The First Few Blows!

First reaction: I was deafened with the war cry of the army. I could also hear the sound travelling from the Xorain army but a little reduced by the time it reached me.

The energy each soldier had and presented as the army jumped into the battle-field was awe-striking. That's when I finally realized that the journey was coming to an end and the final battle we all had imagined about had begun. Not one warrior showed an ounce of fear as we rushed forward. I could see far in my sight, the Xorain army like a group of ants, making their way to the middle just as we did. Soon, the clash would take place and guess whose face would hit first – Blaze Hunt!

I led the first few heavy-hitters towards the Xorain army. Druk who ran right beside me gave war cries at the top of his voice continuously. It was almost as if warriors were inspired and motivated to participate whole-heartedly due to Druk's energy. Wade was a middle-aged man and yet ran like any of us DELTAs. I knew what was in his mind as we tore through the terrain. The same thoughts were in my mind too. This fight was not only about protecting the planet but also to avenge the late Darknorians. Rock Flames, my father Albert, my grandma's sacrifice, and Lily…

Even as the thoughts of Lily came into my mind, I grasped the battle-axe tightly and ran faster, almost surpassing Druk. Thoughts of my failure to protect Lily came back. I could have saved her. I was the one who was supposed to kill Raptor and not Lily who was fatally injured. Standing there, watching Lily sacrificing her life for the DELTAs, I did nothing. I remembered her last words: Victory to the DELTAs!!! Then the armies clashed.

Have you ever had a hundred bees on your face, trying to sting you at the same time? Well, that was what it felt like when the war began. All around, enemies gathered. I was striking Magnum blindly through the crowd, unknown whether the warrior was an enemy or an ally. The first few waves of Xorain army were just a large number of weak soldiers. I was killing maybe six at one strike. They weren't the strongest enemies I had fought till now but they were surely large in number. It almost seemed as if they were regenerating instead of new soldiers taking their place. No matter how many times I attacked, the flow didn't seem to end.

We were so busy fighting that I couldn't spot another DELTA or any Chief General anywhere close. It seemed like I was fighting all alone. Somewhere in the shouts, I heard Mark yelling and I also noticed Druk jumping in the air and pouncing on the foe. But none of them were near me. Allies who were close to me weren't in the best of the states. The number of the Xorain army seemed to be a big problem, not to me, but to our soldiers who weren't used to taking on a bunch of enemies. I saved many of them by killing anyone who came near; but for how long could I keep that up?

One of the allies shouted, "Captain Blaze, leave these puny foes and go take on the tough ones. We will be fine!" Others cried in agreement and I had a smile on my faces. Though our number wasn't impressive, the spirit was. I dashed through the creatures, massacring hundreds as I moved. Soon, the soldiers riding the Vehemonts were seen. I penetrated their group and slashed through them too, cutting off the legs of the mighty Vehemonts. Many enemies died by falling on their own weapons. Some who were left didn't last long. I wandered around the Vehemont legion, trying to destroy them all.

Soon I met with Amanda who was fighting mercilessly. I was glad I had someone to fight along with. The clash was beginning to get crazy. In between, Amanda fell due to one of the Vehemonts and injured her knee. "Cover me!" She ordered and I immediately went to protect her from the ugly foes. She simply placed her hand on her knee and it healed. I had almost forgotten about her healing abilities. She said, "It was a tiny bruise. But make sure not to get hurt too bad. I won't be of much help for major injuries." I nodded.

Druk and Mark had become a team. They were ruthlessly massacring the beasts. Their war cries might be heard even from the other end of the field. As we were fighting, I saw that we had entered a new wave – the ones with the scary monsters. I spotted one large blue monster who threw both his hands up in the air and was about to crush us. I didn't have time to react and was dumbfounded. Amanda was already engaged and as the hands of the creature came closer, I had no idea what would happen. All of a sudden, I spotted that the head of the creature had gone missing! There was also a sword thrust deep into the neck.

