Revenge of Tyrants. Storm of Souls.

[BagaturKhan]

The demon turned around abruptly. The flaming monster was seized with a violent rage at the suddenly spoken words of a stranger. As soon as he turned back, not a single trace of his sinister devilish smile remained. He barely restrained himself from howling at the top of his lungs in despair.
  Directly in front of him, several alien beings emerged from a cloud of light in the blink of an eye. One of them was a tall, dark-haired Elfurr who had an incredibly beautiful face. She donned heavy battle armor and a helmet with a small horsehair crest. But her face remained open.
  Behind the elfurr girls were several heavily armed fighters dressed in the same type of armor. In their hands they held the famous Soul Destroyers, the legendary super-rifles that were talked about so much in the Coalition. Before the eyes of the demon, a whole group of well-trained fighters was moving. The monster felt that they all had special psi abilities and were ready to fight with anyone. The coalition sent far from simple specialists.
- If you do not know who I am, then I will tell you, - the elfurr maiden said firmly, - Know! My name is Totkhemris User'Kaf! By the will of Senuhsert, Nebtaui and ruler of all Elfurr rulers, I serve the Galactic Coalition! In the name of the Coalition, I command you to stop the attack on the Griffin Imperium!
- Elfurr sorceress? Cha-Arun growled viciously, never changing his demonic form, "You can't stop me!" To all of you! I have existed for millennia. For me, you are nothing.
  The alien's eyes lit up with a white flame. This meant only one thing: her psi-abilities were used at 100 percent.
"We know the truth," Totkhemris replied, cocking the Destroyer's trigger. "War criminal Ser'Qiraani awakened you." You were found on Sunbatarr-3.
  Hearing such words, the demon allowed himself a sinister smile, although his entire inside was inflamed with terrible rage.
- The truth? - the monster chuckled, - You don't know anything, elfurr maid. No truth, no truth. And the truth is that you are protecting the most aggressive creatures in the universe. Of people! Yes, people! For thousands of years people have been killing each other and everyone around them! For thousands of years they have been bringing evil into this universe! You think I'm a demon, right? Do you think I'm evil? Perhaps I am evil to you. But for the universe, the main threat is people. For her, they are an evil force! I never ordered bulls to be sacrificed in myself! People did it themselves. By your own will. I demanded that the sacrifices be stopped! Stop killing animals!
  The glow from Totkhemris's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
“Perhaps,” the elfurr maid said to this, “however, you are going to destroy the Griffin Imperium!” And you serve the League! You made a pact with the League, or they made one with you! It doesn't matter... You're going to destroy people.
'No doubt,' rasped Cha-Arun, 'after what they've done, they deserve to die!' The conglomerate known as the League is nothing more than a tool. But the one who manages it - that's what matters! I serve Lord Marfur-Nirari, blessed god of the gods, also known as Sala'Zarr! He is not our enemy at all. But a savior and deliverer!
- Akh-Asur, - as if knowing one of his names, the alien woman whispered.
“Akh-Asur is not fiction,” the demon continued his speech, “Marfur-Nirari created the League so that it would destroy everything old in the galaxy and create a New Universe. And you know it. There will be no place for violence in the new universe. But in order for the new world to arise, the old must be destroyed. Everyone needs this war! Such are the laws! Order is created from Chaos. But without Chaos, nothing exists. To bring the universe to Order, it must be plunged into Chaos!
   In less than a second, the monster extended its clawed hands forward and released a fireball of incredible power from its body. The sphere of witchfire instantly headed towards Totkhemris. But against a seasoned elfurr sorceress, such an attack was a waste of time.
  It took User'Kaf a moment or two to cast the blocking spells. It was an ancient language, older than the Elfur Empire itself. The fiery sphere immediately vanished into thin air, as if it did not exist at all.
- No! Cha-Arun bleated in a goatish voice. You will not disturb me, elfurr maid! Do not interfere-a-a--a--a-eat!
“In order to destroy a demon like you, you need to know his name,” the warrior replied. "I'm going to get rid of you forever." Of course, the people who killed the bulls did not deserve a quiet life. They did the same as you and your God Sala'Zarr! But you... You're much worse than them! You want to destroy the entire human race because of a handful of fools!
- Handfuls? - the monster yelled at the top of his voice, - There were thousands of them! And there are thousands more! They killed not only bulls. I remember coming to the hunting village in the guise of an old man. I remember how they slaughtered the cave bear! I remember how they stabbed him with pikes and spears! How they crushed his head with stones! I felt his pain! And I'm not sorry! Don't feel sorry for the people! Why pity them?
“Because there are righteous among them,” the elfurr girl said to this.

[BagaturKhan]

