236 Chapter 236: Final Assaul

It took a few hours for the remnants of the Porter clan and the Start clan to organize an attack battalion, but they did as Angelica instructed and mustered a bunch of mage soldiery to launch one final assault on the place she designated as the current headquarters for the Dark Church.

In the meantime, Shun Yin and the rest took the time to rest. Even though Michael and Lionel gave the orders, they were able to delegate the task to capable subordinates to plan and organize the mage battalion, particularly those who weren't involved in the assault on the Phoenix Temple. They quickly used the time to recover their spent mana.

"Make no mistake, this will be the toughest battle. I know you've faced quite formidable enemies in the Phoenix Temple, but the Assassins Guild will probably be reserving their biggest gun to protect the HQ."

"Biggest gun?" Shun Yin noticed that she was using the word in its singular form. She nodded.

"I mean, they used up their main forces for the Phoenix Temple, but I'm sure they'll hold back their final weapon for the defense."

Everyone exchanged glances, unsure of how to react. On one hand, they were relived there was only one thing they had to stay on guard against, but on the other hand they were aware that this wasn't going to be any ordinary foe.

Most likely it would be a lot more powerful than Ying Bu Si and his Soul Beast (which, honestly, was a little pathetic).

Whatever the case, they steeled themselves and gathered in front of the underground facility a few miles outside of Vermillion City. The headquarters was a bunker that was built into the base of a mountain, surrounded by a forest inhabited by monsters.

The monsters posed no threat to the Assassins, however. As expected, the Assassins were more than happy to navigate through treacherous terrain and dangerous monsters to keep their skills sharpened and on edge. It was a constant reminder to themselves on how dangerous it was to be an Assassin.

And now they were probably facing the greatest threat ever since they declared the Porter clan their enemy and decided to work for the Dark Church.

Just like the Assassins, the combat mages under the decimated Porter clan and the still powerful Stuart clan's employ were just as powerful and skillful, having fought against monsters daily in the defense of the Global Federation and its citizens.

"They know we're here."

That was Lionel's first words when they gathered outside the massive door built into the foot of the mountain. Even though it was constricted out of reinforced material and steel, the Federation forces were confident of blowing it open. Super-heavy tanks trundled behind them, their sponson weapons and hull-mounted heavy bolters blasting a stream of reactive shells against monsters in the forest, slaying them in waves. Twin laser cannons spat ruby beams of destructive energies, scything down massive monsters reckless enough to rear their heads out of the forest, while the turret weapon unleashed titanic lances of superheated mana that tore colossal gouges out of the forest, annihilating entire hordes with each individual volley.

Escorting the super-heavy tanks were smaller but no less sturdy Leonard Ruff heavy tanks, their turret plasma cannons assaulting monstrous foes with azure beams condensed from the fury of the sun. Their sponson plasma cannons, though smaller in scale, were no less destructive, and their hull laser cannons continued to cut down tyrannical monsters that survived the initial bombardment of superheated plasma.

The forces of the Global Federation were not to be trifled with. They were the hammer of humanity, defending the race from the myriad of monsters that swarmed against them from Emergence events.

And now that sheer mass of firepower was brought to bear against a sinister and no less monstrous enemy.

While Shun Yin followed the infantry in Cerberus Armored Personnel Carriers, he ducked his head down when one of the Leonard Ruff tanks exploded nearby, its armored hull penetrated by a turbo-penetrator round from a Pavlichenko Assassin. The remaining tanks traversed their turrets to retaliate with a barrage of plasma at the place where the shot was fired. It was unlikely that the Pavlichenko Assassin survived, but one sniper for a tank was a worthwhile trade.

"Damn…"

Even as the ramp slammed down, allowing Shun Yin and the soldiers to disembark from the Cerberus, its laser turret rotated and lay down suppressing fire against the concealed snipers, trying to force them to keep their heads down. Even under the cover of such a devastating barrage, mages and soldiers went down beside Shun Yin, their heads blown apart by sniper rounds.

Shun Yin had to admire the impeccable accuracy of the Pavlichenko Assassins. He cursed as he tried to cut down a sniper round with his sword, but it detonated and sprayed him with shrapnel. None of the shards cut through his protective aura, thankfully.

"Over here!"

Shun Yin raised his head when he heard Angelica's voice. She was swinging her sword and detonating sniper rounds with a torrent of white flames from her sword, offering the infantry running alongside her some protection. She glanced in his direction and Shun Yin immediately understood. Kicking off the ground, he dove to her side. Weaving through a barrage of rounds, he reached her side and straightened himself up before casting another fire spell that incinerated a couple of soldiers who were sneaking up on them.

"Eh? Why…?"

Angelica's voice trailed off when she saw the soldiers' features melt away, revealing a completely different person within.

"Deceivum Assassins," Shun Yin explained. "We're aware that several of them may have infiltrated the ranks of the Federation Army, so we're on guard against them."

"So not only do we have to watch out for attacks from the enemy, we've to keep a lookout for betrayals from within."

"Basically," Shun Yin agreed tiredly before swinging his sword and unleashing a volley of fire at a Pavlichenko Assassin perched atop the recess of the mountain, trying to use the rock as cover. He would find no protection amidst molten rock that burned through his synthetic suit and incinerated him.

