Chapter 10: Enemy Soil

The silence of the alien world was heavy. No birds. No wind. No breath of nature.

Only the sound of soft footsteps pressing into ash-covered soil as Rael and his team advanced across the twisted plains of the dark moon.

The sky above them shimmered with violet and blue stars, so distant they looked like bruises on the void. Broken stone arches rose from the black ground like the skeletons of ancient beasts. Strange, luminous fungi pulsed faintly at the base of jagged cliffs, giving the world a ghostly hue.

Selene moved to Rael's side, her curved twin blades sheathed but glowing faintly with water Qi. "How far to the base?"

Rael narrowed his eyes, focusing on the mental map projected by the void gem. A red pulse echoed faintly in his mind, like a heartbeat tugging him forward. "Roughly six kilometers. But there's energy distortion two kilometers ahead."

"Traps?" Vira asked, her silver robes barely brushing the ground.

"Or scouts," Damon said, cracking his knuckles. "I'd rather traps."

Kaen appeared beside them in a whisper of shadow. "Two figures ahead. No aura. No breath. Still as statues."

Rael nodded. "Then we move."

The five of them spread out into a battle-ready formation.

Selene conjured a thin mist that cloaked their bodies in a veil of refracted light.

Vira activated her array disk, floating beside her shoulder like a silent moon, scanning for spiritual ripples.

Kaen melted back into the shadows.

And Rael... stepped forward, his flame quietly burning beneath his skin.

They moved over a ridge of jagged black rock. Just beyond it, they saw the figures.

Two humanoid shapes. Seven feet tall. Pale white skin like polished bone. No mouths. No eyes. Only a glowing crystal embedded in the center of each forehead.

Voidborn Sentinels.

Motionless. Silent. Yet deadly.

Rael held up a hand. "Don't attack yet. Let me try something."

He stepped forward alone, letting his aura rise just slightly—enough for detection.

Instantly, both sentinels activated.

Their crystals flared with red light. They turned toward Rael and moved.

Fast.

Too fast.

One leapt forward, claws flashing with spiritual steel.

Rael stood still.

Then—Flash-Step.

He disappeared in a streak of fire, reappearing behind the first sentinel. His fist already burning.

"Ashen Spike—Core Strike!"

He punched forward. A spiral of compressed flame shot into the back of the sentinel's neck, drilling directly into its crystal.

The head exploded.

The body crumbled.

But the second sentinel had moved. It bypassed Rael entirely—charging Vira.

It sensed her arrays.

Threat.

But Vira was faster.

"Mirror Web."

She flicked her fingers, and glowing threads formed around her like a dome of glass.

The sentinel smashed into it—

Only to vanish into an illusion.

Then it reappeared—behind her.

Too late.

Kaen was already there.

He stepped out of its shadow and drove a dagger made of temporal void into its chest.

The creature convulsed, its form flickering as time collapsed around it.

Then it shattered into smoke.

Rael let his breath out slowly. "So they are active. Probably tied to proximity triggers."

Selene kicked at the pieces of the first sentinel. "More will come."

Vira examined the fragments. "There's no soul in them. These aren't real cultivators. They're constructs. Artificial."

"Then this base isn't just a camp. It's a forge," Rael muttered.

Kaen added, "The distortion field ahead is too quiet. Feels like a trap."

Rael nodded. "Then we walk into it."

---

A few minutes later, they crossed into the distorted zone. Immediately, the air changed.

It shimmered—like heat waves—but cold.

Their Qi flows stuttered. Their movement slowed, not physically, but spiritually.

Rael grunted. "This is a spiritual suppression field."

Vira touched her array disc, adjusting runes. "Calibrating flow compensation…"

Selene sliced her palm with her blade, letting blood mix with water Qi. "We can't fight long in here. Every technique will cost triple."

Damon stepped forward, cracking his neck. "Then I go first."

He leapt.

Instantly, four constructs emerged from beneath the ground. These ones were different—taller, bulkier, and holding long spears etched with alien runes.

Voidguard Class.

One thrust at Damon. He caught the spear with both hands.

The weapon cracked, and Damon twisted, flipping the guard over his shoulder.

Before the second could move, Damon struck its head with both fists.

"Mountain Breaker Slam!"

The impact flattened the creature.

But two more surged from behind.

Rael moved. "Flame Trail!"

He dragged his fingers across the air, and fire followed—forming a line of burning embers that exploded upward, separating Damon from the enemies.

Kaen emerged from the shadows again, blinking between constructs and slashing their joints with eerie precision.

Vira expanded her array.

"Static Field!"

Lightning crackled outward, locking the constructs in place momentarily.

Selene dashed in, her blades becoming rivers.

"Dual Flow—Silent Rain Technique!"

