Crossfire Part 1

Cape of the Darkest Light Islands, Immaculate Heart
Post-Judgement Era
13:09
Operation: Crossfire

Protectorate Blackshot, Windwalker Frontline Team, Three Stars and The Sun Company, Enochian Guard Regiment
--------------------

Blackshot vaulted over a rolling barrel as he dodged a gunpowder racing towards him. He landed knee first as he trained his Blast Rifle in front of him and aimed at a Demon, whose body was covered in an adamantine suit. It carries a shoulder cannon that was part of its bulky armor that can be converted into a portable cannon blaster. Its visored face turned at the sprinting Protectorate as he opened fire at it. Taking three steps back, it struggles with aiming due to the fact that Blackshot was too fast to shoot at. It aimed from left to right before finally having a clear shot of the Protectorate.

"Sorry brother," Blackshot muttered. "Too late for that!" He yelled as he slammed his elbow at its visor, shattering it a million pieces and revealing a crinkled red face. Blackshot sent a pushing kick at its chest, making a gap between the two combatants. He raised his aim at its exposed face in a point blank range and fired thrice; blood sprayed out of its headgear as it fell backwards, dead.

Sliding the Rifle to the magnetic harness on his spine, he knelt and retrieved the fallen cannon blaster from the ground. He examined it, admiring its unholy design and the power that it boasts. He almost got killed by one of these weapons, which only means that it might be effective in killing its original owners. Pressing the earpiece attached on his left ear, he called out for his teammates.

"Klondike, Yosemite, can you hear me, over?"

"This is Klondike, we copy you, Eagle-Five."

"Yosemite reporting in, what is it, boss?"

The Terran Protectorate was relieved to know that his Nazirite and Anawimian counterparts were still alive despite of the Mechanized Legion's advance towards the ruins of the Fortress-Cathedral. They were tasked by the powers-that-be to retrieve an important piece of data from the Fortress-Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart Legion about their corruption and whatever happens to the remaining Loyalists that refused to fall. He glanced up ahead, seeing more armored Demons advancing in their hulking statures.

"We need to regroup, ASAP." Blackshot ordered. "We cannot take them down like this. We are going to die before we even reach the Cathedral."

"Affirmative," Klondike replied in a crisp Nazirite accent. The Anawimian, however, did not replied but Blackshot already know that she has followed his command.

Stepping on his dead enemy, he surveyed his surroundings and the advancing Demons. He was in the middle of an intersection; the pavement was overrun by cracks. Destroyed flaming vehicles are also a common sight in the city. The structures of the establishment has a clockwork influence in it; each walls were coated by bronze metal and the glasses were tinted in gold. Each roof of the buildings had vents that spews out steam every second, that were accompanied by huge machineries operated by huge gears. It is rumored that the technology of this Planet was powered by the core of the world itself which explains the huge orange cloud that covers the sky above them, and the huge anomaly in the northern pole of the Planet. Blackshot still wonders what the Hell it was but he thought that it would just be a waste of time pondering about it.

"Sir, Empyrean Razor Protectorate, reporting for duty, sir!" A female voice says behind him.

"Crimson Light Protectorate, reporting in, sir!" A gruff male voice says.

Turning around, he was greeted by an armored couple. They were armed and ready and both have eyes that had seen Hell for a long time. Blackshot nods, acknowledging their presence. "Enochian Guard Protectorate, reporting, brothers." He said as he stepped off from the corpse of his enemy. This was not the first time that three had faced each other. The trio had black armors but had different colors of trimming. Klondike had crimson, while Yosemite had sky-blue. Blackshot had gold just as usual. Even in armor design, their armors also differs from one another. "The Mechanized Legion of the Blood Gears has already began their advance. We need to crush the resistance before they kill us." He lifted the portable cannon blaster. "With weapons like this, they can kill us like ants."

"What in Pete's name is that?" The Nazirite Protectorate had asked.

"It's a piece of their armor, Klondike. Better get used to seeing things like these." He said sarcastically. "Anyways, both of you were Mark-1s like me so I guess the Demons in front of us wouldn't much be a problem, right?"

"No," Yosemite replied. "I shall run them with my blade."

"Yeah, right." Blackshot turned towards the advancing Legion. He aimed the cannon at them and said, "Let's move out."

The sound of their heavy footfalls that left cratered grounds and the sound of the gears that runs underneath their armors has joined as a cacophony of unholy noise that were sore to the eardrums. Their inhuman voices were demonized further by their voice filtration system, intimidating any nearby resistance that will meet them.

But not the Protectorates. They were built for one purpose of destruction, and knowing no fear.

"Enemy in sight, brothers! Engage!" Blackshot ordered as he fired three times. His cannon blasts found its way in the chests of his unlucky targets, instantly pulverizing them with bloodied corpses. Klondike closes in, firing his small rifle at the visored faces of their enemies. His targets had fell backwards with inhuman cries. Yosemite, on the other hand, aimed her Mauler Pistol at the marching tide in front of them. Knowing that her Empyrean ammunition will penetrate deep against any metals, she cared not where it hits as she fired randomly, but always inside the target.

