It had been days since the Obsidian Star Legion began carving their name into the Primordial Rise Bracket, not merely through rank, but through a presence that refused to be ignored, a pressure that lingered long after their battles ended. Though they remained far from the top, stationed at Rank 2018 with 73 PT, their impact had already begun to ripple across the Starfall Covenant like distant thunder rolling through a silent sky.
Their fights were no longer just matches they were spectacles. Recordings of their encounters circulated rapidly, drawing the attention of peak warriors who had once dismissed the lower ranks entirely. Veterans from older batches paused their own training to observe. Even established legions began whispering their name, no longer with ridicule, but with curiosity, caution, and a growing sense of unease. And now, with only one day remaining before the five-month restriction period came to an end, the Obsidian Star Legion soared deep within one of Helionfall's most dangerous regions the Virexion Thunderwild Forest, a place where nature itself had long abandoned balance and surrendered to chaos. The forest stretched endlessly, its towering trees warped and jagged like blackened spears thrust toward a restless sky, their bark scorched and veined with faintly glowing currents of residual lightning. Above, the heavens never cleared. Thunderclouds churned in a constant state of unrest, splitting open at irregular intervals to unleash blinding flashes that illuminated the entire region in violent bursts of white and violet light. The air was thick with ozone, sharp and metallic, carrying the scent of burning life and crackling energy that never truly settled.
Within this storm-lashed domain, Michael, Arata, and Kyra moved with precise coordination, cutting through the turbulent sky as if they belonged to it. Their auras were tightly controlled, their breathing steady, their movements perfectly synchronized after months of relentless survival and growth. They were no longer reckless rookies. Every motion they made carried intent. Every glance held calculation. Their objective was simple in words, yet utterly insane in execution they were hunting a Planet Guardian-level beast. It was not arrogance that drove them forward. It was something far more dangerous. Confidence, forged through pain, failure, and adaptation, hardened into something unshakable. But confidence did not eliminate danger. It only allowed them to face it. Michael's instincts ignited before his thoughts could form, his entire body reacting in a fraction of a second as he twisted mid-flight, forcing himself into a defensive angle.
A compressed bolt of lightning tore through the exact space he had occupied, distorting the air and detonating violently behind them. The shockwave rippled outward, shaking their formation and forcing all three to adjust instantly. Their eyes snapped forward in perfect unison. And they saw it. Suspended between the jagged trees, barely moving yet radiating overwhelming presence, was a creature that embodied the forest itself. Its body was sleek yet coiled with contained destruction, its semi-translucent hide revealing intricate patterns of lightning that pulsed rhythmically beneath the surface like a living storm. Its wings crackled with arcs of electricity that snapped and coiled around its form, and its eyes burned with a cold, predatory intelligence that immediately marked them as prey. Identification came instantly through their companions. MOMO's soft blue glow pulsed beside Michael, Pink shimmered near Arata, and J spun lightly near Kyra as the data synchronized. The Voltraxis Tempest Wyrm. A Stage 7 Star Warrior Beast but far beyond anything ordinary. Its presence alone confirmed it. Its movements were too refined, too precise, too aware. Without hesitation, without discussion, the Obsidian Star Legion attacked. Michael surged forward first, the Eclipse Rod forming instantly in his grip, unstable light energy wrapping around his body like a flickering flame struggling to stabilize. Kyra spread outward, her form partially dissolving into shadow as her illusions began layering over reality, distorting the battlefield before it could even fully form. Arata ascended above them both, her gaze locking onto the beast with absolute clarity, her mind already calculating trajectories, outcomes, and timing with perfect control.
The Voltraxis moved. It did not defend. It vanished. A streak of lightning ripped through the air as it reappeared behind them, its speed so extreme it barely registered. Kyra twisted mid-air just in time, narrowly avoiding a slicing tail infused with compressed thunder energy that tore through the space she had occupied. Michael's rod swung through empty air, the impact missing by a fraction as the beast shifted again, its movements blurring into flashes of light. Arata's voice cut through the chaos, calm and decisive. "Locking it." Her hands moved with precision, and in response, four towering pillars of condensed cosmic energy erupted into existence around the beast in perfect symmetry. Each pillar radiated immense gravitational force, distorting space itself.
"Chrono-Graviton Lock." The pillars activated simultaneously. Gravity collapsed inward while time slowed within the confined zone, trapping the Voltraxis Tempest Wyrm at the center. For the first time, its movement faltered. The beast shrieked, its speed restricted, its body struggling against the crushing convergence of time and gravity.
Michael and Kyra moved instantly, perfectly aligned, closing in to finish it. But before their attack could land, the atmosphere shattered again. A second presence descended.
Larger. Heavier. Overwhelming. A second Voltraxis Tempest Wyrm emerged from the storm above, its aura alone cracking the air around it. Stage 8. Planet Guardian. It did not hesitate. It struck immediately. Arata reacted on pure instinct, her Void Katana shifting mid-motion into a defensive form as the lightning-infused strike collided with her shield. The impact was catastrophic. The force drove her backward violently, her arms trembling as the sheer weight of the attack pressed through her defenses. Michael's expression darkened instantly. This had escalated beyond expectation. They were not facing one enemy they were facing a coordinated threat. Across the Starfall Covenant, massive projection systems broadcast the battle live. Thousands of warriors watched in real time as the situation unfolded. Murmurs spread rapidly through countless sectors. Doubt turned into certainty. "They're dead." "There's no way they survive this." "Two Voltraxis… and one is a Planet Guardian?" But the Obsidian Star Legion did not retreat. They fought. Michael surged forward again, his Eclipse Rod clashing against lightning coated scales, each impact exploding into showers of sparks that lit the storm around them.
