Chapter 186: Battle Concluded! Eywa Captured! Mission Accomplished!
Under the concentrated artillery barrage from the Iron Hand legion reinforcements, the beast horde army controlled by Eywa suffered a devastating blow.
Whoosh—!
Boom!!
Hundreds of air-to-ground missiles trailed white streaks of death, streaking through the sky at astonishing speed, passing by the Arasaka Division's aerial formations.
Moments later, these missiles accurately landed in the midst of the beast and Na'vi army, erupting into spectacular bursts of annihilation.
Rumble—!
In an instant, brown earth, blue flesh, and debris were violently flung into the air.
The intense shockwaves from the missile explosions, coupled with the high-pressure effects, created small mushroom clouds, propelling blood and fragments of flesh into the rainforest sky.
Shortly after, a horrifying rain of blood fell across the dense jungle, accompanied by pieces of gore dropping from above.
The battlefield's tide had completely turned!
---
"W-What... What kind of monsters are these Sky People?!"
The Na'vi, who had been jubilantly cheering for their anticipated victory just moments earlier, were now stunned with fear and disbelief at the sight before them.
The devastating firepower of the Astartes aerial reinforcements left a profound psychological impact on the Na'vi, including their chieftain, Eytukan, who stood paralyzed, unsure of what to do next.
---
"Alright, brothers! Counterattack!"
"Kill these alien scum!"
"Leave none alive! Wipe them out!"
The Arasaka soldiers, who had nearly been ambushed into annihilation by the Na'vi natives, roared with excitement upon witnessing the reversal of the battlefield situation. They swiftly reorganized their forces and launched a counterattack.
With the Iron Hand aerial formation leading the way, the Arasaka Division soldiers quickly rebuilt their firepower networks and advanced toward their target: the Tree of Souls.
---
Inside the command room of an Arasaka assault airship, Takemura Goro looked up through the overhead porthole and spotted three black specks streaking across the sky above him.
These were three ornithopters tasked with transporting the "Matrix" device.
"Report, Commander!"
At that moment, the observer, who had restored communication equipment, promptly reported to Takemura Goro:
"The headquarters of the Infinity has sent us a communication request. Shall we connect immediately?"
Hearing this, Takemura Goro inhaled sharply. The headquarters' intervention indicated that this localized battle had garnered top-level attention.
This confirmed V's earlier claims—they were indeed going to insert the Matrix into the Tree of Souls and extract Pandora's planetary consciousness, Eywa!
"Connect immediately!"
Takemura Goro dared not hesitate. A signal interruption during this critical communication could lead to disastrous consequences.
---
Moments later, the connection between the Arasaka airship and the Infinity's headquarters was established.
On the holographic screen appeared Li Ang , seated at the central control station of the main ship. His sharp gaze fixed on Takemura Goro as he solemnly issued new orders:
"Takemura, I require you and your soldiers to surround the Tree of Souls and prevent any other alien beings from approaching it."
Li Ang 's directive aimed to keep the area around the Tree of Souls uncluttered to ensure V could complete the mission without interference.
---
"Yes, I will comply!"
Takemura Goro straightened his posture, signaling his unwavering obedience to Li Ang 's command.
He immediately relayed the orders to the Arasaka soldiers via internal communications:
"All Arasaka personnel, take note: Our allies are executing a classified operation. Do not approach the Tree of Souls. Maintain a defensive perimeter."
"Repeat…!"
Acknowledgments swiftly followed:
[Team A: Message received.]
[Team B: Understood.]
[Acknowledged!]
---
In the blink of an eye, the ground troops reached the Tree of Souls, while the aerial formations hovered steadily at low altitudes.
The Astartes began a coordinated descent, deploying nearly a thousand soldiers equipped with exoskeletons via steel cables.
Their mission: engage in close combat with the Na'vi to minimize damage to the Tree of Souls.
---
Boom!!!
