Break Through
By this time, the rebel army had successfully infiltrated the capital under Cliveâs lead. They were heading towards the palace as Cliveâs communication device rang out. Several words were transmitted over, causing Cliveâs facial expression to change immediately.
âItâs a code from the palace, weâve been found out! The palace has been closed down, and the imperial forces were mobilisedâ¦â Cliveâs expression grew unsightly, âWithout those insiders itâll be much more difficult for us to break into the palaceâ¦â
âWe didnât expect to avoid much trouble in the first place. In fact, just being able to infiltrate the capital is worth being excited over, isnât it?â Crowley looked behind him.
They were currently in the capitalâs streets, those behind them all bloodline carriers and warriors armed with firearms, along with a portion of the military. This motley crowd radiated grandeur as they walked forward.
Even more surprising was that the capitalâs citizens were all hiding behind closed doors, glancing occasionally at them but not standing out. It was like the guards of the capital had all perished. The group felt strange, as if the imperial army and the entire capital accepted their presence.
âLooks like revealing the existence of Project X and the Tree of Life to the public has indeed been effectiveâ¦â Bobbi looked at her surroundings, âAt least those lower-ranked soldiers will not fight against us.â
âMore important is that outing the royal family destroyed their trust in their government. We now have to work separately. Cut the palaceâs power; even if they have a spare we can still take advantage of the confusion.â
An unswerving determination appeared on Cliveâs face. âThe interior of the Special Forces headquarters contains a detailed map of the palace. It can help us with our plan, Iâll take care of it!â
âDo you want to settle your grudge with your brother?â Bobbi rolled her eyes. âItâs up to you. Although Iâve had problems with them for a while, our target right now is the palace.â
âThanks!â Clive straightened his back, an unyielding and determined look on his face. âI promise Iâll succeed!â
A portion of the retired and serving officers separated from the rebel army, rushing towards the headquarters of the Special Forces.
âEh? Whatâs going on?â After arriving at the Special Forces headquarters, Clive was stunned to discover that it has become a slaughterhouse. Numerous black cloaked bodies fell on the ground with an unbelieving expression.
âThis was all done by one person, andâ¦â Clive stood up and walked past a dead body while entering the headquarters.
âYouâre finally here, my benevolent brother!â Javis had long been waiting here, his eyes containing an evil sneer.
Preventing the others from indiscriminately rushing into action, Clive spoke with a heavy tone. âYou killed those people outside? Why?â
âThey were a group of fools. They started to panic and think of rebelling after hearing the rumours, so I had to send the useless trash off personally.â Javis blew his fingernails while speaking, as if he had only killed a few ants.
âEven now you still canât let it go? Iâm sorry for what happened, but our brother should not be the reason for you to turn to evil. Itâs time to stop!â Tears brimmed in Cliveâs eyes as he spoke.
âStop? Are you kidding me? The project is going to succeed, and third brotherâs soul is about to come back. At this point in time, you are telling me to stop?â Clothes ripped apart, and a cloud of black energy emerged from Javisâ body. âIâll turn you into a corpse!â
âSigh⦠I didnât expect that it would come to this between brothersâ¦â Clive sighed, âYou were a genius from birth. However, you lacked the most important quality of the strong as you advanced on your road for power⦠Love, and forgivenessâ¦â
One of the soldiers raised his laser gun, firing a warning shot towards Javis.
âItâs not too late for you to change your mind,â Clive tried to persuade him for the last time.
âYou should be the one changing their mind, not me!â Even surrounded by the rebels there was not a trace of fear in Javisâ eyes. Instead, he seemed like he was watching a good show.
âNot good!â Clive understood his brother well, and heâd noticed the abnormality. Still, he couldnât make out what it was.
*Thud!* One of the rebels suddenly fell to the floor, twitching unconsciously.
âWhatâs wrong?â Cliveâs astonishing eyesight allowed him to instantly notice a layer of dark green spreading on the surface of the soldierâs neck.
*Thud! Thud!* The condition seemed to spread, numerous rebels starting to fall one by one. The rest were left staring at each other.
