Alice, Thompson, Walker and the rest of the team arrived at the target area in Caelum 14 hours later. The was one of the five primary lift generators that kept humanity's last city in the sky. And the most heavily contested area in the city between the Cults and the UMRD even though it’s in the center of the city.

Walker got intel that they would be launching a massive assault on the generator today and would use Alice to wipe out most of their forces while UMRD forces encircled them and blocked their escape into the city. Their network has kept his troops wiping them out so far, but now he was planning to end this damn war of theirs.

He then turned towards Thompson and said “We will keep the subject unconscious until the fighting starts. When those cultists get close use a healing spell on it and launch it at their center, the shock should be enough to make it go berserk but if not use its implants and force it.”

Thompson was still conflicted about Alice after the scene the day before hesitated but still said “Yes sir.”

“And one more thing if the subject wakes up prematurely put another bullet in it” Thompson only paled at the thought.

A few miles away people were gathering all of them looking like the average citizens that you could see all over the city. There was only one difference they were either blessed by their god Mania or Lyssa. The gods had given their worshippers two gifts one being the ability to change their appearance to that of a faceless shadow and the other being access to one of two unique magics them being either death or chaos.

Death being corrosive magic that wears away at one's very soul with every attack taking time off a targets lifespan. Neither magic or medicine could ever help a target recover from its effects. Chaos magic targets a person's mind and body its potential only be fully realized when facing groups of enemy's. Making them forgot who they are destroying their minds or body at random. The effects always differed from making them see their friends as enemies, relive all the pain they ever went through in second over and over or even glimpse into Lyssa’s mind always resulting in commas or suicide.

These magics were the only reason Walker considered them a threat to the UMRD, and it was a terrible truth that if the cultists had the same men and resources, as the UMRD, they had won years ago. But the simple fact was the cults had powerful magic but average people. The UMRD had strict recruitment standards with nearly everyone trying to join. Their immense popularity with the people made it easy to replace losses from these attacks, while the cultists took anyone they could get and their numbers limited.

The staging area was in a music hall owned by one of the cult members. They silently prepared for the fight to come there weren't any speeches or empty words of encouragement. They knew the truth of the world and today's target was the most critical factor in this war.

A man and woman covered in shadows were at the back of the stage discussing their plans one last time.

The man named Arthur head of the Cult of Mania spoke: “It's been confirmed Maria our spies said the leaked info got to Walker he brought her along to finish us.”

The head of the Cult of Lyssa Maria responded: “Good, good they fell for it then that girl is the key to all of this, the child of death and madness our Lord's will be so pleased.”

Arthur smiled under his mask of shadow and said “They will be even if most of us don't make it back it will still be worth it. We have been playing around in this farce war for too long. They have no idea the mistake they're making bring her out in the open like this.”

Laughing Maria responded “I know right they created the key to their destruction thinking it would save them. All we need to do now is go in and save the girl from those bastards. Lord Lyssa will be so pleased.”

“Maria I can understand why lord Mania has interest in that girl but why but why yours? Even if Lyssa rules over the dungeons and the girl was born from their cores, I don't see why she would have any interest in her?”

Maria’s smile twisted as she said: “You'll understand when you see her.”

Arthur shook his head thinking “These damn Lyssa worshippers never give a straight answer.” But still said, “Fine just get your people ready and try to stick with the plan for once. This time my people are leaving you guys if we get the girl, but you still decide to rampage.”

Maria still with a twisted smile underneath her mask said: “Oh come on admit it it's so much more fun when we go berserk don't be like that.”

Arthur annoyed told her bluntly “Do it you crazy bitch, and we're done.”

“*Sigh* fine I'll control them this time but only this once cause it's important to both of us.”

“That's all I ask.”

“By the way whats the plan.”

“For Christ sake, my guys are gonna attack first we only need 600 of yours to make the numbers and magic look right the rest of yours stay hidden.”

“No fair” Maria complained.

Arthur dismissively said “Life isn't fair when the girl gets thrown in use large-scale chaos magic and disrupt the enemy that'll try to encircle us. We’ll use the anti-magic scroll and the EMP on the area and get rid of her restraints, and you cover our escape got it”

“Yeah yeah got it but what if she doesn't cooperate with us?”

