System Supervillain, Chapter 115

Chapter 115 – Display

Segment 5:

Iceblade: +2 CSL to DCV (DCV 14)

Warrior 2: +2 CSL to DCV with HTH combat (HTH DCV 12)

Warrior 2’s attack roll (Area), OCV 10: 3d6 = 14 (Hits DCV 7) (Hits)

Plasma Jet, 14m Line: 2d6+1 = 7 BODY (40 rED)

Stun Multiplier: 1d6-1 = 5 (35 STUN) (40 rED)

Warrior 2: 46/60 END

Iceblade: 42/50 END

Warrior 1: 22/30 BODY

Warrior 1: -28/55 STUN (Knocked Out)

Warrior 2: 46/60 END

Leader A: 26/40 BODY

Leader A: -16/70 STUN (Knocked Out)

Leader B: 77/80 END

The remaining warrior apparently took the downed leader’s threat seriously. Instead of using the disintegrator again, stepped to the side, in order to get a better line on me, without potentially harming the remaining leader, and unleashed a torrent of superhot plasma like it was a flamethrower! My armor absorbed the damage, thankfully. Even more thankfully, it seemed that this plasma was classed as a ‘Solar/Stellar’ effect, rather than ‘Fire’, which would have been really bad. I might have ended up roasted, like the consoles on the wall behind me!

Segment 6:

Iceblade: +2 CSL to OCV (OCV 12)

Warrior 2: +2 CSL to DCV with HTH combat (HTH DCV 12)

Leader B’s attack roll (Iceblade), OCV 13: 3d6 = 6 (Hits DCV 18) (Hits)

Disintegration Beam: 3d6+1 = 8 BODY (20 rED after AP)

Stun Multiplier: 1d6-1 = 1 (8 STUN) (20 rED after AP)

Leader B: 70/80 END

Iceblade uses Martial Strike: +2 DCV (DCV 12), +2 DC Weapon Strike

Iceblade’s Attack Roll (Leader B), OCV 12: 3d6 = 9 (Hits DCV 14) (Hits)

Winter’s Breath: 5d6-1 = 16 BODY (10 rED after AP)

Stun Multiplier: 1d6-1 = 2 (32 STUN) (x2 Vulnerability to Ice/Cold) (10 rED after AP)

Iceblade: 39/50 END

Leader B: 34/40 BODY

Leader B: 16/70 STUN (Stunned)

Iceblade: 39/50 END

Warrior 1: 22/30 BODY

Warrior 1: -28/55 STUN (Knocked Out)

Warrior 2: 46/60 END

Leader A: 26/40 BODY

Leader A: -16/70 STUN (Knocked Out)

Leader B: 70/80 END

Leader B: 34/40 BODY

Leader B: 16/70 STUN (Stunned)

The remaining leader screamed, “DIE, SCALELESS SCUM!” It probably sounded a lot better in the original language, but cultural insults don’t translate well, even on Earth, where most everyone is human, so it made sense that the Gel-nak insults sounded weak to my ears. Less weak, however, was the green disintegrator blast he launched from that pistol of his. Apparently, they were multi-function, just like the big weapons the warriors carried. However, other than removing a few layers of ice, which quickly healed themselves, the blast did nothing to me.

Another cut, and I had the second leader on the ropes. He wasn’t down, yet, but he staggered back a half step. I knew, from experience fighting with the System, that I could try and finish him on the next strike. And then, all I would need to deal with would be the final guard, and the bridge would be mine.

