Space Odyssey: Spectre-Chapter 421: Partially Awake

He spent only a few minutes climbing up to the current highest point of the Fuji-8 crash. Which just happened to be a jagged piece of metal that had skewed through the ship. Probably a piece of debris or shrapnel.

Jace climbed up and took a survey of the surrounding area. To the side the bridge was facing were hills and mist. A lot of which seemed to hide a system of ravines and canyons. To his right was a massive forest filled with massive trees, both in height and width. But because of their size the canopy probably made the forest a pitch dark environment. To his left was a battlefield with a downtrodden city and castle in the middle of it. Then behind them where the majority of the debris from their crash was falling were a number of structures that were clearly in the progress of being built.

"This is Major Jace to Captain Solisa, are you receiving?" Jace broadcast on an open channel. All he received for a few minutes was static. Jace cursed after a few moments and then switched back to the secure command channel. "Communications with the Wolfsbane have been cut off. Keep an eye out for any communication equipment. It is not as high a priority as survival but it will be necessary for later."

"Do we have a destination sir?" Captain Tyler asked.

Jace took a look at the four areas before focusing his eyes on the battlefield. Using his enhanced eyesight to the best of his ability. He focused and could see the battlefield; there were those more naked and unarmored demons running at the walls of the city and being repelled by humans. At least he believed they were humans. The Oda empire had armor and mechs designed similarly to the demon’s appearance.

"Yeah," Jace marked it with his aviators and sent the coordinates through the command channel. "It looks like a city and castle that the humans have been able to hold. We will head in that direction. I will head down after I get some pictures of the area. I think I spotted several structures where the demons are building something."

"Understood." "Yes sir." "Changing course." There were several different acknowledgments to his orders as he took a closer look at the several areas. He could barely see it but the area where structures were being built had a large swath of people moving around. While the city and castle had fires breaking out in the middle of the city. As soon as he got the pictures he needed he turned to climb down.

He slid down portions of the crumbling ship. As he moved he kept an eye out for loose areas that he should avoid. Which was probably why he missed it when it happened.

Jace felt a fist connect with his cheek and he was sent flying to the side. He spun in the air and drew his Pyre as he did. Firing several shots at the figure that came out of a rotating red portal. It was a humanoid but they were crawling on all four limbs.

The demon was wearing a plain green mask but protruding out the side of his head were several horns and spikes. Under the sunlight his skin was sickly pale white. But behind him swung his tail that was covered in hair and looked similar to a monkey’s tail. He had pieces of armor covering his body but Jace could also see a faint shield layer covering the rest of his body.

"&%&^&$&(&*%!" The demon screeched as it jumped toward him. The bullets from his pyre bounced off the mask of the demon.

Jace pulled himself up and quickly replaced the magazine in his pyre. "Once again, I cannot speak your language." Jace sighed as he reached his hand with nothing in it behind him. As he did so the demon flinched and then jumped forward.

Jace fired twice more. This time aiming specifically at the eyeholes of the creature. It swayed slightly and the bullets bounced off the mask as the demon’s nails sharpened to a point and it stabbed toward him.

Jace pulled a combat Spectre knife out from behind him and stabbed toward the demon’s midsection. The knife sunk in, going right past the demon’s armor. It screamed again as its own pointed nails managed to puncture his skin and draw blood. But the demon jumped back as its shielding blinked and Jace fired his Pyre again. This time a chunk of the mask came off as it backed away.

The demon seemed to realize something as it brought a hand down to the green blood flowing out of his midsection. Then it made a noise and another red portal opened behind it. Jace unloaded the rest of his magazine as it jumped back through the portal.

He stopped when it closed. Jace looked down at the spots of blood on his chest and torso that were disappearing. He then leaned down and picked up the piece of the green mask he shot off.

"Major Jace, we heard some gunfire. Was that you?" Sergeant K asked.

"Affirmative. Watch out for those red portals. As well as green masked demons. They are stronger and seem to be able to command the portals." Jace answered as he went to climb back down the ship. Flicking the combat knife into the air where it dematerialized. He was glad he was able to replicate the tattoo tech and add more possible hidden weapons to his arsenal.

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The other five watched as Envy jumped back through a red portal. Then he was immediately followed by several pieces of metal that went through the air. One of which sank into his shoulder and a blossom of green blood bloomed. The others were thrown wildly around the room. Hitting a few of the other sins.

One of them stopped midair less than an inch from the purple mask as she slept. It just floated there in the air.

As the portal closed, Envy pulled themselves up into a crouch. Bringing a hand to a wound that was on its midsection. "That new group of humans is more formidable than the rest." Envy pointed out as it brought one of the hands with the human blood on it up.

"I can see that. He managed to even damage your mask. How did that happen?" One of the other sins asked in bewilderment. Their masks were not just simple pieces of gear. They were gifts from a Duke. Said to be nearly indestructible, made from the corpse of their most hated enemy. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Envy reached up and touched their mask. "I did not realize... They were using solid rounds. Not energy or plasma, solid. But it hit a lot harder than any other type of solid ammunition." Envy explained as he looked around before walking over and picked up one of the bullets. "It is not the metal that is special."

"Envy... why are you still bleeding?" One of the other masked demons asked. The others all looked at the wound.

"I... do not know." Envy answered as he looked down at his wound. He then looked at the human blood on his claw. He then brought it up and licked it. The moment he did a painful sensation spread through his body. "Argghhh!"

""Envy!"" His other sins called in shock as he collapsed on the ground. Throughout his body black lines began appearing. One of the sins crouched and reached a hand out that glowed slightly.

"Damn. Nanotechnology. It is hidden in the blood." The sin with a glowing hand announced. "This might be the reason for the other demon’s deaths when they fed."

"You think a portion of humans have nanotechnology in their blood?" Another of the demons announced in shock before looking over at the attendants but the words freezing in his throat as he saw they were both dead. The stray bullets had found targets in them.

"Help me get him to the neutralizing chamber. The concentration is too strong for him to survive on his own." The sin announced as she froze for a moment. "Wait a minute... I thought nanotechnology was the reason your wound was not healing. It is not, the area around the wound has been... deenergized?"

"What?" Another sin asked in confusion.

"She means that these new humans can kill us." A voice that caused all of them to shiver spoke. They all looked over at the fully awake purple mask. She was playing with the bullet that almost hit her. "That human that Envy encountered... he will kill a few of us before the month is over."

"You mean... a human with the ability that can counter a sin has appeared?" Another of the sins asked.

"No... I mean my visions stopped the moment he appeared on the planet. Which can only mean another person who has visited the sleeping world has appeared on the planet." She grasped the bullet as an ominous feeling emerged from her body and the cave shook. "How exciting. An opponent I can actually fight."

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Jace felt a shiver down his spine and looked around the area. After seeing nothing he shrugged and continued his descent down the side of Fuji-8.