The battlefield lay in ruins, broken armor and bodies scattered across the blood-soaked ground. Ash moved through the wreckage, his blade flashing in sharp, clean arcs. Every swing found its mark. The Apex soldiers dropped before they could lift their weapons, metal clanging against the dirt.
Max fired again. A bolt of energy shot across the field, hitting a trooper square in the chest. The body jerked, then dropped, smoke rising from the blackened wound. Max barely glanced at it.
Something else pulled his eye.
Through the chaos, a lone trooper ran. Not toward the fight—away from it. Fast and Focused. In his arms, he carried a metallic disc.
Max stiffened.
The soldier reached a clearing. No hesitation. He slammed the device onto the ground and turned without a word, sprinting back toward the fleeing Apex forces.
Max's gut twisted.
Ash didn't see. He stayed locked in the fight, blade swinging, body running on raw instinct. Each step grew heavier. His arm burned with the weight of the sword. His breath came rough, but he didn't stop. Another enemy. Another strike.
Then it hit him.
A pulse through his chest, cold and sharp. His limbs dragged. The edges of his vision blurred.
A voice, low and steady, slipped into his mind.
"[Vein Energy: 25%]"
Ash gritted his teeth.
'Dammit, how long would this fight last.'
The power he had burned through was catching up to him. Every motion drained more. He could feel it—his body slipping, his strength thinning.
Before he could think, a voice tore across the battlefield.
"Retreat!"
Ash froze mid-swing, breath rasping in his throat. Across the field, the Apex forces turned and ran, boots kicking up clouds of dust. His blade dipped slightly, confusion cutting through the battle-high.
"If they had stayed just a little longer…"
He rolled his shoulders, eyes narrowing at the retreating soldiers.
"They might've won this fight."
Max didn't answer. His stare locked onto the device left behind, every part of him on edge.
The metallic disc split apart with a hiss, its halves sliding back to reveal a yawning void. A low hum bled into a sharp crackle as blue light crawled out, tendrils snapping through the air. The void twisted, pulled at the ground, until it sharpened into a perfect triangular tear.
'What is this? A portal?' Ash thought.
He shifted his stance. His exhaustion faded beneath a wave of unease. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't natural.
The triangle pulsed once, then coughed out a figure.
Short black hair. A deep scar running from brow to jaw. His armor caught the broken light as he stepped through, each movement slow, measured. He didn't speak. He didn't need to. His presence alone weighed down the air, thick and unrelenting.
Another figure followed.
Golden blonde hair. Eyes that smiled without warmth. He leaned back slightly as he walked, gaze drifting over the wreckage like it was an old, boring painting. His attention rose higher, tracing the firestorm Kael had left tearing through the skies.
The black-haired man didn't bother looking up. His stare stayed fixed on Ash.
"Now, Reed."
Reed—the blonde haired man let out a breath through his nose, lifting his arm with a casual stretch. Air twisted at his palm, winding tighter with each second—then snapped outward.
A wall of force slammed into Ash and Max, ripping them off their feet. Ash hit the ground hard, dirt scraping his skin as he tumbled. His body ached, but instinct shoved him upright. He lunged forward—
Another blast hit him square in the chest.
He slid backward, boots carving deep lines into the ground as he fought for balance.
Then the earth beneath him shifted.
The earth's stone erupted upward, wrapping around his legs in thick coils. It squeezed tight, locking him in place, the pressure biting into his muscles.
The scarred man watched, head tilted slightly.
"He's even faster than Speedy," he said, voice almost curious.
Ash's jaw tightened.
'Speedy?'
The stone constricted tighter around him.
"That should hold him."
The man's gaze drifted upward, finding Kael among the burning wreckage in the sky.
"Now, Let's bring him down."
Max staggered to his feet, chest heaving. His hands shook, but he leveled the blaster without thinking.
He pulled the trigger.
The bolt screamed through the air, a streak of white-hot light aimed straight for the scarred man's heart.
Stone burst upward.
A wall of earth swallowed the shot whole. Dust settled. The man didn't flinch. Didn't blink. His eyes stayed fixed on the sky, distant, untouched by the chaos around him.
Max's jaw tightened.
"You're both at the Master stage, aren't you?"
The scarred man turned his head, his gaze sliding to Max like he was noticing a bug on his boot.
"And why would someone as weak as you be speaking to me?"
With a wave of his hand. The ground split open.
Max's eyes dropped—too slow. Stone tore free from the earth, a pillar rising beside him like a striking fist. It twisted at the top, a giant hammer of jagged rock.