Soon enough, the frontline had fallen faster than expected. The Blood Gears Legionnaires propped their cannon blasters to their shoulders and began firing back while strafing straight towards them. A reckless move that ensures casualties to the opposite side, Blackshot knew that this strategy would be effective against their petty number of three. This fight is unfair by a scale of ten-to-one and they would not have any chance of winning.

"Brothers, ensure Battlefield Formation and maintain Polearm Discipline!"

"We don't share the same discipline, Cousin!" Klondike yelled back as he glowed very brightly. The light dissipates, revealing the Protectorate in his Angelic Form; a robotic Angel with huge bright wings and glowing scimitar. "I only knew Lightsabre Discipline!" His mutated voice says.

Yosemite morphed as well, revealing her in a winged robotic form. Soon enough, Blackshot followed suit. The three of them were both empowered and ready to destroy the marching tide.

"My bad," Blackshot apologized in his echoing voice. "I got used to commanding Guardsmen Protectorates like myself."

"Worry not, Cousin." Klondike replied. "Everyone makes mistakes."

"Here they comes." Yosemite warned.

One by one, the Protectorates marched forward with their weapons at hand. Blackshot had his own Burning Blade drawn, slicing a Demon in half. He raised his glowing wings as he shielded himself from a stray blast. Yosemite retaliated to her Cousin's attacker as she dropped a kick at its face. She sent strikes at its skull with her fashioned sword twice; it fell on its knees while blood had sprayed out of its scalp. Klondike aimed his left hand at a trio of enemies and blasted them apart with a ray of bright light. He swings and strikes at a quartet of Legionnaires, disemboweling them in every attacks he made. Blackshot hopped over a dead Demon with his fist at the ready. He wasn't aiming for a Demon but he was aiming at the ground below them. Five Legionnaires has surrounded him as he made his descent. Each one fires relentlessly but his wings has proven to be stronger than their blasts. He landed down with his fist touching the ground, invoking an invisible kinetic force that has thrown the Demon Legionnaires at every direction. One of the unlucky chaps had dropped a portable cannon blaster. He lifted it up and fired in an arc. Klondike jogged further at the advancing enemies. He launched a fist at the helmeted face of one of the Demones, crushing it like an orange. He whirled in a clockwise motion as he dropped a kick at its neck. He strikes his scimitar at the head of a Demon, then sent the hilt of his weapon slamming at the face of the other followed by a punch to its rib then a slash to right thigh. He turned to the other Demon where he vaporizes it completely with a blast of light. With a stomp on the ground, he sent a duo of Demons far away as pillars of stone rose up from the very ground they stood on. Yosemite continued her Cousins' killing spree as she leaned to the right, dodging a cannon blast. She drew a combat knife from her boot and made a leap, then slit the throat of the attacker with it. She strikes at the head of another Legionnaire, splitting its skull in half. She muttered a word, invoking a trio of huge lightnings to strike the Legionnaires in front of them. The Demons that were unlucky enough to be hit had turned into nothing but roasted flesh and charred bones.

"That's it, they are retreating! Keep moving further!!" Blackshot yelled as he charged forward, releasing strikes after strikes at the opposing forces in front of them. Klondike and Yosemite did the same, until the Blood Gears Legion was killed to the last Demon.

The aftermath of the battle has been gory. Many armored Demons laid dead on the ground, if not mutated, burned. Their blood had literally flooded the streets, some of which had seeped into the cracks of the road. Blackshot saw a Demon Legionnaire that has survived the battle, crawling away from them. He approached it, now in his Human form, and aimed his Blast Rifle at the back of its head as he placed a boot on its spine to prevent it from getting away.

"Please have mercy! Have mercy!" The Demon pleaded.

Blackshot was about to let it go to capture it for questioning, when all the horrible bad memories suddenly came to him all of a sudden. Unzipped, released and unchained, his depression, sadness, anger and guilt overtook his mind like a swarm of locusts and a tide of unstoppable flood. The memories flashes before his eyes, turning his eyes red in rage. He activated the bayonet on his rifle at the end of the muzzle and inserted it at the neck of the Demon before switching the rifle into burst mode and firing thrice. Chunks of flesh and gray matter were scattered all over him. He was covered in blood, but he cares not. Straightening his posture, he looked to the right where he saw the Cathedral. A circular stained glass can be seen above the wooden double doors, displaying the symbol of the Immaculate Heart Legion. The facade of the Cathedral was visible assaulted; with falling bricks and cracked walls, with blood stained floors too. Klondike felt the need to lead them all of a sudden. He glanced at his Cousins and cocked his head sidewards; a gesture to come and follow him.


------------------

PERSONNEL STATUS: Classified
CURRENT LOCATION: Classified
ALIGNMENT: Classified