Deafening explosions rocked the area outside the Tree of Souls. The Iron Hand war group's precision bombing obliterated the surrounding terrain, sending waves of shock through the Na'vi forces.
The Astartes warriors, clad in powered armor and wielding massive power swords, executed a brutal onslaught, cutting down Na'vi with precision.
Despite their robust physique, the Na'vi stood no chance against the towering Astartes warriors, who crushed them like unstoppable juggernauts.
---
As the Astartes pressed closer to the Tree of Souls, panic and despair consumed the Na'vi. Some collapsed to their knees, wailing and pounding the ground, while others desperately begged for mercy.
Their pleas fell on deaf ears. Hidden drones recorded the heartbreaking scene, streaming it live to the Infinity.
Observing the Na'vi's anguished expressions, Li Ang raised an eyebrow, sensing something unusual.
Turning to his secretary, Lucy, he asked, "What group does this behavior remind you of?"
After carefully analyzing the footage, Lucy replied, "A group experiencing withdrawal symptoms."
Li Ang nodded in agreement. The Na'vi's terror suggested not just mental manipulation by Eywa but a possible physical dependence as well.
If true, controlling the Na'vi would be far simpler than expected. Once Eywa was extracted, Li Ang could ensure total obedience from the Na'vi, who would serve LA Corporation without resistance.
---
As ground troops secured the area, the Astartes began rounding up the remaining Na'vi.
At the forefront, David Martinez, wielding his power sword, addressed the Na'vi remnants:
"All Na'vi, surrender immediately! Lie down on the ground, or face lethal consequences. You have five seconds to comply."
"Five, four, three… Kill!"
Without waiting for a response, David struck down the nearest Na'vi with a decisive blow.
Following his lead, the Astartes executed the Na'vi remnants with ruthless efficiency, their massive swords tearing through flesh and bone.
---
From a distance, the Arasaka soldiers watched in awe. Seeing the legendary Iron Hand warriors in action left them both envious and terrified.
"That's… insane."
"These guys are giants…"
"No wonder they're the strongest force in the megacorp. Just one of them is worth a thousand of us!"
After witnessing the Astartes warriors' decisive and ruthless actions, the Arasaka soldiers were visibly astonished, letting out waves of exclamations.
One particularly audacious Arasaka soldier stepped right to the edge of the Spirit Tree zone and directly asked one of the Astartes warriors:
"Hey, buddy, you really don't leave any survivors, huh?"
"What if they're still useful? Like, leading us to other resource zones or something. Isn't this a bit... excessive?"
The Astartes warrior shot the soldier a cold glance, his voice devoid of warmth as he replied:
"We gave these Na'vi a chance to surrender, but they failed to comply within five seconds. Since they chose to fight to the death, we obliged by sending them there."
Hearing this chilling statement, the Arasaka soldier couldn't help but think, WTF, though after some reflection, it seemed to make sense.
Nodding, he pressed further in an attempt to spark a conversation:
"By the way, thanks for rescuing us. If it weren't for your timely arrival, we'd have been wiped out."
"But… why are you all holding position here instead of advancing? Is there some kind of alien monster in the Spirit Tree zone?"
The Arasaka soldier craned his neck to peer curiously into the Spirit Tree area, noticing the Astartes warriors stationed vigilantly around it, as if conducting some secret experiment.
This time, the Astartes warrior gave no response to his question.
In fact, even the warrior himself didn't know why the Iron Hands legion had encircled the Spirit Tree zone. The true reason was likely known only to someone like V, the legion Master.
Seeing the warrior's silence, the Arasaka soldier tactfully stopped prying and resumed his patrol outside the Spirit Tree zone.
Meanwhile, a few hundred meters away, in a dense forest, a female Na'vi stood amidst the gruesome sight of her tribe—bodies mangled and lifeless. Overcome with grief, she wailed:
"No… no! Lo'na… 'Opala… they're all dead! And now the Spirit Tree will be destroyed too!"
