"It seems he either joined forces with Gaia, or he desires something from him!"
A few minutes later, they emerged from the trees to find the city ablaze. Bodies littered the path. The Astra soldiers were fighting Gladious's troops, some of them covering their bodies in wood and manipulating roots, while others possessed powers different from what Omar had seen when he fought them in the forest. Some soldiers were surrounded by an aura of water, their bodies completely changed as if they were fluid beings, shooting jets of water at the burning houses and trees to extinguish the fires. Others were encircled by flames, red and blue fire, scorching Gladious's soldiers who stood before them.
Omar stopped amid the chaos, and Menora froze beside him in terror. Gladious's soldiers wore black suits and black glass helmets, wielding strange firearms that had two valves—one for bullets and one for projectiles—and shot at anyone in their path.
