[Attack on the Bastion] All at once, the Granian forces, excluding the Cyclitharans, aimed their weapons at the heads of their hostages and shot them. This move, as low, shallow, and unexpected as it was, stunned the Cyclitharans and Ethisians altogether. It was so horrific, so terrifying, and so heartless that the two other intelligent species did not know how to handle or process what they had just seen with their own eyes. All the lesser intelligent creatures that once thrived around the Bastion were killed in cold blood; not because they were a threat, nor because they were dangerous, but just because the Granians wanted to prove a point. They truly were a vicious and bloodthirsty warrior people. "They killed them!! They killed them all." "All these innocent beings. They did nothing wrong but they ended up..." "Those damned Granian bastards!! They killed them. THEY KILLED THEM ALL!!!" "GRANIANS, ATTACK!!" As Lord Gravax shouted the command loud enough for all on the plateau to hear, the Granians and Cyclitharans, who were still stunned by the Granians and their brutality, charged at full speed while the Ethisians still gathered themselves. As the Granian forces charged forward, the Crimson Knight raised her arms above her head and began to focus all her strength on the blood of slain, innocent, war victims. Their magenta blood, as thick as it was, started to move forward along with the Granian fleet. Like snakes, the blood separated and winded past the soldiers while quickly swirling around the Crimson Knight. As all the blood gathered around Cherry, she raised her hands even higher and made a thick wave made of flowing magenta blood. The towering wave of blood cast a wide shadow in the Bastion and with that came a feeling of uneasiness. Those close enough felt sick to the stomach while others feared for their own lives. It all happened so fast and now here they were watching the blood of those they swore to protect be manipulated into a wave. "ETHISIANS, FIRE!!" while the lower-ranked soldiers remained in awe, the higher ones quickly took their positions on the mounted turrets and began firing. In an instant, a light show of turret fire lit up the Bastion following a bloody scene unfolding. Granian soldiers--as well as Ethisian and Cyclitharan soldiers by the tens--were destroyed almost immediately by the heavy fire of the turrets. While the shots were being fired, more Granians and Cyclitharans climbed the steep walls of the plateau while piloting Mechs designed for War. As the foot soldiers countered the Ethisians within the Bastion’s Walls, the Mechs countered the mounted turrets with heavy fire of their own but it still wasn’t enough. Compared to the turrets, the Mechs’ firepower couldn’t cause any significant form of damage to them. Follow current novᴇls on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝕟𝕖𝕥 "Gravax..." Cherry, with her hands still in the air, grunted at Gravax as she hardened her towering wave of blood. "...it’s...ready. Tell them...to stand...back..." "Just go ahead and fire, Cherry," the Granian spoke and watched as the wave of blood suddenly splashed. Like a big rock thrown into water, the blood wave splashed in every direction as its droplets hardened into Blood Spikes. The spikes, flying quickly and swiftly, pierced into the turrets and their pilots, injuring most and killing a few instantly. In their abundance, some spikes even pierced into those on the floor, aiding the Granians and Cyclitharans in the War. "Excellent..." Gravax smiled as the Ethisian numbers started to dwindle. However, from the corner of his eye, the Granian witnessed a force of an entity rushing at him with a sword gripped tightly in its arm. The smaller High Grade, with a vengeance, specifically targeted the Granian who ordered the deaths of the innocent species that lived under his care. "...enough with the Blood Wave, Cherry. You executed it well," Gravax spoke as he took out a large, double bladed sword sheathed on his back, "fight along with us. Either take care of that big one, or finish off the soldiers on the Wall, or do both. The choice is yours." The two entities, at the same time, charged at both High Grades with anticipation running in their veins. The two High Grades also charged at the Granian and Blood Mutant but they sought to bring them down as quickly as they could. These two High Grades knew how catastrophic a Blood Mutant was on the field of battle and so they both chose to put her down quickly but there was a problem. A Granian, on the same strength level as they were, proved to be a stumbling block on their path. Gravax wasn’t going to let these two High Grades fight Cherry at once, and they knew it. So rather than tell Cherry to hide, he chose to take one of them off her hands and tangle with it long enough for their air strike force to arrive. "Your brother fought two High Grades and killed one," Gravax taunted while he and Cherry and the High Grades ran to meet each other in the middle, "let’s see how you’ll perform with your newfound strength." While Gravax swung his sword, the Crimson Knight reinforced its claws and forearms with hardened blood, and just in time too for the larger High Grade brought down its weapon, a long, single-edged sword with an awkwardly thick blade and weighty hilt. The force the High Grade used was so strong that it cut through the air effortlessly while generating enough pressure capable of crushing the front of a tank. Cherry dodged just in time and then attacked with a quick jab to her enemy’s chest. To her dismay, hitting the High Grade’s chest was like hitting a turtle’s shell with an old, dried-up shriveled stick—ineffective. Taking a step back, the Crimson Knight dodged yet another swing of the High Grade’s sword and countered with a Blood Swipe. Cherry swung her forearm and from the tips of her fingers came a thick haze of sharp, hardened blood that swiped across the Ethisian’s eyes. Luckily, the High Grade lifted its head at the last moment, saving it the trouble of going blind in the middle of a battle. "Tried going for my eyes," it spoke while it swung and kicked in anticipation of Cherry’s moves. Just as planned, the Crimson Knight dodged but awkwardly placed herself in a position that allowed the Ethisian to kick. "Do you fight as heartlessly as the Granians?" "No," Cherry answered as she slit her wrist while covering her arms in her own blood, "just more creatively than them."