The Apex forces didn't stop. More ships. More soldiers.
Ash gritted his teeth, his grip tightening on the hilt of his blade.
Max smirked, flames licking from his palm.
"Think we can take them all? They are too much."
Ash's eyes narrowed, scanning the battlefield.
"well.. We're about to find out."
The clash of metal rang out as Ash cut through an Apex trooper. He twisted his blade free, only to see another soldier raising a rifle. He shifted to dodge—
Then the world splintered.
Everything slowed. Slower than ash's 'storm vein' skill.
Ash's breath caught in his throat.
'What… the hell?'
Plasma bolts hung mid-air, their blue glow frozen in place. The soldiers moved like they were trapped in thick mud, their motions sluggish and stretched. Even Max, just a few steps away, was frozen in time, his blaster's shot barely trickling from the barrel.
A pulse shot through Ash's veins, a strange hum, weightless and electric.
The cold voice rang in his mind.
"[Titan Vein Synchronization: Complete]"
'T-Titan Vein?'
His heart pounded in his chest, his breath sharp and uneven. The world before him crawled as if time had been stretched thin.
Then—
"[Activating Skill: Phantom Stride]"
The world snapped back into place.
Ash blinked.
The next moment, he was already somewhere else.
His blade cleaved through a trooper's chest before they even moved. Blood sprayed across the sand, catching the glow of the fire-lit sky.
'I didn't even—'
A soldier turned, the reflection of his blade gleaming off their visor.
Ash barely thought about moving forward—
His sword was already buried in their chest.
The body crumpled before the sound of metal hitting armor even reached his ears.
His heart thundered in his chest.
'I'm not just moving faster. I'm seeing things slower.'
He felt a flicker of motion—a trooper raising their rifle. Ash meant to dodge, but—
He was already behind them.
The soldier barely reacted before Ash's blade found their throat.
His breath hitched. His hands shook.
'I feel too light. Too free.'
Then it hit him.
Storm Vein and static sruge were still active. He could see the world in slow motion but it was even slower than before, also his body was already moving fast but thanks to this new skill he was even faster than before.
Phantom Stride was a speed boost— unlike storm vein and static sruge different ability, this skill makes his mind and body move in perfect sync. And with both storm vein and static sruge already active. It was like a storm inside him, amplifying everything he'd learned.
He was so much faster . Alot faster than before.
His breath steadied, the blade still tight in his grip.
Another squad charged in.
Ash smirked, the challenge igniting something in him.
'Let's see just how far this goes.'
Max squeezed the trigger, his blaster spitting plasma bolts that tore through the enemy ranks. Soldiers dropped like ragdolls, but Max's focus shifted. Something wasn't right.
He looked up. Kael was still tearing through ships, fire trailing in his wake, no surprises there.
But then Max turned to Ash.
His breath caught.
Ash wasn't just moving—he was everywhere. One flicker, and an Apex trooper hit the ground, their armor crumpled under the force. Another blink, and another soldier spun midair, blood splattering from the gash across their chest.
A trooper shouted a warning, but Ash was already behind him. The flash of steel. Silence.
Then, a voice.
"[You have slain a creature of the higher stage. Gain 1 Vein Energy point.]"
Ash's body moved without hesitation, but his mind stalled.
'What?'
The words didn't come from his ears—they rattled through his bones, vibrating deep in his chest.
Another enemy lunged. Ash sliced through them without even thinking.
"[You have slain a creature of the higher stage. Gain 1 Vein Energy point.]"
His breath caught in his throat.
The battlefield blurred as he kept cutting, kept moving. But that voice… It wouldn't stop.
"[You have slain a creature of the higher stage. Gain 1 Vein Energy point.]"
The words were almost a hum in the background, but the fight took all his focus. He shoved the thought away.
'Later. Think later.'
Another trooper fell. Another message.
Ash wasn't sure how long it lasted.
Then—
Stillness.