“I already talked to a high leveled illusionist under your command he will put her out of commission for a few hours.”

“Ok great plan 20 bucks says this plan goes to shit when the fighting starts.”

“Screw you I don't see you thinking of anything that will help. All you ever do is run around and destroy everything! Now that I think about aren't you the reason my plans fail most of the time!”

“In a nutshell yeah that's why I am betting the 20. I'll make sure I win.”

“Why do I put up with you again?”

“Your life would be too easy otherwise. Also, you'd probably die without me. Now come on we can't keep her waiting” Maria cheerfully said as she ran away.

Walker was looking out over the bombed-out surrounding of the lift generator. The buildings had long since been torn down for increased security and ground had was full of craters and trenches from dozens of past battles to protect the generators.

It had been 2 hours since preparations were made and the waiting was getting quite tiring. Walker just wanted to send the subject in, wipe out the enemy and then return the subject to headquarters.

He had others matters to think about like the growing problem in Project Alpha the team and especially Thompson would need to be taken care of soon they showed too much piety towards the subjects outburst the previous day. He was powerful a mage but their many competent replacements he could think of.

It would be simple enough to get rid of them all he needed was a valid excuse and what better than dungeon expeditions. There had been a particularly aggressive one found in Florida, and it seemed to be attacking the other dungeons around it. Many were eager to send a team down there and who better to lead it the Thompson.

As Walker was finalizing the details in his mind, he noticed something on the horizon. “Looks like they got their hands on some old mortars and enchanted them quite interesting.”

A calm reaction to a minor attack in the eyes Walker's eyes but for security teams on the ground, it looked like hells gates just opened up. Their positions were hammered losses mounting already in the hundreds.

The shells were infused with death magic making them particularly deadly corroding everything they touched even portable mana shields were being slowly eaten away. But soon Walker ended this he cast a simple wind wall denoting the shells before they hit the ground.

He then asked one of his commanders “They're using better tactics and mage-tech than normal it seems like our intel was right. The noncombatants have been evacuated correct.”

“Yes sir they have, we have a total of just over 15,000 men ready to fight sir.”

“They were deployed as specified then.”

“Yes, sir 5,000 in the outer defenses, 2,500 in the inner and 7,500 ready to attack their rear. We also received a report saying we lost 432 men in the initial bombardment.”

“Worse than I expected but that's death magic for you. I'll continue the blocking the shells, for now, tell the men in the center to pull back and get ready for the trap.”

“Understood sir.”

With a smile, Walker put Thompson up on screen “Everything is going according to plan get the subject ready for the live combat testing. Have a team ready extract it when it's done or if you detect its vitals dropping.”

“Understood ready to drop when you give the order.”

Walker watched as the cults vanguard advanced there trying to take control of some the abandoned defenses. Their main force would catch up in a matter of minutes. Almost 6,500 soldiers in all were surprising even if Caelum was the size of a country these many cultists going undetected for so long isn't easy to accept even if the population was over 150 million.

“They're like roaches,” Walker thought.

Soon their men clashed and Walker gave the order close the encirclement and commence the test.

Arthur fighting with his men looked up and saw one of the UMRD gunships drop something off its side it was too slow to be a bomb and too small to be troop drop. He grinned like a madman and yelled to his men “She's coming get the EMP and the anti-magic scroll ready. Be prepared for non-magic combat and a full retreat and get that damn illusionist up here.”

When Alice woke up, she felt like she was falling as if in a dream but then *crash* she only thought “What the hell they really did drop me where am I anyway.”

“Al..ic...Alic…Alice, can you hear me?”

Alice screamed, “What the hell is going on, who are you're not one of my normal head voices, where am *zap* ow what the hell was that for!?!”

“Talking. Now that I have your attention let's make this quick, first I'm a lieutenant with the UMRD. Second, you're in the middle of a battlefield, and third, this is a combat test simply kill everyone you see then report back simple enough.” The voice in a matter a fact tone.

“How about this I leave these people alone and help them kill you. Hmmm yeah, I’ll go with that lieutenant jackass bye.”

