Sixty-three: Red Shift

Northbook Court Mall,

Northbook, Illinois,

Terra, Gaea Solar system,

Neutral Free zone,

March 27th 2019

Crimson flames roared to life, surging through the air in chaotic waves, their fiery tendrils consuming everything in their path. The once grotesque columns of the court shuddered under the relentless assault, splintering and exploding into showers of stone and debris. Patau, the ape beast, moved with desperate agility, leaping from pillar to pillar in a futile dance to evade the inferno unleashed by Rex Pendragon. Each of his movements was a testament to his primal instincts, his powerful limbs propelling him through the crumbling battlefield as Rex's blazing onslaught closed in around him. The air crackled with heat and energy, the oppressive glow of the flames casting large shadows that flickered across the ruined chamber. Patau's guttural roars echoed through the chaos, a mix of fury and desperation, as his massive frame dodged jets of scorching fire that erupted like serpents from Rex's outstretched hand. Despite his ferocity, the ape beast's movements began to falter, the suffocating heat sapping his strength.

Rex stood in the center of the destruction, his crimson eyes burning with an intensity that rivaled the flames he wielded. The Star Knight's every motion exuded a lethal precision, each blast of fire directed with ruthless intent. This was no random blaze; it was a calculated storm, designed to corner and obliterate its prey. The air around him shimmered with heatwaves, a cloak of red aura billowing like a banner of war amidst the swirling smoke and ash.

"Is this all you've got, Patau?" Rex's voice cut through the roaring inferno, cold and unyielding despite the blistering heat. "Run all you want, but you can't escape."

Patau snarled in response, his sharp teeth glinting as he launched himself toward another collapsing column. The beast's massive hands grasped at the crumbling stone, his muscles straining as he swung himself away from a searing column of fire that scorched the space he'd occupied mere moments before. But no matter how fast he moved, Rex's flames followed, relentless and unyielding, like a predator closing in on its prey.

The court, once a symbol of power and order, now lay in ruins—a blazing testament to the clash between man and beast, will and instinct, order and chaos. And in the heart of the inferno, Rex Pendragon stood as an unstoppable force, his fiery wrath reducing the grand hall to ash and cinders. But Patau was not a foe to be underestimated. With primal cunning and brute strength, the beast shifted his trajectory, his feral gaze locking onto Rex like a predator zeroing in on its prey. A dark, corrupted mana began to gather within his massive fist, pulsating with a sinister rhythm that resonated through the ruined chamber. Letting out a thunderous, guttural roar, Patau activated his Cursed technique:

[Primal Heart - Beating Drum].

The air itself seemed to rebel against the natural order as a wave of dark, twisting energy erupted from Patau. The shockwave rippled outward, warping and distorting the environment, sending jagged pulses of force that tore through the air. The corrupted mana charged the atmosphere into swirling tornadoes, their violent winds snuffing out some of the crimson flames surrounding Rex.

Reacting with the precision of a warrior honed by countless battles, Rex Pendragon invoked his movement technique, a blur of motion that carried him out of harm's way just as the shockwave tore through the space he'd been standing. The sheer force of the blast shattered what remained of the court's columns, raining rubble and debris onto the smoldering floor below. But Patau wasn't finished. The beast launched himself into the air with astonishing speed, his massive frame defying gravity as he hurtled toward Rex. His right fist, now wreathed in an infernal glow of corrupted mana, brimmed with power so twisted and raw that it seemed to rend the very fabric of reality around it. The sheer malevolence radiating from his gauntlet forced Rex to act.

In one fluid motion, Rex unsheathed his Greatsword, the blade gleaming with an otherworldly light even amidst the chaos. This was no ordinary weapon—it was a Supreme-grade sword, an enchanted masterpiece that stood as the pinnacle of mortal craftsmanship. While not divine or sentient like the divine Solus, the longsword's potent enchantments and flawless design made it a weapon of devastating potential.

The weapon's immense weight might have overwhelmed another warrior, but Rex wielded it with ease, his natural strength more than a match for the burden. As Patau closed the distance with a deafening roar, his gauntlet poised to strike, Rex swung his blade in a sweeping arc, its edge cutting through the air with a sound like thunder. The clash was titanic. Patau's fist met Rex's blade, and the resulting impact sent a shockwave through the chamber, scattering ash, fire, and debris in all directions. Sparks and corrupted mana erupted in a dazzling display of light and shadow, illuminating the battle like a scene from myth. Rex gritted his teeth as he absorbed the force of the blow, his stance firm despite the overwhelming power behind Patau's strike.

"You're strong," Rex muttered, his voice low but unwavering, "but strength alone won't save you."