Ash's chest rose and fell, steady despite the wreckage surrounding him. The battlefield had quieted, the firelight flickering in the distance.
And then—again.
"[You have slain a creature of the higher stage. Gain 1 Vein Energy point.]"
Clear and Unmistakable.
Ash's fingers tightened around his blade. His heart wasn't racing from exhaustion—it was something else. Something unfamiliar.
His gaze dropped to his hands.
Something had shifted.
Slowly, his lips curled into a grin.
He turned, locking eyes with Max.
A rush of realization slammed into him all at once.
'I'm stronger now.'
The grin widened—not because the fight was over. Not because they had won.
But because he could feel it.
And he liked it.
More apex troopes match in the distance.
Ash look at them.
Then—he was gone.
A shockwave ripped through the air as Ash disappeared, sand blasting against Max's face, debris scattering like leaves in the wind.
By the time Max's vision cleared, Ash was already everywhere.
A trooper spun, eyes wide with fear—too late. A blade tore through their armor. Their body hit the ground before their mind could process death.
Another soldier turned to flee—Ash appeared in front of them, steel flashing as it cut them down.
They tried to fight back, tried to retaliate. Their movements were sharp, trained—but to Ash, they might as well have been standing still. The moment their fingers twitched toward their weapons, he was already past them. Already striking. Already gone.
Blood misted the air. The clash of metal and screams faded into the background.
His body moved faster than thought.
Step. Slash. Kill.
Again. Again and Again.
"[You have slain a creature of the higher stage. Gain 1 Vein Energy point.]"
The voice buzzed in his mind.
Ash faltered—just a moment.
'Just what is this message, does it respond to my kills'
Another trooper lunged. Ash cut them down.
"[You have slain a creature of the higher stage. Gain 1 Vein Energy point.]"
Again. The voice. Cold and Unrelenting.
Ash gritted his teeth, his movements still relentless. He didn't have time to think about it. His blade carved through armor, slicing through flesh.
The system message kept ringing, faint but constant. Whispering between each strike.
By the time the last trooper fell, the battlefield was quiet.
Ash exhaled, his sword dripping. His pulse hammered in his ears, but something else thrummed under his skin—a strange, unfamiliar presence.
And he had no idea what it meant.
————
Far above the battlefield, the Apex fleet hovered in the sky, black ships looming like shadows, blotting out the stars. Fire cracked below, broken wreckage smoking in the sand—but the ships stayed still. They watched. They waited.
Inside the largest vessel, a man stood before a wide screen, arms folded. His face was worn from years of war, a scar cutting from brow to jaw. He didn't move. Didn't blink. Just stared.
The door behind him hissed open.
A trooper stepped in, his breath rough, pace too fast, his boots were slamming the metal ground.
"Sir, we're losing too many men. They're too strong."
The man with the scar didn't flinch. His eyes stayed on the fire below. The trooper's voice didn't shake him. Nothing did.
Another set of footsteps followed.
A second figure leaned on the railing beside the screen, eyes tracking the chaos below. Blond hair fell across his brow, his mouth curled into a grin.
"Well, its to be expected they are flame sons after all. Our mission was to capture the fire kid."
His gaze jumped to a flicker of movement—too fast for the eye
"But that one… the fast one."
He gave a slow chuckle.
"He's interesting. We should take him too."
Silence stretched.
Then the scarred man shifted. His eyes moved from the screen to the trooper.
"No more delays. Ready the portal."
The trooper blinked.
"Sir?"
Dark eyes locked onto him. They didn't blink. Didn't question.
"We can't risk bringing more ships down. We're going ourselves."
The weight of those words filled the room.
The trooper stood still for a breath—then turned and walked out,his steps were sharp, leaving no space for argument.
The blond man stretched, joints cracking. He looked like he'd just woken from a long nap. A spark lit behind his grin.
"Now it gets fun."
The scarred man took a step forward. Each step was slow, grounded and Certain.
"No more watching, it's time we move."