Chapter 4: Akkee's Inferno, Thara's Fury
The high-voltage electric net shot through the air towards Akkee at high speed, but before it could reach him, the copper-gold flames protecting his body erupted even more fiercely, becoming a swirling wall of fire that repelled the net. A harsh metallic clang echoed, accompanied by a shower of sparks. The electric net was incinerated into tiny fragments that rained down to the floor before even touching him.
"They have weapons to counter power users!" Akkee shouted to Thara, his eyes flashing fiercely as his body shifted fully into a warrior's stance. "Thara! Protect Ar-Chin!"
Thara did not panic, no matter how critical the situation. Her hands still held her son securely to her chest, but a chilling mist began to form rapidly around her, coalescing into a thin yet diamond-hard barrier of translucent blue ice, enveloping both her and Ar-Chin. "Don't worry about us, dear! Take them down!"
The five black-clad men seemed slightly surprised that their initial attack had missed, but they quickly readjusted their formation. Two fanned out to the sides while the three in the center raised their automatic machine guns, preparing to fire again.
"Suppressive fire!" the team leader yelled.
Akkee gave them no chance to pull their triggers. He roared as he thrust his palms forward. Two immense streams of fire erupted from his hands like a pair of great fire serpents, lunging towards the black-clad group with ferocious precision.
Boom! Boom!
Explosions thundered as two of the black-clad men were struck squarely by Akkee's flames. They were flung in opposite directions, their specialized armor igniting and emitting a foul stench. Though not killed instantly, they were critically injured and incapacitated. The remaining three men hastily dove for cover behind beds and cabinets in the room, narrowly escaping.
"They're not ordinary mercenaries!" one of them cried out in alarm, witnessing the power of Akkee's attack. "The targets are more powerful than estimated!"
"Spread out! Surround him!" the team leader continued to command decisively despite being at a disadvantage. "Use sonic grenades!"
One of the black-clad men hiding behind a steel cabinet was about to retrieve a spherical object, but Thara moved first. Her slender fingertips pointed in his direction, and a jet of frigid water shot from them at high speed. It solidified mid-air into a sharp ice spear, piercing through the steel cabinet and accurately impaling the man's shoulder!
"Arrrgh!" he screamed in agony, the gun and grenade in his hand clattering to the floor.
Akkee seized the moment of the enemy's disarray, lunging towards another black-clad man who was still stunned. His flame-wreathed right fist smashed into the center of the man's chest with tremendous force. The sound of ribs cracking echoed—Crack! The man's body flew backward, slamming into the wall so hard that the concrete cracked, before he crumpled to the floor, motionless.
Now, only the team leader remained standing. He stared at his comrades being taken down one by one, his eyes filled with a mixture of fear and vengeful fury. "You… you will pay for this!" he snarled, raising his machine gun, ready to spray Akkee with a hail of bullets maniacally.
But before he could pull the trigger, the sounds of explosions and fighting erupted continuously from outside the room. It seemed their room wasn't the only one under attack; the entire department was surrounded by enemies.
"Looks like we have more guests than we thought, dear," Thara remarked, still maintaining the ice barrier around herself and her son. The cold mist began to spread throughout the room, giving her and Akkee a visual advantage.
The black-clad team leader glanced hesitantly towards the door. The heavy thud of many more footsteps was approaching, accompanied by shouted commands in a third language, which sounded like it could be the direct tongue of the demon clan!
"Their reinforcements are here!" Akkee gritted his teeth. "We need to find a way out of here!"
Suddenly, a large section of the wall adjoining the corridor exploded inwards! A new wave of black-clad men poured in, accompanied by a monstrous creature resembling a bipedal giant lizard, clad in black metal armor. Its crimson eyes stared at Akkee and Thara with bloodlust, its sharp claws nearly a foot long!
"Kilesa Demon!" Thara exclaimed in shock. This was a low-class servant beast of the Kilesa Demon Clan, far stronger and more brutal than human soldiers.
Seeing his demonic allies arrive, the human team leader's demeanor turned bold once more. "Surround them all! Don't let them escape! Especially that infant!"
Akkee pushed Thara and Ar-Chin back into a corner of the room. He stood tall, facing the new wave of enemies, the flames around his body blazing even brighter, now a brilliant, radiant gold. "If you want my son… you'll have to go through me first!"