Patau snarled, the beast's corrupted aura intensifying as he pushed against the blade with raw determination. The ground beneath them cracked and buckled under the strain of their clash, each combatant refusing to yield. For a moment, time seemed to stand still—the embodiment of primal chaos locked in battle against the disciplined fury of the Star Knight.

With a sudden burst of power, Rex disengaged, forcing Patau back with a sharp pivot of his blade. The beast staggered momentarily, its corrupted mana swirling around it like a dark tide. Rex's grip tightened on the hilt of his Greatsword, the Supreme-grade weapon gleaming as if resonating with its master's indomitable will.

"This is where bloodline and discipline separate us, Patau," Rex said, his voice calm but cutting. "You rely on brute strength and corrupted power. I am the scion of Pendragon—this blade and my skill are an extension of that legacy."

Patau roared in defiance, charging once more, his massive fists wreathed in a chaotic cyclone of corrupted mana. But this time, Rex didn't retreat. Instead, he stepped forward, his stance shifting fluidly into one of elegance and precision. He was ready to use his family's combat art, a swordsmanship that was created from the Ability factor that came with the Pendragon bloodline. The air seemed to change as Rex began his assault. His blade moved like a living thing, each strike a masterpiece of calculated ferocity. He advanced with a relentless rhythm, his sword cutting through the air in arcs of light, faster than the eye could follow.

[Pendragon Form - Dragon's Descent]

Rex spun low, the blade sweeping upward in a dazzling arc that cleaved through the space between him and Patau, forcing the beast to twist away or risk losing an arm. The sheer speed of the strike left an afterimage in the form of a dragon in its wake, and before Patau could counter, Rex shifted again.

[Pendragon Form - Draconic Spiral]

With a single fluid motion, Rex twisted his body, channeling his momentum into a spinning strike. The blade's enchanted edge hummed with power as it carved a spiral of destruction, forcing Patau to leap backward, his corrupted aura barely managing to absorb the blow.

But Rex wasn't finished. With each movement, the very air around him seemed to obey his command, bending and shifting with the force he wielded. As Rex launched into his next attack, his body moved with an almost supernatural fluidity, but it was the subtle manipulation of the physical forces around him that turned his strike into something beyond ordinary combat. His sword swung with precise intent, but it wasn't just his arm driving the blade—it was as though the very laws of motion bent to his will. With every swing, Rex wasn't merely using his strength or skill; he was commanding the momentum, altering the trajectory of the blade in mid-motion. The air around him shimmered with the crimson glow of his Red Shift, a powerful manifestation of his ability factor. The power to manipulate the forces of physics.

He redirected the momentum of his strike as if it were a pliable material, his sword veering at an impossible angle without losing its lethal speed or force. The blade carved through the air, its arc suddenly shifting to intercept Patau's furious counterattack, forcing the beast to retreat as the vector of Rex's strike shifted in an instant. It was a display of power that transcended mere movement—Rex was in control of every element of motion, every shift in force.

Patau, his massive gauntlets charging with dark, corrupted energy, swung down with explosive force, the air crackling as the shockwave emanated from the blow. But Rex wasn't worried. The Red Shift activated within him, pulling the momentum of Patau's strike, manipulating it, redirecting it with ease. Rex didn't block the blow in the traditional sense. Instead, he subtly altered the vector of the force as it approached, causing the strike to veer to the side by a few degrees, rendering Patau's attack null and void.

As the massive fist missed its mark, Rex's sword, already in motion, completed its deadly arc. The crimson energy around the blade rippled like liquid fire as if the sword were the channel through which Rex exerted his will on the very laws of nature. In that moment, Rex didn't just control his own body; he controlled the space around him, shaping the forces of motion and momentum with every movement. The laws of physics seemed to bend and flex in his presence as if they were mere tools to be wielded at his discretion.

He stepped forward, his movement almost imperceptible, and yet the physical forces around him were anything but subtle. The ground beneath his feet buckled slightly, not from the force of his body weight, but from the gravitational shift he subtly induced—an alteration of inertia that sent ripples through the space where he stood. The air seemed to draw back, creating a vacuum around him as if the very atmosphere was responding to the manipulation of momentum. Rex's sword then flashed with crimson light as he executed his next move. He pushed the momentum of his blade forward, not with additional strength, but by manipulating the inertia of his opponent's attempted parry. The effect was instant: Patau's hand jerked back violently as if the inertia had been reversed, leaving him open for Rex's follow-up strike. The beast had no time to react as the blade cut through the air with an unnatural speed.