Owen had been watching the conversation the whole time. Totkhemris... What he certainly didn't expect to see here was her. And then there were Ishken Derkh, Victor Kartavin, Orpheus Maximus, a few Elfurrian specialists, one draconian, and another Nicomedian, I think Commonwealth Ambassador Kerret. They all came to the aid of the emaciated and weary psionicist.
  Balderan and the two Tramontines were still lying on the deck of the ship. They urgently needed medical attention. Without her, they might not last long, especially the Nords. The experienced warrior received too many fractures. Osvaldo and Prada were unconscious. It is possible that they still received a concussion.
  But Scorcher wasn't going to wait for User'Kaf to deal with the monster. He had to do something. At least try. Ser'Qiraani was not in the hall. She had already slipped away. But the demon was here. And if it is not destroyed, then the worst of evils will fall on the Griffin. The embittered creature, caused by the League, was going to destroy the entire population of the planet.
  In less than a few moments, Owen rose to his feet and reached his desired goal. He ran a few meters and then jumped high into the air. The demon did not have time to prepare for such a blow and was instantly thrown back. Pulsating with psionic power, Owen's fist nearly crushed the monster's shell. The alien flew off to the side and hit the walls with furious force. The Scorcher followed him and swooped down on him like an angry cheetah. He began to beat the monster with all his strength, unleashing all his fury on him.
- Stop, Owen! shouted Totkhemris.
  The Scorcher recoiled from the monster. Then he turned towards the elfur maid and looked at her with great bewilderment.
- I have to kill him! - answered Owen, - otherwise he will destroy everyone on the Griffin!
"He can't be killed normally!" - I heard the voice of Ishken Derkh, standing among the arriving warriors, - You can kill a demon only if you know his name!
- We know his name! It's Cha-Arun! What else is needed?
- No, - there was a cry of a fighter named Viktor Kartavin, - His name is not Cha-Arun! That's his main name! But there is another secret! If you say it three times, the demon will lose its power and die!
  Owen realized that his comrades knew best. He had to step back and walk away. He quickly moved towards Totkhemris and her companions. The sorceress herself, meanwhile, pointed her weapon at the lying demonic creature. Cha-Arun felt Elfurr's mysterious magic too strongly, and he soon realized that he could no longer endure it. His entire infernal body began to tremble before the great power emanating from Totkhemris User'Kaf. She was no ordinary Elfurr after all.
"You can't win, Totkhemris!" - the monster hissed angrily, rising from the deck, - You will die here! You can't stop what's coming! People will pay for the harm done! Understand, I'm not a demon from old ladies' tales. I am the same as you. My race has existed since the beginning of time. Even before the ancestors of each of you originated in this universe. We built everything! Planets, stars! And they all scream with one voice that people are killing them! The main population of the Griffin is people. And I want to rid the planet of this virus! How can you not understand?! I am not a killer! I save these worlds!
At the last word, the monster was already able to rise to its feet and straightened to its full height.
"Your real name is not Cha-Arun at all," User'Kaf said, not listening to the demon.
  Then she carefully uttered the hidden name.
- Ifraim Arhuun-Bey.
Having said them, the elfurr immediately fired. The most powerful burst of energy contained in the Destroyer hit the demon right in the face with furious force and threw him back. With a desperate scream, Cha-Arun's body flew through the vast hall and soon sprawled again on the deck.
"I'm going to end you forever," Totkhemris croaked furiously. "Iphraim-Arhun-Bey."
  This time Cha-Arun did not lie down. He quickly jumped to his feet, using all his sorcerous power. Holding out his magic-flaming hands in front of him, he released gigantic jets of fire from his gut. Pillars of hellfire immediately rushed towards Totkhemris, but the commander again uttered the ancient spells. The attack quickly turned into a fiasco.
- And what do you want?! Cha-Arun snarled furiously. "For humans to rule this universe further?" What then? They will still bring death! Your Coalition is doomed! It will fall apart, and people, as before, will tear each other's throats. You will still remember my words, and you will understand why the League was created! You will understand everything. But it will be too late.
  The demon was desperate. His strength was rapidly fading away. If Totkhemris says his name a third time, there is nothing he can do to prevent his own death. Realizing his desperate situation, he released an even more powerful spell wave. From the side of the monster, a cloud of mysterious alien energy flew out. It rushed towards Totkhemris with furious force, intending to reduce it to nothing. An aura of absolute darkness was beginning to intensify in that cursed hall. The demon tried to use all its magical power in order to crush the opponent.
  Totkhemris repelled the enemy attack again, destroying the mysterious cloud of darkness.
You are making a terrible mistake! All of you do! - the demon roared in a frenzy, - the Griffin will still fall! Like all other worlds! And then dawn will come! The universe will start all over again! And all who destroy it will disappear forever!
  Cha-Arun spread his arms again, and from his side a mysterious something flew to Totkhemris. Elfur maid immediately prepared to repel the attack. But with every millisecond, she felt that something released by the mysterious deity was beginning to expand. A few moments later, a monstrous energy ball released from itself a dozen terrible tentacles. The hellish sphere was rapidly approaching Yuri, and he knew that one slightest miscalculation could simply ruin his life. Cha-Arun released all his rage and it could only be contained by a miracle. Even an inorganic being could suffer from such a powerful energy clot. The tentacles that emerged from the sphere rushed faster and faster towards their enemy. All this happened in a matter of fractions of a second.
  But here, too, luck did not turn away from Totkhemris.
- Ifraim Arhuun-Bey.
  The monstrous sphere hit the invisible shield and shattered into billions of pieces. Unbelievable scale explosions followed, which immediately knocked over the ground both the elfur maid herself and her terrible enemy. Everyone in that room instantly collapsed to the floor. The walls of the room began to crack at an alarming rate.