"We have to keep pushing!"

"Trust me, I know. But they're making it hard for us."

Several bestial roars drew their attention to the front. A trio of Frenzor Assassins had stepped into the fore, slaughtering dozens of Mustered Soldiery with their neuro-gauntlets and machine guns. Even though such heavy weaponry would result in massive recoils, the heavily augmented Assassins wielded them single-handedly, their surgically enhanced physiology allowing them to compensate against the bone-breaking recoil and massive weight.

The surviving soldiers responded with a massed barrage of laser bolts from their energy carbines, but the berserk Assassins shrugged off the small arms fire, their synthetic suits absorbing the worst of the impacts.

"We've to help them," Shun Yin began but Angelica shook her head.

"No. They can take care of themselves. We have to hurry into the headquarters and delete the data for the device's blueprint, or none of us will be able to live peacefully again."

With the ability to artificially trigger Emergence events at any time and any place, none of the human cities would be safe again. That was why Angelica regarded the issue so urgently. Shun Yin understood that, but…

"Don't worry," Angelica assured him. "They might not be mages, but they are soldiers. They won't die that easily."

Right after she spoke, a Leonard Ruff tank bellowed, its plasma weapons vomiting blue steams of superheated energies. One of the Frenzor Assassin simply ceased to exist, despite his lightning reflexes trying to get him out of the way in time. The sheer destructive power of the plasma beams incinerated his entire body in less than a millisecond.

"See?"

"Yeah, yeah." Shun Yin conceded, and then accompanied her run as they broke out of cover and sprinted past the furiously combating soldiers and Assassins. The death toll was staggering, and Shun Yin could see literally hundreds of corpses littering the battlefield.

One of the super-heavy tanks battered the reinforced doors, the volcanic lance from its massive turret weapon vaporizing the metal and leaving red-hot shards of molten material dripping onto the ground. Careful not to hurt himself on the still steaming edges, Shun Yin checked for enemies before hurdling into the mountain base.

"Oh, you kids got here earlier than we did!"

"Mr. Lionel!"

Shun Yin spun around at the voice. The next head of the Stuart family was strolling in, a storm of petals trailing him and his sword. As ever, his trusty bodyguard, Yuan Dao Yue Guang, was nearby, punching away Umbra Assassins that struck out from the shadows.

Lionel waved his hand, almost as if in embarrassment.

"Ditch the mister. We're all comrades here, fighting against the same enemy and trying to save the world. Anyway, Miss Angelica, you said this is the place, right?"

"That's correct." Angelica pursed her lips as she stared into the darkness. Already she was casting a white firewall spell to defend them from a sneak attack from the shadows. In a place like this, there were plenty of places for the Umbra Assassins to hide. "The computer mainframe should be at the back of this base. But be careful, they have laid out quite the welcoming party."

"It doesn't matter." Michael had joined in, with Glen following closely. "We're going to blow all of them away. Vermillion Phoenix!"

His Soul Beast burst into existence, flooding the entire passageway with blinding illumination and crimson fire. Assassins shuffled and dove around in the dark as flames washed over their previous positions. Those unlucky enough not to be able to get away in time were incinerated, but many more remained.

"White Tiger!"

Glen's Soul Beast might not be as powerful as his cousin's but it was no less impressive. A storm of lightning filled the area they were in, not only protecting them from attacks but also electrocuting a few Assassins who had gotten too close for their own safety.

Having cleared the space for now, the two Porter mages stepped in. Behind them, platoons of infantry sprinted inside, unleashing laser bolts into the shadows and providing cover for the comrades who were following closely behind them. The first few squads dropped into position, taking up cover behind rubble caused by a combination of attacks from the super-heavy tank and the elite mages' spells, and continued firing wildly into the shadows. While the Assassins were being suppressed, the rest of the soldiers moved in before setting up in new positions to cover their comrades. In this way, they moved in a staggered manner and advanced forward.

"Ugh!"

"Medic! Healer!"

"Over here!"

"Watch out!"

Despite their disciplined advance, the soldiers were beset by Assassins from all over. They became embroiled in close-range melee, with many resorting to fixing bayonets and trying to stab the more skillful Assassins. The infantry were taking horrific losses, but the elite mages at the head of the group continued to push through.

"Over there!"

Ignoring the deaths and agony about them, Angelica plunged forward, her insider knowledge of the enemy allowing her to lead the way. However, she was forced to skid to a stop when something blasted at her. Initially, she raised a hand to cast a white firewall to halt the projectile in midair.

"?!"

Angelica skidded backward and dodged when her white firewall simply ceased to exist. Frowning at the anomaly, she glanced at the front.

"Holy f…!" Glen cursed as he caught up with her. "Just what kind of spell is capable of punching through your Sacred Firewall spell?!"

"No, it wasn't destroyed by a spell." Shun Yin also reached the both of them, his sword raised grimly as he scanned for the enemy.

"You have sharp eyes, Shun Yin." Angelica nodded as she also kept an eye out for her assailant. "Rather than penetrate my Sacred Firewall, that spell…reversed time…it rewound my spell to a time when I hadn't cast it yet."

"Time magic? Just who is capable of casting such a spell?" Lionel wondered out loud.

"…we're about to find out," Angelica murmured as two figures emerged from the shadows to face them.