Chapter 54: Nighthawk Commander
Ain glanced at the virtual prompt.
[A-class Mission]
[Head to Nighthawk’s hidden base behind Opal’s Pawnshop, defeat the Nighthawk Commander, and destroy the spatial anchor.]
[Allies detected – Frans Vaughan and Paula Mayr]
[An alliance has been established for the duration of this mission.]
Four gazes met.
“Looks like we’ll be facing a Perfected Rank-1…” Ain said. Elina and Elias received a similar mission, needing to unite with another team before heading to their target destination.
“We’ll go find our teammates, see you guys later!” Elias said heartily, rushing off with Elina after a short chat. Ain’s group found an unoccupied rover before making their way towards Opal’s Pawnshop.
“The rovers are all unlocked, and they start without any keys. I wish it were like this in real life,” Hugo said jokingly, eliciting a small laugh from the rest. Ain seriously considered the ramifications of such a matter but kept them to himself. It was just his numerous thoughts acting wildly. Twenty minutes later, Opal’s Pawnshop came into view. It was a three-story building with a spacious courtyard surrounded by tall walls.
“The hidden base is supposedly behind Opal’s Pawnshop. Is it that courtyard?” Paula wondered aloud. No other buildings existed behind Opal’s pawnshop.
“Seems like it,” Frans answered. Turning to Hugo, he asked, “What’s inside?”
“Let me check,” Hugo responded. He sent Ace into the skies to investigate. Soon, he received its report and said, “Well, this should be the hidden base, though it’s not really hidden. There’s a large device in the middle of the courtyard with two Nighthawk Captains and a Nighthawk Commander guarding it. The latter’s helmet has four pairs of wings.”
“There are two captains and a commander…” Frans repeated with a slight frown. Neither of them had faced a Perfected Rank-1 before. They couldn’t judge their strength. Having to face two Nighthawk Captains on top of that was a bit overwhelming. Hugo glanced at Ain, hoping for his input. It would’ve been simpler if their task was to only destroy the shield generator, but the mission required them to defeat the Nighthawk Commander as well.
Ain deliberated for a second before saying, “We need to eliminate the Nighthawk Captains first, and we have to do it swiftly.”
Seeing the others nod in agreement, he continued, “Let’s do this…”
The discussion went on for a few minutes before a plan was finally stabilized. They silently climbed over the courtyard walls from a blind spot and hid behind a storage shed. Glancing at each other, they expressed their readiness. With Ain’s signal, everyone rushed out towards the enemies.
“Intruders!” The Nighthawk Captains yelled at the same time; their voices altered by the helmets. One wielded a broadsword while the other held an assault rifle. Upon Hugo’s cue, Ace unleashed a sharp gale towards the Nighthawk Captain wielding the broadsword, completely drowning his figure. At the same time, Hugo activated Wind God’s Blessing, yelling, “Wind God Form!” Immediately, a windstorm erupted with him at the epicenter as he underwent a mystical transformation. His brown eyes and beige hair turned a breezy green, glowing with a turbulent aura. Mysterious patterns of wind and storms manifested on the surface of his skin as his body floated a few centimeters above the ground. With dense aether fluctuations, he raised his hand, instantly conjuring a Stratos Lance! The spell that had required ten seconds previously was now just an instinct. Without pause, the overwhelming wind lance vanished from his palm, already pierced into the Nighthawk Captain’s chest! Another Branded Rank-1 opponent defeated by a single attack!
The Nighthawk Captain collapsed as Hugo hastily dispelled the Wind God Form. Beads of sweat covered his forehead as his breathing was slightly rushed. However, a smirk was plastered on his face. “Hah, I got him.”
On the other side, just as Hugo commenced his attack, the Nighthawk Captain with the assault rifle clashed with Frans and Paula. Frans rushed out with Luminous Sword as a distraction while Paula used Vital Vines to bind the opponent. As the Nighthawk Captain struggled amidst the vines, almost tearing a few apart, Frans said telepathically, “Lumina, use Brilliant Beam!”
Lumina was his Brilliant Fae, and Brilliant Beam was its innate skill that embodied great offensive power! Immediately, the airborne fish opened its tiny mouth. A colorful sphere of light condensed before it morphed into a thick continuous beam with overwhelming momentum, surging towards the immobilized Nighthawk Captain! Frans himself launched two Radiant Arrows while Paula used Vital Blast to bolster the damage. The powerful combination of attacks drowned the enemy amidst the resounding explosions. During these events, Frans failed to dodge some powerful energy bullets from the opponent’s assault rifle, drawing blood from his left arm and shoulder. However, this sacrifice was worthwhile! Alongside Hugo’s opponent, another Nighthawk Captain departed this virtual world early.
