Chapter 615: Fracturing Strategy

(This chapter is posting late because I somehow just typed the wrong time when scheduling them. Weird mistake to make.)

Kai paced around the exterior of an abandoned elite base, his eyes constantly shifting toward the horizon. He accepted the logic that he couldn't run out and attack, not when it might ruin their strategy, but the monster in the Frontier was tempting him in multiple ways. It could be destroying Deadwaste while he sat around and talked to the others.

"I can only say that I didn't expect it to be that strong." The Prince of Pebbles had been explaining his attempt to subvert the invaders, which had been taken of his own initiative, for some time. There was no trace of the bizarre character from years before, he spoke in a flat voice. "They didn't fear any of our monsters, so I thought a phased one might eliminate some. I was willing to give my life for the scheme, but now I've risked everyone's."

"Why go to such lengths?" Inafay asked. "I know they were hurting the Earth Union, but..."

"You didn't hear them talk. They were planning to carve up the continent and create their own kingdoms, as soon as they arranged some details. What they planned would have been... much worse than what we saw up to this point."

"Well, they're split up now, so we have a shot at them. If..." Inafay glanced toward Raghi, who had been healing from the ordeal and Kai instinctively looked as well.

It was more than the final chase: Raghi had been pushed to his limits for a long time. He bore a lot of bruises on his shoulders and on a spiritual level it looked like he had been battered in a way that Kai hadn't seen before. Kai checked in on his soul...

<

Name: Raghi Tonjin

Total Power: 451

Scrapper Class: 82 (92)

Ironfist: Opal Rank (50)

Physique Level: D-9 (245)

Soul Level: 8 (64)

>

...and was surprised to be reminded that Raghi had only 451 Power. He was as vulnerable to the invaders as anyone else without phases, and unlike the elites couldn't fight them even if he had phase mastery. Kai had tried to fight them, but doing what Raghi did took an entirely different sort of courage.

When they first returned, Raghi had looked a bit shell-shocked, but now he noticed their attention. After closing his eyes and releasing a long breath, he sat forward to speak.

"I was waiting for the elites," Raghi said, "but I might as well tell you. I spent a long time with the invaders, learning whatever I could. I thought I could figure out their abilities, their alliances, things that could be used against them. I got some of that. But... the most important thing..."

"Something horrible?" Infay asked.

"No, something smart. One of them - Fodajix - got his hands on Krysali communication crystals. I'm not sure how, but he figured out how to use them..."

"Unfortunately, we couldn't evacuate all the elites, plus they've been stealing whatever they get their hands on. I'm just surprised they didn't destroy the crystals as too weak."

"Well, they didn't. Instead they distributed them, as a threat." Raghi took a careful breath. "This must have been part of their plan to split up that the Prince of Pebbles knew about. Fodajix made a proposal: they check in with one another regularly, and if someone gets attacked, or doesn't check in, the others go on a rampage. Kill everyone they see. The plan is to take the entire continent hostage so we have no choice but to accept their rule."

"Do they think that will work?" Inafay asked.

"They might," Kai said, thinking of all his experiences on Cloudspire. "I get why you didn't want us to start picking them off. But did they actually agree to that plan?"

Raghi shrugged wearily. "They distributed the crystals, at least, and I don't think they lost them in the attack. The main five... uh, four now... they don't like each other, but they realize that they need to work together. So now we have a threat hanging over our heads."

It was worse than that: based on what he'd seen of the invaders, it was possible that one of them would become drunk or distracted and forget to check in. The others might not attack immediately, but it was possible, especially if they became paranoid. Now that the possibility of attacking the entire continent had been raised, it would always be lurking in the background as another potential disaster.

The plan was clever, but only to a degree, because he saw a major problem with it: there was no way to deescalate. If they embarked on a path of genocide, the invaders were turning every single person on Deadwaste against them. Perhaps they expected everyone to be cowed, perhaps they only planned to make a few examples, perhaps they just hadn't thought it through. He didn't want to bet on it using other people's lives.

"That's bad, but a stalemate actually works for us." Despite everything, Inafay was smiling grimly. "We need to reduce how much damage they do while we prepare, but otherwise we want to buy time. We could potentially train enough to take them all at once... provided that Kai and the others can gain enough strength to fight the strongest ones."

