"Aside from you, I am the fastest of the captains. So my suggestion is I catch their attention. Meanwhile, you will deal with the Higher aliens. With me keeping the Elites busy, no one would be able to tank the ammunition of the common soldiers. It will be only a matter of time until they fall." He suggested, wiping off the blood that was still on his lips.
"Denied." Victoria cut him off instantly. "If someone were to risk becoming the bait for dozens of Elites, it should be me, the only Master here."
'A selfless leader to the core. But I am the only one that can survive such a gamble, and as promised, I am not letting any promising individuals such as yourself die.' Michael thought.
"If you rush in, our troops will be left without a leader. Even Bryce won't be able to prevent things from descending into chaos. Meanwhile, I was a cadet a mere week ago. Our formation will not break even if I am gone for a few minutes." He reasoned, leaving her speechless.
Rather than using emotions, he had used raw logic to prove to her that there was no other way. Since she was a rightful person, she wouldn't make a decision that could cost the lives of the entire base just because she didn't want him to risk his life in her place.
"Did that Elite hit your head or something?! You are just an Early Adept. If someone has to keep their attention, it should be me. I am small, so they won't be able to hit me, while you are just like a walking target!" Ava retorted, not willing to allow his plan to pass.
Victoria bit her lower lip so hard she drew blood. 'Useless! Why am I so useless?! I thought that I had gained strength, but at the end of the day, I am still forced to make decisions I don't want to make!'
After a second, she looked him dead straight in the eyes.
"Can you say with confidence that you will not die?"
"These are just a few Elite aliens, nothing that serious." He proclaimed.
She took a deep breath. "Then go. I order you to return to me alive."
A small smirk formed on his face. "Roger."
[Dash activated]
In a flash, he was gone, running straight at the enemy ranks.
"How could you let him go?!" Ava roared in rage, her eyes looking like she was about to explode any moment.
"He knows the risk better than any. If he still chooses to proceed, then as a leader I can only respect his wishes." Victoria said, her attention shifting to the Higher aliens. Trying to remain level-headed.
Ava didn't miss the visible regret in Victoria's gaze as well as her bleeding lip. With no other choice, she lifted her hammer before bringing it down like a guillotine of death.
Amelia watched Michael's figure disappear among the numerous aliens, her thoughts unknown. A second later, she threw several thin needles connected with wires, electroshocking the nearby Higher aliens.
"Hey, look! The Elites are beginning to move back!"
"What? They must be scared! Don't miss this chance!"
"Massacre every single one of them!"
With their 5-meter stature, the Elites were easily spotted among the wave of foes. Once the soldiers saw their biggest obstacles retreating for unknown reasons, they doubled their efforts and focused on killing as many foes as they could.
The dramatic change in the battle wasn't missed by the reporters that were recording the battle.
"Luis, look! The Elites changed their course of movement. Something must have happened!" A female reporter nudged her male partner, who was busy holding the camera.
"Skylar, I am not blind. I can see that. But among so many Higher aliens, nothing is visible. Each of them must be taller than 2 meters after all."
Skylar pouted. "Didn't we get a drone for this kind of stuff? Use it now!"
The eyes of Luis widened. "Are you crazy?! Do you know how much this thing costs? It's practically guaranteed that we will lose it among the hellfire of bullets flying every second."
"Didn't you boast about how no one can fly a drone better than you? I guess this is all you are, just talk."
'Fuck!' Luis gritted his teeth. Putting down his camera, he proceeded to take out the drone.
"Just so you know, if this thing gets broken, repairs will be done with your paycheck, not mine!"
Skylar scoffed confidently. "Hmph! If my intuition is correct, then we are going to get a big bonus!"
The man raised an eyebrow. "You do know that thing costs as much as ten times your monthly salary, right?"
"O—Of course!" The woman proclaimed, visibly trembling yet unwilling to back down.
Sighing, Luis activated the drone and flew it high in the air, using its camera that could zoom hundreds of times with no loss in quality.
"HOLY SHIT!" He proclaimed, taking Skylar by surprise.
"W—What is it?"
"Just look!"
Her eyes narrowed to the size of a needle. "Gods… Are we seeing the birth of a hero?"
Naturally, what they were witnessing was Michael, since from their point of view he was charging deep into alien territory with the Elite aliens on his trail. It looked like he was sacrificing his life in the name of the greater good.
'You can be reckless sometimes, but this really takes the cake. How are you going to survive such a dangerous situation?' His sword asked, its usual bloodthirsty resolve gone.
Michael couldn't help but chuckle. "This doesn't even enter the top 100 most dangerous experiences of my life."
To the sword's surprise, his owner's voice sounded calm and confident.
'You are either bullshitting or insane. Whatever the case, make sure to kill as many aliens as you can before you perish!' It proclaimed a second later.
"Now, now. Who said anything about perishing?" Michael smiled, looking at the two window panels before him.
[Dash has leveled up!]
[Rank: Rare]
[Level: 2]
[Description: Increases your agility by 600% for 1 second. Has a 30-second cooldown.]
[Blink has leveled up!]
[Rank: Epic]
[Level: 2]
[Description: You can teleport to a 6-meter radius as long as it's in your line of sight. Has a 1-minute cooldown.]
After the chase began, he was forced to use the two techniques as much as possible, leading them to level up.
Michael's eyes gleamed. With Dash being level 2, he could reach 4,680 agility, and with the 6-meter radius of Blink, he could dodge any life-threatening attack with ease!
"Let the fun begin."