[Chapter 20. Point of No Return]

  Searanox flew above a sea of buildings, slowing to a speed where individual details became clear. Streets, rooftops, moving cars, scattered figures. He selected a tall structure near the city center and descended, landing softly on its flat rooftop. His feet touched concrete. The travel drone dissolved into blue sparks as it was dismissed, vanishing without a trace as usual. He removed the backpack and let it drop beside him, just as Iris landed right next to him.

  With a nod he spoke while looking at Iris, "Make yourselves comfortable, this will take some time. You don't have to get involved yourself, it would make no real difference anyways... And we will not leave this place unless absolutely necessary." Without another word, he sat down and began summoning his drones.

  Iris lowered herself slowly on the concrete rooftop, it was not very comfortable. She adjusted her position a few times before she distracted by the summoning of drones.

  First came a defensive drone.

  Then a reconnaissance drone.

  Then three offensive drones.

  Finally, twenty five assault drones.

  In less than five minutes, all thirty hovered around him.

  As the defensive drone appeared, a semi translucent concave barrier manifested in front of him. Hexagonal segments interlocked into a hovering wall, their edges glowing faintly blue as it positioned itself above and slightly ahead of him, a silent shield.

  The reconnaissance drone immediately switched to stealth mode upon being summoned into existence, fading until it was barely visible. It began circling the building at the outer edge of its sensor range, sweeping the surroundings like a living radar.

  The three offensive drones spread out next, taking positions along the perimeter of the rooftop, ready to engage anything the reconnaissance drone flagged as a threat. Then came the main force.

  Twenty five assault drones arranged themselves into five clean rows, hovering in perfect formation. They waited still and silent, for the command that would change this cityscape forever and show the world what is about to come in the future.

  Searanox stared at them, these floating spheres of death and destruction. In them, he saw the solution to his problem. The key to the levels he needed. The only chance he had to stand against what was coming. These drones were the line between survival and annihilation. Iris regarded it all with awe: the number of drones and their positioning. Every tiny tactical detail became clear simply through their presence.

  `Is this right? Can I do this?′

  The question echoed in the empty chambers of his mind. He saw their faces. The faces of the ones that will die by his hand. Innocent. Guilty. It didn't matter. In the end they were just numbers. Numbers that will bring him closer to his goal. Numbers that will allow him to stand tall against the coming storm. He knew that this was the point of no return. Once he gives the command, there is no going back. He will be a monster. A true monster. Not just a predator that kills to survive, but one that kills for power.

  `But I am already a monster. A monster that killed humans and animals alike before. So what is the difference?′

  The answer was simple. There is none.

  `Five of you will circle the city, if something tries to leave annihilate it.′ With this thought five of the assault drones flew of into different directions of the city.

  He stood up, the backpack still on the ground next to him. He looked down at the city below. He saw the people walking the streets, driving their cars, living their lives. Unaware of the doom that is about to befall them. He raised his hand, his fingers pointing down at the city.

  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  "Kill them all." he said, his voice a cold, steady whisper. "Kill every living thing you see. Shoot to kill, not to harm."

  The rest of the assault drones descended like a swarm of locusts, red lenses igniting with scarlet light. The formation broke apart into four groups, then split further until each drone flew independently, vanishing into the streets below. The city was about to become a slaughterhouse.

  Millions would die.

  `What are Millions if Billions will die in a few days, by the hand of the system...′

  Searanox watched them go, a grim smile settling on his face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, sliding one between his lips. He had not smoked in days, he was to caught up in all of this, had forgotten it out of a lack of time. The smoke filled his lungs, a familiar, comforting sensation in a world gone mad.

  He looked up at the defensive drone hovering above him, unmoving, absolute in its vigilance. He exhaled slowly, smoke curling around him like a shroud. He took another drag from his cigarette, he was ready for what was to come. He was ready for the consequences. He was ready for the blood.

  The assault drone, A-17 moved through the narrow alleyway, its red lenses scanning the chaos. The drone's logic circuits processed the sounds, the sights, the raw data of slaughter, but it felt nothing. It was a machine, a tool of destruction, and it was fulfilling its purpose with cold, emotionless efficiency. Its twin magic cannons opened fire, crimson beams lancing through the air, cutting down a fleeing family. A mother, a father, and two small children, their lives extinguished in a flash of light. The drone moved on, its target eliminated, its mission continuing.

  Searanox sat on the edge of the building, legs dangling over the drop. Sirens began to wail in the distance, a useless chorus rising against the carnage. Crimson glows bloomed across the streets below. He took another drag from his cigarette, the smoke a pale ghost against the crimson glow beginning to bloom in the streets below. The experience notifications were starting to flow, a steady, rhythmic stream of numbers in the corner of his vision, a waterfall of death and reward.

  The first group of assault drones descended upon a bustling market square, their red lenses scanning the terrified crowd. The twin magic cannons opened fire, crimson beams lancing through the air, cutting down people where they stood. The screams were a symphony of terror, a chorus of agony that echoed through the city. The drones were relentless, their fire precise and deadly, their movements efficient and brutal. They flew through the streets, their cannons spitting death, their red lenses glowing with crimson light. They were the harbingers of a new age, the bringers of a new dawn.

  Another drone, A-03, hovered over a crowded street, its red lenses scanning the terrified crowd. It locked onto a group of people huddled together in a doorway, their faces contorted in fear. The drone's magic cannons opened fire, crimson beams lancing through the air. The drone was relentless, its fire precise and deadly, its movements efficient. The air hummed and crackled with the discharge. Overheated metal warped and droplets of molten asphalt hissed on the pavement. The drone pivoted, searching for its next target.

  A lone police car sped towards the chaos, its sirens wailing a desperate cry into the carnage. The officer inside, a man with a kind face and a family waiting for him at home, stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding before him. He saw the floating spheres of death, the crimson beams of light, the bodies piling up on the streets. He grabbed his radio, his fingers fumbling with the buttons, his mind a maelstrom of fear and confusion.

  "This is Officer Miller, I need backup! I repeat, I need backup! I'm at the intersection of... oh my God..."

  His words were cut short as a crimson beam lanced through the windshield, striking him in the chest. He slumped over the wheel, his life extinguished in a flash of light. The car careened out of control, crashing into a storefront, the sirens falling silent. The drones continued their relentless assault, their red lenses glowing with a cold, emotionless light.

  A-08 flew over a small park, its red lenses scanning the green space. It saw a couple having a picnic, their laughter now replaced by screams of terror. The drone's magic cannons opened fire, crimson beams lancing through the air, cutting them down where they sat. The drone moved on, its target eliminated, its mission continuing.

  Searanox watched it all, a grim smile on his face. He took another drag from his cigarette, the smoke a pale ghost against the crimson glow of the city. He was a monster, a true monster, and he was embracing the darkness with open arms. The experience notifications were a steady stream in the corner of his vision, a waterfall of death and reward that was slowly but surely pushing him closer to his goal.

  `If the experience continues to flow like this I will be done in a few hours.′

  He watched the last ember of his cigarette fall to the street, the speck of light vanishing against the red glow. He looked at the defensive drone hovering above him, its stillness absolute in the dead city. He stood up grabbing the backpack and moving away from the edge.