The Apex fleet loomed above, blotting out the sky in a wall of steel and fire. Engines roared, their crimson thrusters carving through the dust like molten blades. Thirty warships held their formation, cannons locking onto the three figures below.
Ash's fists tightened. "Now what? It's not like we can take on an entire fleet." His gaze flickered toward Max, searching for an answer. There were too many. No way out.
Kael rolled his shoulders, flames flickering to life along his arms. "Nah. We can."
Heat rippled through the air as fire coiled around him. Before either of them could react, he launched upward, a streak of burning light against the darkness. The ship above had no time to adjust. Kael crashed through its hull, metal shrieking as he punched through the other side.
A split-second later, the ship lurched, its structure collapsing in on itself. It spiraled downward, slamming into another vessel. The impact sent a shockwave through the sky, fire erupting in a cascading chain of explosions. Flaming wreckage rained down, turning the wasteland below into a field of scattered embers.
Kael hovered above the wreckage, shoulders rising and falling as he watched the destruction unfold. A faint smirk played at the edges of his lips.
Max exhaled through his nose. "Nice. Guess we can take them down after all."
Ash's arms stayed crossed, his gaze on Kael. "Doesn't look like we need to. He's handling it just fine."
Max didn't answer. His attention had already shifted.
Dark shapes moved across the battlefield—Apex troopers, their black armor reflecting the orange glow of burning debris. They advanced in tight formation, weapons steady, steps precise. No wasted movement. No hesitation.
Max's fingers curled, knuckles turning white. "Looks like we're fighting."
Ash's grip tightened around his weapon. "Great."
The first shot tore through the air.
The battlefield erupted.
Kael shot through the sky, a streak of fire tearing through Apex warships. He crashed into a ship's hull, fire trailing behind him as he burst out the other side. The vessel lurched, flames consuming its core before it spiraled downward. The wreckage barely hit the sand before he was already on another, turning its wing into molten slag.
On the ground, Ash wove through the chaos, blade carving through the Apex troopers. Sparks scattered as his sword clashed against armored gauntlets. A soldier lunged—he sidestepped, twisting his blade in a brutal arc that sliced through their chestplate. Another closed in from behind.
"[Activating skill: Storm Vein]"
The world shifted.
Every movement slowed. Footsteps dragged in the sand. Fingers twitched against triggers, muscles tensed before a strike. The battlefield stretched before him in perfect clarity.
A trooper swung. The motion crawled in his vision. He shifted a fraction, letting the blade pass inches from his ribs before driving his sword into their exposed flank. Another fired—he was already gone, watching the plasma round carve through empty air.
But there were too many. A fresh squad rushed in, weapons locking onto him in sync.
"[Activating skill: Static Surge]"
Lightning burst through his veins.
The battlefield blurred. One moment, he was standing still. The next, he was everywhere. A crack of electricity—bodies dropped, cut down before they could react. He flickered between them in bursts of blue light, his sword cleaving through armor in an instant.
A plasma bolt whizzed past his cheek. He turned, catching Max lowering his smoking blaster.
"Could've warned me," Ash muttered.
Max smirked. "Could've slowed down."
A trooper lunged at Max—Ash was already moving. His blade cut through the enemy's rifle, severing it in two before Max even had to dodge. Another lined up a shot at Ash's back—Max fired first.
Ash flicked blood off his sword. "We're even."
Max scoffed, reloading his blaster. "Not even close."
The battlefield roared around them, but their rhythm never broke. Ash dashed forward, cutting through another wave while Max covered him with precise, well-placed shots. A soldier lunged at Max—Ash's sword intercepted. A sniper aimed for Ash—Max's plasma bolt found them first.
Above them, Kael tore through the sky, a streak of fire slicing across the smoke-filled air. He crashed into the hull of an Apex warship, metal groaning as it buckled under the impact. He burst out the other side, flames trailing behind him. The ship lurched, fire consuming its core before it spiraled into another, setting off a chain reaction of destruction.
On the ground, the Apex troopers regrouped, their armored boots striking the sand in unison. Rifles snapped into position, plasma barrels glowing as they took aim.
Max flexed his fingers. Power thrummed beneath his skin.
The first shots fired—he moved. His blaster hummed, plasma bolts ripping through the first line of troops. Bodies hit the sand. More came. Too many.
Ash was already in motion, blade flashing. He weaved between them, cutting through armor with brutal precision. A trooper lunged—he twisted, severing their rifle before driving his blade into their chest. Another charged from behind—Ash ducked low, sweeping their legs before finishing them with a clean strike.
More troopers poured in.
