The VTOLs’ engines roared to life, the thrusters kicking up a storm of dust and debris as they prepared for liftoff. The ramp of the first transport was already closing as the remaining ECHOs scrambled aboard.

Inside, Leo, Samir, and Elena found each other amid the packed cabin, their bodies tense despite the momentary reprieve.

Leo scanned the cramped space. “Where’s Arthur?”

Elena, frowning, quickly activated her comms. “He’s probably on one of the other VTOLs.” But as soon as the connection clicked, the sound of plasma bolts, the crackle of energy blades, and the unmistakable grunt of exertion came through the channel.

Elena’s heart dropped. “A…Arthur, please don’t tell me you stayed behind!”

Nearby, ECHOs who overheard her words turned, their expressions shifting from exhaustion to shock.

Leo clenched his fists. “Shit.”

Samir’s face darkened. “Please tell me you are joking, Arthur…he.”

The pilot’s voice came through the intercom. “Ma’am, we have to take off now! If we wait any longer, we will be sitting ducks!”

Elena ignored him, gripping her comms tighter. “Arthur! Get your ass over here! Now!”

Static crackled before Arthur’s voice came through, breathless but steady. “Don’t wait for me. I can’t hold them back much longer from reaching the transports.”

A cold weight settled in Elena’s stomach. “No, Arthur, we are NOT leaving you behind!”

“You don’t have a choice.” Arthur’s voice was calm but firm. “They’ll overrun us if you don’t take off now. Go and reinforce the base, I’ll meet you there.”

Leo slammed a fist against the VTOL’s wall. “Damn it, Arthur!”

Elena’s grip tightened on her rifle, her voice wavering between anger and desperation. “You idiot! You can’t fight all of them alone!”

Arthur sighed, but his tone turned sharper, more authoritative. “That’s an order, soldier.”

Elena froze.

The cabin went silent except for the hum of the VTOL’s engines and the distant echoes of the battle. The weight of his words hit all of them like a punch to the gut. Even if Arthur was their commanding officer now, he was their teammate first.

The pilot’s voice broke through. “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but we have to go. Now.”

Elena’s hands shook as she pressed the comm once more, her voice barely above a whisper. “Don’t you dare die on us, Arthur. Or I swear…”

Leo placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. “Trust him,” he said, his voice quieter but resolute. “If Arthur says he can do it, then he’ll damn well do it.”

Samir remained silent, his expression unreadable, but his clenched jaw betrayed his thoughts.

Around them, the other ECHOs stood in grim silence. Many of them owed their lives to Arthur, some of them had been saved by him just minutes ago. Leaving him behind felt like betrayal.

But deep down, they knew staying would only make things worse. They had seen Arthur effortlessly taking out the Chimerian commander, if they intervened they would only hold him back in the battlefield.

The engines roared. The VTOLs lifted off.

Through the rear viewport, they caught a final glimpse of the battlefield below, a storm of plasma bolts, smoke, and towering Chimerian warriors converging on a lone figure standing defiant against impossible odds.

Arthur.

And then, the VTOLs soared into the sky.

…

On the battlefield after the ECHOs left.

Arthur stood facing the oncoming Chimerians, he took out his sword and activated its plasma edges, the fiery glow of his sword illuminating the carnage around him. The Chimerian forces surged toward him like a tidal wave of bodies and weapons, but he didn’t falter. His grip tightened on his blade, its edges flaring with red-hot energy.

“Alright…” He bent his knees, energy thrumming through his muscles. “It’s showtime.”

Then, he lunged forward towards the rushing Chimerians.

The first wave of Chimerian elites and grunts barely had time to react. Arthur moved like a blur, weaving through them with ruthless precision. His sword cut through flesh and armor as though they were paper. One elite swung a massive war axe at his head, Arthur sidestepped, spun, and drove his blade through its chest. With a flick, he yanked it free, sending a spray of violet Chimerian blood into the air.

Another elite leaped at him, energy blades crackling. Arthur twisted midair, parrying the attack before driving a brutal kick into the creature’s sternum. The force destroyed its armor and shattered its ribs and sent it flying into a group of advancing soldiers, knocking them over like bowling pins.

Screams filled the battlefield. Heads rolled. Limbs were severed. Some of the Chimerians barely had time to register Arthur’s presence before they were cut down, their bodies collapsing in grotesque heaps. He moved through them like a force of nature unstoppable, relentless.

From the back, five towering figures watched the carnage. The Chimerian Commanders, their eyes burned with fury as they saw their forces being butchered.

One of them growled in their guttural tongue. “This one is dangerous. We must stop him now.”

Arthur flicked the blood from his sword and glanced at them. 

“Finally,” Arthur muttered. “Some challenge.”

The first commander lunged. Fast. It closed the distance in a blink, swinging a titanic hammer downward, aiming to crush Arthur into paste. Arthur sidestepped at the last moment, the impact sending out a shockwave that cratered the ground. He retaliated instantly, slashing at the Chimerian’s side. Sparks flew as the blade cut into its armor.

