PROLOGUE
FOURTEEN YEARS AGO!
"Mamma, look!"
The excited voice of a little boy rang out as he sat snugly in his mother's arms, tiny fingers stretching forward to point ahead.
The woman, who had been walking with purpose, abruptly halted in her tracks.
She slowly turned, following the direction her child indicated, eyes narrowing slightly as she focused on the sight behind her.
What the boy pointed at was a flying construct.
It bore a resemblance to a plane, yet it was clearly different, almost alien in design.
Its massive frame rivaled the sheer size of a blue whale as it soared higher and higher toward the heavens.
A deep sound rumbled from the enormous vehicle, similar to the growl of a slumbering beast.
The noise caused everyone on the street to pause and lift their heads, attention drawn skyward.
Yet the sky itself looked strange.
It appeared as though something unseen covered it, something smooth and unnatural, almost like transparent glass stretched across the firmament.
As the peculiar machine drew closer, the glass-like barrier began to peel apart. It opened slowly at first, then wider, until it split completely, resembling a lid popping free from a sealed bottle.
In the next instant, the vehicle shot through the opening like a released arrow, vanishing into the clear blue beyond.
"The Vanguard Order," a man standing beside the woman murmured as he removed his hat.
His gaze lingered on the sky, where the round glass-like surface curled back into place, sealing itself once more.
The woman tightened her hold on her child, arms wrapping protectively around him as she stared upward, thoughts churning beneath her calm exterior.
"...Guess another batch has been spotted, huh. Best of luck to them all."
***
Cutting through the open air, the massive transport that had stirred the earlier commotion continued its journey.
It streaked above vast stretches of land at tremendous speed, crossing multiple terrains without slowing.
Deep within the metallic belly of the vehicle, two hundred individuals sat lined on long benches bolted to the sides.
Nervous feet tapped restlessly against the floor, eyes locked downward on the cold metal beneath them.
Soft murmurs filled the space as several people whispered prayers under their breath.
Some clutched at their chests, breaths coming shallow as they felt their heartbeats accelerate, pulses pounding so fiercely it felt as though their ribs might crack.
Others squeezed their hands into tight fists resting on their laps.
Beads of sweat rolled down tense faces as they shut their eyes, inhaling deeply, then exhaling slowly in an attempt to regain composure.
Yet among them sat one man who stood apart in demeanor.
He showed no signs of unease. No trembling limbs.
No hurried breathing. No whispered pleas to unseen forces.
Nothing.
His expression remained neutral as he stared ahead, posture relaxed, eyes steady, as if the situation held no weight over him at all.
"Captain. Approaching the location in a few seconds," a voice announced loudly, echoing through the chamber.
At once, the seated men straightened, bodies tightening as they mentally braced themselves for what awaited.
Moments later, the same voice rang out again.
"We are here."
At those words, the calm man finally moved.
Rising to his feet, the Captain's obsidian eyes sharpened, turning cold and piercing as an invisible pressure began to radiate from him.
Tak. Tak. Tak.
His footsteps echoed through the transport as he walked toward the massive door at the rear, the section that served as the tail of the airborne vessel.
Stopping before it, he spoke with chilling composure.
"Prepare for deployment. Now."
The response was instant.
Every man stood up at once, swiftly securing thick backpacks to their backs. Straps were tightened, clasps locked into place, movements practiced and efficient.
The Captain alone ignored the equipment, making no effort to gear up.
Within moments, they were ready.
At his signal, the large door groaned as it yawned open.
A violent rush of wind slammed into them, causing waves of nausea to hit those closest to the opening.
Even so, they held their ground, forcing their bodies to steady.
The gale tore through the Captain's jet black hair as he stared down at the world below.
A vast clearing stretched beneath them, dotted with uneven hills and jagged mounds that jutted from the earth, dominating the landscape like silent sentinels.
"Deploy now."
At that single command, the Captain stepped forward and pushed off from the transport.
He did not wait for it to descend.
He did not hesitate.
His body cut through the air as he plunged toward the terrain far below, initiating the descent before the massive vehicle even had a chance to land.
The wind howled violently against his ears as his robe flapped with sharp snaps.
The rushing air bit into his body, threatening to knock him off his trajectory, yet he remained firm midair, unwavering, almost like an immovable mountain suspended above the earth.
Behind him, the men leapt after his descent.