Within seconds, two Nighthawk Captains, equivalent to Branded Rank-1s, were eliminated! To achieve this, Hugo almost exhausted himself while Frans suffered some injuries. However, these results were exemplary as their goal had been realized! With great haste, they turned to the Nighthawk Commander, just in time to see Ain block a flaming fist before being pushed back like a ragdoll.
“Don’t let his attacks hit you! This Nighthawk Commander can use aether!” Ain informed with urgency. After hitting the ground uncontrollably, he quickly recovered to his feet. Immediately, his eyes widened before he leapt to the side. There was a powerful Fireball heading his way!
Boom!
The ball of flames exploded, the hot winds searing his skin as he suffered from the aftermath. Only a few seconds had elapsed since the battle began and Ain had already experienced several close calls. Although he never explicitly stated it, the rest already recognized that Ain’s raw power, and his aether and physique without enhancements, surpassed theirs greatly, already in the realm of Branded Rank-1. As such, the task of delaying the Nighthawk Commander fell upon his shoulders. Rather, this task was self-imposed. When the rest confronted the Nighthawk Captains in a bid to swiftly eliminate them, Ain rushed towards the Nighthawk Commander. Unlike the other Nighthawk combatants, the Nighthawk Commander was unarmed. However, just as Ain attacked whilst using Haunt, the enemy blocked his lethal claws with a gauntlet. Licks of flames spawned on the gauntlet, and as if predicting his position, the Nighthawk Commander launched a fierce melee. Ain was inferior in both strength and speed, barely managing to evade the fiery attacks. However, in doing so, an opening was revealed, forcing him to block a flaming fist with a hasty cross guard, which sent him flying with burnt arms.
“You imbeciles! Pay with your lives!” The Nighthawk Commander uttered in rage upon discovering his fallen subordinates. Conjuring another Fireball, he aimed it at Ain, but Frans was one step ahead. Two Radiant Arrows struck the opponent’s hand, interrupting the spell, causing it to explode prematurely. As this happened, Ain retreated towards Paula. Her mechanical gauntlet, the Emerald Mega Tyrant named Emerald, used its innate skill – Nature’s Respite. A green beam fused into Ain’s body, healing his arms at an accelerated rate. Next, she pointed at Frans, releasing another beam to restore his injuries as well.
“Lumina, use Blinding Flash!” Frans shouted. The Brilliant Fae, already in position, released a blinding flash of light, depriving the vision, and disorienting the minds of anyone unfortunate enough to be within five meters. “Paula!” Frans signaled.
“I’m on it! Vital Vines!” With her command, lush green vines coiled around the Nighthawk Commander, restraining him in place while absorbing his vitality. Ain took a few seconds to recuperate while the rest religiously attacked the enemy. However, before long, the Nighthawk Commander recovered from Blinding Flash. Powerful flames erupted on his body as he violently tore off the green vines, shouting, “Petty tricks!”
“He’s still unharmed?!” Hugo exclaimed, the dread in his voice evident. “No, he’s definitely suffered some damage!” Ain responded with confidence. There were several small cracks in the opponent’s black armor.
“Hugo, prepare another Stratos Lance. Paula, you keep healing us while ensnaring him with Vital Vines. I’ll take the lead in close-combat. Frans, fill in the gaps!” Ain quickly assigned before rushing forth. His thoughts were racing as countless possibilities came to mind. All successful outcomes were founded on meticulous execution. They just needed to relentlessly attack the Nighthawk Commander while ensuring their own safety.
Using Haunt, Ain disappeared from sight. The enemy could pinpoint his position but couldn’t accurately grasp his actions. Ain instantly erupted into a melee with the Nighthawk Commander, who was constantly tearing apart the ever-spawning vines. Ain erratically slashed with Phantom Claws, making use of his invisibility to strike from tricky angles. While tracking his elusive movements, and burdened by the vines, the enemy inevitably revealed openings for Frans. Several times, the duo only managed to partially block the flaming attacks, suffering various degrees of damage. However, Paula’s healing was always timely. Whenever Ain dispelled Haunt was a prompt for Paula to heal him. By this point, the Nighthawk Commander grew furious and switched his to target Paula.
However, the exhausted Hugo, after an entire minute, finally conjured another Stratos Lance! Due to aether exhaustion, his casting speed was abysmal, but his innate talent’s boost had propelled the spell’s power to Branded Rank-1 once again!
