Chapter 575: fucking stupid [2/2]
I only just realized it.
Ever since I fell in love with the Sirens, I treated them differently. To the world, I was Limitless. But to them, I was John Smith. And they felt it.
Both the good and the bad. As women, it made them feel loved. Being as warriors, I did nothing but insult them. I wanted to stop that. In return for their devotion to me, I will stop pampering them.
From this battle on, I will truly treat them like my strongest swords.
'My {Kindred}. The only women I will ever love. I need an answer. Will you all follow me?'
What I felt from the girls' links confused me. Of course there was adoration, love, excitement, and respect. But there was something else. It felt bittersweet. What was this feeling?
'HAHAHA! How I have missed this! That passion! This overbearing arrogance! Beloved! This is how you were during the enlistment.
And this was why I fell in love with you! OF COURSE I WILL FOLLOW!'
'My goodness, what a difference! It is quite... sexy. Dearest, are you sure this is not yet another ploy to seduce me even further? You already own me! Have some mercy!'
'Can it Pervert! This was how Possum was from the very beginning! It didn't matter what was in front of him! Even when he had nothing, my spunk had balls the size of mountains! Welcome back Possum! I am with you all the way!'
'HEHEHEHE! DARLING IS BACK! DARLING IS BACK! SO COOL! Lead on, Your Majesty! Dame Benelli answers the call of her one and only king!
THIS ALPHA IS GOING DOOOOOOWN!!!!'
'FUCK! THAT'S SO HOT! Ehem...Mr. Code, while it makes me wet to see you like this, I would like to remind you that this version of you tends to attract flies like honey. You are forbidden to bring in any more women, okay!'
'Husband...If I do this really really well, will you give me a reward? ...No...um...I was just joking...I...um...Jasmine Denel Smith shall follow the words of her king.'
'Ahh... that splendor... how nostalgic... to think that I will be able to fight under such a man once again. Master, I have received your orders. And I shall see them done.'
Nostalgia. That was it. The first time the girls fought with me during the enlistment, we were strangers. Yet I led them through one impossible battle after another. Thinking about it now, they had no reason to follow me.
Yet they did. Perhaps I have carried traces of Limitless since then. John Smith might cower before this Alpha. But not Limitless. He would nail this fucker down and unleash freedom until its fucking face shattered.
Suddenly I heard explosions from all over the battlefield. Before I could ask what was going on, Exa explained to me and those with me.
[My lord, the Sirens have all begun to converge on the defensive fortress in this zone.]
'And the enemies around them?'
[The 500 lizardkin vanguard has been destroyed. Over 73 of them are under the command of the Sirens. 40 Lizardkin corpses are also being used as cannon fodder for Lady Bella. Over 10% of the total Rank E's on the 24th floor have been terminated].
Loud gunfire roared from the sky, and I looked up to see Jas sending bullet after bullet into the fort. Likewise, Switchblades began bombing the hell out of the only building in the area.
I noticed that Bella was only using the Switchblade 300's. Unlike the 600's, which could take out a tank, the 300's did not have enough power to shatter walls. Comparatively, the 300's would be like grenades, while the larger Switchblades would be like C4.
This was probably to ensure that the fort was still usable. Without wasting a single second, my girls all began to move under my command.
'Exa, show me all the Sirens.'
My vision split into seven. Each one showed my girls all making their way to the fort.
Liv detonated the M433s with {Counter} as she obliterated everything in her path. Her pace was the slowest of them all. But It was also worth noting that she was the only one who was practically swarmed by F's and E's.
Similarly, Lilly ran forward from another direction, accompanied by what looked like lead serpents. Like giant spears, the 7.62 NATO rounds swarmed like ants, tearing up every Rank F or E in their path. Lizardkin on the other hand would suddenly die in the most horrific way.
A car-sized bullet would appear, maim them, and then disappear. Lilly didn't even have the decency to kill the ones that were still breathing. The still-alive corpses actually helped, as the Rank F's in the area continued to feast on the monsters that were just one step away from death.
From another direction Robyn, the fastest of everyone, was in and out like a greased lightning. Everything she could kill, she did. Those she couldn't would get M26 grenades as a parting gift. A chain of explosions and shrapnel shredded everything but the lizardkin in my kitten's path.
Opposite Robyn's direction, Jo's side was probably the most chaotic of all. None of Jo's Rank E's were still alive. However, hundreds of monsters were still tearing each other apart in a gruesome melee. Severely injured lizardkins were charging the newcomers like crazed animals, biting the shit out of them.
And like Robyn, Jo cracked propane tanks along the way as she passed. Then she detonated them with her FN 40GL. My Aussie and Italian created walls of fire as they raced toward their target.
Conversely, Bella and her army moved unimpeded. Anything that even thought of getting in their way ate TOW missiles to the face. And that was if they even managed to get past the undead lizardkin serving as her army's vanguard.
In the sky, Jas continued to snipe at the fort like some kind of anti-monster artillery. Sabel's attacks, combined with hers, wiped out practically everything that could be seen from the sky. But since my wife could see through walls, in addition to empowering bullets with {Fates}, even the enemies inside were fucked.
Finally, Aki was once again covered in blood as she invoked what I call her samurai mode. Odachi made of blood accompanied her, multiplying as my Kamisan butchered her way to the fort. Learning from her earlier attempt, she now sent the odachis out like a top instead of keeping them around her.
The results, of course, were just as bloody as before. It was amusing to see my girls trying to earn brownie points. Technically, they could just blink towards the fort. But they all wanted to kill as much as they could along the way.
Of all of them, Liv was having the hardest time. But the other girls didn't help her. Jas and Bella could have, but they chose not to. And only now did I understand why. They didn't help her because they saw her as their equal.
If it was the old me, I would have ordered them to do so. And Liv would have felt inadequate as a result.
"I was really fucking stupid."
I then had Exa, wake up the ones with me.
'Exa, cut off their connection to your network and let them come to their senses.'
[Done.]
At that moment, six people were disconnected from the Exa Network. Amari and Mia. My {Vassals} Delroy and Pixie. Connie Faye. And Gareth Faesten. They all turned to me as I spoke.
"I will go to the fort, where the Sirens and I will continue the operation. The paths have been cleared. You can choose to come with me or stay here, either is fine. But I will not come back for you if you choose the latter. Now, who wants to come with me?"
Everyone unanimously decided to go. Before I could figure out how to get there. Mia suddenly started invoking {Fates}.
"{Wolf Pack}, {Selene's Descent}."
Mia then separated into six bodies, much like {Day by Day}. Then they all began to grow in size as they transformed into giant wolves.
"Get on. I can assure you that I am faster than those tanks that Limitless has," the brit boasted.
I nodded and got on one of the giant wolves. Our group then raced towards the only building in the zone. Knowing full well that the next phase of the battle would come as soon as we did.