The battlefield was a graveyard of shattered armor and fallen soldiers. Ash moved like a shadow, his blade carving through the last remnants of resistance. The Apex troopers barely had time to react before collapsing, their weapons clattering uselessly against the bloodstained ground.
Max fired again, a bolt of energy streaking through the air before striking an enemy square in the chest. The trooper crumpled, smoke rising from the scorched impact. Max barely noticed.
Then, something caught his eye—a lone soldier, sprinting through the chaos.
Unlike the others, this one wasn't attacking. He carried a metallic disc, his movements precise and deliberate. Max's instincts flared.
The trooper reached an open patch of ground, set the device down, then turned and vanished back into the retreating forces. No hesitation. No explanation.
Something was wrong.
Ash, lost in the rhythm of battle, barely noticed. His blade cut down another enemy, his body screaming for rest, but the fight wasn't over. Another step. Another strike. His movements slowed, exhaustion gnawing at his edges.
A sudden pulse ran through him. His chest tightened, his limbs felt heavier. Then, like a whisper in his mind—cold, ancient.
"[Vein Energy: 25%]"
Ash gritted his teeth. He had burned through too much too fast. His power was slipping.
Then, a voice cut through the battlefield—sharp, desperate.
"Retreat!"
Ash halted mid-swing, his breath ragged. The enemy was pulling back. It didn't make sense. He let out a breathless laugh, his grip on his blade loosening slightly.
"If they had stayed just a little longer…" He rolled his shoulders, glancing at the retreating figures. "They might've won this fight."
Max wasn't listening. His gaze was fixed on the strange device, his instincts screaming.
The metallic plate split in two. Its halves slid apart, revealing an empty void between them. A low hum filled the air, rising into a sharp crackle as tendrils of blue light flickered to life. The glowing void pulsed violently, twisting and bending until it stabilized into a triangular shape.
A portal.
Ash's muscles tensed. His exhaustion faded beneath a wave of unease. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't natural.
The glowing void pulsed once before spitting out a figure.
Short black hair. A scar carved deep across his face. His steps were unhurried, his gaze sweeping the battlefield with quiet finality. There was no need for words. His presence alone commanded attention—an unseen force pressing down, suffocating.
Then, another figure emerged behind him.
Golden blonde hair. Amused eyes. He took in the chaos like it was a mild curiosity, gaze drifting upward—past the battlefield, past the wreckage—to the lone figure still tearing through Apex ships.
The black-haired man barely glanced up before shifting his gaze to Ash.
"Now, Reed."
Reed, the blonde-haired man exhaled through his nose, almost lazily stretching his arm forward. Wind gathered at his palm, coiling tighter and tighter—then exploded outward.
A force like a battering ram slammed into Ash and Max, hurling them backward. The air ripped past Ash's skin as he tumbled, dirt scraping against his clothes before he crashed into the ground.
His muscles screamed, but he pushed himself up. Instinct took over. He lunged—
Wind struck again.
It crashed into him mid-step, sending him skidding backward. His boots carved deep trails into the dirt as he fought to stay standing.
Then, the ground beneath him groaned.
Dark stone burst from below, jagged tendrils coiling around his legs like iron chains. The pressure tightened, squeezing against his skin, locking him in place.
The scarred man tilted his head slightly, watching.
"He's even faster than Speedy," he mused. "Impressive."
Ash's eyes narrowed. 'Speedy?'
The stone tightened.
"That should hold him." The man's attention shifted again, this time to the sky. His gaze settled on Kael.
"Now," he said, voice calm, certain. "Let's bring him down."
Max pushed himself up, his arms trembling under his weight. His breath came in ragged gasps, but his grip on the blaster remained firm.
He didn't hesitate. He fired.
A bolt of energy ripped through the air, streaking toward the scarred man.
Stone shot up in an instant. A wall of earth rose between them, swallowing the blast as if it had never existed. Dust settled. The scarred man barely moved, his gaze distant, uninterested.
Max's jaw tightened. "You're both at the Master stage, aren't you?"
The man turned his head slightly, his eyes finally acknowledging Max—but only with disdain.
"And why," he murmured, "would someone as weak as you be speaking to me?"
The ground buckled.
Max's eyes snapped down, too late. A massive pillar of stone erupted beside him, shooting up with terrifying speed. It twisted, towering over him like a giant hammer.
Before he could even react, the stone came crashing down with a deafening crack. The sound of it slamming into the wreckage of the fallen Apex ship was like thunder, a violent shockwave that rattled the very air. Metal twisted and groaned as the stone hammered into it, sending a shower of sparks and debris into the air.
Max was swallowed whole by the collision. His body was crushed beneath the weight of the stone, the force folding the Apex ship around him, its twisted metal folding like paper under the impact.
Ash's breath hitched. His fingers twitched, nails digging into his palm.
"Max!" His roar cut through the battlefield.
