Chapter 166

　　"Celestial Devastation!" Kal shouted, and the reactor deep within the Atlas began to spin rapidly. The cockpit was filled with a whirling noise as it powered to its limit.

　　Reaching out with both hands, Kal directed Atlas to unleash the attack on the millions of Vore racing toward the line of human defenders. They had created a massive breach in the ground miles away from defenders, their claws digging into the metallic plates and ripping them away to widen the hole until it was nearly a mile in diameter.

　　A wave of increased gravity expanded out from the front of the Titan. Hundreds of times greater than the Terran normal, it pressed down on the stones and metal of the shattered building, grounding them to dust as it tore forward like an ocean wave.

　　When the gravity undulations reached the Vore, they were flattened and pulverized into a paste. Nothing was left in the wake of the increased gravity but a smear that had once been the Vore forces assaulting them.

　　Unlike the last time Kal used this technique, he was entirely in control of Atlas. He felt none of the effects of the attack; the gravity remained the same in the cockpit, and he was completely unharmed.

　　"Thank you, Duke Caledon. We can handle things from here." The Imperial Guard Commander for this sector of the city spoke as his troops secured the area. Engineers were already hard at work reinforcing the defences for the next assault.

　　"I`ll leave you to it then. The plan is to retreat and blow this section within the hour. Let`s make them pay for every inch." Kal replied as the Atlas took to the skies. It was time for him to take a rest, leaving the Guard to mind the sector while he caught his breath.

　　The original plan had called for the Titans to only respond to the most dire of situations or if a Monarch variant Vore appeared, but that hadn`t taken into account the sheer ferocity of the Vore forces.

　　Kal had been called upon multiple times to rescue trapped Guard troops or hold off an assault while reinforcements were brought from another sector. And it had only been a few hours since the attack began.

　　Could they hold for the time it would take to detonate the Dyson Sphere?

　　Atlas was nearly back to the Silver Pyramid that served as their base of operations when an urgent communication came through his private channel.

　　"Caledon! Get over to the eastern sector, now!" Yanis shouted. His face appeared on Kal`s HUD. Pale white and covered in sweat, the veteran Pilot looked rattled.

　　"On my way! What is it?" Kal asked, turning immediately toward the east and pushing Atlas to its maximum velocity.

　　"We`ve got our first Monarch. Hurry, I don`t know how long-" The communication abruptly ended, and Yanis Samira`s face disappeared from Kal`s HUD. Ignoring the worry that began to worm its way through his stomach, he focused on flying.

　　He just hoped he made it in time.

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　　"Dammit all! We`re cut off, but Caledon is on his way. Hopefully, the three of us will be enough." Yanis cursed, closing the communication panel and returning his attention to the battle around them.

　　Things were looking grim.

　　Yanis had come to the eastern sector to relieve Praxis. The Earl had been burning through his foes for nearly an hour, unleashing firestorms to drive back the Vore when it seemed they would gain the upper hand.

　　Of all the Titans, Prometheus seemed like the perfect counter to the hordes of Vore. Its flames burned them away by the thousands, and the lingering fires made it possible for the troops of the Eastern Sector to take a breather for a few minutes before the next attack.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

　　But even a Titan needed a break, and Yanis had been tasked with taking over for the Early while the latter returned to the Pyramid to rest.

　　But Yanis had barely reached the Eastern Sector when a section of ground hundreds of miles in diameter shattered, sending debris flying into the sky before raining down on the waiting Mobile Suits. An enormous figure floated out of the gap through the yawning chasm that led directly to the void.

　　The creature was humanoid, with an elongated skull that curved backwards. Its greyish skin was smooth, and its face lacked a mouth. It had two narrow slits for a nose, and its eyes glowed a bright red against the darkness of space.

　　One of the Vore Monarch`s four arms was outstretched while the others rested at its sides. It was clothed in flowing black liquid and seemed to be cloaked in a darkness that billowed in the wind that rushed through the opening it had created.

　　The creature could fly, although there was no visible means of propulsion holding it aloft. It was as if gravity did not affect it at all.