She glanced toward him and Kai nodded back. "Right. We're working on it." All of that was falling on his shoulders now: the elites might be able to take one on their own, with significant losses, but otherwise Kai and his wives were the only ones who could plausibly win those fights.

Of course, now they had the additional problem of the enormous monster floating over the Frontier. They didn't have any new information about it, so they were waiting on other elites. Once they arrived and Kai was in contact with Gunjin and the communication networks, a whole lot of things would probably happen at once. This was actually his last chance to rest, not that he could enjoy it.

Before their speculations could go much further, a group dropped from the sky to join them. At first Kai was dismissive, since they didn't include teleporters, but they were led by Orotaisin. He and Inafay embraced tightly, but he pulled away to address the group.

"I've completed our scouting," he reported. "The invaders have split into, at best estimate, six different groups. Yangix is flying over Krysal with four men, but so far he hasn't shown any interest in stopping. Jonijix headed north with a dozen men, but eight of them split off and are staying in the Earth Union."

"Are they leaving the continent?" Raghi asked. "I was trying to persuade them, but..."

"We can't be sure yet, but possibly. Unfortunately, two of the strongest stayed together: Fodajix and Budajix appear to be going to Goralia, with five men. That leaves a group of three headed to Irun, and seven who are wandering in the Frontier. Some of them may be in communication, but we aren't sure about that."

Everyone else looked to Raghi, who immediately began sharing what he'd learned. That set off a cascade of everything else, from Wind Union hunters talking to Inafay to an Earth Union elite pulling aside the Prince of Pebbles. It became even more chaotic when Gunjin arrived teleporting several others, including Juray, who rushed to Raghi's side in concern.

With everything going on at once, Kai was concerned about details falling through the cracks, but the elites didn't fall into panic. They quickly accepted the items taken from dead elites by Raghi, and Tusquo woke up from his healing trance to contribute. The items the invaders used were all potent, but as far as Kai could overhear, it seemed like it wouldn't be simple for them to take advantage. If people without a strong grasp of phases tried to use the materials, they could well kill themselves.

That left only one major detail ignored: the apparently unstoppable monster in the Frontier.

When he got a chance, Kai pulled aside Orotaisin and Gunjin. There was no time for greetings, and no need: their intentions and goals were instantly clear from the first glance. Kai barely even needed to bring up what was on his mind before Orotaisin nodded in understanding.

"The continent destroyer is moving southwest," he reported, "possibly chasing the remaining invaders. I have one and only one piece of good news: it's slow. But the elites tried to launch a long distance attack and failed to seriously harm it, and its power is estimated to be beyond anything we've seen before."

"Raghi saw it kill invaders," Kai told them, "including one of the five strongest. It seems to be fully phased, or close to it, and it's very destructive. If it gets to the Frontier wall, it will probably demolish it. And if it gets to a city..."

"It's a bleak situation," Gunjin said, "and our resources are limited. In fact, we only have one card to try: Kai, are you willing to fight it?"

"I can try." Kai rolled his shoulders, trying not to show any anticipation, because as much as the monster triggered his hunger, it seemed overwhelming. "Have the invaders gotten far enough away that we won't risk them coming after me?"

"Yes, they'll be leaving the continent soon. We've done tests and the monster itself doesn't show signs of suppressing teleportation, so while it's more dangerous, it's a more conventional problem. How much time do you need to prepare?"

"None. Let's go."

It took almost no time to confirm with the others, then Kai and Gunjin stepped through a portal to the southern Frontier. They were still at a distance, but even from a league away, the monster loomed in the sky ominously. It seemed to have fixated more of its mouths downward, breathing a fell mist over the land below. Currently it fell on empty wasteland, but if it reached civilization...

Kai stepped forward, cracking his knuckles and transforming them into claws in the process. There was no way this was going to be easy, if it was even possible. He viewed the first step as just analysis, figuring out what they even faced. As he strained his spiritual sight and monstrous instincts, eventually he managed to resolve something.

<

Monster: Abhorroid

Threat: XXIV (Omega)

>

His soul called the thing an Abhorroid, and that sounded about right to Kai. What might matter more was that it was classed as an omega-rank threat, which seemed absurdly beyond anything he should be attempting to fight.

But there was no one else. Kai gathered his power and rushed to attack.