“Your choice, let the record show subject 1, name Alice is uncooperative activating implant “mind relay” berserk mode being forcefully activated permission requested.”

Alice in a panic said, “Wait no I'll cooperate stop this activation stuff.”

“....”

“Um please...”

A new voice was heard over the com-link that said: “Permission granted.”

“Understood activating Berserker mode opening capsule doors.”

“Wait I even said pleas-” In a second all she could see was red and she ran out. Walker didn’t bother giving her weapon she could use her hands and teeth for all he cared, she was trained in magic and whatever weapons the cultists were using anyway.

Arthur was staring at the pod waiting for whatever happens. The EMP and scroll still needed time to get ready. So until then, he needed to keep her at bay without killing her. He gave orders to his men "We need her in one piece remember no death or chaos magic, non-lethal magic only."

As he finished speaking the pod opened, and he saw a small child as white as snow, with eyes that looked they were swallowing a rainbow. Many others were in aw at sight, but soon they were soon snapped out of by what happened next. The girl rushed and at them started ripping them to pieces.

His subordinates were ripped in half and burned alive. From what he could tell Alice was using wind, fire and earth magic with no incantation. Even though any element could be learned by anyone with magic natural talent still played a massive part of what you're capable of using, and even then it always takes high affinity with an element to skip a chant.

Arthur started to bark orders “Keep the target back she’s using a mix of advanced and expert level magic for three elements.” He looked around seeing his men being torn apart the girl was throwing high-level area spells around like it was nothing almost 300 dead in 5 minutes. The illusionist was almost ready to make his move, and the scroll and EMP were ready. “Get back everyone and be ready for full retreat. Capture team be ready and tell Maria to make her move.”

Then Alice turned and rushed him with a mad gleam in her eye “Shit do it no- *ugh*.” She had him by the throat about to rip his head off but stopped. The illusionist made his move and melded his mind with hers. And in quick succession, the scroll and emp were activated he got out of her grip grabbed her and ran.

He had 1,000 men cover the retreat they all volunteered knowing they wouldn't make it back and couldn’t surrender. Gunships fell out of sky and shields dropped; Maria had made her move right before using a large scale Fury spell that made 3/4ths of the UMRD forces encircling them slaughter each other. They had to make the spell strong enough to resist the Anti-Magic scroll, so the 500 casters were killed in the process, but the effects were well worth it.

The UMRD soldiers affected we’re killing each other in droves with magic ineffective so long as the scroll was in place they used guns, knives, swords, fists whatever they could get their hands on.

Maria had 2000 hidden initially in the area, but with 500 dead she had the rest mow down the soldiers in Arthur's way with conventional rifles and artillery. Maria sat back and watched the scene imagining how pleased Lyssa was and said: “Thank you lord Lyssa for giving me this power of vengeance.”

At the end of the fight, the Cult of Lyssa lost 800, the Cult of Mania 2100 do to leading the assault, 600 killed by Alice during her rampage, with total dead being 2900 dead and 6400 able to escape.

The UMRD suffered far worse losing 1900 of their outer guard and a devastating 4300 dead in their encirclement force. Totaling 5200 dead and 9,800 alive this count not including the permanent damage done by death magics life corroding effect and chaos’s mind breaking side effect.

Walker looked down at the field furious realizing he been played the fool he could only listen to reports and plan his next move. He sat talking to his officers “Any cultists captured, clues found or being tracked.” The men paled hearing the fury in his tone even the generals hesitated to speak.

An attendant finally spoke, “No sir all of them either fought to the death or killed themselves, as for clues there are none we are still identifying the bodies, but most of them are normal people that should have no connections with either cults sir.”

A general then said “As soon as they broke out of the facilities boundaries a series of bombs were detonated in the city some hitting our communication network even some classified surveillance posts. With the magic, they used to disguise themselves then blended in with the chaos.”

Walker then asked, ”They weren't affected by the Anti-Magic?”

“That’s correct sir we can only assume when activated it acts as a curse and only deactivate's by death or the user's will.”

“Ok ok, one more question… WHERE THE FUCK IS ALICE!!!!!”