The military base, now one of the few strongholds left for the surviving citizens, stood like a silent fortress amidst the chaos of the outside world. With power still running due to preserved generators and a tight defense system, it had become a beacon of hope for thousands. Children cried less here, and families prayed daily that the base would hold. But peace never lasted long in this world anymore.
Without warning, an ear-splitting screech tore through the skies, and from the shadows of the smoky clouds above, it descended.
The alien was unlike anything the world had seen before — a towering creature cloaked in shimmering black skin, lined with armored plates that pulsed with life. Its tentacles stretched out like whips of death, its eyes — twelve of them — glowed with an unnatural red hue. Level 2 aliens had already been considered monsters. But this... this was something else. Something worse. A new level entirely.
Panic erupted as the alien landed within the base walls. Soldiers scrambled. Civilians screamed. And then came the slaughter.
The creature moved with terrifying speed, its tentacles slicing through metal, flesh, and reinforced barriers like they were paper. One swipe and three soldiers were gone. One lunge and a line of civilians, trying to flee, fell lifeless. Nothing worked. Bullets, laser rounds, even the military's newest plasma rifles barely left a dent in its armored hide.
In less than a minute, more than a dozen were dead.
The surviving troops fell back, fear freezing their hands. For a moment, despair settled in. The base — their final stronghold — was falling.
Then, with slow, echoing steps, a figure emerged from the central command bunker.
General Tavion.
Clad in black-and-silver armor that shimmered with ancient engravings and powered technology, he looked more like a knight from fantasy novels than a modern soldier. His helmet masked his expression, but his voice carried with calm power.
"Clear the field," he commanded calmly.
No one hesitated. The troops moved back, leaving a wide-open space between the beast and the general. The alien turned its many eyes toward him, sensing the challenge.
General Tavion reached behind him and drew a long, gleaming blade — unlike any weapon known to Earth's armies. It hummed with energy, glowing faintly blue.
"Time to test this so-called beast weapon," he muttered, barely above a whisper.
The alien struck first — a blur of tentacles flying in from multiple directions. But Tavion was faster. With a flash of movement, he dodged left, then up — his armor boosting him into the air as if gravity didn't matter. The blade danced in his hand, slashing through two tentacles mid-air. The alien screeched, stumbling backward for the first time.
The battle was brutal. Each blow from the alien could crush a tank. Each counter from Tavion struck like lightning — precise, deliberate. The alien threw Tavion against a wall, crushing concrete, but the general rose again, barely scratched. From his gauntlet, he unleashed a wave of invisible force, slamming the alien into the ground.
It was telekinesis.
Soldiers watching gasped in disbelief.
Was this really their general?
Tavion raised his blade high. The alien lunged. And with one swift movement — the general's sword cleaved through its core. The beast let out a shuddering cry, then collapsed in a pool of dark, shimmering blood.
Silence.
Then — cheers. Screams of hope. People cried, not in fear, but in relief.
Tavion stood over the body, breathing heavily, armor scratched and dented. Inside his helmet, his eyes narrowed.
"I guess Xavier kept to his word," he whispered. "I wish I could tell them... that the only reason all we're still alive... is because of him."
And then he walked away, leaving the soldiers stunned in awe — unaware that the war was only just beginning.