The void of the Stage Five arena shimmered as cosmic storms of energy erupted. The squad had evolved individually with their subsets, but this stage wasn't just about them. Astro's girlfriend, Lyra, and other academy students had arrived, ready to push their limits.
Astro smirked. "Bruh… looks like Big dawg ain't the only one glowin' now."
Mini-Arcs – Allies' Evolution
Astro's Girlfriend (Lyra – Alien Princess & Secret Strategist):
Aura Manipulation: Can now bend light and cosmic threads, creating illusions and energy weapons
Time-Space Subsets: Can briefly accelerate or slow time in small zones
Battle Instincts: Adaptive constructs that mirror enemy attacks
Arc Highlight: Lyra faced a wave of universe-tier constructs alone, predicting and countering every strike, proving her elite strategic mind.
Tenji's Academy Rival – Kairos:
Gravity and Energy Manipulation Subsets evolved: can pull terrain toward enemies, crush attacks mid-air
Learned to integrate mental focus with battlefield awareness
Arc Highlight: Held off a temporal phantom solo, giving squad breathing room
Hunter's Ally – Seraphine:
Probability and Elemental Subsets: Can manipulate likelihoods of elemental strikes hitting critical points
Arc Highlight: Turned enemy attacks into traps for others, mastering group synergy
Phantom's Ally – Rook:
Shadow Mimicry and Offensive Subsets: Can now mimic multiple enemy abilities at once
Arc Highlight: Stopped a mirror-construct wave that threatened the arena, showcasing tactical genius
The Tournament Foreshadowing
Lyara spoke gravely. "Your evolution will be tested in the upcoming Intergalactic Tournament. All academy students, mercenary factions, and elite teams across galaxies will compete. Only the strongest will survive."
Astro grinned. "Bruh… tournament? Big dawg's showin' up with shadow-light and elemental madness. Let's see who tries to top that."
Shocking Assassination – Stakes Raised
Suddenly, a distortion wave erupted, killing an elite ally from the academy instantly. Threads of their energy shattered into nothingness.
Tenji growled. "Bruh… that was clean. Someone out there's playing dirty."
Lyra frowned. "Not just a trial anymore. Someone wants to weaken all humans' potential. This is bigger than Stage Five."
This assassination served as a warning: enemies weren't just trials they were sentient, malicious, and strategic.
New Allies Introduced
From the shadows and energy rifts emerged new powerful allies:
Hobgoblin Law Enforcers: Masters of Thread manipulation and intergalactic diplomacy
Light & Dark Elf Ambassadors: Elite students of the academy with combined elemental and Thread subsets
Mystical Beasts & Fairy Aliens: Semi-sentient creatures able to manipulate battlefield conditions and assist in synchronized attacks
These new allies provided crucial backup, hints at intergalactic politics, and foreshadowed larger-scale battles to come.
Personal Growth Mini-Arcs
Astro: His aura now fully integrates shadow, light, elemental, and green threads; adaptive constructs operate autonomously
Tenji: Mastery over terrain, light, and gravity is so intuitive he barely thinks about it
Hunter: Probability and temporal control now preemptively reacts to enemy strategies, making him near-untouchable in micro-time combat
Phantom: Shadows now operate in multi-directional tactical networks, able to intercept, mimic, and defend simultaneously
Lyra: Demonstrates time-space and adaptive combat mastery
Kairos, Seraphine, Rook: Each shows subset evolution, hinting at their peak potential