[BagaturKhan]

“When are you going to die, you damned bastard,” Mustafa roared furiously. - Let's! Come on, go back to that asshole you crawled out of! Let's! Let's!
  He pressed the trigger with all his might, releasing all of its furious power from the alien rifle. He simply did not know how to defeat this monstrous machine, which was constantly recovering from attacks. He had already laid a lot of enemy lives, but he could not cope with this mechanism. Mustafa felt powerless.
  Once again, he unleashed all the furious power from the Elfurrian Destroyer, and a blindingly bright fireball pierced the monster's metal torso. The robot just as before collapsed to the ground. The grey-bearded warrior has already prepared for a new rebirth of the monster and pointed his weapon at the burning fragments of the creature. He knew that in a second, she would begin the recovery process again. These machines were truly made in the depths of hell, and few mortals knew about their internal system.
  But to Mustafa's surprise, no rebirth followed. The burning fragments of the car remained lying in different parts of the room. In addition, he was surprised when he saw that the Cossatti warriors left in the room began to quickly fall to the floor. They fell like they had been knocked down, and some of them didn't even take any damage. The enemy soldiers just died one by one. This phenomenon had no explanation.
  Right in front of Mustafa's eyes, two fighters clashed between themselves in a fight. The warrior tried with all his might to chop up the knight-like cossatti. The enemy was already almost hanging over the fighter and wanted to split his body into pieces. He deftly knocked the warrior's sword aside and prepared to finish off. But suddenly the knight began to shake strangely, and then just collapsed to the ground. He seemed to have simply disconnected, having lost connection with an unknown source.
- What's happening? - I heard the surprised voice of Isabella, - Why do they fall?
- And most interesting, - answered Mustafa. - I've never seen anything like it!
There were no more opponents left in the hall. They died literally instantly. The whole room was just littered with the bodies of dead aliens and the wreckage of alien machines. The robot, with which the commander fought not so long ago, still did not recover. And then Mustafa and Isabella heard the roar of explosions. But it was unlikely that this was the noise emanating from enemy guns. The structure of the palace no longer shook, which meant that the enemies simply stopped firing at it. The current situation caused a storm of bewilderment among many.
- Look! - suddenly I heard the voice of one of the griffins, - Look! They explode!
The young guardsman pointed with his hand to the broken window, the sill of which was already visibly blackened from recent explosions. The soldier's face was full of unprecedented joy and amazement. He was ready to almost jump from happiness to the ceiling. Now he was happy like a child. Then the joy spread to the rest of his comrades, who observed the same picture.
Mustafa and his beloved instantly rushed to the windows. The first thing that the gray-bearded commander saw was a bright explosion of the reactor. Right in front of the palace, a gigantic bird-like aircraft exploded. The shock wave almost knocked the observers off their feet, but they managed to hold on. It is possible that the ship has in some unknown way turned on the self-destruction program.
  Then the gray-bearded commander saw the explosions of the remaining ships. Enemy starships and giant flying platforms also began to explode, flooding with blindingly bright flashes of light. At the moment, almost all the machines that were in Dane's airspace were destroyed. The capital was rapidly cleared of enemy vehicles.
- My God! - Isabella exclaimed in surprise, - Mamma mia! They self-destruct!
- Only for what reason... - Mustafa said thoughtfully, without looking away from this panorama.
He could hardly believe his eyes. Until recently, they had all been subjected to a monstrous enemy attack and did not know if they were destined to meet the next day, but now the space was clearing right in front of them. Enemy ships continued to explode at breakneck speed. As if someone had launched special commands to destroy them. In the depths of their souls, Mustafa and Isabella felt that there was some witchcraft here. It is entirely possible that this was all the work of their mysterious allies, who had recently fought in battle against the Dark'Lyn.
  In addition, Mustafa discovered that the giant diamond-shaped structure hovering in the sky had stopped emitting a fiery beam from itself. Now she just froze, as if in a daze from what was happening. The countless lights that were on the bowl-shaped ship had already gone out. The mysterious enemy ship just quietly hovered over the city sky and showed almost no signs of life. With the shutdown of the ship, the earthquake also stopped. Now there was not a single jolt in the city.
- Let's pray to the Creator, - the grey-bearded warrior said. Let's give him praise!
“Praise be to the Creator,” the inspired cries of people and otherworlders were heard from everywhere. - Praise the Creator! Our enemy is destroyed! He is no more! It's all over!
“Now I really feel that God is with us,” Isabella whispered in a joyful voice.
The girl also followed the example of her lover. Now she no longer felt the heaviness that flooded her all the past hours. Again she felt as light as a migratory bird. The enemy was defeated. Who exactly destroyed it was no longer important. The main thing was only that all the horror left the planet, and perhaps it will never again descend on it. Perhaps all these nightmares will go forever into the distant past.
Hundreds of warriors instantly fell to their knees and held out their hands to the top. From their sides joyful cries and numerous praises were heard. Never before have survivors been as happy as they are today. With every second, they felt the awakening of an incredible light that began to flare up more and more.

[BagaturKhan]