Segment 8:

Iceblade: +2 CSL to OCV (OCV 12)

Warrior 2: +2 CSL to DCV with HTH combat (HTH DCV 12)

Leader B recovers from being stunned

Iceblade uses Martial Strike: +2 DCV (DCV 12), +2 DC Weapon Strike

Iceblade’s Attack Roll (Leader B), OCV 12: 3d6 = 8 (Hits DCV 15) (Hits)

Winter’s Breath: 5d6-1 = 14 BODY (10 rED after AP)

Stun Multiplier: 1d6-1 = 5 (70 STUN) (x2 Vulnerability to Ice/Cold) (10 rED after AP)

Iceblade: 36/50 END

Leader B: 30/40 BODY

Leader B: -124/70 STUN (Knocked Out)

Warrior 2 uses Martial Strike: +2 DCV (DCV 14), +2 DC Weapon Strike

Warrior 2’s Attack roll (Iceblade), OCV 10: 3d6 = 10 (Hits DCV 11) (Miss)

Warrior 2: 39/60 END

Iceblade: 36/50 END

Warrior 1: 22/30 BODY

Warrior 1: -28/55 STUN (Knocked Out)

Warrior 2: 39/60 END

Leader A: 26/40 BODY

Leader A: -16/70 STUN (Knocked Out)

Leader B: 30/40 BODY

Leader B: -124/70 STUN (Knocked Out)

The fog in the leader’s eyes cleared just long enough for him to see my blade cut across his chest once more, sending him to the floor in a crumpled heap. He wasn’t dead. The reptiles were built too sturdily to die from just that, but their cold-blooded nature meant that they were laughably easy to knock out, and then deal with at my leisure.

The remaining warrior, as the last creature standing on the bridge other than myself, dropped his gun, clearly believing it was no use against me, and pulled his big, two-handed blade from where it was clamped to his back, and advanced. He brought his blade down in a powerful overhand blow that I barely slipped out of the way of. Clearly, those muscles weren’t just for show. If I got hit by that blade, it would probably be far worse than any of their other weapons. Fortunately, the warrior was fighting defensively, rather than offensively. Just as I had to respect the power of his blade, he had to respect the power of mine.

Segment 10:

Iceblade: +2 CSL to OCV (OCV 12)

Warrior 2: +2 CSL to DCV with HTH combat (HTH DCV 12)

Iceblade uses Martial Strike: +2 DCV (DCV 12), +2 DC Weapon Strike

Iceblade’s Attack Roll (Warrior 2), OCV 12: 3d6 = 8 (Hits DCV 15) (Hits)

Winter’s Breath: 5d6-1 = 21 BODY (7 rED after AP)

Stun Multiplier: 1d6-1 = 2 (42 STUN) (x2 Vulnerability to Ice/Cold) (7 rED after AP)

Iceblade: 33/50 END

Warrior 2: 16/30 BODY

Warrior 2: -22/55 STUN (Knocked Out)

Iceblade: 36/50 END

Warrior 1: 22/30 BODY

Warrior 1: -28/55 STUN (Knocked Out)

Warrior 2: 16/30 BODY

Warrior 2: -22/55 STUN (Knocked Out)

Leader A: 26/40 BODY

Leader A: -16/70 STUN (Knocked Out)

Leader B: 30/40 BODY

Leader B: -124/70 STUN (Knocked Out)

But respecting the power of my blade wasn’t enough to stop it. My hands moved quicker than his. There was no flaw in the warrior’s stance, nor in how he moved his blade. However, the katana was a weapon designed for quick, decisive attacks, and the reptile’s weakness to cold made it very decisive, indeed. One blow, and the warrior’s eyes rolled back as he crumpled to the ground.

Ten seconds had passed since I began my assault. Ten seconds could seem like a lifetime, in the heat of battle. But I wasn’t done, not yet. I still needed to send a message to the rest of the Gel-nak in the fleet.

After pausing to execute the warriors by taking their heads, I arranged both leaders in their command chairs, propping them up with a bit of ice to ensure that they looked as though they were sitting up straight, before slashing them with my blade once more. Only, this time I used not Winter’s Wrath, but Winter’s Breath, condemning both of them to become ice sculptures, still in their armor, sitting in their command chairs. If my guess was right, and this ‘Rhuk’ the warrior had called me was some sort of ice demon from Gel-nak myth, seeing their commanders turned to ice would definitely have an effect on the remaining leaders, and their crews. As a final touch, I placed the warrior heads in the leaders’ laps.