Max planted his feet. Heat pulsed through his veins. Fire curled around his fingertips, flickering, growing. The air thickened, vibrating with raw energy.
The Apex troopers raised their weapons.
Max smirked. "Wrong move."
Flames erupted from his palm.
A searing wave roared forward, swallowing the soldiers whole. Metal warped. Screams rang out before vanishing into the inferno. When the fire faded, nothing remained but smoldering armor and scorched earth.
Ash barely flinched as he moved through the embers, sword cutting down the ones still standing.
Max rolled his shoulder, shaking off the lingering heat. "Man, I love this skill." He flexed his fingers, flames still dancing between them. "Fire Vein never disappoints."
Ash shot him a glance. "Just try not to burn me next time."
Max grinned, raising his blaster. "Then move faster."
The ground trembled.
Engines roared.
More Apex ships descended, their hulls blocking out the sky. The battlefield drowned in their shadow.
Max cracked his neck, flames flickering in his palm. "Good. I was just getting started."
Above them, Kael crashed through another warship, ripping the pilot out before tossing him aside. The vessel spiraled, slamming into another in a brilliant explosion. He shot forward, gripping the wing of another ship. Flames surged from his hands, turning the metal into molten slag before he launched himself into the next.
Ash barely had time to register the wreckage falling before more troopers surged toward them.
He met them head-on.
A blade swung. He parried, twisting his wrist, sending the enemy's weapon clattering to the sand before cutting them down. Another lunged. He pivoted, sidestepping, sword flashing upward in a single deadly motion.
Max covered his back. A trooper aimed—Max fired. Another rushed him—Max's palm ignited, a burst of fire turning them to ashes before they could scream.
The Apex forces didn't stop. More ships. More soldiers.
Ash exhaled sharply, gripping his blade tighter.
Max smirked, fire burning in his palm. "Think we can take them all?"
Ash's eyes narrowed. "We're about to find out."
Ash slashed through an Apex trooper, twisting his blade free just as another raised a rifle. He moved to dodge—
Then the world broke.
Everything slowed.
Ash's breath caught. 'What… the hell?'
Plasma bolts crawled through the air, their blue glow frozen mid-flight. The Apex soldiers moved like they were submerged in thick sludge, each motion stretched and sluggish. Even Max—just a few steps away—was stuck in a frame, his blaster mid-fire, energy barely trickling from the barrel.
A sharp pulse surged through Ash's veins. His body hummed, weightless, electric.
A voice echoed in his mind.
"[Titan Vein Synchronization: Complete]"
'Titan Vein?'
His heart pounded. His breath came sharp and uneven. The battlefield stretched before him—still moving, but at a crawl.
Then—
"[Activating Skill: Phantom Stride]"
The world snapped.
Ash blinked.
The next instant, he was somewhere else.
His blade carved through a trooper's chest before they even started to react. Blood scattered across the sand, catching the light of the burning sky.
'I didn't even—'
A soldier turned, visor catching the glow of his blade.
Ash thought about stepping forward—
His sword was already inside them.
The body collapsed before the sound of steel on armor even reached his ears.
His pulse hammered.
'I'm not just moving even faster. I'm seeing even slower.'
A flicker of motion—an Apex trooper raising a rifle. Ash meant to dodge, but—
He was already behind them.
The soldier barely twitched before his blade kissed their throat.
Ash staggered, breath sharp. His hands trembled, muscles thrumming.
'I feel too light. Too free.'
Then, it hit him.
Storm Vein is still active. He could still see the world in slow motion. But now—his body moved just as fast.
His vision sharpened. His muscles surged.
Phantom Stride wasn't just another speed boost. It was doing both the work of Storm Vein and Static Surge—mind and body moving in perfect sync. And since his original skills were still active, it was stacking—making him even faster.
His breath steadied. His grip tightened around the blade.
Another squad rushed in.
Ash smirked.
'Let's see just how far this goes.'
Max squeezed the trigger again, another plasma bolt tearing through the enemy ranks. He was still firing when something made him pause.
His shots landed. The Apex forces were still dropping. But something was off.
He looked up. Kael was still ripping through ships, fire trailing behind him. Nothing unusual.
Then he turned to Ash.
His breath caught.
Ash wasn't just moving—he was everywhere. A flicker of motion, and an Apex trooper slammed into the ground, armor caved in from the impact. Another blink, and a second enemy spun midair before hitting the dirt, blade wounds cutting deep through their chestplate.
A trooper tried to shout a warning, but Ash was already behind him. Steel flashed. Silence.
Then—
A voice.
"[You have slain a creature of the higher stage. Gain 1 Vein Energy.]"
