Chapter 157 - Fallout

Kyle watched as Dekar landed yet another weak punch on Mornero's face, his coarse knuckles drawing blood on the current president who was tied up in a chair. Kyle didn't say anything, but couldn't help thinking the entire situation was a bit of a farce. If anyone else were to see this, this could be constituted as a presidential brawl. Galactic Era streamers would kill to broadcast such an event. 

Still, Kyle didn't laugh or mock either of them, simply standing by the side as Dekar continued to beat up Mornero with every little bit of energy that he could muster from his tortured body. It had been only two weeks since he was rescued from the prison in Creuliz, and while the color had returned to his skin, his arms were still taut and strained around the bones, lingering signs of malnutrition yet to fade.

Dekar threw a last punch, the smack echoing through the underground bunker room. "And that's for torturing Johan, you slimy fuck. Thousands believed in you, even Johan and me! We treated you like our brother, and this is how you repay us?"

"...ha...hahaha... looks like I wasn't the only fool." Mornero chuckled weakly, blood trickling down his nose as he let out a slight grin, his front teeth already missing. "We were never brothers, you fool. How could we be, when you're the same people who killed my parents!"

"What?! We didn't kill anyone - you were an orphan!"

"Remember Turin? Remember the village? The looks on the faces of my brothers and sisters as you trapped them in the mansion to burn to ashes?!" Mornero's voice raised into a roar. "I saw you, Dekar. You were the one to bar the doors, to prevent them from escaping! And you ask me to believe in you, to believe in democracy, when I've seen firsthand how stupid and wretched the blind masses can be! I am Mornero Turin, son of Morrn Turin the 3rd, heir to the title of Turin and everything within its region! And even if I die, the sins you and Johan have wrought upon the people shall be carried on by those who remember!"

Dekar's face was aghast, clearly remembering that day. "I don't ... that's not possible. You were an orphan in that village, they treated you badly-"

"And you bought the whole story, hook, line, and sinker. Now you know what I felt when my world was turned upside down by your filthy rebels, and you'll live with the pain forever, just like I did." Mornero taunted. "Enjoy inheriting a broken Versia!"

"Have you no thought for the common folk, the common Versian suffering under all of this?!"

"No, because they are mere cattle. Sheep to be herded and culled. Just like how you treated my family."

"You...! You killed thousands just because of a misunderstanding?! If you have just explained yourself-"

"And everyone would live happily ever after? When your men were just done massacring an entire village of servants for trying to save their masters? You and I both know what would happen the moment I spoke the truth." Mornero closed his eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh. "I tire of this world. I tire of being surrounded by idiots being lectured by fools. Just kill me or starve me in silence. Execute me in public if you have to, anything to end this farce."

"Mornero..!" Dekar raised his hand to smack Mornero, but Dekar found his wrist grabbed by the armored Kyle.

"There'll be a time for retribution later. Right now, you have a country to save."

"I... you're right. I'll deal with him later." Dekar put down his hand and turned to leave the bunker, Kyle letting go of him.

"Sasha, make sure Mornero has no way of killing himself. Ensure he is well fed." Kyle ordered, following Dekar out back into the parliament. They headed straight to the meeting chamber, where the other ministers and cronies of Mornero were already gathered, tied up and forced onto their knees. The moment Dekar entered the chamber, they immediately lurched forward, their bodies squirming on the floor as they tried to beg for mercy.

"Please, Dekar, I was wrong! I knew the charge against you was false, but I couldn't stand up on my own, not without help-"

"I knew all along that you were framed! But I had to play along! I was biding my time for the right time to strike, and now that you're back in power, my skills and network will be of great value to you-"

"I can give up every bribe and tenar that Mornero has given me! Please just let me go, I'll make sure to exile myself from politics, you have my word."

While the ministers all cried out and wailed, trying to earn Dekar's grace, Dekar simply walked up to a nearby Ghost, motioning for the Ghost's repeater. The Ghost handed it over without hesitation, Dekar cocking the barrel and bringing it to bear on the ministers. Before any of them could react, Dekar squeezed the trigger with abandon, the pellets blasting the bodies into chunks of flesh and rivers of blood in the blink of an eye.

Neither the Ghosts nor Kyle flinched as Dekar continued his warpath of execution, taking the time to kill each of the ministers one by one, personally walking up to their bodies and finishing them off. "Wait, Dekar, please! I was one of the originals-" A minister held up his hand in a vain attempt to halt Dekar, his legs desperately squirming away like a caterpillar to get away.