The shockwave nearly threw everyone across the deck. But that was only the beginning. Moments later, there was a blinding flash. Before the warriors had time to rise to their feet, they had to abruptly turn back. A powerful flash made the heroes recoil. This went on for at least ten seconds. But then the cross section stopped, and the flame quickly went out. The power of Cha-Arun was gone, there was no doubt about it. Totkhemris spoke his secret name three times. It was this name that was written in the Demonology, compiled many centuries before the conquest of space by mankind. "Know the secret name of the demon, and he will lose his strength," - everyone who represented the highest officers of the Elfurr Empire knew about this.
  Totkhemris was not just an elfurr. The blood of the rulers themselves flowed in her veins, and they, in turn, were related to more powerful beings. The sorceress managed to crush the monster. His strength has dried up, and soon this creature will go back to hell.
  The effect of the flash wore off, although it left an imprint on the retinas of some of the fighters. They nevertheless decided to look at the result, and it was not long in coming. Now before the eyes of the warriors there was no longer any monstrous creature, with all its appearance inspiring fear and confusion. Instead of a terrible demonic creature, they saw only a pitiful shadow, vainly trying to cling to life. The giant walking horror simply vanished, leaving behind only despair and pain.
  Right in front of the warriors, a pitiful-looking man knelt down, a man whose face spoke of terrible impotence. His purple eyes looked at the enemies with pity and sorrow. This creature was almost naked, and only one loincloth covered his loins. His head had no hair, except for a long thick beard that fell to the very waist, his nose was almost an eagle's beak, and his ears were slightly pointed. His very gaze drained an incredible loss. The man nervously shook his head and trembled from the great horror that seized his entire emaciated body.
- What have you done..... - the creature said in a plaintive tone, - What have you done...... Now..... They will kill again..... They will torture and torment them again.... .
  Owen looked mournfully at the entity that until recently had been a monstrous demon. And there was not a single grain of rage in the soul of the Scorcher. Just pity. Incredible pity that suddenly fell upon him.
- Why did you go for it?! - the psi-adept barked, glaring at the miserable creature in the eyes, - We have faith. True faith. And you have nothing but darkness and chaos. With your hatred of humans, you have turned yourself into a demon!
- I tried to save them ........ - the emaciated alien replied sadly, - Save the animals ..... I remember the day when they killed the first bull ..... When they cut off his head and sprinkled themselves ... with his blood ....
  Small tears appeared in Cha-Arun's eyes. These were not tears of pretense. It was rather a place of great despair. After all, in the depths of his soul, he still remembered. He remembered everything that was then, for long millennia before the League and the Coalition.
- I remember the bear they stabbed with spears..... - sobbed the stranger, - And then they stoned them..... When they killed them again and again... Again and again.... Bulls, bears, wolves , sheep..... And all this went on every day.... Every day..... I still remember their cries. Their cries, begging for help... People did not understand the bear, which they stabbed with spears..... They did not understand that he just wanted to live.... running through the forest clearings..... Climbing trees in search of wonderful food.... So do the bulls... Those unfortunate creatures begging for help...... You should know how I felt when they killed them on altars.... Sacrificed them to someone like me.... They believed that I was a god.... I was the one who visited their worlds, watched them.... And they turned out to be monsters.....
  Owen took a couple of steps closer to the entity. He didn't want to kill the monster. The rage subsided. Cha-Arun was nearly dead anyway. Only a few moments remained before his complete death.
“They did a lot of pain,” Owen said in an even and calm voice, “But all of humanity is not to blame for this. Understand .... Someday people will atone for their guilt. Someday they will repent for everything they have done. But this is no reason to exterminate them. Marfur-Nirari gave you the idea of destroying them. But this is the path to darkness....
- Demons are not born... they become... - Cha-Arun whispered softly, trying not to look at the warrior's face, - Seeing how people kill the innocent, darkness seized my soul.... Perhaps it led to all this. I couldn't take it.....
- I understand, - the Scorcher nodded, - Demons are what is inside of us. Marfur-Nirari and the League have awakened you to destroy the people and hurt the Coalition. You have been used. Your pain.... They awakened the demons inside of you.......
- The main thing is that they do not awaken them in you, - looking at Owen, the otherworlder said, - Remember, each of us has them. Don't let them into you.... And as for me.... I beg you.... Do me a favor.
  The psionicist stared at the entity in wild bewilderment. More recently, this creature tried to kill him. And now it's asking for something.
- Kill me ..... - Cha-Arun said even more quietly, - And remember ..... Demons are not born ....
“They become demons…” Owen said mechanically.

[BagaturKhan]

The Scorcher turned towards Totkhemris. The Elfurrian warrior nodded. With her left hand, she drew from her bosom a short but sharp blade called a khopesh. These swords could even pierce tank armor. With the unfortunate monster devoid of power, he could deal with it in an instant.
  Without thinking twice, Owen took the blade from the hands of the elfurr girl. Then, with all his strength, he plunged it into the body of the demon. Cha-Arun felt a terrifying pain piercing through his entire being. As soon as the blade reached the demon's heart, Scorcher immediately yanked the weapon out of his enemy.
  The dying creature looked at the psionicist with great sorrow and despair. Tears welled up in Cha-Arun's eyes. Soon the monster bowed its head down and collapsed to the floor from the monstrous pain that pierced its body.
- Farewell... - Owen said quietly, looking at the dying creature.
"Peace be with you," Totkhemris said in Elfurr.
  Cha-Arun continued to twitch for a few more seconds, and only then did he calm down. He stopped moving and more than his body did not make a single movement. And after a moment, it began to quickly dissolve in the air. In less than a few seconds, not a single piece of the mysterious ancient deity was left. It simply vanished into obscurity, leaving behind only a void.
  Convinced that the demon was defeated, Owen allowed himself to look at his comrades. Turning his gaze in their direction, he found that they were staring at him in a daze. The two Tramontine veterans, along with Balderan, were already awake. Of course, they will have to listen not only to a long story, but also to serious medical intervention. - Well, that's all, - Owen said, looking around his comrades-in-arms, - The story of Cha-Arun is over.
- Yeah... - Ishken Derkh said with a sigh, - I hope that he won't come back again.
- Wait! Totkhemris User'Kaf suddenly dawned on her.
  She remembered that the main goal was far from being achieved. After all, it remained to find the main culprit of all crimes. Ser'Qiraani was not in this room. Owen never noticed exactly how she disappeared. But apparently, this dragon was still on the ship. She had to be immediately taken and neutralized.
- Kiraani - still thought of the Burner
  Kossatiyka could not go far. However, there was still a chance of her disappearing from the ship. Ishken Derh, for example, had a teleporter that allowed him to move from the ship to the nearest station. And if Ser'Qiraani had the same device, she might well have escaped on the nearest League ship. But everything was complicated by the fact that the armada of the Coalition had already entered the battle in outer space. Totkhmeris estimated the chance of her evacuation at only 20%.
- Search the ship! - the elfurrian warrior immediately commanded.
- Communication with Ahmanet is fragmentary, - Ishken reported, - I tried to report to the flagship, but it didn't work out. Something is blocking it. Possibly ancient sorcery.
"We'll be in touch as soon as we find Kiraani," Totkhemris replied. - And I feel that it will be soon.
“Alright, time to find that crazy dragoness!” Owen agreed. - She deserves The Hague for a long time!
“The Hague court is for the criminals of the Earth Alliance,” came the voice of a psionic named Victor Kartavin, “Ser'Qiraani will answer for the crime before the Galactic Court of Artandir!” She is guilty before many races!
  Ishken at the same time prepared to activate the teleporter. They had to take out the wounded heroes from the ship. Balderan, Osvaldo and Prada urgently needed help, and perhaps not only medical, but also witchcraft.
- Agent Durch! - I heard the command of User'Kaf.
  She spoke to the young psionicist who was hovering over the wounded soldiers.
- Move them to the Vice Admiral! We'll take care of Ser'Qiraani!
- And how are you? Ishken immediately exclaimed.
  He looked at Totkhemris in a strange and unnatural way. Owen even thought that he was in love with a foreigner. But if this was the case, then Ishken carefully concealed his feelings.
“Don’t worry about me,” the elfurr smiled slightly, “We can handle it!” We've done this before on Protego!