————
Kael carved through the sky, flames trailing behind him as he obliterated the last of the retreating Apex ships. His grin stretched wider, the chaos of battle fueling his exhilaration.
"Where are you guys going? The fun isn't over yet—"
BOOM!.
The ground shook, the sound ringing out across the battlefield like a war drum. Kael's grin faltered. His head whipped down, his eyes locking onto the wreckage below.
"Max!"
Ash's voice shattered the air—raw, desperate.
Kael's gaze dropped to the crater left by the massive stone pillar. Max was pinned beneath it, crushed between rock and metal. The earth seemed to hold its breath in the silence that followed, broken only by the distant groans of the wreckage.
Then, the flames around Kael flared. Heat swirled, the air distorting from the intensity. His pupils burned with a deep, fiery red, fury taking root in his chest.
"What the hell..."
Jamie, the scarred man, moved forward, his steps cold and calculated, his attention shifting to the battlefield ahead.
BOOM!.
A massive surge of heat exploded from Kael's body, a wall of fire crashing into the field like a meteor impact. Dust and ash spiraled upward, choking the air.
Jamie raised a hand to shield his face, but when he lowered it, the heat still pressed in, and his muscles tensed.
Kael stalked forward, his body wrapped in fire, his eyes burning with an unholy intensity. His gaze locked onto the two men before him—nothing more than a predator closing in on its prey.
Jamie's voice was razor-sharp, a command.
"Do it."
Without hesitation, Reed's arms shot forward. A gust of wind exploded from his palms, tearing through the air with such force that debris lifted off the ground, spinning wildly in the storm.
Kael stood his ground.
The wind howled around him, pushing against the flames, but he didn't flinch. His feet dug into the dirt, anchoring himself with unyielding resolve.
One step.
Another.
Reed's eyes widened, disbelief flashing across his face.
'He's still moving forward?!'
Reed turned to Jamie, frustration in his voice.
"Jamie, looks like it's your turn."
Jamie's lips twisted into a sneer, his hand rising. The ground rumbled in response, like the earth itself had answered his call.
Crash.
Rocks burst from the earth, surging upward with terrifying speed, their jagged forms snapping toward Kael. In an instant, stone wrapped around him, encasing him like a tomb, leaving only his head exposed.
Jamie smirked. "Got him."
Reed let out a strained breath. "Good. My Veinforce is running low."
Kael's head tilted, eyes narrowing with a challenge.
"You really think this will hold me?"
The battlefield fell into a heavy silence.
A chill crept down their spines.
Kael's hair darkened, the red shifting to an even deeper shade. His flames roared to life, intensifying around him. His body rippled with a surge of power, not quite transforming into his beast form, but enough to send shockwaves through the air. The pressure alone cracked the stone binding him.
With a flex of raw strength—
BOOM!
The stone shattered into countless fragments, the pieces scattering across the battlefield.
Jamie stumbled back, his smirk faltering. "How is that possible?! That should've restrained him!"
Reed's breath caught. "The transformation... I forgot. He can do that too."
Kael advanced, his flames still blazing around him, his body shifting back into its human form, but the heat didn't lessen. The air around him rippled from the sheer intensity.
Jamie's jaw clenched. "Reed, use your strongest move. Send him flying."
Reed's eyes narrowed. "You know this is my strongest move. I perfected it because of you."
Jamie sneered, and without another word, he thrust his arm forward.
The ground quaked beneath them.
Two massive stone spikes shot up from the earth, targeting Kael's back. With a twist of his body, Kael dodged, narrowly avoiding the first strike—
Whoosh!
A powerful gust of wind slammed into him, forcing him back, but his feet remained planted. He dug in, refusing to be pushed.
Stone spikes erupted again, each one a deadly, calculated strike aimed to pierce him.
But Kael moved like fire incarnate.
He weaved through the deadly barrage with fluid precision, his movements smooth, like a river of flame. Every spike missed by mere inches as he shifted, closing the gap between himself and his enemies. His flames burned brighter with every passing second, leaving trails of fire that seemed to dance with every step.
The battlefield had become a vortex of destruction—wind, fire, and stone colliding in a furious storm.
And at its heart—Kael.
He was fire itself, relentless, untamable. His every movement scorched the earth, each stride leaving a burn mark on the ground beneath him, every motion sending embers spiraling into the sky like dying stars.
Then—
BOOM!
Kael's foot crashed into the ground.
"Enough!"
His voice rang out, a command that shattered the chaos. The battlefield trembled under the weight of his fury.
A massive wave of fire exploded from him, surging outward in a storm of heat and destruction. The flames writhed and twisted, the intensity so overwhelming that the ground cracked beneath him. The flames roared, devouring everything in their path, turning the entire battlefield into a blistering inferno.
Jamie and Reed barely had time to react before the wave of heat and force slammed into them. They were hurled backward, their bodies thrown through the air like ragdolls, struggling just to keep their footing.
The wind howled, the fire raged.