Oliver jumped on the huge monster and brought his weapon back. Like a bolt of lightning, he had saved us. "Yup! I like this one!" He said, looking at his new blade, Hyperior. Without much discussion, he went on with his quick moves, weakening the Xorain army from different angles one by one. I was glad he had got the blade. He seemed to be invincible. Sounge too, was with him, trampling anyone who was in sight.

I also heard the sound of firing. Wade showed no mercy for the enemy and went on a killing spree. Adonis in the west fought valiantly. He mostly used the spear to fight although he also had a bow with him. As he was a little older, he played logically instead of rushing towards the enemy. I couldn't afford looking back at Master Polwern in the south as there were monsters continuously coming. Although, I did spot him once, gliding in the air using his mysterious techniques. As he was in the back, he didn't have too many foes to take on but he helped the warriors a lot using his powers.

I managed to climb on one of the Vehemonts while fighting its rider. Though reluctant, I managed to control the creature and swiftly dashed through the rest. I came across a few skeleton soldiers which seemed to be quite tough. I had to climb off the Vehemont and let the agitated creature go so that I could fight with the skeletons. Because they were bare skeletons, the battle-axe sometimes used to get stuck in the ribs of one of the opponents. I then had to somehow get it out before they killed me. They had weapons to attack with and I got a cut near the elbow once or twice. I eventually had to escape the area to heal up. For a while, I engaged in no combat.

I scouted the war-filled region and saw many familiar faces fighting the unfamiliar ones. What I could not be sure of was the team which was winning. Although the Xorains had a large army, we still seemed to stand our ground. But I wouldn't say we were stronger. The fight seemed quite even. Nowhere in the battle did I see Raptor, the deadly monster Trikallous and of course, King Jalaar. They might have been at the back, near the end of the army. I decided that reaching them and defeating the major warriors like them would boost our progress towards victory.

So I shouted, "DELTAs!!!" Everyone stared at me for a moment. "To the King!!!!" I declared and dashed through the crowds of warriors. The DELTAs understood and joined me. We were far apart from each other but our destination was the same. In the path, I found various different creatures trying to stop me but I smashed the battle-axe and kept moving. I found a few giants in my way and after failing a few times to move past them, I decided to fight.

I noticed the difference in me. A few months ago, when I had seen the first giant in my life, Buvaton, I had freaked out to such an extent that escaping was the only thought in my mind. Of course we took care of the situation together at that time. But point is, now when I see a couple of giants grouping around me to stop me in my tracks, I thought it to be a waste of time to engage in combat; not because I was afraid, rather I had grown too strong and confident to take them on.

I gave a heavy blow on the left leg of one of the giants and took the opportunity to climb on top and send blows to his face. The giant fell dead on the ground. One managed to capture me with his hand, but my blade was so sharp, the giant started bleeding. I took care of the others in similar fashion. Though it took some time, I felt no threat in taking them on. Soon after they were dead, I continued forward.

I soon joined Mark who was beside me. He was rampaging like a monster himself. We both had each other's back during the journey to the end. I found Amanda and Oliver teamed up at a distance, trying to take on a lot of monsters who stood in their way. I also noticed Druk who had also been behind us in a distance, following our lead. With all of us once united, we could tank the enemy together. But before we could reach the end, things worsened.

I saw a large giant – one of the enemy chiefs I think because he was larger and wore a red scarf around him (giants too like fashion, don't they?). I thought of wrecking him like I had for the previous ones. I wanted to give a heavy blow but before I could, he smashed me on the ground. It felt like my elbow broke. Hoping that it hadn't, I tried to get up. Mark had seen this and instantly pounced on the creature. I got enough time to get up thanks to him. But soon, Mark too was sent flying into the crowds of enemies with one good kick of the giant. Now he had only one foe remaining – me! I was already badly damaged and was wise enough to know that my next injury wouldn't help with that. I moved backwards, hoping he wouldn't follow. He did. He smashed the ground hard and a dozen of warriors – ours and theirs – flew in the air for a few moments and then landed, injuring some part or the other. I fortunately was outside the damage radius and was saved.

But the giant wasn't going to leave me. He clenched his fist and was about to kill me. The next moment, there were hundreds of bullets on his chest and he lay died. I looked up in the air. Xavier had arrived in his warship!