[BagaturKhan]

Trotskevich clearly understood that he had lost everything. His ship received three hits on the port side. Powerful bursts of energy destroyed the entire artillery deck, depriving the ship of hundreds of guns at once. The energy shield installation was also damaged. Now the ship had no protection at all. The "Dragon of Eternity" mercilessly fired on Trotskevich from all guns. He fired torpedo after torpedo. In desperation, Dvorok ordered the entire crew to make a dangerous approach and prepare for a boarding battle. But no one wanted to clash with the enemy in this position. All the League military wanted to do was get out of this system as soon as possible.
  The battle for the Griffin Imperium was lost miserably. Lazitron will surely escape punishment. He's already dead. And Trotskevich will have to answer personally to the command of the League. The High Archpriest of the Olmec League, R-Llandris, had already promised to punish Dvorok for his failure. But most of all, the general was afraid of the punishment from Marfur-Nirari. The mysterious patron of the League from an unknown civilization could easily turn anyone's life into a living nightmare. He had long threatened Trotskevich with a torture complex. Until now, the general preferred to personally torture the prisoners and beat the whole truth out of them. But most of all, he himself was afraid to be in the place of these unfortunates. He knew that Marfur-Nirari would no doubt take these measures.
- Prepare to board! howled Trotskevich at the top of his voice.
  But still, the military on the ship were smarter than their commander. They knew very well that they would not be able to survive. More and more reinforcements from the Coalition were coming up. The League fleet was utterly defeated. Communication with Ser'Qiraani's flagship was lost, which meant that the Kossatian had failed. During the battle, Trotskevich's cyber squads intercepted a message about an impending attack on the dragon itself. He knew that they were going to take her alive and bring her to trial. If this happens, many great secrets will be in the hands of the Coalition.
  Dvorok had also heard of Cha-Arun being woken up on Sanbatar 3. He personally sent a support team for Ser'Qiraani to successfully evacuate the monster. Kossatian managed to awaken not only the ancient god worshiped on Zarragen, but also unlocked an amazing arsenal of demonic technology. These same devices immediately went to the benefit of the Acheronian League. But everything was complicated by the fact that they were connected with Cha-Arun himself. Ser'Qiraani took extreme measures. She recruited several Cossatti and planted special microchips in their minds that kept them in touch with the monster. Each of these chips was engraved with the symbolism of a demon. Thus, with the help of these devices, a kind of telepathic control over the kossatti warriors was carried out.
  Destroying Cha-Arun could easily deprive the League of a secret army that it intended to use not only on Griffon, but also on many other worlds. And apparently, it has already happened.
- I said get ready to board! Dvorok howled even louder, drawing his long saber.
- Sir, - answered the navigator Talani, a pale-skinned alien from the Gul'khan race, - You understand that this is impossible!
Trotskevich did not like this tone terribly. He never liked disobedience. The Navigator was below him in rank. And now he allowed himself the unthinkable.
- I said, get ready for a boarding battle! We will storm the flagship of the Ouroboros,” the general rasped with great fury.
  But he again ran into resistance from his subordinates.
- Sir! The army is broken! Lieutenant Lazotl of the grey-skinned N'sai race almost shouted, "The fleet is no more!"
  A moment later, Lazotl was already dead. Trotskevich shot him in the head. But the other crew members did not hesitate. Several officers drew their pistols and aimed them at the commander.
- Sir! The army is broken! - I heard the voice of another officer on the bridge, - We must retreat! Your orders are suicidal! Boarding in such a situation is simply impossible! Ship damage 50%! No more shields!
  The doomed Trotskevich stared with great horror at the rebellious members of the crew.
- Yes, to you .... - he cried out in despair, - You will all go to the tribunal!
- It's you who will go to the tribunal, sir, - the officer growled angrily, - For a suicidal attack! For wasting the lives of warriors in vain! You still won't win! This ship is going to explode! But none of us here wants to die! Breathe like dogs!
- Yes! Nobody! - immediately there were shouts of the rest of the naval, - We do not want to die for you, Trotskevich! We do not want! To you and that crazy cute dragon!
  Dvorok knew that there was no point in firing and issuing orders. A riot on a ship is the worst thing imaginable. But it was necessary to at least try to preserve the honor of the general.
- We retreat ..... - the commander murmured mournfully. - Heading for the Atsavizotl system ....
  After these words, he turned around and quickly hurried away from the bridge area.

