Samurai

For Himan Tarek, it was the fifth engagement. A number he liked to boast about, as very few veterans make it this far without a crippling injury at first. The unrelenting invaders from Araus-Ta were famous for their methods of mangling the bodies before the kill, sometimes after. In truth, he could thank his luck for his longevity. Four times, he had been deployed in the outskirts of the real battle, his battalion only repelling several hundreds of murderous otherworlders.

If he had time to reflect on that, he would think that his luck has run out. For once, his squad was at the heart of the skirmish. There he was, unleashing salvo after salvo for little results. Most of the enemy soldiers were equipped with magnetic shields that slowed down the bullets until they were no more than iron pellets bouncing on their light armor. Sometimes, one of them got through, and a foe would fall to the ground, immediately replaced by ten more.

Some had handguns and were replying with a timid blind fire, but most only carried vibroswords or plain Araus-tan steel, which was more than enough to cut through the light padding of Araus-Nis forces. The Japanese descendants were expert in close combats, and sought it above all else. But people of Araus-Ni were fast learners, and fighting off countless offensives over centuries made them formidable swordmasters too, rivalling their warmongering neighbors.

It will be the same schema as ever, Himan was certain. First they barely thin the assailants with heavy gunfire, then the battlefield becomes a mess of sword duels, until the mechanized force arrive and disperse the mass of invaders. The infantry could never win in a fair fight, it was just a matter of holding out long enough for the big guns to take position. The soldier had four kills to his name, two of which he bested in single combat. He knew their moves, and had more experience than any of his comrades in arm. He was among the first to draw his own sword, a straight sword, nothing like the slightly curved blade that he will be crossing soon enough.

The battle was raging all around him. His first opponent was a young man, talented but too eager and reckless. He arrived before the rest of his companions, welcomed by three Araus-Nis vanguards who made short work of him. The second one, a woman whose face was hidden behind a mask, was a different story. She clearly had more experience, and faced death multiple times. With no one around him to assist, Himan thought that taking her down would probably be most of his engagement. They proved even as their sword clashed, until a stray plasma shot went through her skull. She fell into his arms, a lifeless body that was bursting with life just a second before. Past the initial shock, he quickly discarded the body and went to look for his next opponent.

A turmoil was coming from the side. Above the raging screams of the battle, others could be heard. Screams of terror, of panic. And they all sounded Araus-Nis. He looked in the direction of the chaos, and saw multiple figures towering the battlefield. Titans, he thought. Twice the site of a regular human, they were clad in an armor so heavy Himan saw a tank shell ricochet on a shoulder pad. In place of their face, a grotesque mask imitating that of a demon staring at the lowly vermins at their feet. Wielding nonsensical blades longer than two men, they were ripping through the battlefield, an unstoppable force who didn't care about friends or foe.

After a few minutes of anguish where Himan was frozen in fear, one of the monsters arrived to his position. The soldier almost hurt his neck trying to look at his demise's face. The armor seemed to be welded together, leaving no weak points exposed, yet it moved naturally as if it was part of their body. The swordsman suddenly felt so small, so powerless. They were hundreds of thousands fighting here for their homes, and somehow it all felt worthless against the might of the armored titan that stopped his rampage to look at him. The enormous armor lifted his foot, effortlessly raising it above Himan's head, and took a step forward.