Within moments, they activated their parachutes just before reaching the ground, slowing their fall enough to ensure safe landings.
The Captain's expression did not change in the slightest as the terrain rushed closer with every passing second.
Just as his body was about to collide with the rough ground, a massive pillar of earth erupted upward.
The sudden formation shattered his momentum, breaking the fall as he landed atop it, rolling sharply before springing into a controlled jump.
The men touched down moments later, landing without incident as each assumed a battle ready posture almost instinctively.
That caution was warranted.
A deep rumbling thundered toward them, vibrating through the soil beneath their boots.
It sounded and felt like a mountain collapsing, rocks tumbling endlessly downward, yet the cause was something far worse.
Footsteps.
The Captain stood firmly at the forefront as the earthen pillar sank back into the ground, dissolving as if it had never existed.
His hand twitched.
In a flash, his fingers shot to the sword secured tightly at his waist.
He drew the blade in one smooth motion, steel flashing as he gripped it firmly and stared straight ahead.
Soon, the source of the tremors revealed itself, forcing the men behind him to suck in sharp breaths.
Creatures emerged into view.
Each stood nearly nine metres tall.
They resembled ancient apes in structure, yet the resemblance ended there.
Brown, hardened rock armor covered their bodies, natural plates fused seamlessly into flesh.
The stony protection began at their skulls, flowed backward along their spines, and ended at the tips of elongated tails.
Even their feet were coated in the same jagged, stone-like plating.
Their hands had transformed into massive claws, edges sharp enough to tear through steel with ease.
Narrow yellow eyes glowed with hostility as they stared down at the humans below.
From each creature's back, a single elongated bone spine protruded outward, pulsing faintly with an eerie glow.
Their feet were enormous, large enough to crush dozens of humans in a single stomp, capable of turning bodies into paste without effort.
These were no longer animals known to mankind.
Their towering height alone inspired dread, and everything about them screamed nightmare given flesh.
Fifty such monstrosities stood before two hundred humans, with the Captain positioned firmly at the front.
"Do not hesitate. Destroy them," the Captain commanded, his cold voice cutting through the tension.
Strangely, the words carried a calming effect.
Fear still lingered, yet his tone steadied their racing hearts, grounding their resolve.
The creatures responded with unified cackling laughter, a harsh, mocking sound that echoed across the clearing.
"...Let's go."
With that single declaration, the Captain kicked off the ground.
The boots on his feet released thick bursts of gas, similar to exhaust pouring from a motorcycle or speeding vehicle.
He dashed through the air, shifting left, then right, his body moving in sharp, controlled motions. It almost looked like he was gliding rather than falling.
Each kick propelled him higher, the boots emitting a short 'pfff' sound with every burst of force.
Seeing their leader charge without hesitation, the men followed.
They launched themselves upward, their boots activating in the same manner, carrying them into the air as they closed the distance.
Soon, humans and towering beasts faced each other head-on.
The moment had arrived.
Battle was inevitable.
The creatures reacted instantly, swinging massive claws toward the advancing humans, aiming to swat them out of the air like insects.
For their massive size and towering height, the creatures were disturbingly agile and swift.
Their movements were sharp, claws snapping shut as they closed in on the humans with terrifying speed.
With a sharp slam against the air to the side, the tightly grouped fighters reacted instantly.
They twisted and shifted together, narrowly maneuvering around the incoming claws, dodging death by the smallest of margins.
Moments later, the humans' hands began to glow.
With a thunderous bang, attacks were unleashed.
Violent gusts of wind erupted forward, smashing into the creatures' faces.
Jagged ice shards followed, along with compressed water spheres and various other elemental strikes, all colliding against hardened rock flesh and armored skulls.
The barrage forced several of the creatures to stagger backward under the sudden assault.
But it was not enough.
The damage was minimal, barely scratching through their defenses.
At most, blue blood trickled down cracked stone faces, staining their armor as they snarled in fury.
Enraged claws tore through the air.
Unfortunately, not everyone escaped.
Several humans were caught mid maneuver.
Bodies were cleaved apart like heated blades slicing through butter, torn cleanly in half as blood sprayed across the battlefield alongside shattered remains.
Panic rippled through the survivors.
Eyes widened, breaths hitched, yet even then, they forced themselves to stand firm.
This was what they trained for.
This was what they prepared for.
This was what they signed up for.
Even if death awaited them, they were determined to finish the mission.