[BagaturKhan]

Ser'Qiraani lost everything. Today was the worst day of her life. She's never lost like this before. Each of her plans was admirable. But today it all went wrong. Cha-Arun apparently succumbed to his desperation and lost his power. The armada of the League, approaching the Griffin, collapsed. She felt the League retreat in full force. She heard it. Trotskevich also could not stand it and dived into the "wormholes". Even his fearless officers rebelled. It was a day of grief and dishonor, the worst of the worst. All that Kossatian wanted now was to growl and roar at the top of her lungs. To take someone who comes across and tear them apart, cruelly and mercilessly. But no one stood in her way.
  She ran as fast as she could to the spare hangar. It was there that the rescue capsules were stored. Cha-Arun prepared them in case they had to flee. Apparently, even such a powerful demon as he foresaw the possibility of a total collapse. The escape pods were controlled mentally. It was enough to get into such a shuttle and connect the necessary cable to the brain. The cable, as a rule, found its cherished goal on its own. After the connection was established, it was possible to send the capsule anywhere. The shuttles could even accelerate to the speed of light. They were advanced ships of a long-forgotten technology. The only thing left to do was get there.
  Kossatiyka could no longer teleport. The psionic vortex that raged in the room with Cha-Arun made it impossible for her to jump. She couldn't even activate the cloaking system. So the hangar represented a great hope for salvation. If she gets there in time, she'll leave this stinky system right away. She probably won't be back anytime soon. If only with millions of ships and thousands of nuclear missiles that will destroy everything and everyone here.
  But on the way to the long-awaited hangar, an unforeseen obstacle arose. She stopped abruptly and could no longer move. Owen the Burner appeared right in front of her. Until recently, they fought in that ill-fated hall. They fought not for life, but for death. And now he appeared before her, alive and unharmed.
- Well, your plan is amazing, right? Owen's question followed. "Isn't that right, lieutenant general?"
  In his hands he held an Elfurr laspistol, capable of pulverizing any creature, even the most powerful-looking, with a single shot.
- As you yourself said, I must admire you, - the Burner continued his speech, without taking the otherworldly woman from the sight, - I am delighted. I admire your stupidity. And bad luck.
  Ser'Qiraani growled furiously. Her eyes lit up with unimaginable fury. Of the weapons she had only one pistol, for which she quickly reached out. But at the same moment she heard Owen cock the trigger. His next move will be pulling the trigger. This movement will be fatal for the Kossatian.
"Weapons on the floor, please," the psionicist said with a grin, "Or I'll shoot him in the head." How then can you say you're amazing. If you're headless. Who would admire a headless corpse?!
  With desperation and horror, Ser'Qiraani realized she must obey. She carefully took out a pistol and threw it down. At the same time, she continued to look at Owen with undisguised hatred.
- It won't save you, - she muttered angrily, - Don't hope.
- I wanted to tell you the same thing, - Scorcher smiled even wider, - This will not save you, dragon.
  Ser'Qiraani's beautiful eyes flared again. Her incredibly sharp teeth popped out of her mouth.
“I am a cossatti,” the otherworlder croaked, trembling with insane fury, “No one dares to call me a dragon!”
- Exactly! - mockingly remarked Owen.
  At that moment, a wonderful secret dawned on him. He immediately hurried to say it out loud. Inwardly, he hoped that this would anger the Kossatian even more.
- Dragons are noble and beautiful, - Scorcher said thoughtfully, - But you are not. You are not a dragon or a kossatian. You... are the demon we've been looking for. But still, what drives you?
  Ser'Qiraani was about to explode. Owen knew that if she had a nuclear warhead in her hands, she would immediately blow it up. Of course, she could use her psionic power, but the elfurr present on the ship suppressed her. Totkhemris was strong enough to keep the Kossatian at bay even from a distance.
"I don't understand what you mean..." Ser'Qiraani snarled. "If you want to shoot, fall!" What are you waiting for?
"I want to know what drives you," was Owen's reply.
  He had long wanted to know why the Kossatian agreed to this. Everyone, even the worst of villains, had a story to tell. There was no doubt that this dragon also had a secret that she would not want to reveal to anyone. But in this case, she simply had no choice.
- The coalition is evil... - the alien woman growled with great fury, - An evil that kills everything and everyone. Cha-Arun and all the other monsters, you think are right. Absolutely right. You always strive for conquest, for superiority. Completely forget that there are other beings. We are cossatti.... We have become just toys for you. The coalition will not last long. She will split. How do empires crumble? I know it, Owen.
"So you just wanted your race to be noticed?" - Scorcher asked with interest, still continuing to keep the alien beast at gunpoint.
"You know, I even liked you.... actually," Ser'Qiraani replied, "But okay... This is already redundant." Do you want to know why I did this? Marfur-Nirari showed me the future .... There is nothing bright in it, believe me. If we don't join him and the League, everything you know will perish. There is no other way....
"Because you think so," Owen retorted. "You believe it." Therefore, there is nothing bright for you! It all depends on your own thoughts! Marfur-Nirari and the League used you in the same way as Cha-Aruna. But that still won't save you from responsibility. The tribunal is waiting for you.
  While the Scorcher kept his speech, the alien woman noticed that she was surrounded. Coalition agents appeared almost everywhere. Behind them, three fighters appeared at once. Left and right, two. And a little further behind Owen, the Elfurr sorceress had already drawn. She was surrounded on all sides. She no longer had any chance of salvation, even the tiniest one.
- Ser'Qiraani! You are under arrest for war crimes against the peoples of the galaxy,” Totkhemris User’Kaf’s loud words were heard, “You have the right to remain silent and the right to a lawyer. seriously. You have too many sins!
- You are guilty of killing millions, - said Ishken Derkh, who appeared on the left side of the kossatian, - The destruction of half of the Griffin alone is a life sentence.

