Chapter 12: Void Fortress Under Siege
Before Sir Adam could formulate an answer, the doors swung open, admitting a military official.
His face was a mask of urgency as he saluted before addressing Sir Adam.
"Commander-in-Chief, urgent report! You need to see this!"
With haste, he shuffled towards the large television screen in the room, fumbling with the remote control.
The screen blinked into life, showcasing a battlefield teetering on the edge of chaos.
Poki's enthusiastic narration reverberated through the room.
"The army outside the Void Castle has been massacring the sea of mutated rodents for over an hour now! WAIT LOOK CHAT!"
<< South Entrance of the Void Castle >>
Lines of soldiers atop the wall stood as if sculpted from stone, their ethereal armors shimmering beneath the moon's pallid glow, drenched in a familiar light blue aura.
Their bows ready, quivers brimming with arrows, they lined up along the patrol path, overlooking the phalanx of shields below that held back the rapidly accumulating carcasses of thousands of mutated rats.
A thunderous war cry erupted from the battalion of archers, their voices echoing through the night's air.
"LILI!!!"
Atop the wall, a figure commanded attention, a woman in vibrant pink and red ethereal armor. 6 pinkish-red orbs floated behind her, pulsing with an enigmatic energy.
It was one of Brandon's five generals, Lili.
"DRAW!!!" she commanded.
With a unity that bespoke hours of training, the archers pulled their bowstrings back, arrows at the ready.
Below, reacting to General Baal's cry of " IRON SHELL!!! ", the soldiers swiftly morphed their shields into a seamless, protective circle.
Their practiced maneuvers formed a perfectly spherical shell, a bulwark against the oncoming onslaught."
In the blink of an eye, the Iron Shell formation solidified, its surface enveloped in a vibrant light blue aura that pulsed with an otherworldly glow.
As the Iron Shell took shape, Lili's voice sliced through the air again.
"Charge!"
Energy swirled around the archers, seeping into their arrows. Each one hummed with a different color, a mirror to the unique abilities of its wielder.
Lili raised her hand, her voice echoed across the battlefield.
"FIRE!"
A torrent of arrows imbued with mystical energy descended from the sky like a meteor shower, their trajectory unerring.
The air crackled with power, the ground quaked with the force of the assault.
The onslaught of arrows tore through the swarm of rodents, obliterating vast seas of mutated rats in an instant.
"Disengage!" Lili Commanded after a few rounds of her squads perfectly coordinated hail of arrows.
As the last echoes of battle faded, an eerie chant crept through the dust and rubble, chilling in its spectral resonance.
"Death... Death... Death..."
Shrouded by dust, figures emerged, their presence an enigma.
The Asmo Squad, masters of the shadows, had arrived.
Energy-coated daggers glinted in the dim light, leaving ethereal trails of luminosity as they sliced through the air.
The assassins were like phantoms, materializing and disappearing with each swift strike.
Amidst the relentless onslaught, the mutated rats emitted shrill cries of agony and despair, their voices blending into a cacophony of torment.
"Eeeek! Squeak! Eek!"
Their grotesque forms writhed and convulsed, their contorted bodies a testament to the pain inflicted upon them.
The symphony of their pain mingled with the whispers of death, creating a macabre harmony that chilled the very souls of those present.
As the shadows danced and flickered, merging with the tendrils of dust and mist that clung to the battlefield, a suffocating stillness descended upon the scene.
When the dust finally settled, the true aftermath was revealed—a ghastly cemetery of mutated rat carcasses strewn across the blood-soaked ground.
The once mighty and fearsome sea of rodents now lay lifeless, their bodies twisted and mangled, as if nature itself had rejected their existence.
The Asmo squad had vanished as swiftly as they had appeared.
==========
<< Capital City Military Base >>
Back at the military base, Sir Adam was caught in the grip of amazement as he watched the Enlightened warriors' display of power.
"Amazing! A few hundred Enlightened warriors with such coordination! Where is this? What is this castle?"
The military assistant struggled for words, his voice faltering with disbelief.
"R-report! This... this is the Doomsday Fortress built by billionaire wastrel Brandon Void. Those people should be his subordinates,"
Sir Adam's eyes widened in shock. Even before the day the earth stood still, he had heard of the notorious Brandon Void.
He was a figure shrouded in notoriety, known for his mental unraveling by the public, but as a highly-ranked official of the state, he had heard of whispers of Brandon's escapades in the Black Desert.
"Could it be that... he saw this coming?"
Sir Adam muttered under his breath, his mind racing to piece together the puzzle.
The thought that Brandon Void might have anticipated these cataclysmic events was bone-chilling.
Meanwhile, Sir Adam's granddaughter, Crystal, was ensnared in her own web of disbelief. Her mouth gaped slightly open, shock manifesting across her features.
The revelation of Brandon Void's involvement added another layer of intrigue to the already tumultuous situation.
Yet, beneath the surprise, a grin dared to curve Crystal's lips.
Her words were a breath against the hush of the room, a whisper lost in the flurry of revelations.
"Always full of surprises, aren't you?"
Distracted by the urgency of the unfolding crisis, Sir Adam barely registered Crystal's words.
But the look on her face, the unreadable smile, piqued his curiosity.
"Crystal, is there something you're not telling me about Brandon Void?"
He inquired, his voice filled with both suspicion and intrigue.
Crystal, caught off guard, stuttered, her gaze flickering.
"Uh... No.. No, I don't know him,"
She managed to stammer, her words less than convincing.
Sir Adam's gaze lingered on Crystal, something akin to suspicion flickering within his eyes.
But the pressing matters demanded his attention.
His lingering questions would have to wait.
"Fetch my great-grandchildren to their mother. And ready a recording of this livestream. We need to inform the President, and we need to reach out to this Brandon Void,"
He ordered, his voice laced with resolution.
As Sir Adam exited the room with purposeful strides, Crystal's gaze flitted to the lively chatter cascading across the top of the livestream screen.
[ OMG DID YOU SEE THAT? ]
[ Where is this?? Who has such a formidable force already? ]
[ Mommy Poki said she's at the void castle! Brandon Void! It's gotta be him!!! ]
The mention of Brandon Void's name in connection with the fortress sent ripples of excitement and speculation through the online community.
[ Wonder if he'd take us in if we begged? ]
[ LOL and what do you have to offer, are you his estranged son? ]
The rebuttal came laced with sarcasm, a reminder that the fantasies of inclusion in Void's inner circle were most likely just pipe dreams.
[ I would be more than willing to call him daddy *Blush* ]
The comment, laced with a flirtatious tone, elicited a mix of laughter and amusement from the viewers.
Amidst the chaos and uncertainty, some found solace in humor, even if it bordered on the absurd.
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