And Kael? He walked forward, his flames still licking the ground with each step, unaffected by the chaos around him.
Reed raised his hand instinctively, but his fingers trembled, hesitation rooting him to the spot. His breath came in ragged gasps. Wind was freedom—fluid, uncontainable. But fear? Fear shattered it. And right now, fear had sunk deep into his bones.
Jamie's gaze flicked toward Reed, understanding flashing in his eyes. He knew. Fear was the chain that bound a wind user, and when fear took hold, it was the end.
Jamie's voice cut through the tension. "We have to retreat. He's too strong."
Reed didn't argue. He turned—
Fwoom.
Flames roared up from the ground beneath him.
His scream barely left his throat before the fire swallowed him whole. A burst of heat seared the air, the inferno consuming everything in an instant. When the flames finally died, nothing remained. No bones. No body. Just ash, drifting lifelessly into the wind.
Jamie's breath hitched. His eyes locked onto the spot where Reed had stood, disbelief crashing over him like a tidal wave.
Gone. Just like that.
'Wait… no. That wasn't possible.'
His mind raced, grasping for an explanation. He had assumed Kael was at the Master stage. That level of power made sense. It fit. But this…
This wasn't Master.
His blood turned cold.
'Was he already at the Grandmaster stage?'
A suffocating weight crushed his chest as realization settled in. Fifty of him wouldn't stand a chance. A hundred wouldn't be enough. There was no fighting back.
His knees hit the ground.
"I—I was just following orders! Please!" His voice cracked, raw with desperation. "I'll do anything! Just don't kill me!"
Footsteps.
Slow. Unyielding.
Kael approached, his every step pressing down on Jamie like a death sentence. His flames curled around his body, alive, shifting, breathing—waiting.
Then, he spoke.
"You killed my brother."
His voice was quiet. Too quiet.
Jamie swallowed hard, his body trembling. His mind flashed back—the crushing weight of stone, the sickening crunch, the way Max's body had disappeared beneath the wreckage.
Shit.
He barely had time to react. His fingers scraped against the dirt, molding the earth in a desperate motion. A dagger formed, its jagged edges gleaming, sharp and deadly.
He lunged.
Kael's head tilted. Just slightly.
The blade sliced through empty air.
Jamie froze.
The next moment—
A searing grip closed around his throat.
Pain erupted as Kael's fingers burned into his skin, heat pouring from his touch like molten metal. The fire coiled around his neck, licking hungrily at his flesh.
Jamie gasped, his vision blurring, his lungs seizing.
"It's only right," Kael murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, "that you die slowly."
The flames obeyed.
They surged over Jamie's body, crawling over his arms, his legs, his chest—devouring him piece by piece. His screams rang through the battlefield, raw, choked with agony. His body writhed, legs kicking, arms flailing, but the fire only burned hotter, deeper.
Then—
Boom.
Kael shot upward, dragging Jamie with him, the flames intensifying with each passing second. The night sky twisted with heat waves, warping under the sheer force of his power. The higher they climbed, the louder the screams became—until they weren't screams at all. Just shrieks of something beyond suffering.
Higher.
Higher.
Then, silence.
Kael halted, his gaze impassive as he looked at what was left.
A husk. Charred. Hollow. Barely human.
His fingers unclenched.
Jamie's body plummeted, vanishing into the storm of battle below.
Kael remained suspended in the sky, flames curling around him like living shadows.
His eyes burned.
————
Ash slammed the hilt of his blade against the stone binding his leg. Cracks splintered across its surface, but it refused to break. He gritted his teeth, forcing more strength into the next strike. Still nothing.
Then—
A heavy crash thundered across the battlefield.
Ash's head snapped up. Something had fallen. No—someone.
Kael descended, flames still clinging to his form, the air rippling around him from the lingering heat. But his gaze wasn't on Ash. It wasn't even on the battlefield.
It was locked onto the wreckage.
Ash followed his line of sight—then his breath caught.
The twisted remains of the Apex ship loomed ahead, its hull dented inward, metal folded like paper. And crushed between the warped steel and shattered stone—
Max.
Ash's pulse hammered. He turned to Kael, urgency tightening his voice.
"Check on Max."
Kael didn't respond. He was already moving.
His steps slowed as he neared the wreckage. His fingers twitched. He didn't want to see. But he had to.
He stopped in front of the ship, his fists clenching at his sides. The weight in his chest grew heavier.
Then—Boom!
The stone pillar exploded under his punch, jagged fragments scattering in all directions.
And there—
Kael's breath hitched.
Then, slowly, a grin stretched across his face.
"Knew that wouldn't kill you."
Beneath the broken rubble, pressed into the ship's dented hull—
Max.
His body was wedged deep, his form barely visible against the twisted metal.
A groan.
His head shifted, his voice strained.
"…That really hurt."
Ash let out a slow breath. The tension coiled in his chest finally eased.
They were alive. They were okay.