[BagaturKhan]

Kumbor.
Elfurr worlds.
10 days after the release of the Griffin Imperium.

In less than half an hour, Totkhemris and Ishken reached their goal. The foggy haze finally disappeared. They emerged from it, as if from another dimension. Now the picture is much clearer.
The sky suddenly became so blue and clear. The bright sun came out and gently touched Ishken's face with its rays. The temperature began to rise noticeably, and the young man felt the desire to throw off his chain mail. The heat was getting bigger and bigger. Soon the air itself began to warm up to the limit level. Apparently, this planet had a rather hot climate, more like that present in the resort areas of Ishken's homeworld. All the fog and gray enveloping haze were already far behind.
Soon the young man saw the coast. In the distance, dazzlingly bright white buildings quickly began to appear. And then Ishken, looking closely, saw that they resemble structures that he managed to see in various encyclopedias. These were the mighty and great Pyramids of Elf'urr. There were more and more of them, and soon the young man already had at least a dozen of such majestic buildings. The pyramids were truly enormous. Encyclopedias said that their height was at least one hundred and fifty meters. But the closer the flying barque rushed to the shores, the higher these incredibly beautiful buildings became. Ishken opened his mouth in amazement and simply stared ahead. He could not take his eyes off the beauties of this world that opened to him.
- Amazing ..... - the young man said, staring into the distance, - Simply amazing ....
- It's just a colonial capital, sir, - answered the alien woman, - The real Pyramids, erected by Menkaur, my ancestor, exceed the mountains. They are in the home world of my race.
  In Byzantine, Totkhemris always spoke with a thick accent. But Durch understood her like no one else. He even liked it when she distorted the original words of his language a little.
- Over the mountains? - Ishken exclaimed in astonishment, - How much is that, 8000 meters?
“There are those that reach the cirrus clouds,” Totkhemris said. “Our race has built many of these throughout the universe. You will soon find out, sir. You travel a lot through the stars, but not know exactly what the Elfurr worlds look like. I thought it was necessary to fix it. Let me tell you a little about our pyramid system.
  Agent Durch immediately nodded and prepared to listen.
- It is in vain to think that the pyramids built by the kings of kings are tombs. It's a delusion. As far as I know, the people of the Earth Alliance still some believe that we are building them as tombs. But this is not so. Pyramids are a symbol of victory. For every victory you need to praise the Gods, to give them their due. That is why the kings of kings build these temples. To thank the gods.
“Interesting,” the young man replied, “And even more interesting is that I never thought of them as tombs. As far as I know, you bury your dead in sarcophagi somewhere underground. Mummies....
- Yes, it is, sir, - confirmed the foreigner, - I see that you know a lot of the history of my people. Apparently you read a lot.
- Yes, - Ishken honestly admitted, - Books for me are something more. They have always taken my time. They even called me a bookworm. Until I joined the psi-special forces of the Coalition.
The luminous white pyramids got closer and closer, and soon the barque had almost reached the coast. The sun was already shining brightly enough, and its rays were beginning to strongly burn Ishken's head. On the barge, there was simply nowhere to hide from such intense heat, which became truly terrifying. The elf'urr loved the hot climate, and the young man knew it, but he had never known such unbearable heat. The air temperature rose to almost forty degrees. At the same time, Ishken and Totkhemris were fully dressed in armor. The young psionicist marveled at the resilience of the alien woman. She didn't seem to feel the heat at all. For a moment, the boy thought that she would have nothing and a terrible cold. She wasn't human, and that was an indisputable fact. This race had completely different features, although outwardly they looked a little like people.
- Are you warm, sir? - I heard her grinning voice, - Do not be afraid. It will pass. The fortress is near.
- That's good, - said Ishken, covering his head with his hands, - otherwise I will soon turn into a roast.
- Extra, - the elfurr smiled, - Roast is delicious.
  Durch laughed back.
- Who knows if I don't!

[BagaturKhan]

Soon Totkhemris got to her feet and quickly darted towards the flickering control panel. The robot standing next to it immediately moved away. The alien clicked several times on the shining square, squinting towards the coast.
- Get ready! Soon we will reach the goal, - the voice of the warrior was heard.
After fiddling with the panel for a few seconds, she deftly pulled a closed helmet over her head, which greatly frightened Ishken with its alien aura. Now the beautiful alien woman has again turned into a harsh special agent. Her face was no longer visible, as it was hidden behind a helmet mask that looked more like a gas mask.
- Get ready! Totkhemris said through her helmet in a hoarse voice. Our spaceship is taking off!
- Wait, did you say spaceship? Ishken immediately started up.
- Yes, she said, a spaceship, sir, - the foreigner answered sarcastically, - But this must be a joke. A joke... It's a way of generating laughter. Given what we've been through recently, I think it's a very useful thing, sir. Tension needs to be relieved...
  The agent glanced forward. The pyramids were still far away. They were truly gigantic and majestic structures. What was their height, one could only guess. They were too big. Even now Ishken was in awe of their irresistible splendor.
  At that moment, the barque shook noticeably. It happened pretty quickly, and the young man almost collapsed on his back. Totkhemris remained unperturbed and simply stared ahead. For a few seconds, the flying boat was filled with blindingly bright electrical impulses.
  And then a completely different picture appeared before the eyes of the Coalition agent and the Elfurr sorceress. They were already sailing along some huge channel, and majestic iron walls surrounded them on all sides. Huge lamps were built into the ceilings, illuminating everything around quite brightly. The walls were covered with some strange frescoes, the purpose of which Ishken did not understand. All this made the boy even more pale in amazement.
- Where are we now? - the young man immediately asked, - We just approached the coast!
- This is a secret portal not far from the main city of Kumbor, - the other world woman answered, - We penetrated through it. But we didn't go to the city. You will still be able to see him. You and I are approaching Special Headquarters, sir. You know what's in there.
  Elfur maiden seemed to read all the thoughts of the operative. The sorceress answered all the questions raging in his head.
- I wonder if she will drown there? - Ishken's question followed. - I heard that this beast was placed under the protection of the first level. First level!
"No, no, sir," Totkhemris User'Kaf said, "Lady Ahmanet and Sir Owen the Scorcher made sure she didn't get hurt." She is in her element.
“That is, in the water,” the agent said, realizing perfectly well what the other world woman meant.

