The Storm Before the Fall

Chapter 60 – The Storm Before the Fall

The battlefield was a mess of destruction and shifting shadows. Kael-X moved through the rubble, his body aching from the damage he had taken. His enhanced regeneration was working, but slower than usual. He was running low on energy.

Above, the Zypheron-5 warship loomed like a silent executioner, its cannons humming with stored energy. The next wave of attacks wouldn't just be a test—they were preparing to finish him off.

And yet… Kael-X smiled.

Pain meant he was still in the fight.

Veyron's voice slithered through his mind, calm and amused.

"A beast caged in fire does not fear the burn… only the chains that bind it."

Kael-X exhaled, tightening his fists. The enemy was closing in fast. Unlike the previous Zypheron-5 fighters, these ones weren't attacking recklessly. They moved with coordination, precision, and lethal intent.

They knew what he was capable of.

They weren't here to fight him.

They were here to kill him.

A Different Kind of Battle

From the ruined structures, multiple energy projectiles shot toward him. Kael-X twisted mid-air, dodging three, but the fourth slammed into his chest, sending him crashing into a broken tower.

A figure lunged at him from the smoke, a bladed spear slicing through the air. Kael-X barely managed to dodge, the tip cutting through his coat. He countered with a punch, but the attacker was fast, flipping backward to avoid it.

Two more enemies rushed in, twin blades flashing.

Kael-X blocked one, the impact rattling his bones. The other slashed across his side, drawing blood.

He gritted his teeth.

They were faster than the previous Zypheron-5 soldiers. Stronger. More advanced.

Nyx emerged from the shadows, her tone calm yet eager.

"Shall we hunt, master? They are mere echoes waiting to be swallowed."

Kael-X wiped the blood from his mouth. "Not yet. Let them think they have control."

Umbra's shadowy form shifted beside him, its voice like a low growl.

"They come in waves. Do they fear facing you alone?"

Kael-X smirked. "Maybe. But I'm about to show them why they should."

The Turn of the Tide

Veyron raised a clawed hand, the air warping around it. His voice was almost amused.

"Shall we paint the sky with despair?"

The moment he finished speaking, the battlefield changed.

The air turned heavy, and the light flickered unnaturally. A black mist spread outward, making illusions of Kael-X appear around the battlefield, moving in unpredictable patterns.

The Zypheron-5 fighters hesitated.

Kael-X didn't.

Using the distraction, he vanished—only to reappear behind one of the warriors. His fist struck like a bullet, sending the enemy crashing through a building.

The others tried to react, but Oblivion moved next.

"Sleep."

A shadowy tendril wrapped around another enemy's neck, yanking them into the darkness. A scream—then silence.

Kael-X grabbed the last remaining fighter, staring them in the eyes. "Tell your ship… they're next."

With a brutal twist, he hurled them into the air—straight toward the hovering warship.

The Zypheron-5 vessel immediately activated its defenses, blasting its own soldier out of the sky.

Kael-X's eyes narrowed.

"So that's how it is, huh?"

From above, the warship's cannons finally fired.

A massive energy beam rained down, engulfing the battlefield in an explosion of fire and destruction.

Chapter 60 (Continued) – The Storm Before the Fall

Kael-X vanished just as the energy beam slammed into the ground, the force of the explosion leveling what remained of the battlefield. Flames erupted, debris flew, and the air crackled with static. The Zypheron-5 warship was no longer holding back.

As he reappeared atop a half-destroyed building, he clenched his jaw. That blast would have incinerated him if he had been even a second slower.

Veyron chuckled, his voice laced with amusement.

"The stars above whisper… and they say you are but a flickering light against the storm."

Kael-X exhaled. "Yeah? Well, watch me outshine the storm."

From above, the warship adjusted its cannons, preparing to fire again. But Kael-X was already in motion.

He shot forward, his body a blur of speed, dodging stray plasma shots as he closed the distance between him and the next wave of Zypheron-5 warriors.

The True Specialists Arrive

Before he could strike, something changed.

The air grew thicker. The pressure around him spiked.

And then—

BOOM!

A powerful force slammed into him from the side, sending him crashing through multiple buildings. His vision blurred as he rolled across the wreckage, pain exploding through his body.

What the hell was that?!

Kael-X pushed himself up, coughing out blood. He barely had time to react before something moved at blinding speed, stopping just a few meters away.

A new opponent stood there.

Their armor was sleek, far more advanced than the previous soldiers. Their helmet had a single glowing visor, and they carried a massive warhammer crackling with energy.

Kael-X wiped the blood from his lip. "And you are…?"

The warrior's visor pulsed, scanning him.

"Target identified: Kael-X. Orders received. Termination initiated."

Kael-X rolled his shoulders. "Oh, great. Another one."

The warrior moved.

Faster than expected.

Kael-X barely dodged as the warhammer swung, shattering the ground where he had been standing. The shockwave alone sent him flying back, slamming into a collapsed tower.

Nyx growled, her shadowy form twisting beside him.

"This one… is different. Stronger."

Kael-X groaned. "Yeah, no kidding."

He wasn't just fighting another elite.

This was a Zypheron-5 Specialist.

And from the way they fought, they weren't here to test him.

They were here to end him.