Ravens of Eternity

402 Sanguine Massacre, Pt As Retholis and Orsethii argued far above, the crowds grew wilder down below. To the alarm of the numerous security forces posted up around the towers, the protest groups grew larger and larger in size. More and more Sanguine Fundamentalists poured into the lines and packed the streets.

More signs, more shouting, more guns.

But what was worse than the increased numbers was that those who joined all wore heavy dark red armor. Not only that, but the security forces’ sensors detected more and more military-grade weaponry, from charged slug repeaters to electrostatic throwers to shoulder-mounted launchers.

Tension filled each of the security force commanders as they watched the Fundamentalists’ numbers rise. Their nerves blew apart the moment the fundamentalists started shooting.

One of the commanders immediately raised the Red Zone’s alert levels, which caused extremely loud klaxons to echo up and down the streets surrounding them.

Any citizens who weren’t already spooked by the gunfire suddenly found themselves filled with fear. Most ran off, as far as they could from the sounds. The last thing they wanted was to be in the middle of combat.

Or rather, the last thing they wanted was to die in the middle of combat.

As the civilians ran, even more Sanguine Fundamentalists ran towards all the fighting. Thousands of them came up from underground maintenance elevators and access panels, each and every one heavily armed and armored.

More than that, many brought mobile reinforced barriers with them. Teams of them hid behind the thick armor plating of the barrier walls as they advanced forward to the spiral towers.

.....

They attacked the center of Imperial power just like they had attacked the prison yard long ago. But unlike then, their barriers had become far more technologically superior.

They were no longer made with whatever scrap armor was available. These were printed from fresh materials, and assembled with precision machinery. Not only were their materials military-grade, but they were designed for long engagements and could repair themselves on the fly.

They also had slats and crenellations scattered everywhere, which allowed those behind the barriers to fire at whatever was in front of them.

Not only that, but the barriers could also hover just slightly above the ground so that they could move from position to position swiftly. Their dependability, maneuverability, and resilience made them indispensable to the Sanguine Fundamentalists.

They quickly maneuvered their barriers into the crowds all around, and gave as many of them as much cover as possible. Then once they were in position, the crowds slowly marched forward, closer to the spiral towers, and fired their weapons as they marched.

The fundamentalists’ streams of fire cut into the security forces that were out there.

Most tower security quickly ran behind cover or into pillboxes that rose up from the ground, and also fired back with every opportunity they got.

Despite their vigilance, many of them were cut down where they stood. Some simply didn’t react in time, and were shot to pieces by the terrorists’ weapons. Others simply peeked out of cover at the wrong time and had their heads or limbs blasted apart.

A few were too terrified to fight back at all.

But they didn’t have to fight for long. It was only seconds after the terrorists marched forward did the Gold Justicar far above issue a full lockdown of the Red Zone. And of the zones immediately surrounding it.

Armor plating surrounding each of the blocks flew up from underneath the city’s streets. They quickly surrounded the numerous civilian buildings all around, and helped protect them from the various weapons fire that suddenly surrounded them.

Although this sealed up anyone inside safely, it also meant that any civilians still caught outside were in absolute danger. Some banged on the walls and begged for them to be lowered. Others simply kept on running as far as they could.

Most critically however, the streets that immediately surrounded the Red Zone in the very center of Lacroseth City rose up from below. The ground itself rumbled and shook violently, and caused many Sanguine Fundamentalists to stumble and fall.

Those who were already on the street when it began to rise up either fell back, or ended up stuck on top of it. They couldn’t do anything but fall to their knees as it rose up further and further, until it reached about 20 meters high in the air.

And once it was done, the entire 5 meter wide roadway acted as a massive barrier between the central Red Zone and everyone else.

But it wasn’t just a simple citadel-style wall. Numerous slats opened up 5, 10, and 15 meters up, all along every barrier wall. And from those slats, numerous guns poked through.

Inside the barrier walls were long channels where more heavily armed and armored security forces were stationed. They towered over the crowd of Sanguine Fundamentalists, and immediately fired on them without a shred of hesitation.

Their heavy repeater machineguns ripped into any terrorists that were exposed. Their high powered munitions punched through their armor, and dug deep into their bodies below. Any who weren’t armored were simply turned into piles of bloody meat.

Although dozens and dozens of Fundamentalists were cut down in an instant, many more were safe behind their numerous reinforced mobile barriers. Despite the raw power and ferocity of the security force’s heavy guns, they couldn’t get through the terrorists’ thick defenses.

The most their munitions could do was cause multiple small dents across their surfaces. But even then, the robust repair systems installed in the barriers themselves healed the tears and fractures quickly.

And that allowed the terrorists to fire back with impunity.

Most fired back with their ballistic weaponry. They too peeked through their own slats and crenellations, and fired up into the enemies’ positions. Plenty certainly slipped through the thin openings and peppered the security forces behind.

