Chapter 66: The Last Stand in the Shadow of the Lighthouse and the Warriors of the Echo
When they set foot on the battered grounds of Aethelburg's Lighthouse, Kael, Aslan, and the Shadow Squad found themselves in the midst of a living hell. The sky was painted red by the Void Fleet's bombardment, and the air was filled with the stench of burning metal and pure evil. And in the center of that chaos, towering like a vast, glowing tower, Aethelburg's Lighthouse held out its last, offering a dim glimmer of hope to the small but determined force of resistance around it.
The Lighthouse Guardian who greeted them—Aethel, the warrior whose name echoed in Kael's mind as "Orion"—swiftly led them to the outermost line of defense of the Lighthouse. The Aethels were like the Starsingers' more warlike, more fierce-tempered cousins, clad in shining, light armor and carrying spears and shields made of energy. Their numbers had diminished, their faces full of weariness and sorrow, but the unwavering determination in their eyes defied the darkness of the Void.
"Echo Bearer," Orion said, his voice both tired and filled with new hope. "Perhaps your arrival will make the Lantern's final song ring louder."
The battle lines tightened around the Lantern. Countless Void creatures—dark, chitin-armored beasts, sharp-clawed hunters that sprang from the shadows, and even massive, slow-moving but devastating Void siege engines—push relentlessly toward the Lantern.
Kael, Aslan, and the Shadow Squad joined the desperate battle without a moment's hesitation. With the immense power he had drawn from the Chitauri core and the Terra Crystal, Kael had become an angel of death. His flawless marksmanship destroyed even the most distant Void creatures in one shot, and his blasts of Echo energy tore through enemy lines. At the same time, it created energy shields that protected the Aethel warriors and S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers, repelling the polluting energy of the Void.
Aslan fought like a storm, with both blades in his hands, beside Kael. The pure Echo energy radiating from Kael seemed to give Aslan superhuman speed and strength. The Shadow Squad, as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most elite soldiers, provided invaluable support to the Aethels with their modern weapons and tactical discipline. Even Dr. Aris Thorne joined the fight with an experimental energy rifle in his hand, analyzing the Void creatures' energy signatures and relaying their weaknesses to Kael and time.
Orion watched in awe of Kael's incredible strength and leadership on the battlefield. "Aethelburg's Lantern," Orion said after he had deflected an attack by a Void siege machine with Kael's help. "Not just a tower of light, but the Echo Bearer. It is the keystone of the Great Seal in this sector. If the Lantern is extinguished, this branch of our galaxy will be completely plunged into the darkness of the Void. That cry for help you heard was from the Lantern itself, from its life essence."
The Void's attacks were growing more intense. The outer layers of the Lantern were beginning to deteriorate, its faint light growing fainter. The Void forces were attacking not only with brute force, but also with special Void mages who were trying to infiltrate the foundations of the Lantern and contaminate it from within.
"What must we do?" Kael asked Orion. "How can we save the Lantern?"
"You must reach the heart of the Lantern, Echo Bearer," Orion said, his eyes fixed on the flickering light at the top of the Lantern. "There is an 'Echo Chamber' there, the legacy of the Creators. Only an Echo Carrier like you can enter the chamber with the Chitauri core and rekindle the Lantern's dying fire. It is the only way for the Lantern to repair itself and repel this Void invasion."
But the Echo Chamber was deep inside the Lantern, in the most heavily guarded area of the Void's forces. Getting there was a suicide mission.
Just then, a series of explosions and flashes of light from the sky illuminated the battlefield. Odyssey! Captain Rostova and the remaining crew had made a last-ditch effort to activate the ship's damaged weapons systems, distracting the Void fleet and providing low-level bombardment support for the Lantern. This had bought them only a short time.
"Now, Kael!" Orion shouted. "You must go to the heart of the Lantern! We will hold them off here!"
Kael looked at Aslan and the Shadow Squad. Their eyes held both fear and unwavering determination. "You are coming with me," Kael said. "This is our fight."
One of the Lords of the Void's most powerful commanders—a being clad in armor made of pure obsidian and wielding a massive Void axe—held the main entrance to the Lighthouse. This commander had sensed the powerful Echo energy emanating from Kael's Chitauri core and had made him his personal target.
Kael and his small team must now reach the heart of the Lighthouse, and past the deadly Void commander and his armies. The fate of Aethelburg's Lighthouse, and perhaps the entire sector, rests on their shoulders.