She spun, slicing six times in a single breath.

Each cut followed a curved path, severing limbs and heads cleanly.

When the final construct dropped, they all regrouped.

Rael's breathing was heavy.

His flame pulsed slower here. The suppression was real.

Vira pointed ahead. "We're close. The forge tower is just beyond the ridge."

Rael clenched his fists.

"Then let's finish this."

The five cultivators advanced up the final ridge. Their boots sank slightly into the blackened sand, which pulsed with a faint violet glow the deeper they went. The land here felt alive—not with spirit, but with something unnatural. The Qi in the air was tainted, sharp, and aggressive, reacting to their presence like a wounded beast.

As they crested the ridge, the enemy base finally came into view.

A towering structure of black obsidian and silver spires rose from a circular crater, its walls lined with glowing lines of red energy. Multiple conduits extended from its base into the ground like roots, pulsing slowly. Above it, hovering in the sky, was a spinning disc-shaped monolith—the control core, or perhaps the main transmitter for the constructs they had just fought.

Rael stared at the structure. "This isn't just a forge…"

Vira's eyes were wide, spiritual threads dancing across her pupils. "It's a soul farm."

"What?" Selene asked, blades already halfway out.

Vira pointed. "Look at those energy conduits. They're not channeling Qi—they're filtering it. Converting spiritual energy from the land into refined void essence… It's like they're harvesting the planet."

Damon clenched his fists. "They're bleeding this moon dry to power their army."

Kaen, watching from a shadowed stone outcrop, added quietly, "We destroy that core, we shut them down."

Rael nodded. "We split. Damon, Selene—you draw the defenders. Loud and fast. Vira, Kaen—you disable the outer conduits. I'll go for the core."

Damon grinned. "Finally, something fun."

Selene spun her blades once, water mist forming instantly in the dry air. "Don't take too long."

---

They moved.

Damon roared and slammed both fists into the ground, sending a shockwave of condensed spirit force in all directions.

"Stone Pulse!"

The entire base shook.

Sentinels burst from the ground, dozens of them—tall, spindly figures with razor-thin limbs and crescent-shaped weapons. But Damon didn't wait.

He was already in their midst, arms swinging like hammers.

Selene flowed around him, her body gliding through enemy lines like a river weaving through a canyon.

"Flowing Crescent Cut!"

Her twin blades danced in spirals of silver-blue light, slicing through sentinel cores with precision.

Further away, Vira activated her primary array.

"Thread Bloom—Resonance Cascade!"

A net of spiritual lines spread from her disc, crawling along the conduits and overloading their channels. Sparks flew. Dark energy flickered.

Kaen moved like a shadow across the walls, placing black runes that pulsed and vanished from sight.

Then he appeared behind a tall sentinel commander and drove a dagger into its crystal spine.

"Temporal Fracture."

The construct dissolved before it could scream.

---

Rael sprinted up the central spire's pathway alone, flame bursting from his soles to give him extra lift as the pathway curved vertically toward the hovering monolith.

As he climbed, a thick fog of void essence tried to seep into his skin.

He felt his Qi struggling, shifting like it was under siege.

But his core responded—The Flame Soul within him expanded, pushing back the alien essence with a low rumble.

His steps burned into the stone.

Suddenly, the air trembled.

A figure dropped from above.

Eight feet tall. Six arms. Covered in obsidian armor, eyes glowing like twin suns.

Void Warden.

A real cultivator.

Stage Eight.

Level 78.

Rael skidded to a halt, eyes narrowing. "You're not a construct."

"No," the being replied, its voice a metallic growl. "I am the Guardian of the Forge. You are not permitted to ascend."

Rael clenched his fists, flame spreading up both arms. "Then I'll burn my own path."

The Warden blurred forward, three arms striking at once—two targeting Rael's chest and head, the third aimed for his dantian.

Rael dropped low, dodging the strikes. He countered with a sweeping kick and unleashed his flame with a roar.

"Ashen Torrent!"

A wave of compressed fire surged outward, colliding with the Warden's armor.

It didn't melt.

But it slowed him.

Rael used the gap to leap high into the air.

"Meteor Palm!"

He crashed down, flame gathering around his palm like a collapsing sun.

The Warden crossed its arms to block.

The impact cracked the entire spire, and both fighters were thrown back.

Rael coughed blood. The Warden staggered.

"Impressive," it said. "Your flame… is ancient. Forbidden."

Rael stood again. His arms trembled. His flame was unstable.

"But it's not just flame," he whispered. "It's human will."

He took a deep breath, and his core ignited further.

The outline of a phoenix flickered behind him—fiery wings of golden-red light spreading wide.

The Warden stepped back, sensing it. "You're not natural…"

Rael charged again.

"Heavenflame Break!"

