Kill the Sun Chapter 983 - Kill the Sun
As the Nightman finished off the Nightmare and the Null, Daniel and his fellow Nightmen propelled themselves toward the world above.
For the very first time, the Earth's surface and the Sun were revealed to them.
In an instant, their sensory perceptions expanded, blanketing the entire globe.
'What a shithole,' Daniel remarked internally, observing the desolate wasteland that remained of Earth.
He detected several Protectors and Shields turning their gaze toward his location.
Though their own senses couldn't quite reach Daniel and the Nightmen, the massive weight of the Nightmen's power was impossible to ignore.
To any sufficiently powerful Extractor, it felt as though a second Sun had suddenly ignited on the planet.
'We need them for their Zephyx,' Daniel noted to himself.
"The Nightmare is dead. Descend into the underground immediately if you wish to survive the Star Energy that is about to drench the surface," he broadcasted to every Extractor.
Simultaneously, Daniel focused his attention on Nurse Alice.
Nurse Alice felt the crushing weight of an incredibly potent perception locking onto her position.
"Stay underground. Your ability to produce Zephyx will be required later," Daniel transmitted, a smirk playing on his lips.
While the rest of humanity stood paralyzed by terror, Nurse Alice reacted instantly and retreated below the surface.
At that moment, the Chief Illusionists set their sights on Daniel and the Nightmen.
Without delay, they triggered the Sun's defensive systems.
The Sun flared with intensity, accumulating a massive amount of energy.
Daniel looked skyward, his expression one of pure irritation.
"Shut up," he hissed, casually sweeping his blade toward the heavens.
CRACK!
The very image of the Sun was cleaved in two.
Immediately following the strike, the Energy stored within the Sun became unstable and chaotic.
BOOOOM!
A colossal detonation erupted above the Nightmen, quickly swallowing them in the blast.
The force of the explosion gouged a crater nearly 20 kilometers into the Earth.
"It's getting a bit toasty out here," Daniel joked to the other Nightmen through their mental link while standing in the heart of the inferno.
The others simply chuckled at his remark.
Meanwhile, the Chief Illusionists' screens went dark as they lost all visual contact.
Every single function of the Sun had ceased to operate.
This signaled only one reality.
The Sun had been extinguished.
Humanity had brought it down, and shockingly, it had been far simpler than their previous attempt.
With its functions disabled, the Sun's structural integrity failed.
The sky turned transparent, revealing glass-like fragments manifesting in the atmosphere to the terrified people below.
Since the Sun was essentially a construct of energy, these shards dissolved into a cocktail of Star Energy and Prephyx, raining down across the world.
With the Sun's disappearance, the entire planet was altered.
Half of the population was suddenly bathed in even more radiance, while the other half was plunged into near-total gloom.
The natural cycle of night and day had returned.
Panic spread among the common folk who remained ignorant of the cause.
Shortly after, the mixture of Star Energy and Prephyx swept across the globe.
Ninety percent of the Shields and Protectors had failed to heed Daniel's warning, remaining frozen in their tracks.
The Star Energy surged over them.
At this point, the surface dwellers were clueless about Star Energy or the danger of being immersed in it.
The Star Energy forced its way into their Zephyx channels, transmuting all the Zephyx in their systems into Star Energy.
In a heartbeat, the Extractors withered into dry husks and collapsed.
Within seconds, every single one of them was dead.
'Idiots! They should have just listened,' Daniel thought, snorting in derision.
He then turned his gaze toward the dark expanse above.
The Nightmen had emerged on the side of the planet currently facing the moon in darkness.
Through his monstrous perception, Daniel could see the moon clearly, spotting tiny alien figures scurrying across its lunar surface.
He also detected the two Generals closing in on Earth at incredible speeds.
They would arrive in less than a second.
The other Nightmen also sensed the approaching Generals, their expressions hardening into frowns.
'Nick wasn't lying,' Daniel realized. 'They really are powerful.'
The sense of danger emanating from the Generals was staggering.
The prospect of fighting them seemed almost futile.
Daniel was certain of one thing.
He could not defeat either of them in a fair one-on-one duel.
'Well, it's too late for second thoughts,' he mused. 'I just have to hope I make it through.'
Noticing the apprehension growing among the other Nightmen, Daniel's smirk returned.
"Watch this," he commanded.
He pointed his sword toward the sky.
BOOOOM!
A pillar of black light erupted from his blade.
The more agile General pivoted to the left, dodging the beam with ease.
"Idiot," Daniel transmitted toward the General.
Back on the moon, Nick watched as one of the Chief Engineers sprinted toward the antimatter laser.
'The time is now,' he thought.
And then…
BOOOOM!
The black beam struck the Chief Engineer directly, and a violent explosion vaporized the creature.
Nick's eyes went wide with dread and shock.
He needed that Chief Engineer to bypass the fleshy barrier protecting the antimatter laser!
Nick recognized the nature of that black beam instantly.
'Daniel!' he realized.
Down on Earth, Daniel burst into laughter. "Got him!"
"Impressive shot!" the other Nightmen replied, their morale lifting slightly.
Daniel had successfully sniped a single target from over 300,000 kilometers away.
In the next breath, the Generals received a change in orders.
"Eradicate all humans! Use any means necessary!"
"Eliminating the threat is a higher priority than the generator's safety!"
The two Generals halted their advance and stared down at the Earth.
The larger General's hand shifted, transforming into a massive cannon-like structure.
Pure Energy began to swirl and condense within the weapon.
Then…
BOOOOOOM!
A horrific beam of green energy discharged toward the planet.
"Shit! Attack!" Daniel shouted to his team as they lunged toward the Generals.
The green ray whistled past them.
Much like Daniel's earlier strike, they weren't the intended targets.
The emerald beam slammed into Europe.
BOOOOOM!
From his vantage point on the moon, Nick watched in horror as the European continent was swallowed by a blast.
The explosion spanned at least a thousand kilometers!
Nick's mind raced through the data, reaching a grim conclusion.
No human outside of the Starbreaker Base or the Nightmen ranks could have survived that.
The strike had vaporized the atmosphere; within minutes, the air temperature across the planet would soar to several hundred degrees.
The planet remained whole, but all life on the surface was doomed to vanish.
The only silver lining was that Starbreaker Base had been spared.
It was now obvious that the aliens no longer cared about preserving Earth.
They were prepared to sacrifice everything to wipe out the humans.
A moment later, the two forces collided in the vacuum of space, and the true battle commenced.