The hivemind is conquering for me? Chapter 767: Step 12: Victory Assured

Hundreds of miles to the east. Kragg, with a compact escort from clan Dinnac who grasped his philosophy, headed toward a different outpost brimming with plentiful resources.

Inside his mech, Kragg observed the siege's progress via cameras positioned throughout the base. The Drakoshi suffered complete devastation. Such an outcome was far from typical.

Phalanx had never gained such dominance against them before. Sieging a fortress of this magnitude in under a day, with minimal losses, was unheard of. Yet, Kragg suspected the reason behind it.

A human standing 8ft tall—impressive height for his kind—with a banner draped across his back, had battled nonstop all day without fatigue. He slaughtered Drakoshi effortlessly on both sides. This matched the same human who wrecked the Thermobaric annihilator right after Kragg's departure.

Kragg couldn't fathom how the human had healed from the injuries he'd witnessed. The sole explanation that came to mind was the human possessing multiple quirks...

This idea unsettled Kragg deeply. Though he harbored one in secret himself, his race despised anything capable of shattering reality's rules. It opened doors to abominations, devourers, entities that defied natural order.

Yet, the fortress held more irregularities than just that. Over a dozen enhanced humans fought beside a Praetorian—a renowned human unit skilled at eliminating Drakoshi commanders, per his intel. Even in his battle mech, with limited ammo reserves, Kragg realized he couldn't have claimed victory there. The humans' triumph would have been far bloodier with his presence, as he could have slain several quirked humans in their full assault, but defeat and death would still await him. Unlike other clans, he didn't share their disregard for his own survival.

The deeper he advanced, the more the threat to his life faded. He'd pursue this path to a base or faction ripe for conquest, rebuilding from there. After all, this marked merely the start.

Preferring to forfeit the skirmish for the greater conflict's win, he simply needed patience. Victory awaited the patient. A drawn-out war suited him best, offering ample opportunity for a Warlord to mature—or for one to swoop in upon news of the fierce clashes here. And then... triumph would be theirs.

...

Ammo had depleted for the Drakoshi long before, yet it only fueled their frenzy. They sensed their defeat hours earlier but persisted fiercely. Somehow, they grew tougher opponents, as if bloodlust consumed them entirely, boosting their speed, power, and reckless daring to inflict maximum harm before oblivion.

Still, we pressed the assault. For hours, my Zircon feasted on Drakoshi blood and entrails, her form locked in a constant crimson glow while I allowed myself scarce breaks. Unlike the prior day with my injuries, I remained invigorated even now.

My comrades, excluding Nerissa and Gabrielle, repeatedly pulled back strategically to recover, as I drove the Phalanx ever upward through the fort to its summit.

At the peak, a squad of Drakoshi mechs towering twenty feet awaited, their loaded weapons all zeroed in on me. I ducked behind my battered but remarkably resilient shield, standing firm. Nerissa and Gabrielle sheltered in my shadow too, though many Phalanx scrambled for cover—some failing tragically.

As I hunkered down, a shadow streaked by, prompting an instinctive flinch until I traced it overhead. Glancing skyward in the nick of time, I beheld Skaja plunging spear-first toward a mech, impaling it cleanly.

A mesmerizing spectacle unfolded.

Discarding her spear, she twisted midair, summoned it anew, and stabbed through another cockpit effortlessly.

Two mechs felled, Nerissa rose from my cover and hurled her spear at a firing mech. It struck true, piercing the cockpit and staggering the machine, which knocked into its neighbor. This opened my path.

I surged ahead, matched by Nerissa and Gabrielle. Skaja, leveraging her skyborne edge, engaged yet another mech, leaving one apiece for us.

I targeted the nearest, its barrels still locked on me. Extending my Gyrokinesis and Telekinesis, I wrenched its aim leftward forcefully, sending shots astray briefly. But that instant sufficed.

Spinning like a massive discus for added force, I flung my shield at the mech before breaking into a blistering sprint—an unnatural sight for the Phalanx, given my heavy armor's bulk.

Miraculously, my shield struck home, embedding in the Drakoshi's gun arm and crippling it.

The mech shifted into a fighting pose as a blue laser blade ignited from its limb's tip.

Even as its blade slashed toward me at blinding speed, I refused to slow my pace. Harnessing my forward drive, I dropped to my knees and glided beneath the edge. The weapon whistled just inches past my face as I leaped upright, seizing Zircon in a two-handed grip. With all my power, I struck fiercely at the Drakoshi mech’s leg.

I followed up by hacking the other leg, then vaulted backward right as it lunged to crush me under its bulk.

The ultimate blunder.

Chassis now dipped low, I hoisted my arm while my minigun hummed alive, unleashing a storm of pyrokinetic bullets into the cockpit. The Drakoshi’s tortured scream rang out at once as it wildly thrashed in a frantic final bid. Yet I charged in, soared upward, and delivered a devastating kick to its chassis, flinging it dozens of meters rearward until it plummeted from the eastern wall.

Glancing about to support my comrades, I saw they’d already vanquished their enemies. Nerissa’s takedown proved swift and precise, Skaja’s matching it perfectly. Gabrielle’s mech foe lay reduced to mangled wreckage, leaving me baffled at her lightning-fast destruction.

"Is everyone good?" I bellowed, grabbing the shield dropped by the mech even as I thrust Zircon into another briefly for a quick recharge.

All nodded, but I spotted the Phalanx gazing at me. Their awe washed over me... Unsettled by it amid my stims, I roared with commanding force.

"Why are you all still standing there? We have secured the top! Man the walls that are still intact! I still hear fighting below!"

Reacting on instinct, the Phalanx claimed the remaining walls and opened fire from their elevated perch.

"Apollo, I’ve been meaning to ask for a while now and it’s been eating at me." Gabrielle approached, then gestured across my frame. "Is any of that yours?"

She meant the layer of caked and fresh blood and viscera cladding my armour.

Scanning my systems and form, I shook my head. "No, a few strikes got past my shield, but none pierced my armour. You holding up? That gash on your head look serious?"

Gabrielle shook her head. "No, I’ve survived worse."

"Nerissa?" I asked.

"All in one piece." Though my armour needs urgent repairs—too many dents from the wall breach. Parts are pressing against my skinsuit."

"Skaja?"

"Wings are basically holes at this point, running on psionic fumes too. Injured everywhere. Broken rib. But nothing fatal."

Satisfied that all were intact, I nodded. Recalling Sithrik’s earlier brutal hit, I directed her to pull back and recuperate.

"Skaja, oversee the Phalanx from up here. Nerissa, Gabrielle. Victory might be assured, but we fight on until this fort is fully ours."

Ignoring any response, I moved a few steps to the top-level parapet at ground height. Nudging aside a shooting Phalanx, I peered over the wall.

Judging from my estimates and the chaos reported over comms these past hours during my check-ins—thanks to Skaja’s vital updates while I battled nonstop in melee—east and south sides were ours. North stayed a fierce contest we dominated, though surviving Drakoshi seemed bent on fleeing east...

Too many under my lead had died today in my sight. Should the Drakoshi fancy any shot at escape, I’d crush that hope. This fortress would serve as their crypt.

Half-turning, I faced Nerissa and Gabrielle with a helmet-hidden smirk. "Try and keep up."

Recalling Zircon to my hand, I launched off the parapet.