　　Behind the Monarch came a horde of Vore that numbered in the tens of millions. Made up mostly of massive soldier variants, even Yanis aboard his Titan paled at the forces arrayed against them.

　　"We don`t need the weaklings. We`re more than enough to handle these beasts." Praxis said with conviction. The flames around Prometheus grew brighter as he prepared his attack.

　　"We should wait-" Yanis spoke before Praxis cut him off.

　　"You can wait, coward! Leave this to me if you aren`t man enough!" Praxis shouted, and the Prometheus took off skyward while trailing bright orange and red fire behind it.

　　"Burn in the fires of Perdition!" Praxis yelled, and the reactor of the Titan whined loudly. Grout gouts of fire emerged like wings behind the Titan. Sweeping forward, the intense flames swept across the ground, carried on even faster by the air rushing toward the breach in the Sphere.

　　The Vore in its path instantly disintegrated into white ash. But when they neared the Monarch, they stopped.

　　The Vore Monarch had curiously watched the approaching flames, making an almost animal-like gesture of tilting its head to one side while the fires destroyed its comrades. When it came close, the Monarch raised one of its hands, its grey palm making a halting` motion toward the blazing inferno.

　　"Die, you bastard!" Praxis shouted with glee as the fires neared the Monarch, only to watch in horror as the blaze stopped moving. As if the flames obeyed the Monarch`s will, they halted before it. For a second, everything seemed to freeze, and then the Vore made a smothering` motion with its palm, gesturing downwards toward the ground.

　　The flames, hot enough to rival a sun, extinguished instantly. So powerful was the Monarch that even the ground cased to smoke, leaving nothing but blackened concrete and metal behind.

　　"That`s impossible." Praxis muttered. How could this creature stop his flames with a single gesture? It was inconceivable. It didn`t even seem to cause the Monarch any strain or hardship to do so. Just how strong was this Vore variant?

　　After smothering the flames, the Monarch turned its attention to the flying Titan that had created them. Its other arm made a grasping` motion toward the distant Mobile Suit.

　　"Praxis, get out of there!" Yanis bellowed, but it was too late for Prometheus to move.

　　As soon as the Monarch gestured, Praxis felt a weight settle on the Titan. It was as if a giant hand had squeezed its way entirely around Prometheus, freezing it in place and restricting its movements.

　　"Warning: structural integrity compromised. Warning: Reactor overload imminent." The mechanical voice of the onboard computer spoke out in the cockpit. Praxis could see the terminal filled with notifications indicating the damage the Titan was receiving.

　　"I`m not finished yet." Praxis warned, trying to activate the Titan`s systems. But nothing was responding. Whatever the Vore Monarch did to him, it restricted more than Prometheus` movements.

　　"Hold on!" Yanis roared as Wraith shot toward the Monarch. As it did so, millions of tiny, mosquito-like drones emerged from the hump on its back. Like glittering, metallic stars, they floated around the battlefield.

　　Free from the burden of the drones, Wraith stood upright. Pulling out a lasrifle from a compartment, Yanis aimed at the Vore while shouting the activation command for Wraith`s unique ability.

　　"Recollection of Massacre!" Yanis ordered.

　　Wraith, the Conjurer Recollection, used drones to recreate anything its Pilot wanted. The things Wraith conjured were real rather than an illusion or false reality. In its database were recordings of every major conflict Humanity had ever fought in, and it could bring those scenes into reality.

　　The millions of small drones began to merge, and a shimmering field of energy formed around them. In moments, hundreds of Mobile Suits appeared out of nowhere. Heavy Class Mechs in dozens of variants, all wielding powerful weapons, began to fire at the Monarch.

　　Assault ships, guided missiles, and even weapons technology not seen since the A.I. War was recreated by Wraith. Bluish-white streaks of lasgun energy, crimson PPC, nuclear warheads and conventional bombs flashed toward the Monarch, and it was soon engulfed in a blinding flash of light from the sudden onslaught of Wraith`s attack.