"Then you know the revolution was forged in blood, and it ends in blood," Dekar muttered, firing a pellet right through one of his best friends in the revolution. He half-expected to feel something, but the months of torture and suffering had hardened his heart to anyone who had betrayed him. None of Mornero's cabinets were worthy of saving in his eyes, not even if they owned more than half of Tenar.

Dekar walked calmly, each step measured as his soles seeped in the rivers of blood that tainted the marble flooring. He moved up to an elevated podium meant for the President of Versia to address the parliament and the various members seated in the pews. Instead, the chamber was strewn with the bodies of traitors, liars and two-faced revolutionaries, Dekar feeling a sense of peace come over his heart.

The Ghosts immediately saluted as Dekar took up position behind the presidential podium adorned with the emblem of Versia. "Are we connected?" Dekar asked a nearby Ghost.

The Ghost gave a thumbs up. "Ready for your inauguration speech, President."

"Good." Dekar closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he threw his repeater to one side. The moment his eyes shot wide open again, it was as if a different persona had taken over: a man with unbelievable tenacity and persistence, firm and strong enough to lead an entire nation.

"CITIZENS OF TENAR, OF VERSIA! HEAR MY WORDS! The usurper Mornero and his cronies have been defeated!" Minister Dekar shouted with all of his might into the microphone, his voice carrying all over the city. Loudspeakers and arctech radios blared his words into the various districts, the Ghosts amplifying it into the riot zones and clashes that were still ongoing. Fighters on both sides stopped, confused about what was happening.

"Mornero killed Johan by his own hands and tortured me for months on end! He and Harrison conspired to steal the entire Versian state from the hands of the true rulers and started a war in a bid to consolidate their power. As the true successor to President Johan's legacy, I, Dekar Liopal, will now assume the presidency of Versia! Mornero has been captured, and no longer holds any power. And as my first presidential command, I order the Versian army to cease the suppression campaign!"

The Versian soldiers who were still holding back the radicals on the ground were utterly bewildered by the sudden change in command, exchanging confused glances as their ranking officers tried to figure out what was happening.

"And for my second presidential command, I hereby declare the Volunteer Corps disbanded. Anyone who still clings to that identity shall be identified as terrorists and shall be shot on sight! We are under siege, Versian, and this is not the time for division. All shall be united under one banner to fight against tyranny and injustice! We have defeated one within, now we must work together to defeat the one beyond our walls! " Dekar continued. "All soldiers are to rally together and assemble at the bases for reorganization! Purge the traitors; glory to Versia!"

The public announcement boosted the morale of the radicals and other Versian citizens alike, while the city garrison and Versian army soldiers were all still in a state of shock, trying to reconsider their allegiance. "We're the army, not the followers of a single man. Even if the President changes, our job as the army is to stay loyal to the seat, not who's on it!" A conservative general barked to his men, ordering them to gather in the base.

Versian soldiers who were originally suppressing the riots were recalled in droves, while the smarter officers knew that the gig was up. "We're done for! After this battle is over, it will be revealed that we were in cahoots with Mornero and Harrison!" A general exclaimed as he watched the soldiers all returning to base. "We need to leave the city, now!"

"Sir, I received word from Harrison that we should evacuate to Ulut." An officer reported.

"Do it, right now. Get everyone who's with us, and we'll sneak out!"

The general gathered his loyal men and sychopants, trying to flee the military base in stolen wagons only to be stopped by Versian guards who had already been convinced of Dekar's legitimacy. "General, sir, why are you leaving the base? The President has ordered us to assemble in the base?!" The guard peered into the driver's cabin, eyeing the general who was sitting in the passenger seat.

"I have orders, private. Now let me and my men through!" The general snapped.

"Under whose order?" The guard squinted in suspicion, other guards joining him to block the general's wagon convoy from exiting.

"My order, private! I am a one-star general. Step out of the way immediately!" The general tried to fake it, but he could see from the corner of his eyes more and more guards surrounding the convoy. "I have a very important mission to carry out outside the city! If you don't let me through, there will be severe circumstances!"

"Then I'll have to call up the President to verify the order!" The guard insisted, but before he could reach for his radio strapped to his belt, the general pulled a handgun and shot the guard dead on the spot.

"Break the damn barricade!" The general roared, slapping the driver next to him, urging him to charge forward. The guards attempting to block the convoy leaped out of the way as the wagon crashed headlong into the barricade, dragging the concrete, stopping blocks along with it as it cleared a path. Each of the wagons in the convoy came under heavy fire as the guards opened fire.

A stray pellet struck the window on the driver's side, shattering the glass shard apart as other pellets sailed in, ripping a hole through the driver's throat. The driver let go of the wheel as he tried to stop the blood gushing out from his jugular, causing the wagon to spiral out of control freely and tip over into a violent crash.