But it wasn't just the blade's speed that was remarkable—it was the way Rex could manipulate the vectors of all the forces in play. He shifted his body weight with such precision that his strikes seemed to come from different directions at once, with each movement carrying a subtle red light that redirected the energy in the space around him. It was as if Rex were rewriting the physics of combat, using the principles of force, motion, and momentum as his own personal language.

[Pendragon Form - Red Shift Surge]

Rex raised his sword high, and in an instant, the space around him seemed to contract, like an unseen pressure building in the air. The red light from his sword flared brightly, and with a single slash, he sent a pulse of kinetic force surging through the battlefield. The slash didn't just cut through the air; it altered the velocity of the surrounding environment. Objects, debris, and even the ground seemed to respond to Rex's command, shifting and moving in ways that defied conventional understanding.

The force of the strike carried with it a pressure wave that distorted the vectors of motion around Patau, pushing him backward with an invisible force. The beast's momentum was not his own anymore; Rex had claimed it, using the Red Shift to bend the laws of inertia to prevent Patau from advancing.

Patau, struggling against the physical manipulation, tried to summon his corrupted power to counteract Rex's precision. But every attempt to stabilize himself was thwarted. Each step he tried to take was met with a counter-force, each shift in his body's momentum redirected by Rex's subtle command over the vectors at play. Even the air itself seemed to bend to Rex's will, moving with the flow of his technique.

The battle no longer felt like two beings clashing with brute force. It felt like an art form, one where Rex was painting on the canvas of space-time itself, weaving a tapestry of motion and energy with each move. He was not just the son of Pendragon; he was a master of the very forces that governed all things in the physical world.

[Pendragon Form - Vortex Breaker]

As Patau swung his gauntlet forward with overwhelming force, Rex stepped in close. With a precise, inward twist of his wrist, Rex used the manipulation of force to redirect the momentum of Patau's strike, amplifying it with his own. The resulting shockwave created a mini vortex that sent Patau staggering backward, his footing disrupted by the overwhelming push of energy.

For a brief moment, Rex seemed to blur, his body flickering like an afterimage in the wake of his attacks. He had manipulated the physical forces around him so expertly that his movements appeared almost instantaneous. Each strike, each counter, was powered not only by his strength but by a perfect balance of force and motion as if he had learned to bend the world itself to his will.

[Pendragon Form - Dragon's Reign]

In an instant, Rex closed the distance between them again, his sword glowing with ethereal light. He thrust his blade forward, the force of the strike so concentrated that it created a ripple in the fabric of reality itself. The air snapped, and the ground beneath him buckled as a shockwave of concentrated energy rocketed toward Patau. The beast attempted to block, raising its gauntlet, but Rex's control over physical force amplified the impact, sending Patau crashing backward with a brutal force. The ground shattered beneath him, as though Rex had forced all of the earth to bend and break at his command.

Patau roared in defiance, his corrupted energy flaring once more as he fought to regain his stance. But Rex was already upon him. Every swing of his blade was a perfect application of leverage, force, and momentum, each technique blending with the next, creating a seamless and unstoppable barrage. The sheer efficiency of his combat was as overwhelming as it was beautiful—a dance of destruction honed through blood and battle.

The Pendragon legacy pulsed through Rex's veins like a living force, an art passed down through generations that bent the laws of combat to the will of its wielder. And with every strike, every movement, Rex proved that the strength of his bloodline wasn't just a matter of power—it was an absolute mastery over the forces of nature itself.

[Pendragon Form - Sovereign's Edge]

In a final display of mastery, Rex raised his sword high, the weapon glowing with a crimson brilliance as flames began to coil around its length. With a single, devastating slash, he unleashed a wave of searing energy that tore through the ground, sending shards of stone and corrupted mana flying. The attack struck Patau squarely, forcing the beast to retreat, its massive form battered and burned.

Rex lowered his blade, its edge still alight with residual flames, and fixed Patau with a piercing gaze. "This is the power of a Pendragon," he said, his voice steady, his golden eyes blazing with unshakable resolve. "Strength tempered by skill, legacy sharpened by purpose. You never stood a chance."

Patau snarled, blood and corruption dripping from his form, but the confidence in his movements had waned. The beast's primal fury had met its match in Rex's calculated precision—a reminder that raw power could never overshadow true mastery. There was nothing the Beast could do against Rex, a Sage Realm Immortal. Normally, a fifth-layer Greater Realm Abomination like him would be on par with Master Realm experts, such as his brother Apou, who had been killed by Leon months ago. However, his ability to even survive against Rex was made possible only by the immense power granted to the Beast's Generals after the death of Geb, a gift from the Beast King himself.

"I do not doubt that against Leon, you might have stood a chance," Rex said coldly. "But it's over now."

