were flashing before him at this moment.
He gnashed his teeth. 'We must hold!'
He'd known Talia the longest- 16 years. They knew each other since they were 12, sold as slaves to Omnicore.
He was always the quiet and timid one, but even as a girl, Talia was a menace. She had sharp wits, and her fists were no joke- she intimidated the boys.
Talia always helped him even in their captivity, sacrificing half of her food to him, helping him secure food, fighting bullies, helping him complete his daily labor, helping him sneak out to see the neon sky, and helping him escape that hell.
Kain was indebted to her for life.
"You don't always have to feel bad about yourself Kain," she said.
"You're timid and weak, but not being able to swing your fists does not necessarily make you useless".
He could remember the twinkle in her eyes.
"I heard from one of the guards about Ascended- people with magical powers and abilities!" she would say excitedly. "I hear that Ascended get their power through knowledge that are embedded in special scrolls".
"Don't worry, once we escape, I'll find two scrolls, one for you and one for me. We'll become Ascended!"
"I'll become a Cyber Gladiator!" Her eyes twinkled. "They're powerful!"
"And you," she would look at him. "You can be a Mechanist. I hear they don't necessarily need to fight, you can create machines that will fight for you. Isn't that wonderful?"
Kain would smile timidly. "Yes," he blushed. "Talia, I want to be a Mechanist".
She grinned confidently. "Don't worry, I'll make you one, I promise!"
Kain's dull gray eyes reddened as these memories flashed through his head. Even as he kept on pulling the trigger, sending off bullet after bullet, he knew that it was not enough, not against this tide, not against this many Neon Beasts.
'I need to do something!'
But what more could he do? He didn't know. He was desperate and clueless, and it left him hating himself and his weakness even more. 'I can't even help her when she needs it the most'.
He could feel his emotions spilling over, but he forcefully kept them in check, desperately trying to look for a solution.
He looked outside, at Brick and Daren who were bloodied but still fighting.
He gnashed his teeth.
…
Unlike the others, Rex didn't have much of an opinion regarding the boss. He met Talia through Kain, recruited for his engineering talents just a year ago.
Though he didn't know her very much, he naturally grew to respect her after a year in the crew. Just like the others, he wanted Talia to survive.
He was desperate.
…
Ghostwire is more subtle in expressing his emotions, but despite being quiet and reserved, this Synth never forgot. He never forgot the rebel who dared invade an Omnicore lab to rescue lab rats like him.
He remembered asking her. "Why take the risk? It's dangerous. If they capture you, you'll suffer a fate worse than death".
"Besides, you don't know me, what if I backstab you in the future? What if I tell Omnicore agents who rescued me for a bounty reward?"
He couldn't understand her at all.
When he posed the question, he expected rational answers that he was used to. Afterall, from a young age, he learned how cruel the world was.
But her answer surprised him.
He remembered Talia's resolute expression and her reply.
"I didn't do this to get anything in return, I did it because it's the right thing to do".
'The right thing to do? In this world? This era?'
Till today, Ghostwire still couldn't wrap his head around it.
Her whole person confounded him- her personality, her thought processes. And to understand her, he decided to join and follow her.
Ghostwire's grip on his Rifle subconsciously tightened. 'I have to save her,' he thought, the glow in his eyes intensifying as he pulled the trigger again.
…
While everyone else dealt with their emotions, fighting despair, Leon's eyes finally lit up just before his brain could short-circuit from the brain power that he was expending every second.
'I have an idea!'