The world spun around the general as he braced himself, his body slamming into the top of the cabin while the wagon flipped over, blocking off the entire street through which the rest of the convoy tried to escape. "Fuck!" The general cursed as he found his leg pinned by the crushed cabin's frame, while the driver gurgled on his own blood, hanging limp upside down. "Hey! Send two guys over to hel-"

The general's cry for help was sent spiraling as the wagons behind hardly cared for his safety, instead slamming his wagon out of the way with impunity. No one actually cared if the general lived or died, only that they got out of the city safely. The surviving wagons raced to the city gates, where the same opening from the escape of Harrison Industries' personnel was still there. Versian guards stationed at the wall fought with each other as long-time squad mates bickered and argued over which president to follow, allowing more and more to escape past the city.

"Damn those idiots, shit!" The general swore under his breath as he grimaced, preparing to yank his body free from under the crushed frame when he suddenly saw the side door yanked open, three hands reaching out to grab him. "Get your filthy hands off me, I am a general!"

His cries went unanswered as he was beaten brutally, his clothes and rank stripped off till he was left in his underwear, covered in bruises. They dragged him to the center of the base, where the newly inaugurated President Dekar was already examining the gathered troops alongside a division of Ghosts, rearranging the generals. The general tried to protest, but he was immediately gagged and hung up by his arms for the entire assembly of Versian soldiers to see.

"The supporters of Mornero and Harrison are still within our midst, colluding with each other to profit over the dead bodies of our fellow Versians. For every minute this war lasts, they are laughing all the way to the bank at the expense of your dead brothers and sisters. They, just like the former general here, think of you as dumb, useless scum that does not deserve the right to determine the course of the country!" Dekar rallied the troops with a convincing speech.

"Today, all of you now have the power to do what is right! Fight! Stand up for your rights! For Versia shall be reforged in the blood of enemies! Purge the enemy; glory to Versia!"

"Purge the enemy; glory to Versia!" The soldiers chanted in response while Dekar left the stage, leaving the naked general hanging helplessly by his arms as a reminder to those that would betray him.

"All Ghosts, capture everyone trying to leave the city. Do not let a single traitor escape our grasp!" Kyle ordered. "Jaden, stop the convoys who have already left the city!"

[ Already on it! ] Jaden and his mineral ant squadron were now freed up from having to fight the Versian fighters, instead utilizing their immense mobility to catch up with the fleeing wagons. One by one, the fleeing soldiers screamed and scattered on foot as the wagon's metal cabins were shredded like butter by the swooping mineral ants, while the riding Ghosts shot the soldiers out in the open field.

The entire city's atmosphere turned on its head, with more than half of the army joining sides with the radicals and the Ghosts, fighting against the retreating supporters of Mornero and the remnants of the Volunteer Corps. A bloody massacre even more intense than General Verian's suppression campaign was unleashed onto the streets, the angry radicals taking out their rage and frustration on the Volunteer Corps.

Even the civilians who supported Mornero were not spared, a list of rich business and factory owners compiled and used against them by the Ghosts. Furious mobs armed to the teeth with military-grade weapons stormed the houses of the owners, raiding and pillaging everything in sight. Prisoners were taken by the people, left in chains out in front of the parliament as they tried to plead for mercy, hoping to avoid the eventual execution.

As the purge continued, Kyle took charge of the combined Ghosts and the Versian army, observing the situation beyond the walls. With the city garrison in chaos, Count Leon's forces had already begun to launch a frontal assault. He must have already heard about the loss of his knights. Kyle assumed Count Leon would have missed a regular check-in by his knights as of now, and the public announcement by Dekar would have surely been heard.

"Redirect the Aurtla bombers. Change targeting list to the logistical lines!" Kyle ordered on the radio. The bomber crews complied, swapping out their original maps of Tenar and its various bombing points. Instead, they used a pre-prepared map, labelled with the various retreating points that Count Leon's army could take as well as their supply locations.

"Versian troops, stall the frontal assault before the walls are breached! Culo, Lisa, deploy every available Ghost to assist them!"

At the base of the southern and western walls, a brutal fight for domination played out as both sides vied for victory. "THERE IT IS! THE CAPITAL IS WITHIN TOUCH! PUSH! PUSH FOR GLORY!" A Raktor platoon sergeant roared with all his might.

