My Shard Bearer System - Elias's Legacy-Chapter 57: Hint’s of an Ikona

Kikaru nodded. "Understood. Good luck. We’ll be on standby if needed."

Without another word, Captain Jeice turned, stepping off the platform.

An hour passed and Kikaru lazed around a bit bored as she saw a ship speed passed above and for a moment thought she had saw Elias with his face smashed against the window.

Moments later; She heard on the eye piece and a video began to play as she Heard Captain Jiece state "Platoon Gunter- push forward"

From their vantage point, Kikaru, Paul, and Colby watched as Platoon Gunter fanned out, forming a spearhead toward the towering construct ahead. Positioned along the shoreline of a murky, industrial lake, the structure stood defiant—a labyrinth of concrete barriers and rusted security fencing marking the perimeter.

There was no hesitation.

A single silent hand signal from the forward officer, and the first breach charge detonated—a burst of high-frequency plasma slicing through reinforced metal like paper. Before the remnants of the gate even hit the ground, the first unit was inside, moving in a tight, staggered formation.

The slaughter began instantly.

The first enemy combatant barely had time to register the intrusion before his entire upper body was reduced to vapor—a concentrated kinetic spike round punching through his chest, detonating the organic matter on impact. His legs remained standing for a fraction of a second before toppling into the dirt.

A second target turned, rifle raising—but his skull caved in from a hyper-accelerated ballistic blade, the weapon embedding so deep that his body jerked before crashing onto the ground.

The air was thick with the sound of suppressed railgun bursts and the rapid thunk-thunk-thunk of tactical drones unloading rounds into the retreating guards.

Tactical Deployment – No Survivors

Platoon Gunter advanced with surgical precision. The frontline operated like a singular machine, shifting and adjusting as they moved deeper into the enemy structure. Every step was calculated, every shot deliberate.

One soldier unclipped a cluster detonator from his vest, rolling it into an open corridor. A group of defenders barely had time to turn before the micro-drones within the device activated, swarming upward, burrowing into soft tissue, and detonating in synchronized bursts.

Their screams lasted no more than two seconds.

A second unit pushed through an adjacent hallway. The leader raised his gauntlet, a pulse of concentrated ion energy surging forward. The blue wave crashed against enemy shields, distorting their structure just long enough for a follow-up barrage of titanium-carbide rounds to punch through their armor, ripping torsos apart in seamless execution.

From a Distance – Kikaru Watches the Carnage

Kikaru remained silent as she watched the operation unfold through her tactical overlay. Paul let out a slow breath.

"Damn."

Colby leaned against the ship’s frame, his expression unreadable. "They weren’t kidding when they said they’d be fast."

Bodies piled up within minutes. Limbs severed by high-frequency plasma blades. Heads liquified by railgun bursts. The ground was slick with what remained of the facility’s guards.

There was no battle.

It was a culling.

Jiece tapped her communicator. "Platoon Gunter, status?"

A calm, controlled voice responded. "Sector One is clear. Moving up to the second floor for wipeout."

It had been less than ten minutes.

The room stank of ozone and blood, the residue of plasma rounds mixing with the metallic tang of death. Captain Jiece stepped into the dim interior, boots crunching over broken glass and scattered debris. Behind him, the squad fanned out cautiously, rifles raised as they scanned for any remaining threats.

The bodies were strewn haphazardly across the floor—young men with hollowed cheeks and vacant eyes. Their ragged clothing clung to their thin frames, stained with dirt and dried sweat.

"Report," Jiece ordered, his voice clipped.

One of the squad members knelt beside a corpse, nudging it over with the muzzle of his rifle. "No tactical markings, sir. Civilians, by the looks of it." He frowned, leaning in closer. "Definitely not the rebels we’ve dealt with before. These guys look like they’ve been starved half to death."

A solider scanned the room, his brow furrowing. "This doesn’t make sense. Why would—"

A flicker of movement caught his eye. The body nearest to him twitched.

He froze.

Before he could say a word, the corpse convulsed violently, its limbs jerking as though something inside it was trying to break free. Across the room, another body began to shift, its chest rising unnaturally.

"Eyes up!" The platoon leader shouted, stepping back as the squad snapped into formation.

From the twisting corpses, two black orbs emerged—shimmering, pulsating masses that floated eerily above the bodies. The orbs hung in the air for a moment, vibrating with a low, ominous hum before shooting forward like bullets.

The first struck the Platoon Leader square in the chest, the impact sending him staggering backward. The second orb slammed into the soldier beside him, who let out a choked gasp before collapsing to his knees.

"Get them out of there!" a soldier shouted, but the damage was already done.

The Platoon Leader’s body seized, his fingers clawing at his own chest as black tendrils spread across his skin. His face twisted, veins bulging as a dark, jagged mask-like mark etched itself into his features. The other soldier let out a guttural scream, his hands clawing at the sides of his head as if trying to rip something out.

The comms crackled, the static breaking through the chaos.

"Sorry to burst your bubble," a voice sneered, distorted and laced with mockery. "But I’m not quite done interrogating your dear doctor."

The tone was wrong—mocking, yes, but underneath, there was something jagged. Unhinged.

Jiece gritted his teeth. "Who the hell is this?"

The voice over the intercom continued, unfazed by his demands.

"Dr. Anders isn’t finished sharing his secrets," it said, with a sick laugh that sent a shiver through the room. "And now you get to share in his misery."

As the words faded, the infected soldiers screamed.

It wasn’t a human scream.

It was a sound ripped from something primal, guttural, and broken. The Platoon Leader’s head tilted sharply to the side as his eyes locked onto one of his squadmates.

"Dad?" A small voice echoed in his ears—soft, innocent, and impossibly familiar.

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