Before he could move, it dropped.
The crash shook the battlefield. The stone slammed him into the wreckage of a fallen Apex ship with a roar that split the air. Metal screamed and buckled. Sparks exploded out like a dying star.
The wreck twisted around Max, folding inward under the brutal weight of the stone. His body disappeared under the collapse.
Ash froze.
His hand clenched, nails digging deep into his palm until blood beaded.
'no... No.'
"Max!"
His voice ripped through the battlefield, raw and broken.
————
Kael tore through the sky, flames snapping at his heels. He smashed through the last fighting Apex ship, the wreckage splitting apart in a rain of metal and smoke. A wild grin cut across his face, the rush of battle roaring in his veins.
"Where are you guys going? The fun isn't over yet—"
BOOM!.
The ground split open under the force of the blast. The sound slammed into Kael's chest, yanking his head down. His eyes locked onto the battlefield.
Ash's voice ripped through the air, sharp and broken.
"Max!"
Kael's gaze dropped to the crater. Max's body lay pinned beneath the wreckage, swallowed by twisted stone and steel. Around him, the battlefield held still, frozen in the weight of the moment.
The fire around Kael twisted higher. Heat poured from him, the air around his body warping into a blur. His pupils narrowed, burning a deep, violent red.
"What the hell..."
Jamie, the scarred man, moved forward. His steps were steady, eyes shifting back to the field as if he hadn't noticed the fury boiling in the sky.
BOOM.
Kael hit the ground, a wave of fire exploding from his body. The shock smashed into the earth, sending dust and ash screaming into the sky. The battlefield drowned in heat.
Jamie raised a hand, shielding his face from the blast. When he dropped it, the fire still pressed against his skin, heavy as stone. His body tensed, his gaze sharpening.
Kael moved through the smoke, fire pouring off him in heavy waves. His steps were slow, deliberate, the heat around him scorching the ground. His eyes locked onto the two figures ahead—nothing more than a predator closing in on its prey.
Jamie's voice cut through the heat like a blade.
"Do it."
Reed's arms snapped forward. Wind howled from his palms, ripping up dirt and broken steel. The force slammed into Kael like a battering ram.
Kael didn't move.
The fire around him roared louder, fighting the wind. His feet dug deep into the ground. The storm tore at him, but he kept walking.
One step.
Another.
Reed's face twisted. His hands shook as he pushed harder.
"He's still coming?"
Reed turned his head, his voice sharp.
"Jamie, looks like it's your turn."
Jamie's mouth twitched. He raised his hand. The ground groaned and split open.
With a deep crack, sharp stones erupted from below, racing up around Kael. In seconds, the stone swallowed him, wrapping him in a jagged prison. Only his head remained free.
Jamie let out a breath, his smirk pulling at the scar on his face.
"Got him."
Reed lowered his arms, his chest heaving.
"Good. My Veinforce was running low."
Kael tilted his head inside the stone. His eyes burned brighter.
"You really think this will hold me?"
Silence stretched across the battlefield.
A chill crept down their spines.
Kael's hair darkened, deep red streaks spreading across the black until his whole head burned like embers. The fire around him grew wild, twisting higher, thicker. His body tensed, rippling with raw force. He didn't shift into full beast form, but the power flooding from him cracked the stone prison.
He flexed.
BOOM!
The stone exploded apart, shards tearing through the air like broken glass.
Jamie staggered back, his mouth tight.
"How is that possible?! That should've restrained him!"
Reed's eyes widened. His hands shook.
"The transformation... I forgot. He can do that too."
Kael stepped through the falling rubble, fire clinging to his skin. His shape snapped back to full human, but the heat stayed, warping the air around him.
Jamie's hands balled into fists.
"Reed, use your strongest skill. Send him flying."
Reed's gaze sharpened.
"You know this is my strongest skill. I perfected it because of you."
Jamie didn't answer. His scar twisted as he snarled, fingers slashing the air.
The ground split.
Two giant stone spikes ripped upward, aiming straight for Kael's back. Kael twisted aside, the first spike grazing past.
Whoosh!
A wall of wind slammed into him. His boots slid across the dirt, but he threw his weight down, refusing to fall.
More stone ripped free, lunging at him like fangs from the earth.
Kael moved.
He slipped between the spikes, his body flowing like liquid flame. Each attack missed by a breath. His fire grew hotter, lighting the battlefield in a blood-red glow. With every step, he drew closer, the trail of flames behind him weaving a burning path through the chaos.