"HOLD! HOLD THE LINE FOR VERSIA! DON'T LET THE YUAL DOGS WIN!" The Versian generals yelled, motivating the troops defending the base of the walls while they fought tooth and nail. Bodies piled up as high as mounds, soldiers clashing in a torrent of flames, smoke, explosions, and mud. The soil was tossed non-stop as mortar and artillery rounds pounded the ground into loose dirt. Broken warmachines burned furiously as they hit mines, with knights cowering in shell scrapes, taking a moment to rest before the next push was ordered.

The progress of Count Leon's forces began to slow down more as reinforcements from within the city arrived, and Culo and Lisa joined the fray. "Looks like we're back at the frontlines again!" Culo smiled, donning his knight armor.

"Much more armored and well supplied this time," Lisa remarked, readying her railgun and aiming it far ahead at a mortar emplacement. She fired a bunker buster projectile, the shot traveling the length in a blink of an eye, setting the emplacement alight. The flames licked against the explosive mortar rounds, triggering them as a series of chain explosions blew the mortar crew into smithereens.

Armored Ghosts poured out from doors in the walls, dropping down onto the battlefield and stopping the sappers head-on. Metal fists were thrown, and grunts and shouts of battle were heard as the Ghosts fought to the death alongside the Versian soldiers. At their hearts, the Ghosts were all native Versian citizens, each of them knowing that if they lost here, Versia as a whole would fall entirely.

"KILL THE YUAL DOGS!" Culo roared, leading a charge into the makeshift trench that the Raktor forces had just dug. Personnel point defense systems flared up, the air a mess of whizzing green arcia bolts and zipping pellets, the din of Raktor warmachines swiveling on the spot running tremors through the soil.

However, a sudden explosion rocked the battlefield, a sapper making it through and igniting a charge on a part of the southern walls. The collapse of rock and stone stunned the Versian military, causing morale to drop while the Raktor soldiers let out a unified cheer of victory.

"TO THE BREACH! TO THE BREACH!" A Raktor soldier roared with all his might, charging with abandon up the pile of rubble that led right into the capital. The Versian defenders began to falter at the sight of the Raktor soldiers rushing the breach, some desperately trying to fire into the throng and only managing to stop a few.

Culo's eyes widened at the breach, about to order a flank attack on the charging Raktor soldiers when a blinding dazzling light erupted before them at the backline of Count Leon's forces. Aurtla bombers streaked past in an arc, cloud trails swirling from their wyvern-like wingtips as they dropped a line of bombs all across the supply points. Green arcia bolts lanced upwards helplessly towards the bombers as they tried to take out the bombs in vain. The chain of explosions ignited the treeline in which the rear reserves were waiting, killing the logistical workers and blowing up both the armories and ammunition dumps in their entirety.

The ammunition sparked a chain reaction, the devastation spreading further and further even while the Aurtla bombers circled back around, decimating every tent in sight. Amidst the rows of supply tents and commander tents that were now ablaze, a sphere of ice surrounded Count Leon's tent, shielding it from the immense heat. However, the impact of the shockwave still knocked him and his generals off-balance while the mage continued to channel the defensive barrier.

"Sir, we've been betrayed by the Ghosts!" One of Count Leon's generals exclaimed in shock.

"I can see that, you idiot!" Count Leon scowled as he stood back up, dusting the dirt off his own arctech armor. "Take down those fucking flies, now!" He ordered the mage, but the mage did not budge.

"I cannot do that, sir."

"What do you mean? You took them down in the first battle just fine!"

"I was ordered by the duke to ensure your safety. If I turn my attention to the Aurtla planes, I may not have enough arcia left to protect you. Your life will be in jeopardy."

Count Leon seethed as he looked out beyond the glacial barrier, seeing that nearly half of his supplies were on fire, spreading rapidly. Already, the surviving soldiers were wielding high-pressured arctech water cannons to control the growing fire that threatened to consume the remaining supplies. At the same time, he could see his soldiers faltering at the front lines, their jubilant morale now shattered by the sight of their own camp in flames. I...I have no chance of winning Tenar now!

"Retreat! Full retreat back to Ocra! Load everything we have into the functional wagons and move! We'll storm Ocra before the Versian army can catch up!" With the morale of his army at an all-time low, Count Leon knew he could only settle for at least a minor win in Ocra.

The various Raktor divisions formed into a line as they retreated, carrying anything they could while the rearguard fought tooth and nail to suppress the Versian military, preventing them from catching up. In his own personal wagon, Count Leon cursed under his breath as he sat with three other knights, the last of his personal retinue. My knights were supposed to kill the Ghost leader in the catacombs. They outnumbered him - how did they still lose?! He couldn't wrap his head around just what had happened to his knights, but he tried to purge himself of the thoughts of regret, instead focusing his efforts on what he could do next.