And because of the sheer angles they were firing at, any security forces who were hit were almost always struck on their heads. Their skulls were blasted open, and coated their section of the wall channel with chunks of their brain matter.

Many dozens of the terrorists further back switched to using far heavier weaponry. They picked up shoulder-mounted pods which gave pitched whines as they charged up. And once they hit their peak, the terrorists stepped out of cover, aimed their deadly launchers, and fired.

Rockets coated with dark orange energies shot out from their weapons and slammed into the security force’s barrier walls.

Some punched through the rifle slits themselves, plowed through any security personnel, then embedded into the wall opposite. Others simply struck the wall’s primary armor and dug deep into them.

No matter what the rounds struck, dark orange energies crackled all over. They swept across numerous surfaces in and around the interior channels, and caused many of the security personnel inside to seize up.

The sheer energies coursed through their bodies and devastated their neural pathways.

Then, after a few seconds, the embedded rockets themselves detonated violently.

Everything in their blast radius was torn apart, whether it was people or armor plating. Chunks of bodies were thrown in every direction, along with razor-sharp shrapnel. Some of which rained down on the Sanguine Fundamentalists below.

As a result of the vicious attack, entire sections of the wall were blasted open, blacked from soot, and splattered with blood.

Just as the two sides’ exchange became more and more heated, drone bays near the very top of the barrier wall opened up. Streams of meter-long wasp-like drones flew out of them by the dozen, each one lethally armed and highly maneuverable.

Some quickly swarmed around the few Fundamentalists that were stuck up on the very top, and shredded them with their abdominal cannons.

They fired bursts of stinger-like slugs that punched through the terrorists’ thick armor and embedded themselves deep inside. A few of the slugs punched all the way through, and caused blood to pour out of their exit wounds.

Either way, the terrorists stranded 20 meters up were completely annihilated in seconds.

The rest of the drones flew down to the street below, and flanked the Fundamentalists from the side or from behind or from above. Of course, these fired multiple bursts at the terrorists, and tore into as many as they could.

Dozens and dozens more Sanguine Fundamentalists were ripped apart as they were battered on all sides, from all kinds of weapons fire.

Their blood literally washed the streets and stained them.

Of course, none of them took any of it lying down. Numerous terrorists spun around and fired their weapons into the air in retaliation. They tore into some of the wasp drones flying around, and brought them to the ground.

Some ripped into the drones so violently that they exploded in the sky.

But even as the security forces reinforced their lines, so too did the terrorists. But instead of drones, they brought in hundreds of light hovertanks. These too rose up from the maintenance access elevators surrounding the central Red Zone and moved closer towards the spiral towers.

These hovertanks were sleek and had robust chitinous armor plating. More critically, the main cannon atop each of them crackled with arcs of orange electricity. The cannons hummed slightly as they charged up, and bright spheres of bright orange energies swelled up at their tips.

Then, with resounding BOOMS, they fired shells wrapped in disintegration energies straight into the towering armored walls. The shells ripped into the armor and caused massive dents wherever they struck, especially if they struck the relatively hollow defensive channels.

Worse, any security forces behind the channels were instantly crushed or flattened or blasted to pieces.

Entire sections of armor plating were severely dented or torn wide open. The security forces’ blood also flew everywhere, and stained everything they struck.

~

Up above, the Gold Justicar issued her commands as the battle unfolded. The section of screen right in front of her was filled with warnings and alerts and emergency notifications. The live feeds all around those filled her eyes with blood and death and utter destruction.

She watched as smoke filled the skies, and as blood filled the streets.

Retholis had also brought up specific reports on his own terminal, and watched as drogar killed drogar left, right, and center. They literally and wholeheartedly tore each other to pieces.

His face was plastered with surprise and anger and deep disappointment in everything that he was seeing.

He knew that the Empire had a massive rift that was growing inside it, but didn’t realize that it was this deep. He truly didn’t believe that the Fundamentalists were so foolish as to act out with such violence, right at the base of all Imperial power.

“I’m calling for heavy reinforcements,” said the Gold Justicar, which Retholis quickly approved.

Both were stunned as Orsethii began to laugh.

At first, it was a small chuckle, then an outright raucous, bellowing laugh. It was a laugh that neither of them liked.

“I can’t believe that old bastard,” Orsethii finally said. “He actually came through with it. I thought he was bluffing. That me being here was just some kind of scare tactic. But he truly meant it.”

“What’s the meaning of this?” shouted the Gold Justicar. “You’ve got something to do with this?!”

Orsethii didn’t answer her. Instead, the Reborn reared up to her full height, which sent waves of shock and awe through the Justicar and the Emperor.

“I’m sorry, emperor,” Orsethii said. “This isn’t anything personal. I’m a simple drogar who wants simple things. And I’ll do whatever it takes to get them.”