Spiritbound [Spirit Magic, Military, Progression] (Book 1 Complete)

The buildings burned. Clouds of ash drifted to the sky, and Tucker stood there while tightly clenching his fist. Silent anger filled his heart. Their plan had failed. The golem had broken through their defensive line, and in moments, the war machine would reach the center plaza. They needed to act. To stop it from advancing before it was too late. The men gathered around him, and he met Luka's gaze.

"I want those who can use mobility techniques to follow me," Tucker ordered. "The rest will be with Pathfinder and work to tend to our forces."

"How are we going to stop it?" Luka asked.

"I haven't figured it out yet," Tucker replied with honesty. "But I'm open to ideas if anyone has any."

He took a deep breath and channeled his mana beneath the soles of his boots. A green swirl of spirit essence wrapped his body, and in an instant, he dashed forward. The men grabbed their equipment and broke off into groups. Those who could keep up followed closely behind Tucker while the rest raced to gather the wounded.

Tucker could feel the hot air from the scorching buildings hit his face like a thick blanket. The screams and battle cries of his surroundings. There were only a few meters separating them from the golem, a distance they could easily close with swift stride. He ran past wounded and dead soldiers alike. Narrowly avoiding the crumbling structures by the skin of his teeth. Some of the soldiers cried out in pain, but he couldn't stop. Not while the enemy continued to advance. As he ran by, his eyes fell on a wounded member of the Thirty-First. His legs were blown off, blood pouring from his wounds. Yet he didn't scream for help. Instead, he gritted his teeth, shouting at them to go while dragging himself to the side. Just out of their way.

The burst of wind propelled them forward as the four watchmen stormed after the golem, following the devastating path it left behind. In front of them was the golem, and several meters before the machine were Captain Maystone and his men. Max crossed his arms and glared at the hunk of metal hurtling towards them. His crimson eye burned with raw aura through the crack in his rectangular helm.

"Hold!" Max gave the word as the men formed their ranks with him in the center. They held their great shields before their bodies and bent their knees while locking the surfaces together.

Max clenched the spear in his hand, sliding his right foot back. He slowly inhaled while focusing on the golem and with all of his strength, he drove the projectile forward. It flashed across the sky, leaving behind a flicker of crimson light. Yet a second after it left Max's hand, a burst of wind shot forth, shattering all the nearby windows as broken glass descended.

The spear accelerated towards the golem, drawing its attention. In an instant, the war machine raised its shield before its body to absorb the impact. The heat released from its vents surged as it met the force head-on. A thunderous impact erupted at the epicenter and tore apart the nearby buildings, but it remained unfazed. At the center of the shield was the spear, buried centimeters into the surface.

Tucker narrowed his eyes, watching the golden aura dissipate once it made contact. A sudden realization grabbed hold of him. The war machine didn't cover the shield with a protective layer of energy. If it had, then it would have easily repelled the spear. There had to be a reason, and the only one that Tucker could think of was that it couldn't. The unknown metal used as the base of the shield didn't allow for aura to infuse with the material.

"Its shield disperses aura," Tucker said in a stern voice.

Luka raised a brow but didn't question it. "What do you want us to do?"

"While Captain Maystone draws its attention to the front, we'll strike the mana canister." Tucker focused on the cylindrical device on the machine's back. "There's only so much it can defend."

"But what about the Empire's forces?" Luka glanced at the inner gates, watching as explosions erupted one after another. "We have only a few minutes before they catch up."

Tucker fell deep into thought as they drew closer to the golem. Even if they did try to stall the Empire's forces. The golem had already proven to be too much for them to handle by themselves. "Ignore them."

Tucker's words caused Luka to swallow hard. Yet no matter how much his friend wanted to protest, he couldn't. In the blink of an eye, Tucker leapt towards the golem with his blade gleaming in emerald light. At that exact moment, Max clasped his greatsword with both hands, holding it upright as his aura pulsed within the blade. He released a powerful force that tore through the air, cutting a clean path towards the colossus. And in response, the colossus braced itself, taking shelter behind its shield as the aura slash struck the surface.

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A deafening bang broke out as the shockwave sent ash in every direction. Yet Tucker didn't hesitate; he took advantage and aimed for the mana device. The muscles in his arms tensed as the golem's eyes darted to him. It stretched out its hand, and just before Tucker could strike, his blade collided with a transparent blue surface.

