Rage Of the Fox
The rebels' cheers faded into the desert night, replaced by the crackle of dying fires and the low hum of Progenitor tech. Li Chen sat apart, the crown resting in his palms. It pulsed faintly, a cold silver glow bleeding through its cracks—Xuě Húlí's signature hue.
*"You're brooding. How predictable,"* her voice hissed in his mind, sharp but brittle, like static.
Li Chen's grip tightened. "You're supposed to be *dead*."
*"Death is tedious. I prefer *haunting*."*
Xiao Lan plopped beside him, tossing Clamps a scrap of dried meat. The crab snatched it and scuttled onto Li Chen's lap. "Still talking to the ghost fox?"
"Unfortunately."
Xuě Húlí's voice sharpened. *"Tell the rodent I said hello."*
"She says hi."
Xiao Lan snorted. "Tell her to haunt someone else. Maybe the Emperor's ghost."
The crown flared. *"The Emperor wasn't the real threat. The Devourers' master is. And it's awake."*
---
**The Vision**
That night, the crown dragged Li Chen into a vision.
A vast, starless void stretched endlessly. At its center loomed a figure—a skeletal Progenitor fused with Devourer tendrils, its hollow eyes fixed on him. *"Li Chen… you stole my pawn. Now you'll replace him."*
The void surged, tendrils lashing. Li Chen woke gasping, frost coating his bunk.
The crown flickered. *"The Nexus King. The Devourers' creator. He wants your power."*
Li Chen rubbed his temples. "Anything else?"
*"He's also *dramatic*. A flaw we share."*
---
**The Heist Plan**
At dawn, Li Chen gathered the rebels. "Xuě Húlí's consciousness is trapped in the crown. To rebuild her body, we need a Progenitor *soulforge*—a device that can reshape energy into matter. It's in the Emperor's old stronghold, Xin-9."
Yun Teng crossed her arms. "A suicide mission. Xin-9's crawling with Imperial remnants."
Xiao Lan grinned. "So we blow it up afterward. Win-win."
*"I'd prefer minimal explosions,"* Xuě Húlí muttered. *"Until I have a body. Then, maximum explosions."*
Li Chen ignored her. "We leave at dusk."
---
**The Stronghold Infiltration**
Xin-9 was a jagged spire piercing the clouds, its walls lined with Imperial banners. The rebels approached disguised as scavengers, Clamps hidden in a supply crate.
"Remember," Li Chen said, "the soulforge is in the vault. Avoid patrols. Stay quiet."
Xiao Lan adjusted her welding goggles. "Quiet is my middle name."
*"Liar,"* Xuě Húlí and Yun Teng said in unison.
The vault's entrance was guarded by a retinal scanner. Li Chen held up the crown. "Can you…?"
*"Ugh. Fine."* The crown's glow mimicked an Imperial officer's iris. The door hissed open.
Inside, the soulforge floated atop a pedestal—a glowing orb of liquid metal.
"That's it?" Xiao Lan frowned. "Looks like a fancy snow globe."
*"A snow globe that can resurrect *gods*,"* Xuě Húlí snapped. *"Now grab it before—"*
Alarms blared.
---
**The Trap**
The vault doors slammed shut. Imperial soldiers flooded the chamber, led by a hulking cyborg with plasma claws. "The Emperor's gone, but Xin-9 still bites."
Li Chen's ice surged, freezing the first wave. "Xiao Lan! The soulforge!"
She lunged, Clamps latched to her back. The crab launched itself at the cyborg, pincers shredding wires. "Distract him, tin man!"
Xuě Húlí's voice spiked. *"Left! Duck! Stop *embarrassing* me!"*
Li Chen slid under a plasma strike, snatching the soulforge. The crown flared, channeling Xuě Húlí's energy into a shockwave that blew the vault doors off their hinges.
"Go!" Yun Teng covered their retreat, her rifle blazing.
---
**The Price of Escape**
They fled into the desert, the stronghold exploding behind them. Xiao Lan whooped. "See? Minimal explosions!"
Li Chen collapsed against a dune, the soulforge clutched to his chest. Blood seeped from a gash on his arm—blackened at the edges.
Xuě Húlí's voice wavered. *"The Nexus King's corruption… it's still in you."*
He hissed. "I'm fine."
*"You're *dying*. The soulforge can fix me, but it won't save *you*."*
"Then hurry up."
---
**The Resurrection**
Back at the vault, Li Chen activated the soulforge. The orb melted, swirling around the crown in a silver storm. Xuě Húlí's form materialized—first skeletal, then fleshed, until she stood whole: a human woman with silver hair, fox-like eyes, and a smirk as sharp as ever.
She flexed her hands. "Solid. *Finally*."
Xiao Lan blinked. "You're… *hot*."
Xuě Húlí smirked. "I know."
Li Chen slumped, his corrupted arm numb. "Great. Now fix *this*."
She knelt, her touch cold. "The Nexus King's mark is deep. To remove it, we need his *core*."
"Where?"
Xuě Húlí pointed to the void storm, now coalescing into a massive eye. "There. And he's waiting."
---
**The Nexus King's Call**
The eye pulsed, a voice booming across the dunes. *"Li Chen… you wear my rival's crown. You will *serve*."*
Xuě Húlí snarled. "He's not serving anyone but *me*."
Li Chen stood, ice crackling. "We end this now."
The crown hummed, Xuě Húlí's voice echoing in sync. *"We end this *together*."*