Jinn BLADE-Chapter 147 | Aftermath

*Fwoosh!

The wind whipped harshly against the skin of Jinn’s cheeks as his crimson red hair whipped backwards, strands fluttering violently along with every gust.

*Vrrrrrrrrrrrr!

He held firm to the vehicle he had latched himself onto, his grip steady as the machine roared forward with unrelenting speed.

The column of war vehicles thundered beside and in front of him, each one moving in person unison, forming a wave of steel and fury surging straight towards the inner city—

Like a tide that refused to stop/

*Vrrrrrrrrrrrr!

*rumbling!

The atmosphere itself seemed to tremble with their advance, the tension thick that every breath carried the weight of battle looming ahead—

Or at least that’s what the other soldiers besides Jinn thought.

"Entering the city, prepare for enemies!" barked the soldier who manned the vehicle Jinn clung to, his voice sharp and cutting through the chaos of the engines.

*kerchack! *krrk!

Soldiers inside the vehicle responded without hesitation, cocking their rifles with practiced movement as they made themselves ready for the upcoming battle ahead.

Meanwhile, along with the vehicles, countless foot soldiers surged together in a relentless advance.

*Thud! *Thud! *Thud!

*Rumbling!

Their footsteps struck the ground in heavy unison, overlapping with the deep growl of engines.

The symphony of war drowned the air, rattling windows, shaking loose dust from broken walls, and even sending vibrations deep into the earth.

It was as if the whole city trembled.

*Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

*Rumbling!

Finally, as the gates loomed and fell behind them, Jinn and the rest of his squad spilled into the city proper.

Jinn’s eyes narrowed as he scanned his surroundings, inspecting every detail into clarity.

Panic

It was the only word Jinn thought as he observed his surroundings.

Houses rose in tall rows that towered each side of the streets, their doors thrown open as if abandoned in haste.

Curtains fluttered from windows freely, obvious signs of panic and hurried escape.

The streets meanwhile where chaos incarnate.

Belongings of every kind.

Clothes, broken tools, scattered dishes, and overturned carts— laid scattered about in wild disarray.

Cluttered as if a violent storm just passed through.

Jinn imagined the scenery.

Families fleeing, taking only what little they could grasp, leaving behind remnants of panic and desperate survival.

It was clear as day.

The civilians had escaped in panic.

*Vrrrrrrrrrrr!

*rumble!

"Move! Move! Check every corner for enemies!"

"This side, clear!"

"No hostiles in this direction!"

"Convoy proceeding through the center!"

*Vrrrrrrrrrrr!

Despite the thunderous cacophony of war machines roaring through the streets, despite the synchronized stomping of countless bots that made the ground slightly quake with every step...

There was an unnatural quietness that hung in the air.

It was not the quiet of peace, nor the quiet of order,

but a silence that pressed against the ears like an invisible weight.

Uncanny.

At least to the soldiers.

Between the echoes of engines and the metallic clatter of armored soldiers...

There was nothing—

No shouting enemies,

No resistance waiting at the corners,

No ambushes springing from the alleyways.

It was as though the city itself had hollowed out, its people vanished, leaving only shells of their lives behind.

They’re gone... Jinn though.

Perhaps the actions he had taken earlier—warning the man who seemed to be the enemy’s general—brought them enough time.

Enough for the people and soldiers inside to flee before the Zeraf managed to get inside the city—before the jaws of war and tyranny could close upon them.

Jinn’s mind then drifted briefly to the sight he had caught earlier in the skies.

Several massive ships, each large enough to probably carry thousands of souls, pushing past the clouds and breaking free of the atmosphere.

That must have been the city’s people, soldiers, everyone, abandoning their homes in one final desperate bid for escape.

Jinn’s eyes narrowed again as the weight of his thoughts began to pull down the features of his face.

Then, he lets his gaze soften as he slowly closed them,

*fwooosh!

Tilting his face into the rushing wind in front of him.

The cold air washed across his skin, carrying with it the bitter scent of dust and the faint trace of smoke—

*sigh...

And with it, came a heavy sigh that left his chest.

For a fleeting moment, he allowed himself to feel the exhaustion, the strain of carrying the unseen weight of choices and consequences.

.

.

.

A few seconds passed in that brief stillness—

Before his eyes opened once again, sharp and alive with intent.

*Fwip!

Without hesitation, Jinn released his hold on the railing and leapt down from the vehicle.

*Thud!

His boots struck the pavement with a prominent dull sound as the raging sounds of vehicles continued to rumble forward.

He then walked toward a tall building, its frame looming against the smoky sky like a jagged tooth of both stone and steel.

Tilting his head back by looking upward, he studied its height calmly, his gaze scaling its many levels as though tracing the challenge laid out before him.

Then, as he finished inspecting it.

He bent his knees as his muscles coiled like springs, getting warmer and warmer as eidra coursed through.

Then,

With a powerful

*BANG!

He launched himself upward.

Mid-air, his hand reached for the weapon at his side.

*shhhhht!

With a fluid motion, the sheathed sword came free.

Then, with one decisive strike

*crack!

He drove it deep into the building’s wall as soon as he had lost the momentum of his leap.

The stone of the tower’s wall gave way as Jinn’s powerful blade pierced through it, holding his weight firm.

Then, using the lodged blade as a foothold,

*Fwoosh!

Jinn pressed off and propelled himself even higher.

He tore the sword below him in that same motion, the air rushing past as he drove it once again into the wall.

Again and again, he climbed, each movement precise and unrelenting as the scenery of the city beneath shrunk with every leap.

*crack!

Finally,

With one last powerful surge,

Jinn pulled himself onto the very peak of the building.

The world unfolded before him, and from that vantage point, he could see the lay of the land in its entirety. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Sprawling veins of streets, abandoned homes, the hollowed emptiness where life had once pulsed vibrantly.

All gone,

Hollow,

Caught in the jaws of tyranny of the Zerafhon empire.

As Jinn stood at the tower’s apex,

*fwoosh!

Cold wind gusted towards him as his crimson-red hair fluttered alongside it.

The city... was silent,

Save for the faint and distant echoes of war machines still pressing deeper within and the subtle rumble of thousands of footsoldiers combing the city for enemies.