146 Gate Guardian

On the one hand, this was good news for humanity. It was only a Category 2 Gate: the most common and most manageable kind of opening.

On the other hand, that meant Noble and the rest of the Strike Force were about to face off against the most formidable force the Gate had to offer.

What was so terrible that even Fallen creatures flitted to welcome it with anticipation?

Noble was about to find out.

The quality of the air changed. At first, it was cooling, but then it felt almost frigid.

'Cold in the middle of summer? That can't be good…'

The void rippled, as if unable to expel the Guardian into the world. 

Below, what was left of the Harvesters formed a ring to await their leader. 

Noble surveyed the situation below. A couple of the Awakened were unaccounted for, and at least ten of the larger military vehicles were no longer operational. There was nothing she could do about it. 

Finally, the guardian broke through into the waking world. Or at least its front leg did. It was thicker than a sewage pipe and just as straight until it bent at a right angle at the knee.

There it met the other three like the spokes of a wheel. 

Next entered its corkscrew torso, with two metal spheres for hands. A deformed head sat atop the wide shoulders, covered in netting which obscured a grotesque face. 

The Nightmare Creature was more than seven meters tall. Noble felt oppressed to even be in its presence. The other monsters seemed like gnats by comparison. 

Crawling out on the pavement, the guardian planted its feet firmly on the ground. Already, missiles, artillery, and every manner of weapon were pelting the metal legs with little to no effect. 

The Winged Warriors and sinister Apis spun around their leader in a frenzy, some knocking out each other in the chaos. In answer to the buzzing, smoke emanated from the guardian's hands, entrancing the creatures into doing their leader's bidding. 

It was bad enough when the flying creatures were all working cooperatively. Now that they seemed to share one mind, they would become that much more dangerous. 

Noble summoned the [Rolling Thunder] and clipped it to her belt. Since she had dismissed it, the Memory would need some time before returning to full strength. 

'Until then, I have to be as quick as possible...' 

The professor's eyes narrowed in determination. Charting her path, she darted forward just as the bees made their first move. 

Blurs of black, gold, and brown filled the sky, each intent on destruction. 

Estoc in hand, she sliced as many wings, legs, and heads as she could manage while avoiding their deadly reach. It was a delicate game of threading the needle. The creatures were fast. 

But Noble was faster. At least for now.

Reaching the Guardian, Noble aimed for one of the two balls of billowing smoke. The metal hands were porous, and Noble hoped she could at least cause the creature a bit of pain.

So far it had not moved except to crawl into the world. If she could find the creature's weak spot, perhaps she could end it before any more damage was done. 

The professor had three theories on where this weak point might be. 

Awakened were already attacking one of them. Since no one else could fly, Captain Styss and a few others were pelting underneath the Guardian at the nexus of its legs. Willie had managed to make a small dent in the creature's undercarriage, making the whole metallic body creak. 

The other two places were out of the soldiers' reach, and Noble made it her goal to attack each as soon as possible. With that aim in mind, she plunged the estoc deep into the abomination's hand.

A metallic groan resonated through the creature's massive body. The two outstretched arms began to move, spinning slowly around the torso. 

Noble got out of the way, trying to figure out if her attack had made any difference. 

'Is it growing...taller?' 

The slow spin continued, confusing the professor as she fended off the swarm of Apis. A javelin sang past her. In a moment of clarity, she redirected the spike to her next target: the Guardian's face. 

Unlike the rest of the rigid body, the netting surrounding the face seemed pliable. And a Fallen spike would put that flexibility to the test. 

The javelin tore into the fabric and hit the guardian's cheek. The head turned, accompanied by an angry ratcheting sound. A single unblinking eye looked at Noble. Its octagonal shape was lit internally with a dastardly green flame. 

Noble shuttered. 

It was clear now, the gate guardian was indeed growing taller. It was currently over nine meters. Pretty soon it would be taller than the office buildings which lined the street. 

The most unnerving thing about the creature was how unbothered it seemed by all the chaos going on around it. It was being attacked from all sides, yet continued its spinning with rhythmic clicking. With the netting torn, it was clear that the head was spinning around too, making it unclear which way the guardian would go if it finally decided to move.

'When it decides to move,' Noble corrected her thinking.

The professor could feel the unwavering rage pulsing from the guardian with each ominous click. Perhaps it was waiting for all of its minions to be destroyed before it put forth any effort.

As more and more of the dormant and awakened creatures were destroyed, the smoke began to dissipate.

It was a small blessing that the entrancing fog didn't seem to be affecting the professor. The mind attack only worked on those who were already deranged, it seemed.

Noble tried to disrupt the connection with an attack of her own.

While she finished off two of the Apis with a single swing, she funneled her emotion toward the Gate Guardian.

Anger, Fear, Frustration…all of the emotions seemed to only feed the ever-growing tower.

She took a deep breath as she stabbed through yet another carapace of a demented bee.

[You have slain…]

'None of those worked…Think!'

Her mind unconsciously went to those she was protecting. Below were people who had loved ones. They were fighting and she should give it her all for their sake.

She felt a tingle as her mind thought about love. She was still connected to the guardian, and it did not like that sensation at all.

Latching on to the hesitation, Noble pushed as much care and concern into the guardian as she could.

The hold that the massive monster had on its minions broke. Disoriented, weaker creatures shivered as if waking from sleep.

For four precious seconds, the mundane soldiers of the strike force were able to mow down scores of dazed abominations.

But that was all the time they got. The Guardian severed the connection, making Noble feel like she had lost part of herself in the process. Her mind burned from the exertion.

It was worth the pain. The humans were finally gaining the upper hand. All but a few of the first two waves had been obliterated, allowing more and more of the team to focus on the menacing Guardian.

The strange creature ratcheted ever upwards, growing taller than the buildings around it.

Just when Noble thought it would break in the center from the strain, the terrifying clicking came to a sudden stop. 

The Guardian froze for a moment. 

Then the world began to shatter.