“Web Mistress, you with me?”

“Yes, I was just checking in on the others.”

“How are things going down on Earth?”

“Stolen Victory and Titania have effectively defanged the battleship they were targeting, as well as the cruiser escort. The ships are still functional, but their primary weapons and engines have taken significant damage. They are unlikely to be able to conduct bombardment operations without descending into reach of ground-based anti-air defenses.”

“Good, and the other battles?”

“Upon hearing that Stolen Victory and Titania were attacking the battleship heading for Cairo, other forces around the world began engaging the invaders. The Radiant Emperor and the Imperial Wūshí, which approximates to ‘Paladins’, or the supers directly in service to the Imperial Court, as well as some Youxia, which are their version of independent heroes, launched a long-range magical assault upon the battleship approaching Beijing, dealing significant damage to its engines. The cruiser is trying to cover the battleship from further attacks as it is in the process of crashing. Impact likely to be in the water off of Tianjin.

“In Washington, the military has begun firing their reverse-engineered weaponry at the battleship. The battleship is returning fire, but the city shield is holding, for now. The Air Force is doing what they can, but they—Wait one,” Web Mistress cut herself off, as new information came in. “An effect that looks like Atomic Machine’s Ion Cannon just punched a hole in the battleship’s shields. Batteries and air-to-air weapons are hitting the ship. Confirmed damage to the engines, the ship is turning to try and break back into high orbit. Cruiser is covering for it.”

I nodded once. And it was a good reminder that, even if I was one of the more powerful supers out there, in charge of one of the most powerful teams, that there were plenty of other powerful supers in the world, and they could pool their resources to do a lot of damage, if they wished. Not to mention that the ‘normal’ people in the world were far from toothless, especially the militaries. There was a reason why I tried to stay away from actual military bases, unless I absolutely had to.

Web Mistress continued her report. “Transports have landed under fire from military and superhuman forces around the world. More than a few villains have given notice through the Guild forums that they are either suspending operations during this crisis, or are looking to help fight the invaders. At the very least, all villains in the targeted cities are ‘off the clock’, as it were. Looks like the biggest guns went after the battleships, as expected, but all ten cities targeted by the transports are engaged in pitched battles. The destroyers are acting as artillery positions, securing those beachheads.”

“How many troops have landed?”

“According to information on their network, each transport has five thousand combat troops on board. However, they appear to be holding a perimeter, rather than trying to push out into the cities. Too orderly to not be practiced. They must have a plan for when they face resistance in one of these invasions.”

“Ambush predators or not, they wouldn’t have risen to sapience if they just gave up whenever prey escaped them or showed the first sign of fighting back. No doubt, they have something nasty planned, as a show of force, or something like that. So, I think we ought to rattle their cage a bit.”

“I assume that’s why you have your little display, there?”

“Yes, I figured it would translate my intent well enough. By the way, have you done any further digging on the cultural background of the Gel-nak? One of the warriors called me a ‘Rhuk’, which I’m guessing is some sort of boogey-man in their culture.”

“Oh, yes! The Rhuk is basically an ‘ice demon’, or something of the sort. Think abilities like a yuki-onna, but with a temperament more like Baba Yaga and a mean streak to make redcaps shudder. Since they’re cold-blooded, an icy killer stalking them in the winter mists, invading dens and the like? Same kind of fear that makes so many ‘human’ monsters be creatures of the night. Can’t find any information on whether they actually exist, or not.”

“That’s perfect. Means that, even if I don’t manage to sway any of the leaders, the warriors and workers are likely going to be quaking in their boots. Either way, it should give their morale a kick in the teeth. All right, I want you to connect me to everyone, everywhere. Every ship, every trooper, every network on Earth. Make it impossible for anyone to ignore what I’m about to say.”

“Oh, this is going to be good!”