âThe X gene mutated! Have they begun to act?â
Javis seized this momentâs opportunity to attack. âShadow Wind!â
*Whoosh!* A violent tornado suddenly blew everyone away. A cluster of shadows suddenly turned those who remained standing into a fog of blood.
âGuards!â Javisâ rampant laughter was oddly obvious in the wind.
*Creak! Creak!* The metal floor opened up, rows of armed robots moving out to surround Clive and the rest.
âHow now? Whoâs surrounding who?â Javis looked at at his brother. âTo be absent minded with the fall of a few soldiers, you havenât changed indeed. Still so hypocritical!â
âEven if Iâm being hypocritical, itâs still my duty. Just like I rushed here, not to save the country but to prevent you from falling further. Come back, brother!â Clive suddenly stood up.
âAnnoying preachingâ¦â Javis dug his ears and turned back. âHowever, I can give you a chance.
âA showdown between the two of us, where both our people are not to interfere. If you can defeat me, I can give you anything you want. Be it the palace plans or the most important of intelligenceâ¦â
âJust what I had in mind!â Clive clenched his fists, and a terrifying aura exploded in the air.
âWell, then come with me!â Javis walked in and brought Clive to an ancient colosseum. âSo howâs this for an arena? Itâll serve well as your burial place, wonât it?â
âIf death can save you, I will not hesitate.â Clive finally understood that his brother had changed long ago. Heâd become a moment he joined the Special Forces.
*Boom!â Two silhouettes rammed ferociously into each other in the dusty sky, a terrifying battle aura flooding the whole colosseum.
â¦â¦
During this time, a majority of the people in the capital had quietly fallen to the ground. Be they merchants, officials, or even royals, nobody was spared. Everyone who fell foamed at the mouth, a layer of dark green spreading around their bodies. The change was especially pronounced in their eyes. Blood vessels thickened as their pupils lost colour, the eyes turning a complete white.
It wasnât just the humans facing such a situation. The entirety of nature and the ecosphere had suffered from disaster. A majority of insects and other small animals broke out with the symptoms immediately, while those with larger bodies soon followed. The dark green spots spread continuously around their bodies, finally forming a huge markâ the letter X!
âX Gene! This damned Empire, they really did dare to act!â Crowley looked in fury as his men fell to the floor without end.
Still, it was the soldiers, martial artists, and knights that suffered the heaviest casualties. The protection of extraordinary power allowed the Bloodline Alliance and the Coven of Witches to escape the calamity with minimal losses.
âWith Project X activated, the Tree of Life wonât be far behind. We need to break through the palace as soon as possible and get rid of the evil!â Crowley gazed at the huge capital. The masses that were crying due to the previous disaster had received another blow, half of the city dead silent while the other half screamed.
The X gene had spread through more than 60% of the population. About sixty amongst every hundred people had fallen under the Empireâs control the moment it activated the program.
âIt seems like theyâve only lost their mobility and consciousness? They might still be saved!â Bobbi released a sigh of relief.
âNo. Donât you feel like this is suspicious?â Crowleyâs facial expression was instead imposing. âLook at the current situation. Doesnât it look as if the Empire is purging their original consciousness to pave the road for the Tree of Lifeâs activation?â
âReport!â Just then, a liaison officer ran over. âOur front lines have reached the palace, but the enemy robots are holding us back. Weâre currently in a stalemate!â
âSure enough, the Empire has prepared for this situation!â Crowley waved his hands. âLetâs rush there⦠We can only hope Clive deals with Javis more quicklyâ¦â
â¦â¦
The entrance of the Imperial Palace.
Xavier, who was in the midst of battle, suddenly noticed the defensive forcefield of the palace weaken, the robots losing the radiance in their eyes. A pleasant smile surfaced on his eyes.
âCliveâs succeeded! Everyone, rush in with me!â
The morale of the rebels rose instantly. Although the Empire had a reserve energy source for moments like this, they didnât have the time to switch. Their defence was suddenly broken.