The squad was still catching their breath on the floating islands. They were hyped about their new eye powers, but Astro wasn't letting anyone relax.
"Yo, mfana… that Level 10 dude? That wasn't even the big boss," he said, tossing a shadow-light dagger casually.
Tenji groaned. "Bruh… so we were hyped for nothing?"
Hunter scrolled through his holographic interface. "Yeah… energy readings just got updated. That guy wasn't elite-level. He's a captain-level cultivator, barely mid-tier. His name's Drexar. And trust me… there are way worse dudes out there."
Phantom smirked, blending into shadows. "Lowkey… I like this. Makes the galaxy feel bigger. More people to mess with."
Drexar's Reality Check
Meanwhile, Drexar was nursing bruises somewhere else in the galaxy. His aura flickered with shame and rage. "How… how did I almost lose to those… kids?!"
Before he could even stand, a figure descended from the sky massive, radiating terrifying energy. The planet itself seemed to warp around them.
"You dare call yourself a captain?" the superior's voice boomed. "I'm Lord Kael, and you will learn respect the hard way."
Drexar barely had time to react before Kael piled on a brutal assault, moving faster than thought. Shadow blasts, energy waves, and raw power crushed Drexar into the ground repeatedly.
"Bruh… that's insane," Drexar gasped between hits. "This is Level 12 energy… I can't…"
Kael stopped briefly, hovering over him. "You are a disgrace. Survive this, and maybe you'll earn the title of captain again. Fail, and you're dead."
Drexar was left battered, trembling, completely humiliated.
Squad Perspective
Astro's clones rippled across the islands, scanning for energy spikes. "Yo… squad, we just realized something. That Level 10 dude? He's not even close to the top. Universe is way bigger."
Tenji flexed mid-air, aura flickering. "Bruh… I'm liking this. Big dawg still got room to grow."
Hunter adjusted his interface. "Dawg… we just met a captain-level cultivator. Imagine the elite ones above him. Shit's about to get wild."
Phantom emerged from shadows, smirking. "Lowkey… I wanna see that Level 12 aura in action. Let's get stronger before it finds us."
Foreshadowing the Next Arc
The squad realized two things:
They were OP compared to ordinary cultivators but the galaxy had levels beyond anything they'd seen.
Eye powers were going to be key. Astro's dual shadow-light vision, Tenji's radiant fist vision, Hunter's strategic grid vision, and Phantom's mirror shadow vision weren't just flashy they were survival tools.
And somewhere, Lord Kael's gaze shifted toward their sector, noting their potential. The Hub Goblins weren't the only ones watching…