"Sir, reporting!" The driver relayed information from the radio installed in the cabin. "The Versian military are not pursuing us. Count Kregol is covering our retreat from the west as well."

"Good. Send an advance division to begin sieging Ocra immediately. We must win the city at all costs and hold the line!" Count Leon ordered. "Send my order to all the surviving generals and division commanders!"

"Yes, sir!"

Once I have a hold on Ocra, I can use it to stall the Versian military while I return to Raktor to crush the major gang rebellion. Count Leon tried to console himself, calming down as the wagon rolled unsteadily on the muddy pathways already worn down by continuous wagon usage. Still, his paranoid mind had him continuously glancing out of the cabin's side windows for any potential ambush. He kept his arctech armor, unwilling to part with it when the day had already gone so awry.

One of the accompanying knights sitting opposite took notice of Count Leon's unease. "Sir, the advance division has already ensured the security of the path."

"And I just lost more than a hundred of my best personal knights to an unknown fate!" Count Leon snapped back. "Your own brothers in arms! I would rather be prepared than to be caught off-guard again!"

"Yes, sir." The knight took it as a sign to shut up. Count Leon sighed, nervously clutching his sword as his body tensed up, his eyes still darting about. It was still bright daylight, the rays streaming through the burnt branches of dead trees long incinerated by warfare. Stumps and blackened bushes dotted the landscape around the once-former verdant forest.

The wagon jostled violently, hitting a hump and causing Count Leon to bump into the side of the cabin. It wouldn't matter too much to the Count, given the circumstances, but he felt that something was terribly wrong. He placed his gauntlet on the cabin's metal, mumbling under his breath.

"Sir, is something wrong?"

"The cabin feels... cold. How can it be cold at noon?"

Before the knights could respond, they too felt the same chill entering their bones, frost building up on the interior of the cabin as the temperature within suddenly dropped. While they struggled to make sense of the sudden weather change, Count Leon knew exactly what was going on. "DRIVE FASTER NOW!" Count Leon roared at the driver.

The driver let out a yelp, flooring the acceleration pedal while the engine churned louder and louder, arcia fuel bubbling. The wagon sped off, overtaking the nearby marching divisions who were already beginning to shiver in the cold.

"Sir, what's going on?" One of the knights exclaimed in horror.

"That damn mage, he was sent by the Duke to assassinate me!" Count Leon joined the dots in his head. So this is how you want to get rid of me? Fat chance! "Take a detour, head right, head right!"

"Sir, were we not supposed to go to Ocra."

"I don't give a damn, as long as we get away from the mage! Drive like your life depends on it! Faster!" Count Leon bellowed, the driver complying and swerving to the side. However, just as they were about to drive off the beaten path, Count Leons' peripheral vision spotted a snaking trail of ice shooting past them, freezing the ground ahead before a single large ice shard erupted from the earth.

The wagon slammed headfirst into the shard, and the driver was unable to dodge in time. With a deafening sound, the wagon’s engine ignited with a furious rage, the blue flames immediately exploding with force and ripping the driver's cabin apart.

The rear cabin was far more intact, but the sudden jerk had Count Leon slam into the cabin once more. The momentum of the explosion flipped the wagon multiple times, rolling into the forest before crashing into a black stump, stopping.

Count Leon struggled to get up, his head spinning while his knights recovered much faster. As he clambered out of the cabin's shattered windows, one of the knights tried to pull him out, the other two forming a perimeter against whoever was coming. "Count Leon, you need to run!" The knight urged as he dragged Count Leon out into the open. "We'll hold him of-GURK!"

Count Leon could only watch as a hailstorm of icicles slammed the knight, helping him out directly, their sharp ice tips piercing through the knight's armor like they were made of paper. Not a single drop of blood was spilled as the knight collapsed onto the ground, the frost creeping up his skin from the ground.

"Stop right there!" The other two knights yelled at an approaching figure. "Do you even know who you are-" A dazzling flash of a scythe-shape ice blade cleaved through their bodies, the mage a walking incarnate of fire that contrasted the freezing ground spreading around him.

Count Leon huffed and panted, the ice creeping up into his veins. “So, this is the real reason you didn’t stop the Aurtla strikes…”

"Count Leon. By the authority vested unto me by the Duke himself, he has found you wanting and undeserving of your title. Despite his consistent requests to not start a war, you ignored him and made a fool of both Raktor and his name." The mage spoke calmly as he walked up to Count Leon. "You are no longer a Count, and will be henceforth be executed. May Yual treat your soul with the grace you deserve."