Before Arthur could follow up, the second commander was on him, thrusting a spear at his chest. He raised his forearm, letting the spear glance off his armor, before twisting and delivering a vicious elbow strike to its jaw. The commander staggered, but the third came in from behind, swinging a massive energy cleaver.

Arthur ducked, the blade missing by mere inches. He kicked backward, sending the third commander skidding away, then flipped over an incoming strike from the fourth.

The fifth commander didn’t attack immediately. It stood back, observing.

The first commander roared and charged again, hammer raised high. Arthur met it head-on, catching the weapon’s handle with his bare hand. The force of the impact sent a minor tremor through the ground, but Arthur barely budged.

The Chimerian’s four eyes widened.

Arthur smirked. “Not strong enough.”

With a brutal yank, he ripped the hammer from the commander’s grip and spun, using its own weapon against it. The hammer slammed into the Chimerian’s chest, the impact launching it backward like a missile, cracking its armor. It crashed through a huge boulder, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

The remaining commanders hesitated for a fraction of a second.

Arthur took full advantage.

He moved. Faster than they could react.

The second commander barely had time to raise its spear before Arthur was on it. His sword flashed, severing both of its left arm in a single, fluid motion. The creature bellowed in agony, but Arthur silenced it with a decapitating strike.

The third and fourth commanders attacked in unison, coming from both sides. Arthur blocked one with his forearm and caught the other’s wrist mid-swing. With a grunt, he twisted, breaking the fourth commander’s arm before driving his blade through its chest. And with a quick motion decapitating the third commander.

The fifth commander finally moved. It barked out an order, and suddenly, the remaining Chimerian elites rushed forward, swarming Arthur from all directions.

He sighed. “Annoying.”

They came in waves. Plasma blades, energy rounds all aimed to overwhelm him. Arthur danced between them, his sword never stopping. He cleaved through one elite, then another, twisting and ducking as a barrage of plasma bolts zipped past. One Chimerian lunged from behind, Arthur spun, grabbing it by the throat and hurling it into an incoming soldier.

The battlefield became a storm of carnage. Bodies piled up around him, but the commanders weren’t done.

The first one, the hammer-wielder, had recovered. It roared, charging with reckless fury. Arthur turned just in time to see it swinging again, this time faster.

Arthur ducked. The hammer whooshed over his head. He surged forward, slicing into the commander’s leg, cutting deep. It stumbled, and before it could regain its footing, Arthur drove his sword straight through its skull.

Four down.

Only the fifth remained.

The last commander took a step back, gripping its twin energy blades tightly. As if it had watched something unbelievable.

Arthur rolled his shoulders. “Not gonna run, are you?”

The commander exhaled sharply and entered a low stance.

Arthur grinned. “Good.”

They clashed.

Blades met in a flurry of sparks, both moving at near-blinding speeds. Arthur pushed the commander back with a series of heavy strikes, forcing it onto the defensive. It retaliated, going for his legs, then his torso, each attack deflected with precise parries.

The fight became a blur of steel and energy. The commander was skilled, adapting quickly. This one was stronger and faster than the other four. But Arthur was faster.

After fighting for more than five minutes he finally found an opening.

Arthur rammed his fist into the commander’s gut, denting its armor. As it staggered, he followed up with a vicious upward slash, cleaving straight through its chest.

The Chimerian gurgled, its body failing.

Arthur stepped forward, grabbing its faceplate. He met its gaze for a brief moment before driving his sword into its throat.

It collapsed.

Silence.

Arthur exhaled, surveying the battlefield. The once overwhelming army around him was now nothing more than corpses and fleeing Chimerians.

He rolled his neck, popping a few joints. “Alright… Now let’s clean up the place.”

With that he activated his ‘Map’, and turned toward the Chimerians and started another slaughter.

…

Arthur moved through the battlefield, eliminating every Chimerian he encountered. His ‘Map’ allowed him to track movement within a five kilometer radius (3.1 miles), highlighting enemy positions with pinpoint accuracy. No straggler escaped his notice. 

Each encounter was swift and merciless, he even destroyed the dropships so that the Chimerians could not use them again to retreat.

A squad of elites attempted to set up an ambush among the wreckage of fallen ships and rocky terrain. Arthur didn’t bother approaching from the front. Instead, he used his thrusters to leap atop a high boulder, and landed directly behind them. By the time they realized he was there, his sword was already cleaving through them.

Another group tried to retreat, likely to regroup at another location. Arthur didn’t let them. He sprinted across the battlefield, closing the gap in moments. The first Chimerian turned, only for Arthur’s sword to carve through its torso. The others barely had time to scream before he dispatched them with a brutal efficiency, their bodies collapsing in the dirt.

He kept moving, every second bringing him closer to the base.

That was when he heard the shriek of thrusters overhead.

***

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