Maybe, the Duke (2)

"Command?!" I spun around. Several dozen streaks of light flew from Raifin's remains, as did a large shower of debris. "Command! Are you there?"

"We're okay!" Command said. "Just shaken up."

"What happened?"

"Tartys blew up. A missile must have jammed or something. The blast damaged the Command Center. We're still assessing how much."

"Dammit! And the others?" I asked.

"They've fired their missiles. Valoel added some as well."

"How many demons did we kill?"

"We'll know in a minute."

I fixed my eyes on the radar. Command and everybody in the Command Center would be glued to theirs. It took close to a minute for the counter to change, whereby it dropped rapidly.

Hundred... ninety... eighty...

"C'mon... c'mon..."

Seventy... sixty... fifty...

"Just a bit more..."

Fourty seven... forty-six...

Thud-thud.

Fourty four...

"All missiles have detonated," said Command.

The counter stopped at forty-four. It was higher than I'd hoped.

"How many will the plasma cannons get?"

"Half of that, I'd wager."

"That leaves about twenty for me. That's not going to be easy."

"It's a lot easier now that the Duke is dead."

"True," I said. "Is there anything you can do to help?"

"We might have one last card to play, but I'm not making any promises. Focus on the demons for now."

"Just don't blow me up in the process.'

"Don't worry. You're the last firecracker on Asbestos."

Smart-ass. I killed the connection. "Cerviel, where are they?"

"First impact will be at the Kaif dome. Impact in ten seconds."

Thud-thud.

"Let's go." The demons were attacking the dome by the time I arrived. They were of the weaker variant, so they wouldn't be hard to kill. I dispatched the first by forcing Cerviel's sword through its head. The second retaliated with two strikes. I dodged both by stepping back before slicing its hands off. A follow-up slice decreased the counter by one.

"Where to next?" I asked when the demon's head fell against the ground.

"Three on the opposite end of the dome. Four others are closing in on Patlix."

"I'll handle the closest first."

Three triangles appeared inside my visor when I finished speaking. The fastest route would be to fly over the dome, which I did. The demons soon came into view. One looked stronger than the others. It would be the biggest problem, so I attacked it first. Several bones cracked when Cerviel landed on top of it, and a strike through its head decreased the counter by one. It's so much easier when they don't know you're coming. I thought as I decapitated the second. I felt a twinge of pain when the third landed a strike against Cerviel's back. I wasn't too worried. I didn't need to look at Cerviel's projection to know the blow wasn't deep. I couldn't say the same of mine. The counter decreased when both an arm and a diagonally sliced chest fell to the ground.

"Let's go to Patlix," I said as I pressed the button inside my glove.

"Yes, pilot Vega."

Thud-thud.

"Please hurry," said Command. "The dome is sustaining damage."

"There's only one of us. Where's your trump card?"

"We're still--" Her voice disappeared inside a massive roar.

"What... was that?" I asked.

"Oh no..."

"Command?"

"Vega, look at the counter."

I did as Command said.

The counter increased by one.

Another roar emphasized my eyes weren’t lying to me.

"Where is it coming from..." The puzzle pieces fell into place. "Oh no."

"Yup."

"The Duke is still alive?"

"It's standing up as we speak."

"How?!" I saw the Duke's figure rising above the broken domes I passed. "I blew its head off!"

"I'm looking through the feeds now. It... looks like it regenerated!"

"What?"

"It grew its head back."

"How the hell do we kill a thing that can regenerate?"

"Maybe it has a live-based system?"

"That only happens in video games."

"Look, I'm just as stumped as you are!"

"I know, sorry." The Duke let out another roar once it was fully erect. "Command, is that thing tall enough for the plasma cannons to attack?"

"Checking... yes! Firing!"

Thud-thud.

The Duke roared in pain as both blasts struck it against the head. The ground vibrated as the Duke stumbled backward, but the counter didn't decrease.

"Again!"

"They're recharging! Save Patlix!"

"On my way." Four triangles appeared close to the Patlix dome when Cerviel adjusted her boosters. "Let's make short work of this, Cerviel."

"Yes, pilot Vega." The counter decreased when I landed on top of a demon. Two others were within attack range, and a swing of the sword finished them off. That left me open to a blow against Cerviel's head.

"Damage detected." The world spun in a red haze. Another blow landed before Cerviel could adjust herself. She stumbled backward and soon felt the dome's wall pressing against my back.

"Cerviel, shield!" The blue wall appeared soon enough to block both the follow-up strikes. A desperate strike of my own forced the demon to take a step backward, but I didn't follow the attack through. I was unsure which of the two blurry figures was the real demon.

"Cerviel, help me!" I felt my body move as Cerviel attacked. While she parried a blow, two others landed against her head. I soon felt my back pressed against the dome a second time. Only the shield protected me from further attacks.

Thud-thud.

"C'mon, Vega," I blinked rapidly to regain my focus. Two more blows landed against the shield. What I didn't expect was the blood splatter from its shoulder. The attacks stopped as the demon wailed in pain. I immediately recognized the opportunity and struck. The sword sliced through the demon's chest, but the counter didn't decrease. Instead, the demon grabbed the blade with both hands before pushing against it.

"No, you don't!" I slammed the demon with the shield's edge. A step backward broke the demon free from Ceviel's sword. It had barely found its footing before its head exploded.

"What was that?" I asked as the demon dropped to the ground.

"Unit Valoel, reporting for duty."

"Nova?" My heart skipped a beat. "Is that you?"

"Negative. Operator Command has returned this unit's rifle and provided a direct link to the Command Center's mainframe. With this, I can provide overwatch capabilities."

"Moving the mech isn't as easy when the pilot can't help," Command said.

"Thanks." I blew out a breath. "It's appreciated."

"That's the last card I had to play, Vega. The deck's empty."

Thud-thud.

"We still have a big issue to deal with." I craned my neck back to look at the Duke. While it took a step back every time the pulse cannon blasts struck him, there was no denying its advance. Large wounds bled blackish blood where the blasts had struck. Wounds that shrunk with every step it took forward.

"I can't kill that," I said. "The pulse cannons are the strongest things we have left on Asbestos. If they can't kill it, then there's no way in hell that I can."

"I'm inclined to agree."

"Don't you have anything?"

"Not unless we let it swallow Eae or Mihr and detonate their cores."

"I can't see that being feasible." I sighed. "Maybe... maybe I can get in there. If I can dodge the teeth, then maybe I can strike at its heart."

"It regenerated its head! You want to stay inside the Duke and attack its heart for four days?"

"I don't know of any other way!" I yelled back.

"Asbestos will be defenseless!"

"Asbestos will die if we don't do something. Cerviel, prepare to activate boosters."

"Stand down, pilot Vega." A third voice entered the channel.

"What? Who's this?"

"This is Overseer Pasu. I'm ordering you to stand down."

"With all due respect, sir, I can't afford to do that now."

"I know. Which is why I'm preparing to activate the Eclipse Protocol."