The Innkeeper



In the extremely focused state that he was in, to Z it felt like mere minutes had passed since he began the battle. But the state of the horizon would beg to differ, for even the dusk was coming to a close, with the local star nearly out of sight.

Hours had gone by. After all, even though the mech cut through the Void Dwellers swarm without suffering any harm, it was still a time-consuming endeavor, not to mention that more of them had been falling out of multiple tears as well.

Yet even so, what awaited them was only more grueling than what they had faced. Up on the cliff more enemies awaited them, and they were better prepared as well. Anticipating such a situation was exactly why Z had refrained from using any energy intensive techniques to speed up the process.

Despite the extreme length of time, the battalion was not exhausted. In fact, they could go much longer given that they maintained the same rate of energy consumption. This particular feat had more to do with the replenishment feature of their suits than themselves. But, more than once, they had fought a battle where their reserves were nearing depletion, so they usually had an exit strategy in place.

On this planet, in their given situation, however, that did not seem likely. Even if they wanted to retreat, they may not be able to. After all, the enemy had the ability to open spatial tears where and when as they wished.

The stake on the line was nothing more than their own demise. Confronted with such a reality, there was no hesitation in their hearts, only confidence.

Had they faced such a situation on the very first battlefield they stepped on, they surely would have felt nervous, though they wouldn't have retreated even then. But after having been bathed in the anarchy of war, after having their wills tempered through fire and blood, after having their faith in the companions reaffirmed time and time again, there was no hesitation, nor was there doubt.

The mech looked up and saw that a single demon stood at the precipice of the cliff, looking down at it. The rest were waiting a small distance from the edge. 

The weight of the lives of his companions did not weigh Z down. Instead, their trust and resolve only strengthened him, and lifted him to be better than his usual self.

The mech squatted down, just a bit, and then, using strength that left cracks in both the ground and space itself, jumped up vertically. The speed of its rise was astronomical.

By the time the observing demon realized what was happening, and felt afraid enough to want to move back, it was already too late.

A single hand reached up to the edge of the cliff and grabbed it, smashing the demon in the process. With a single, strong tug the mech pulled itself up, and in fact threw itself up in the air, so that it came crashing down like a meteor upon the waiting army.

There was no need for any preambles, nor was there a need to measure and test the enemy. Since this was a life and death battle, they would give it their utmost regardless of how the enemy was prepared.

Numerous shields and protective formations suddenly appeared around the waiting demonic army, while at the same time countless heavy weapons were used, launching bolts, bombs and many other kinds of projectiles at the falling mech.

In response, Z finally unveiled what was supposed to be in its free, left hand. Similar to how the spear was constructed, many small metal pieces were summoned and then joined together forming a large, rectangular shield joined by a glowing yellow energy.

The first clash between the mech and the army's many means resounded in a deep, reverberating boom that traveled for miles all around. Space trembled and rippled like still what in which a stone was dropped, reaching far out even into space.

It seemed, almost, as if space in this region was becoming even weaker after suffering constant and frequent tears. But neither did the demonic army lessen their assault nor did the mech hold back.

If they had to fight until the reinforcements came, they had to take many risks. Fighting the enemies head on was one risk, and straining the feeble space within this region was another.

Far away from this battlefield, the small Marzu clan who had been fighting on their own turned their heads towards the thunder they had just heard. Their eyes narrowed as they contemplated the noise. They heard thunder, but there were no clouds in sight. 

On this cursed planet, they had experienced naught but bad luck, and a cloudless thunder could only be a bad omen. Just as many of them were considering turning away, one of them, the only one with multicolored feathers, spoke.

"I can detect massive amounts of spiritual energy being used that way. That is also the point where the new spatial ripples are coming from. Someone is fighting over there. Either the Void Dwellers are fighting each other… or there are more survivors that way."

"Do you think we should help?" another asked, hesitantly. It was wounded.

"They may have more information on the situation. We can't afford to let them die. Marzu, we march!"

Under the orders of their captain, they immediately began sprinting towards the noise. In the battle between a mech and countless demons, the T-rexs were approaching!

*****

Sitting in the Silent Wanderer, Lex paced anxiously in the main hall. No matter how he urged Cirk to speed up even if it meant taking risks, it was not possible to reach the planet quicker than 9 days.

The problem was, Lex's evacuation plan relied on returning to the Midnight Inn using teleportation. For that, all he would need to do was stabilize space and have them return using the keys.

But… the Midnight Inn was sealing itself in just 5 days!

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