Her rage burned as she snarled through gritted teeth, her voice raw with sorrow. She was about to recklessly charge out for revenge when a powerful gust of air swirled behind her.
It was Eytukan, the Na'vi chieftain, descending upon the forest atop the legendary Ikran beast, Phantom Steed.
Eytukan, both chieftain and Phantom Rider, commanded the loyal beast like no other.
"Hey! Neytiri, pull yourself together!"
Eytukan glared at Neytiri, stopping her from charging to her death.
"Listen, Neytiri! Our tribe is gone. Now is not the time for despair—we must unite with the other tribes and strike back!"
"You must come with me. We need to preserve the seeds of our tribe's revival. Do you understand?"
As the anchor of his people, Eytukan was far more composed than the grief-stricken Neytiri. He knew they couldn't defeat the well-equipped and numerous Sky People alone—they needed reinforcements.
After hearing his plan, Neytiri wiped her tear-streaked face and nodded firmly. It was time to retreat and gather allies.
However, just as they were mounting the Phantom Steed to escape, a large-caliber bullet tore through the air, striking the beast.
"ROAR!"
The Phantom Steed let out a pained cry, its wings flapping erratically as it roared in fury.
"What…!"
Realizing Sky People were nearby, Eytukan pushed Neytiri to the ground and readied his bow, scanning the surroundings for the hidden enemy.
Bang! Bang!
Before Eytukan could locate the sniper, a volley of high-caliber rounds fired from a Tsunami-class heavy sniper rifle struck him in rapid succession.
BOOM!
The first bullet shattered his chest, pulverizing his ribs, while the second obliterated his skull. Blood and brain matter sprayed everywhere, the nauseating stench of iron filling the air.
Eytukan's lifeless body collapsed to the ground, twitching involuntarily.
Seeing this horrific scene, Neytiri's fragile hope crumbled. She screamed hysterically, clutching his broken corpse as her hoarse voice gave way to bloody cries.
Her spirit shattered completely.
At that moment, several towering Astartes warriors emerged from the rainforest, their presence divine and intimidating.
Leading them was Jack Wells, who carried a massive sniper rifle. Speaking through his skull-faced helmet's comms system, he reported:
"This is Jack Wells, commander of the Iron Hands vanguard. The Na'vi chieftain has been neutralized. The Spirit Tree zone is secure."
From the moment Eytukan took flight on his Phantom Steed, drones had tracked his every move. Upon discovering his intent to rally more Na'vi tribes, Li Ang , stationed in the flagship command room, ordered Jack to eliminate him.
Now, with the task completed, Jack heard V's transmission:
"Matrix connection to the Spirit Tree's core is in progress. No anomalies reported."
Grinning, Jack replied, "Excellent. Looks like we're almost done here."
Turning to Neytiri, he leveled his rifle at her. "Surrender now, or you'll end up like him."
But Neytiri, numbed by grief and shock, clung to Eytukan's corpse, staring blankly. She was beyond fear, beyond thought.
Seeing no resistance, Jack signaled his team to sedate and capture her. Survivors like Neytiri would be used for live sample collection, aiding corporate genetic research.
Meanwhile, the injured Phantom Steed roared in defiance, its crimson eyes locked on Jack. But before it could strike, it was subdued by a barrage of tranquilizers.
With the Spirit Tree zone cleared of threats, Jack ordered his squad to remain vigilant:
"Maintain patrols. No mistakes until the mission is officially over!"
[Understood!]
Back at the Spirit Tree's core, V stood with his team, observing the glowing, pulsating roots. As he connected the matrix cable, the roots seemed to come alive, swallowing the device.
Suddenly, the ground trembled violently, ripples spreading across the area. But just as quickly as the chaos began, everything stilled.
Before V could question what happened, confirmation arrived from the flagship:
['Eywa' has been secured. Mission complete!]
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