Kyra's illusions deepened, multiple versions of the trio flickering across the battlefield, shifting positions, forcing hesitation, forcing confusion. Arata stabilized her footing mid-air and rejoined the assault, her movements sharper, faster, more decisive. The forest descended into chaos. Thunder roared endlessly. Trees shattered under the force of stray impacts. Lightning tore through the ground, leaving molten scars across the terrain. The Stage 7 Wyrm darted relentlessly, striking and retreating, creating openings. The Planet Guardian remained dominant, controlling the flow, waiting for the perfect moment to end everything. And then it came. The Planet Guardian Wyrm rose into the sky, its entire body glowing as lightning condensed inward, compressing to a terrifying density. The Stage 7 beast shifted instantly, diving toward the Obsidian Star Legion to pin them in place. They felt it immediately. Something catastrophic was about to descend. The sky darkened further, the storm above condensing into a singular point. The Planet Guardian opened its jaws.
"Heavenfall Cataclysm Surge." The attack descended. A beam of compressed lightning, layered upon itself hundreds of times, fell like divine punishment from the heavens. The Obsidian Star Legion reacted instantly, converging, combining their defenses into a single point. The impact was devastating. The force drove them backward, tearing through the ground beneath them, carving a destructive path through the forest as they struggled to hold their position.
Their bodies strained under the pressure. Their energy reserves dropped rapidly. Every second felt like survival balanced on a blade's edge. And before they could recover the Planet Guardian moved again. It descended directly toward Arata. Michael saw it. There was no hesitation.
No calculation. He moved. In a single burst, he closed the distance, grabbing Arata and pulling her away as the attack tore through the space she had occupied. The force of the movement sent both of them crashing downward, smashing through layers of branches before slamming heavily into the ground below. Arata landed against him, her breath uneven, her eyes locked onto his. For a brief moment, the world narrowed.
Everything slowed. Then Kyra's voice shattered the silence. "MOVE!" They separated instantly, rejoining the battlefield without a word. The fight escalated beyond control. Movements became sharper, faster, more desperate, yet more precise than ever before. Every action carried intent. Every second mattered. And then The stream cut. Across the entire Starfall Covenant, the projections went dark. Silence fell instantly. Confusion spread like wildfire. This had never happened. Not once. Not during a battle of this scale. Back within the Virexion Thunderwild Forest, everything changed.
Arata's expression hardened completely. Her restraint vanished. The air itself froze. "Time Domain Absolute Suppression." A ten-kilometer radius locked instantly. Everything within it slowed to near stillness. Even the lightning froze mid-strike, suspended like shards of light in the air. The Planet Guardian resisted but it slowed. That moment was enough. The three of them moved as one.
Their combined attack struck directly, an explosion of power tearing through the beast's defenses. But it did not fall. It roared, forcing its will against the domain, breaking through the time suppression through sheer overwhelming power. The backlash shattered the domain completely, sending shockwaves rippling outward for miles. Kyra stepped forward, her eyes glowing faintly with deep, consuming darkness. "Null Reverie: Abyssal Mindfall." Her illusion pierced beyond the physical, striking directly at the beast's consciousness. The Planet Guardian froze mid-motion, its mind dragged into a collapsing illusion where reality folded endlessly into nothingness. Arata reactivated her time lock, binding its physical body once more. Michael rose into the air, his Eclipse Rod expanding massively, energy compressing violently around it, unstable yet overwhelming. "Eclipse Cataclysm Ruinfall Descent." He brought it down. The impact shook the entire forest. The beast's body cracked under the force, its form collapsing inward, yet still refusing to fall. For a brief moment, impossibly, it looked like it would survive. Then It roared one final time. And collapsed. Dead. Silence followed. The remaining Stage 7 Voltraxis Wyrm hesitated for a fraction of a second, then fled instantly, disappearing into the storm. Moments later, the stream returned. Across the Starfall Covenant shock. The Obsidian Star Legion stood amidst destruction, their bodies damaged, their breathing heavy, their energy nearly depleted. But they were standing.
Victorious. The system updated instantly. +6 PT. Total: 79 PT. Rank: 2011. And for the first time, something far more dangerous than admiration began to spread. Suspicion. Because for a brief moment the Starfall Covenant had seen nothing. And that was impossible. Such a loss of connection during a battle of this magnitude had never occurred before. Not once in its entire history. Not long after, the distant roar of engines cut through the storm. The Voidrunner-7 descended through the clouds, its obsidian frame slicing cleanly through the lingering lightning currents before hovering above the разрушed battlefield. Lin had arrived.
Without unnecessary words, he opened the access ramp, his gaze sweeping over the three of them, silently assessing their condition. The Obsidian Star Legion rose, battered but unbroken, and boarded the ship. As the ramp closed and the Voidrunner-7 ascended, leaving the Virexion Thunderwild Forest behind, the storm continued to rage below but something had changed. Not just within the forest. Across the entire Covenant. Their return to Sector S4–NX was quiet. But the impact of what they had done… was only just beginning.