[BagaturKhan]

Soon they arrived at a place that strongly resembled docks for small ships. There they were met by several armored guards armed with elfurr disruptors.
As soon as they stepped onto the metal shore across the extended bridge, Ishken began to carefully look around. Everything here seemed so alien and strange to him. The walls were everywhere covered with strange and unknown hieroglyphs of various sizes. Unknown lamps burned on the ceilings, which resembled electric lamps, but nevertheless the light from them was simply unbearably bright and somehow green. These were apparently products of Elf'urr's virtually inaccessible technology. Ishken also noticed small drones that were flying high above, almost next to the ceiling.
  It was necessary to go straight along the opened corridor, packed with soldiers of the Elfurr king, walking steel machines and Norlan servants, dressed only in loincloths.
- Praise Atum, - the words of Totkhemris were heard on the right side of the agent, - Here we are, sir!
So, is she in the water? - Followed by a question Derkh.
"Where else would she be?" - spoke a voice that Ishken had not heard for a good two weeks.
  Owen the Scorcher stood beside User'Kaf in full battle gear. He was dressed in a heavy blue suit with Coalition patches. The runic symbol "Algiz" stood out on his right shoulder, referring him to the elite formations of the organization.
  However, the Scorcher was not alone here. Behind him, several fighters, whom Ishken knew well, were already crowded. He immediately spotted Ser'Naveh, Isabella Fortunato, Mustafa Nazzrim, Balderan the Swordsman, and the famous two Tramontines here.
- Hello, friends, - Ishken said enthusiastically.
- And you do not get sick! - came the cheerful answers of the warriors.
  Soon Ishken and his companions around him reached their goal. Two guardsmen, dressed in golden armor and high helmets, immediately opened the doors of the mysterious room in front of the incoming guests.
  Totkhemris and the veterans of the Griffinian campaign entered a huge and spacious room, which was filled everywhere with mysterious elfurr devices. In the center of the hall was a huge reservoir. Only a moment later, Ishken noticed that the reservoir was almost completely filled with water. Inside the object floated something scaly, but at the same time, anthropomorphic, entangled with cables almost everywhere. The water was constantly seething and blowing bubbles, rapidly flying to the top. The figure of the creature was very reminiscent of a woman. Too slim and even attractive.
“Hello, Ser'Qiraani,” Totkhemris said with a smile, looking at what was in the tank, “I hope you like it here. You are kosatti, aquatic inhabitants. Your home world is the ocean. Unlike the rest of the draconians, you are amphibians. So we put you where you wanted.
  The scaly creature twitched sharply. For a second, Owen felt a surge of rage. The alien woman's psionic power was contained, but she was still dangerous enough.
- The court session on your part will be held next week, - Balderan said, - We decided not to delay anything. By the way, the Griffin Imperium is slowly being restored. And all thanks to Elfurr and the financial means of the Coalition.
  The alien floating in the tank twitched again. She obviously didn't like what she heard.
- Yes... We have studied all your technologies obtained on the ship with Cha-Arun, - added the Nordan, - They will benefit us. Especially nanorobots. Dr. Hasan has been cooperating with us for a long time. He is simply delighted with the trinkets found!
- I would say that your findings delight me, - Owen remarked with a grin, not taking his eyes off the floating kossati, - But ... you still won’t answer. And one more thing... The League suffered another 8 crushing defeats. The latter happened yesterday near Ophir. At least 2000 of your ships have been destroyed. This is how we deal with the armadas of the League!
Ser'Qiraani twitched for the third time. There were even more bubbles in her cell. Eyepiece devices were attached to the eyes of the alien woman. They gave her the opportunity to see their captors. But she could not speak to them under any circumstances. Nobody connected voice communication devices to it. Only a special program that reads thoughts straight from the brain.
  On a small screen not far from the tank, letters were quickly drawn, indicating what the kossatian sent back to them.
- Death to you ..... death to you ..... death to you ...... - was clearly read on the monitor.
“She threatens us even now,” Ishken noted, glancing at the words.
- This will not help her, - Totkhemris said to this, - Judging by the available information, the Tribunal will appoint her a life sentence in an asteroid. Or the death penalty by caruselanus.
What if she repents? Owen asked unexpectedly.
For some reason, this question popped into his head. He could have sworn that nothing like this had happened a minute ago.
- Then we'll see, - the elfurr girl answered, - In any case, while she will be here. In her system......
  Meanwhile, the words about death continued to appear on the screen.

---
The end

(translation is still wip)