The ride was grim. Everyone was in a sour mood, anticipating the horrors they were about to witness.
Michael had been given direct orders by Ava to return to the safety of the base. However, after some discussion, he managed to change her mind. He was allowed to come with the condition that he was going to be in the sniper position.
'If that is enough to get her off my back, I am not going to argue. Things can change when we enter the battlefield. I could be forced to rush into melee… No one could blame me for that.'
"You have to hold your breath before pulling the trigger. Also don't forget to take the wind into account. We don't possess laser snipers. The ones that fire laser beams, which would always fly in a straight line since they are too expensive." One of the snipers was in the middle of explaining to Michael how the firearm worked.
Michael didn't have the heart to tell him that he was proficient in every firearm there is. So he acted like a complete beginner, even asking questions from time to time.
"We have arrived." Leo called out from the driver's seat.
Because a Higher tier portal was more dangerous than a Lower tier one, extra precautions were needed.
So rather than jumping into battle as soon as a squad reached the battle, they were requested to team up with several others.
Aside from the generals and those higher than them, no one could afford to underestimate a Higher tier alien.
Aside from Ava's team, there were five others. They had to provide support from the east, relocating some of the foes' attention to themselves.
"So this is the power of a general…" Leo muttered, staring at a small mountain of corpses.
It didn't take a genius to guess that Victoria had passed through here in her rush to seal the portal as fast as possible.
'She has cleared a path for herself and her squad, but as a result the surrounding aliens have trapped her. Quite reckless in a sense. Even if she got rid of the portal, the surrounding aliens would still remain.' Michael analyzed, seeing the devastation that had been left behind.
'But reckless or not, it was the correct decision. If she hadn't rushed in, the number of foes would only continue to increase exponentially.' Her style of combat reminded Michael of himself in a sense.
"Let's go!"
Unwilling to waste more time, the teams rushed in. They were separated into two groups: those that would fight melee and those that would support them.
'It has been some time since I last used a sniper. Let's see if I still got it.' Michael mused, watching through the scope.
Ava was using her giant hammer to pound a large spider-like monster towards the ground. Leo was a bit behind her wearing the exoskeleton. The minigun in his mechanical arms was working non-stop, creating an endless wave of bullets.
"There."
One monster was about to ambush Leo, potentially ruining the exoskeleton for good.
Boom!
Before it could, however, Michael fired, piercing one of the alien's eyes.
A Lower tier would have died right then and there. However, this was a Higher tier, things weren't going to be this easy.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Firing at a speed that would make even the best snipers jealous, Michael completely blinded the alien before attacking its weak points.
Thanks to his interference, Leo realized he was about to be ambushed and turned his minigun towards the enemy, filling it with holes.
'This is quite nice actually. At this level bullets still have an effect on them.' Michael mused, releasing a shower of bullets.
The surrounding snipers looked at him confused. He was firing so fast they wondered if he was even hitting anything. A second later their eyes widened when they saw that his shots always hit their mark.
"Is he some kind of a genius?"
"He must have a cybernetic that improves his reflexes."
Due to their vast experience, they highly doubted that it was possible for a person to use a sniper so proficiently at such a young age.
But truthfully this was Michael's raw skill and nothing more.
The first few hours were going relatively smoothly. Until an explosion resonated in the far distance,
'The Higher tier portal has been obliterated. Most likely by Victoria.'
A sense of relief flickered over the soldiers' expressions for a few seconds. Only to be replaced with dread when the remaining aliens became enraged.
The reason they had remained somewhat calm until now was because they had the goal of protecting the portal. But with that now gone, there was nothing that could stop them from going mad.
"Lord! They are coming!"
"Intensify the fire! Don't let them get any closer!"
"Sir, I am out of bullets!"
"SHIT! Why did the gun jam right now?!"
The sight of Higher tier aliens charging straight at them caused most of the soldiers to make mistakes, adding fuel to the fire even more.
ROOOOOAR!
The melee team was forced to move backwards. At some point even the backliners began to hear the earth-quaking roars of their foes.
"Fuck this! We achieved our goal. I am out of here!"
"Hey, where do you think you are going?!"
"I can take only so much."
Like a domino effect, a single person fleeing caused many more to flee.
With the rapid decrease of support from the back, the melee fighters found themselves under more pressure.
"Daredevil, I am out of bullets, switching to melee!" Leo threw his minigun to the ground before gripping a long metal sword that had been strapped to his back.
'I can only do so much with a weak sniper. As things stand, Ava, Leo, and the others would be overwhelmed.'
With a sigh, Michael threw the sniper, its barrel turned red from the constant firing, and summoned his sword.
'Finally! It has been too long since I tasted the blood of a Higher alien!' The sword laughed wholeheartedly in his head.
"I will attract the attention of the aliens and go towards the center of the battlefield where Victoria must be trapped. The system won't give the quest if she isn't in danger."
While the numbers of frightened soldiers that were running backwards only increased, Michael went against the grain and charged forward.
'I wonder how I will fare against a Higher tier alien?' He thought with a smile.