Ash's body moved on instinct, but his mind stalled for a split second. 'What?'
The words felt like they came from inside his skull, vibrating through his very being.
Another enemy lunged. Ash cut them down.
"[You have slain a creature of the higher stage. Gain 1 Vein Energy.]"
His breath hitched.
The battlefield blurred. He kept moving, kept killing, but that voice—it wasn't stopping.
"[You have slain a creature of the higher stage. Gain 1 Vein Energy.]"
The words rang in his ears, but the fight demanded his focus. He shoved the thought aside. Later. Think later.
Another trooper fell. Another message rang.
Ash wasn't sure how long it lasted.
Then—
Stillness.
His chest rose and fell, steady despite the battlefield's wreckage around him.
Then, the voice came again.
"[You have slain a creature of the higher stage. Gain 1 Vein Energy.]"
Clear. Sharp. Unmistakable.
Ash's fingers curled around his blade. His heart pounded—not from exhaustion, but something else.
His gaze lowered to his hands.
Something had changed.
Slowly, his lips parted. A grin stretched across his face.
He turned, locking eyes with Max.
A rush of realization hit him all at once.
'I'm stronger.'
His grin widened. Not because the fight was over. Not because they had won.
But because he could feel it.
And he liked it.
Then—he was gone.
A shockwave tore through the battlefield as Ash vanished from sight. Max flinched, sand whipping against his face, loose debris scattering like leaves in a storm.
By the time his vision cleared, Ash was already everywhere.
A trooper spun, eyes wide—too late. A blade carved through his armor, and his body crumpled before his mind could process death.
Another turned to run—Ash appeared in front of him, the glint of steel the last thing he saw.
They tried to fight back. Their movements were sharp, trained. But to Ash, they might as well have been standing still. The moment their fingers twitched toward their triggers, he was already past them. Already striking. Already gone.
Blood misted the air. The clash of metal and dying screams faded into background noise.
His body moved faster than thought.
A step. A slash. A kill. Again. Again. Again.
"[You have slain a creature of the higher stage. Gain 1 Vein Energy.]"
The words rang in his ears.
Ash faltered—just for a fraction of a second.
'just what was this?'
Another trooper lunged—he cut them down.
"[You have slain a creature of the higher stage. Gain 1 Vein Energy.]"
Again. The same voice. Cold. Absolute.
Ash gritted his teeth, pushing forward. He didn't have time to process it. His blade moved on instinct, striking through armor, cleaving through flesh.
The system message kept ringing. Faint. Distant. He barely heard it over the rush of combat, but it was there, whispering between each kill.
By the time the last trooper fell, the battlefield was silent.
Ash exhaled, blade dripping. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, but something else thrummed beneath it. A presence he hadn't felt before.
His grip tightened on the hilt. He could still feel it—the energy inside him, shifting. Growing.
This wasn't just speed.
This was something else.
And he didn't know what it meant.
————
The Apex fleet hung motionless in the sky, dark hulls blotting out the stars. Below, fire and wreckage marred the battlefield, but the ships did not move. They watched. Waited.
Inside the largest vessel, a man stood before a vast observation screen, arms crossed. His face, carved from years of war, was still. A scar split his brow, running jagged down his cheek to his jaw, but his expression held no pain. No irritation. Just silence.
The heavy doors hissed open. A trooper strode in, breath sharp, boots striking steel too fast.
"Sir, we're losing too many men." His voice tightened. "They're too strong."
The scarred man didn't react. Didn't acknowledge the panic in the trooper's stance. Instead, he exhaled, slow and steady, eyes fixed on the carnage below.
Another set of footsteps. A second figure leaned against the railing, head tilted, watching. Blond hair framed a sharp grin.
"Our mission was to capture the fire kid," he murmured. His gaze shifted, following a flicker of movement—too fast for the human eye. "But that one… the fast one." A low chuckle. "He's interesting. We should take him too."
A beat of silence.
Then, at last, the scarred man moved. His gaze slid from the battlefield to the trooper.
"No more delays." He rolled his shoulders, the faint creak of armor filling the quiet. "Prepare the teleporters."
The trooper stiffened. "Sir?"
Dark eyes met his. Heavy. Absolute.
"We can't risk bringing more ships down. We're going ourselves."
The air in the room thickened, pressing down like a silent command. The trooper hesitated—only for a second—then turned sharply, boots echoing as he left.
The blond man pushed off the railing, stretching his arms like a predator waking from a nap.
"Now it gets fun."
The scarred man stepped forward, his pace unhurried, measured.
No more watching. It was time to act.