"AHHHH!"
With fierce battle cries ripping from their throats, the remaining humans kicked against the air once more.
Their boots erupted with thick gas as propulsion launched them forward again.
They weaved desperately between snapping jaws and swinging claws, counterattacking whenever small openings appeared, unleashing strikes with everything they had.
It still accomplished nothing.
The only one inflicting real damage was the Captain.
His cold gaze sharpened to a lethal edge as he danced between attacks.
His movements blurred, body swooshing between feral swipes with near impossible precision.
The sword in his grasp carved clean arcs through the air.
Each strike smashed into thick limbs, tearing through stone armored flesh with practiced ease.
The atmosphere around him shifted.
With a powerful kick to the air beneath his boots, he rocketed upward, narrowly avoiding a massive punch that detonated against empty space with a deafening boom.
Twisting midair, he nosedived at terrifying speed.
His blade glowed faintly as he locked eyes with one specific creature.
With swift agility, he spun like a broken arrow, barely avoiding a claw that skimmed close enough to shear several strands from his hair.
He did not slow.
His gaze never wavered.
Grinding his teeth, he surged forward as chunks of rock rapidly formed around his sword, layering it in dense earthen mass.
With one final kick, he slammed into the creature before it could react.
The stone clad blade tore across the beast's neck.
Blue blood exploded outward, spraying violently as the cut failed to fully sever.
In the same instant, the Captain twisted sharply through the air, repositioning himself behind the creature.
From beneath the ground, massive spears of earth erupted upward at blistering speed.
They slammed into the back of the creature's neck, targeting the exposed spine.
Cracks spread rapidly as the spears punched through, shattering bone and rupturing the glowing core embedded within.
The creature shuddered violently.
Then it collapsed, plummeting downward like a felled tree.
Before its body even hit the ground, the Captain dashed forward.
His hand lashed out, fingers curling tightly as he ripped his sword free mid motion.
He spun instantly, blade colliding head on with another creature's massive fists as they swung toward his head with murderous force.
"...Team one, pull!"
In an instant, thin strings materialized from empty space, snapping into existence as they coiled tightly around the feet of the creature the Captain was locked against.
His arms trembled under the crushing force as a massive fist slammed down onto his raised sword.
Fine cracks spiderwebbed across the blade's surface while he strained against the creature's overwhelming strength.
Another punch came rushing in from the side.
Yet surprisingly, the Captain's expression did not shift even slightly.
Before the second blow could land, Team One completed their maneuver.
Thick, reinforced strings wrapped fully around the creature's knees, tightening with precision.
With a sharp, unified pull fueled by every ounce of strength they possessed, they yanked hard.
The towering beast lost its balance.
For a split second, it teetered.
Then it fell.
The Captain twisted away smoothly, avoiding the massive body as it crashed forward like a collapsing giant tree.
As the creature's face rushed toward the ground, long, jagged earth spikes erupted upward without warning.
The beast impaled itself completely.
Blue blood gushed violently, pouring out like a broken river as the spikes pierced through stone armored flesh.
The battle continued in this brutal rhythm.
Throughout the clash, the Captain barely suffered so much as a scratch.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said for his men.
They were being lost one after another, the casualties climbing at an alarming pace.
Still, pockets of resistance shone through.
Several coordinated groups managed to bring down nearly a dozen creatures through combined effort, teamwork, and sacrifice, while the Captain continued cutting through more enemies without pause.
Minutes dragged on.
Blood sprayed through the air in thick waves until, with one final devastating strike, another creature collapsed with a heavy thud.
Only one remained.
For the first time since the battle began, fear surfaced in the creature's eyes as it locked gazes with the Captain.
Throughout the fight, the man had moved like a phantom.
He sustained almost no injuries, aside from a thin scratch tracing across his cheek.
Yet the brutality he unleashed was horrifying, delivered with an unsettling calmness.
As if the carnage around him was nothing more than an exhausting chore.
He harvested the creatures' spines without hesitation or emotion.
Again and again, he targeted the same weak point, cleaving through exposed spines with flawless mastery, showing neither mercy nor hesitation.
The last remaining creature did not understand why, but its massive body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Instinct took over.
Without warning, it spun around and bolted, tail tucked tightly between its legs as it fled from the battlefield, leaving the remaining humans staring in stunned disbelief.
"Captain! It's escaping!"