The phoenix roared as Rael punched forward, his entire body wrapped in golden flame.

This time, the Warden couldn't block.

The fist struck the crystal in its chest.

A burst of light.

The crystal cracked—

Then exploded.

The Warden fell, smoking, twitching, then turned to ash.

Rael dropped to one knee, panting. "One down…"

Above, the monolith shimmered—its protective field flickering.

Vira's voice came through the comm channel.

"All conduits disabled."

Rael smiled grimly.

He stood, flames reigniting around his body.

"Then it's time."

He shot upward, a trail of golden fire behind him as he reached the heart of the alien forge.

Time to show the galaxy what it meant to challenge humanity.

Rael burst through the energy dome at the top of the forge tower. The air here was thick, not just with spiritual pressure but with the presence of something ancient—something aware.

The interior of the monolith was vast and hollow, like a temple. Dark crystal spires formed a spiraling pattern from floor to ceiling, all focused toward a pulsating black core levitating in the center. It wasn't just a power source. It was a conscious core—an alien artifact that bound the tower's systems, controlled the constructs, and filtered void essence from the moon itself.

Rael could feel it watching him.

A deep vibration echoed in his chest as he landed on the inner platform. The walls shimmered, and a voice that was not a voice spoke in his mind.

"Uncatalogued lifeform. Flame affinity. Human anomaly. Probability of future threat: 89%. Solution: Terminate."

The core shuddered.

The spires rearranged.

And three new figures emerged from the walls. They looked like the Void Warden he had fought—but larger. Each had eight arms, double-layered armor, and void blades radiating unstable black light.

Trinity Wardens. Stage Eight. Level 80.

Rael exhaled. His body ached. His core was low.

But he didn't hesitate.

He stepped forward.

Flame surged to life, golden and violent. His Flame Soul pulsed with fury, his dantian spinning fast as the phoenix silhouette reformed behind him, larger this time, its wings brushing the edges of the chamber.

"I don't care if you're machines or monsters," he muttered. "You invaded our skies. Now I burn yours."

The first Trinity Warden moved. It flashed forward, faster than sound, striking with twin void scythes aimed to sever both shoulders.

Rael twisted midair, flame flaring beneath his feet.

"Solar Spiral!"

He spun upward, a cyclone of fire surrounding him as he clashed with the blades.

Sparks erupted. The air screamed. One of the void blades snapped.

But the second Warden joined the fight, launching a spear of condensed void straight at Rael's core.

Time slowed.

Rael reached deep—into the core of his Physique, the mutating Divine-grade that gave him enhanced spiritual storage and regenerative ability.

He forced a burst of Qi into his left palm and shouted:

"Phoenix Feather – Redirect!"

A flame-wing formed from his palm, catching the spear and throwing it sideways just enough to miss his heart. It scraped his ribs instead, burning cold through his flesh.

He winced—but did not fall.

The third Warden tried to flank him from behind.

Too slow.

Kaen's dagger appeared from the shadows.

"Time Snap."

One eye of the Warden burst in a black explosion. Kaen flipped backward into the shadows again, unseen, unheard.

Vira's voice echoed through the comm. "Core destabilizing. You've got one minute before this entire place implodes!"

Rael didn't need more time.

He brought both fists together and focused everything into his Flame Soul.

The core roared to life.

The phoenix behind him cried out, its feathers blazing like stars.

Rael's aura exploded outward, washing across the chamber like a tidal wave of heat.

The Wardens tried to retreat—but flame clung to them like glue.

"Heavenly Incineration: Final Ember!"

Rael shot forward, arms crossed in front of him, flame compressed into a single spiraling beam of destruction.

He tore through the first Warden's chest.

Punched through the second's skull.

And met the third with a head-on charge.

The explosion that followed cracked the core.

Dark light shot in every direction.

A vortex formed above the monolith, sucking in matter, energy, and shattered alien steel.

Rael hovered in the middle of it, bleeding from his arms, his clothes scorched.

But alive.

The core imploded.

The tower began to collapse.

"Get out!" Selene's voice shouted.

Rael activated the Spatial Ring on his wrist.

A beam of light wrapped around him.

So did Kaen, Vira, Damon, and Selene.

They vanished just as the alien forge tore itself apart in a screaming collapse of void and flame.

---

They landed back in the Ember Sanctum, smoke rising from their robes.

Rael collapsed to one knee.

Aelric, Elder Myan, and the High Council watched from the grand hall.

"You did it," Aelric said.

Rael looked up, his eyes glowing faintly from the residual phoenix fire in his core.

"They know we're not prey anymore."

Myan stepped forward, expression unreadable.

"And what did you learn about them?"

Rael stood. "They fear us."

He looked to the dark skies beyond the sanctum.

"They always have."