"Polar Fields: Reversal!"
Everything in the surrounding area trembled as if unable to decide upon an orientation. The field stretched out like an impending tsunami, crashing into the rocket within moments.
From within the rocket's core, a faint click echoed, followed by a burst of electrical currents.
The rocket phased through the priest's domain without faltering in the slightest. Unimpeded by the mysterious force, the rocket crashed into the dumbfounded priest with a resounding boom that echoed through the empty streets.
A shout scattered the dust clouds, revealing a slightly bruised priest. Veins dotted his head as his eyes turned bloodshot, though he eventually lowered his trembling hand.
"Interesting..."
The metal rebar which he had attempted to form a net around him fell to the ground. While he had managed to lift them initially, the priest failed to bring the metal bars in front of him due to losing control of the objects.
He patted his chest where the rocket had struck, brushing the dust off of his battered white robes.
"Deactivating the magnetic field of surrounding objects so I can't control them, you sure did your homework on my awakened ability"
Marie loaded another rocket into her RPG, "Enough of the chit chat, leave at once. I don't care what plans you have, the Holy Sanctuary is not welcomed here"
The priest sneered and took a step back, "I will step away, for now, but you should really check the news"
With that said, he turned around and stomped on the ground. A chunk of the pavement rose at his will and lifted him skyward until he was out of view.
Immediately, Marie jumped from the building, leaving the RPG behind. Raising one arm, she unveiled a small parachute that allowed her to descend smoothly.
Landing deftly against the cracked pavement, she jogged over to the trapped Enforcer whilst tapping her earpiece.
"Get me an extraction team here as soon as possible"
A buzzed voice spoke through the intercom, "We have a big issue Madam Marie, I'm afraid manpower will be short at the moment"
Marie furrowed her brows, quickly lifting her wristband to eyelevel, prompting a blue holographic map to appear before her vision. Hundreds upon hundreds of blue dots were scattered across the vast landmass, a perfect recreation of the entire territory controlled by the Union.
A single red dot appeared at it's center, followed by another, and then another. Within seconds, the blue dots were turning red at an exponentially increasing pace, until over a third of them were red.
Her pupils dilated at the sight, and her fist clenched with such force that her knuckles popped with a thunderous echo. A few drops of blood rained down onto the dry and shattered concrete.
Another buzz from her earpiece rang through the empty street, "Reporting the situation. Multiple white robes from the Holy Sanctuary have been spotted across the Union States. Over six hundred EMS units have been destroyed"
"...And what of the priests?"
"They have all disappeared, no sign of the Holy Sanctuary anywhere"
Marie began to nibble on her thumbnail, "What the fuck are those bastards doing..."
She shook her head and produced a black rod the length of a standard ruler. Pressing a discrete button, a small blade protruded from one end to which she used it to carve through the destroyed mech's armor.
Gliding smoothly through the thick metal plates, Marie cut out a square chunk of the mech's armor using the blade, enough for the Enforcer to free himself and crawl out. The man wedged himself out of the hole and tumbled to the ground, his face smeared with sweat and dirt as he repeatedly muttered his thanks.
Ignoring him, Marie pulled out her communication device and entered a series of numbers. A few rings later, and the line connected.
"Marie, the situation isn't looking too good," the Union President's strained voice crackled through the device, "I'm afraid the citizens will lose a lot of trust in their government if this continues!"
"Calm yourself," she said through a frown, "It's going to take a lot more than that to turn the tides in their favor. I doubt the Holy Sanctuary can absorb faith through fear"
"How do we respond?"
"..."
"Miss Marie?"
"Declare war"
There was a slight pause, "Are you certain?"
Marie's eyes glimmered under the daylight, "Affirmative"
Without waiting for a response, she disconnected from the call and surveyed the streets. Now devoid of people, all that was left were the remains of destruction. Sirens sounded in the distance, rapidly approaching the scene to clean up the traces of battle.
Ding!
A message appeared on her wristband, to which she responded with a scowl before hurriedly leaving the scene, calling for a helicopter to come pick her up.
-
High up in the night sky, Noah stood midair over New Providence once more. His high altitude and stark black clothes blended him into the midnight canvas. Behind him, Emerald stood with her electronic tablet in hand.
She pushed up her glasses with her index finger, reflecting the blue glow of the screen off the clear glass surface.
"Should we interfere?"
Noah's gaze hardened, "No, its not the right time yet"
"Then when will it be the right time?" a third voice said.
The Harbinger turned around and stared as Saintess Elizabeth descended from a dark cloud, her armored form providing the only light in this moonless night.
Noah smirked at the radiant woman, "That eager to fight me huh?"
Elizabeth snorted, "Eager can't be farther from the truth, I just don't understand the delay"
"The Holy Sanctuary's roots run deep," Emerald replied with a professional smile, "A complete removal will require... extensive work"
Her slight frowned turned into a scowl, "You're only increasing the number of casualties, a war will soon break out, and humans will suffer"
Emerald let out a sigh and adjusted her glasses again, "It is not our duty to constantly watch and baby humanity. We have already provided... ample support. Whether they can rise now or be destroyed is not of our concern"