"I did not want to use this... I had intended to reserve it for Leonard Haravok," Patau growled, blood dripping from the wound in his chest. "But you... you are a worthy opponent to face its power. I praise His Majesty for bestowing this unholy strength upon me."

Rex's internal senses flared as a massive surge of Infernal energy erupted from the Beast. A pillar of twisted black light shot up, sending shockwaves rippling through the air. After a moment, the black pillar of light began to dissipate, its twisted glow fading into the air. As the darkness lifted, what was revealed sent a shiver through the battlefield—an abomination, a grotesque fusion of beastly strength and infernal power. Towering high above, the creature's form was a nightmarish amalgamation, a creature not of this world but one forged from the very depths of destruction itself.

Its body was massive, grotesquely swollen with dark, pulsating veins that seemed to throb with the cursed energy coursing through it. Clawed hands, jagged and malformed, glinted with infernal light, their fingertips tipped with serrated black talons that could tear through anything in their path. The beast's eyes glowed a fiery red, a hellish flame burning from within, as though the very essence of malice and torment resided in its gaze.

Ribs, like broken spines, jutted out from its chest, each bone sharp and jagged, wrapped in shadowy tendrils of dark power. Its skin was a sickly, ashen gray, stretched taut over its frame, giving it the appearance of a creature that had been stitched together from pieces of the dead. Massive, leathery wings sprouted from its back, the membrane shimmering with black veins of energy that hummed with power, stretching wide as it exhaled a cloud of cursed smoke. The air itself seemed to recoil in fear as the creature stood, a living nightmare coming to life. A low growl rumbled from deep within its throat, the sound like grinding stone and tearing metal, as it took a step forward. Every movement sent shockwaves through the ground, its presence warping the very air around it. The monstrosity, born from the unholy power granted by the Beast King, was now fully revealed—and it was more terrifying than anything Rex had ever faced.

Before the surge of Infernal power consumed him, Patau had retained some semblance of stability. But now, in this monstrous form, that stability was shattered. His mind, once clear, was overtaken by a single, overwhelming urge—to tear his enemy apart. The power granted to him by the Beast King had consumed him, leaving him a raging, uncontrollable force. The thoughts that remained were clouded with bloodlust, and every movement was driven by the instinct to destroy. The creature that stood before Rex was no longer Patau—the Beast King's power had turned him into a mindless force of destruction, focused only on slaughtering his foe.

Rex sighed, gazing at the creature before him with a mixture of pity and resolve. He knew that Patau's soul had been irrevocably lost to the corruptive influence of the Infernal realm. The transformation had consumed him entirely, leaving no trace of the being he once was. Once Rex ended this battle, Patau's essence would dissipate, pulled into the heart of the Infernal realm, where it would become just another tortured soul, feeding the perverse power of that dark place. Rex's greatsword blazed with the bright white flare of his Draconic force, his Dragon blood activating his second ability factor. The surge of Draconic power engulfed him, granting a massive boost in his physical, mental, and spiritual strength. The whitish aura that surrounded him made his skin shimmer as though it were covered in scales. The ground beneath his feet trembled, cracks spreading outward as the pressure of his power radiated through the air.

Rex raised his Greatsword high, channeling his Strength force mana to supplement the Draconic force, intensifying the energy flowing through him. As he did, the whitish aura around his sword began to shift, slowly turning crimson. With the activation of Red Shift, the blade pulsed with energy, its momentum increasing as Rex manipulated the physical forces around it, adding immeasurable speed and power to his strike.

[Pendragon form: Draconic Crimson surge]

In a final, devastating move, Rex held his sword high, the blade glowing a brilliant shade of red. The red light coalesced into a beam that arced outward, slicing through the air with the intensity of a superheated laser. As the beam shot toward Patau, Rex didn't just aim at his opponent; he aimed at the very concept of force itself. The crimson light not only cut through the air but shifted the pressure around it, bending gravity and momentum to forcefully drive the attack home.

The beam struck Patau with the force of a thunderbolt, sending shockwaves that shattered the stone beneath their feet. The corrupt mana surrounding Patau flared in an attempt to absorb the attack, but the force generated by the red light was too concentrated. The manipulation of physical force, powered through the medium of light, crushed through his defense, sending the beast crashing to the ground in a heap of blood and broken stone, the crimson light burning every remnant that was left of the Beast.

Rex stood amidst the wreckage, his sword still glowing with the intense energy of the crimson light. The surrounding battlefield lay in ruins, a testament to the raw power and precision of his bloodline. The light of his blade flickered and dimmed, the force of the battle dissipating with the last echo of Patau's demise.

"This is the true legacy of Pendragon," Rex muttered, his voice low but filled with authority.