Chapter 826: Wrath
It only took a moment after Shane gave his command, and the Floating Fortress pulsed with energy.
Soon, the defensive Barrier Field unfoldedā¦ It was a strong shield forged from both Anima technology and Shaneās modified systems.
Then, the āblood cometā smashed into the barrier with a thunderous impact.
BOOM!
The entire fortress trembled from the strike. The Barrier cracked faintly with some ripples scattering across its surface.
However, it held its ground.
Stathamās frown deepened after seeing how tough it was. He didnāt expect to be stopped by the barrier even after using so much of his Blood Energy.
āTchā¦ Not enough.ā
He clenched his hand and directed his Knights.
Together, they hammered the shield with their weaponsā¦
Bang! Bang!
Each blow was heavy enough to create a shockwave that could be felt by the people on the groundā¦
As they continued, cracks spiderwebbed across the Barrier. It was proof that, given time, they could break it.
But time was not on their side.
BZZZT!
The Aegis-05 Reapers appeared from the docking bays with their harness onā¦
Because of the angle, they couldnāt stay on top of the Fortress and target the Vampires.
With that in consideration, the Reapers were harnessed and the docking bays were opened so they could reach their targets.
After all, the mini guns below the Floating Fortress werenāt enough to kill the Vampire Lord. They donāt even have silver bullets yetā¦
Soon, the Reaper Mech Frames locked on their targetsā¦
Stathamās eyes widened as he saw the Mech Frames.
āMechanical guardians?!ā
Before he could react further, the Reapers opened fire.
RATATATATATA!
Several energy rounds rained down like a storm, slamming into the Blood Sphere.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Each impact detonated in bursts of concentrated energy, shaking the crimson shell.
The Vampire Knights tried their best to block the attacks and stop the Blood Sphere from being destroyed. They raised their weapons to deflect some of the fire, but these werenāt ordinary weapons. Every shot struck with a powerful force, aiming at their weak points, forcing them back on the defensive.
There was also the fact that they werenāt on the ground and could leverage some force to use various techniques.
āDamn it!ā one Knight roared as a Reaper round blasted his shoulder clean off, spraying corrupted blood into the sky.
Another Knight tried to retaliate, using a spear wreathed in bloodflame toward a Reaper, but unfortunately, it was easily blocked by the barrier.
Indeed, the barrier doesnāt block projectiles from the inside but blocks those that come from the outside.
Even if he could actually send that spear through, it would just be blocked by a counter-barrageā¦
Statham felt helpless at this point since his skills, like Blood Drain, Charm, Mind Control, and others, were obviously better against Survivors.
However, there was no way he could use them against the Fortress and the Mech Framesā¦
āI have to destroy this Barrierā¦ Once Iām inside this Fortress, Iāll kill you all.ā Statham thought.
He planned to turn into a blood mist once he broke the barrier and secretly invaded the fortress.
He didnāt mind if he had to stay there for weeks or months, but he would just stay there until they dropped their guard.
Unfortunately, he could tell that he was being marked by Shane at the moment.
He believed that heād only have a chance to escape from Shaneās perception once he detonated the seven Vampire Knights who were with him inside the Fortress.
However, his plan was falling apartā¦
āShaneā¦!ā Statham hissed as he was running out of options.
***
In the meantime, Shane didnāt wait for the battle to come to him.
While the Reapers kept up a storm of suppression fire, he slipped away from the bridge and got access to a hatch that led to an armored observation slit.
From there, he had a clear line of sight to the blood sphere that was still thrashing against the Barrier and the seven Knights grinding at the shield while being suppressed by the Reapers.
Statham had a lot more Blood Energy than he thought.
Nonetheless, Shane then pulled the Stormpiercer Rifle from his inventory.
[ Stormpiercer Rifle ( Legendary ): A state-of-the-art energy rifle enhanced by storm-based technology. This weapon fires electrified projectilesā¦
Effects: Lightning Strike, Chain Bolt, Precision Surge, Adaptive Core
Soulbound Item: This item can only be used by Shane. ]
While the Reapers kept the vampires pinned and distracted, Shane got ready.
He watched the Reapersā bullets punch holes in the Blood Sphere, but the sphere kept reforming as if Statham had unlimited energyā¦
Still, Shane didnāt care. He just needed one clean strike that would break the sphere and take Stathamās mobility away.
He then used two of its effects, Lightning Strike and Precision Surge, as he aimed at his target. This way, even if Statham noticed his bullet, he wouldnāt miss at all.
āReaper Units, focus on the Vampire Knight clusterā¦ā he ordered.
He didnāt want his bullet to get blocked or blasted away by other bullets.
As soon as the Reapers focused on the Knights, Shane steadied the Stormpiercer Rifleā¦
After a deep breath, he pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The first bullet with Lightning Strike punched through the Blood Sphere and struck Stathamā¦
āAahh!ā
Lightning works really well and the Vampiresā¦ Stathamās left arm was crushed, but he swiftly denoted two of his Vampire Knights and used all their blood to reform his arm!
āWhat? You can do that? Did you actually bring those seven as your blood supply?!ā Shane was shocked at the sight, but he didnāt stop.
Realizing that Shane was already making his move, Statham slammed a hand to the barrier and poured raw blood-energy into it, forcing the shield to thicken like a second skin.
Statham knew that it was now or neverā¦
He roared to create a sonic wave and rippled the barrierā¦ The Barrier absorbed most of it, but the shock pushed several Reapers back!
Thenā¦
Bang!
The Barrier shattered with one more punch from Statham!
Shane didnāt hesitate. He switched to Adaptive Core and Precision Surge. It was like an overclock that concentrated every last calibration in the Stormpiercer into a single perfect hit.
āLetās end this, Stathamā¦ā Shane muttered as he fired again.
This time, he also activated one of his Tattoo Skills, Heavenās Wrath!