The force from the barrier repelled him backwards. Just as the other watchmen pushed in. A metallic screech escaped the golem, seeing the soldiers surround it, the machine leapt into the air once more, aiming to crush Max and his men.

Max clicked his tongue, screaming, "Scatter!"

The men bolted into the nearby buildings, seeking refuge as the golem slammed into where they once were. Rubble was sent flying to the side as the war machine swung its shield in a wide arc. Cutting through half of the buildings the defenders had taken shelter in.

Max raised his great shield over his head, gritting his teeth as fragments of stone and timber crashed against its surface. He watched as the other soldiers closed in on the golem. One of the soldiers thrust his spear between the steel plates, only to get trampled in an instant. Turning into a smear of blood. Another threw their javelin towards the golem's crimson eyes, drawing its attention as it crushed them beneath its gigantic shield.

Just one hit.

That was the only thought in their minds. To land one crucial hit on the golem that would give their comrades an advantage. More and more surged forth with determination in their hearts. They surrounded the golem, and those with bows moved to the rooftops.

The golem's gears shifted as the blue barrier fanned out. Luka could see its mechanisms churning and furrowed his brows. It was planning to jump once more. Something he wouldn't let happen. He summoned his spirit essence and gathered it within his palms, forming a long triangle with the base pointed at the enemy. A single character manifested in the center, with an R and two dashes drawn in the middle.

"Get out of the way!" Luka shouted as the nearby soldiers caught sight.

They scattered to the side, but one hesitated just as Luka slammed his palm into the ground. The watchman gritted his teeth, only catching a glimpse as Tucker lunged forth, tackling the man aside.

Their bodies hit the sidewalk, with Tucker's gloves scraping against the stone surface. He glanced up at the spirit essence surging through the terrain and spiraling forth as the ground violently trembled. Sharp, jagged rocks burst through the earth in a cone that gradually expanded. In moments, it surged towards the war machine like a landslide ripping apart the world, slamming against the blue barrier with a roaring force that pushed it back several feet.

The war machine staggered, its mechanisms groaning as it turned towards the watchmen. But before it could do anything, Benjamin was right upon it, dashing along the jagged rocks with his great hammer thundering behind him. He wielded the weapon with both hands while swinging it from the side. His body rotated with the momentum, smashing the pointed surface against the machine's defenses.

Crack!

The hammer struck the barrier. Shattering its structure as fractures raced across the surface. The men's eyes instantly lit up. They rushed forth with their weapons in hand, aiming to close the distance. But their blades were anywhere but close. Before they could strike, the machine launched itself upwards once more. The sheer force of its ascent pushing them back.

Tucker gritted his teeth in frustration. The machine was far too mobile, and they had no way to stop its movements. When they got close, it would attack and then use the barrier to create space. All while preparing to move once again. He looked back at the inner gate. Most of their men were chasing the golem, and from the dark clouds of ash that rose. The enemy was slowly closing in.

They needed to do something. Anything to restrict the machine's movements. But nothing came to mind. The war machine's valves hissed as it landed in the central plaza. The metal plates grinding against each other as the crimson light snapped in their direction.

A shiver raced up Tucker's spine. He glanced over his shoulder and instantly turned pale. All of them had funneled down the road in desperation to stop the golem and had made one fatal mistake. They were exposed with hardly any cover.

The defenders froze in fear, realizing what was about to come. Twenty magic circles flashed across the horizon like a setting sun. All aimed at them.

Tucker clenched his fists. A single thought flickered in his mind.

I want to protect them.

That was his only desire, and Gale, who was soaring in the sky, empathized with the cause. But what could he do? His heart hammered in his chest as the surrounding men desperately shouted around him. The voices became no more than a blur. In seconds, the mana circles shimmered with life, and it was at that moment, something within Tucker's body changed.

His spirit essence spiraled within his heart, spinning at a speed that was far greater than he had ever experienced. Everything was converging into a single point, wrapping the air around him into a single condensed thread. A thread that was built on his resolve and desires, and without hesitating, Tucker grabbed hold of it. Forming a bow that channeled the essence into an arrow. A single arrow that hardly left a whisper.

In the chaos that was unfolding around him, Tucker found a sense of tranquility. One that fought back the despair. He didn't know whether it would work, but as the flaming spheres drew closer, he drew back the bowstring. Drawing all the courage he had into his next attack.