Cosmic Crucible

Chapter 13: Leon Shaw

The Astral Academies stood as the cosmos' most prestigious institutions. Ten in total. While the Ninth resided in the Endless Marches of the Outer Reaches, the other nine called the Inner Reaches home. Yet now, Astralis Decimus was coming to the Azure Marches – a sector encompassing the Grand Yu Imperium.

Yasta switched off the screen, mind racing. This information was explosive. The Astral Academies held fatal allure for countless youths across the galaxy. Previously, they’d been impossibly distant. But now, Astralis Decimus was entering the Azure Marches at this precise moment. The thought was impossible to ignore.

Gaining entry to Astralis Decimus demanded not just exceptional talent and combat prowess, but also respectable experience.

Right here, an experience unfolded: the Terran Evolution Trial.

No wonder so many came this time. Asta must have known. A sense of unease gripped Yasta. First, he didn’t know Asta’s specific mission. Second, if no student completed their task within three months, a Second Wave would descend.

With Astralis Decimus imminent, many craved the experience to bolster their credentials – scions of powerful clans and noble houses included. The Terran Evolution Trial was undoubtedly attractive. The Second Wave could bring unprecedented brutality to Earth.

Yasta felt a surge of urgency. If the first wave contained Scout-tier fighters at minimum, the second might bring even stronger individuals. His current strength might not guarantee survival.

The thought grated on him. I must reach Scout-tier within three months. Or I become an insect.

The night passed. At dawn, the column resumed its northward trek.

Yasta grew even more taciturn, abandoning the armored vehicle’s interior for its roof.

Hubei Province, ​Luminara Citadel: The heart of the Terran survivor network. Over ten million souls crowded here, with more arriving daily. The reason? One of the Six Paragons resided here: ​Leon Shaw, the ​Lumen Paragon.

After Doomsday, strange ore deposits surfaced around Luminara Citadel. ​Photonic Crystals. Cracked open, they emitted pure light.

Leon Shaw built his defense upon these crystals, combining them with his combat techniques to shield the citadel’s millions. Thus, he was revered as the Lumen Paragon.

Countless beams of light, fueled by the crystals, shot skyward around Luminara Citadel, encasing it in a radiant cage. This earned it names: The Citadel of Light, or ​The Sleepless City.

At its center, a platform hovered high above the ground, sustained by the mightiest light pillars. This was the Lumen Paragon’s domain: ​Apex Radia. Many called it ​Skyhold.

Below ​Skyhold​ lay the ​Radiant Legion​ – a force of a hundred thousand Evolved guarding the Skyhold, their influence radiating outward.

The Skyhold bore no grand palace, only elegant courtyards open to the heavens. Anyone standing there could gaze unimpeded at the stars.

Now, within a Skyhold courtyard, a handsome, effortlessly graceful young man stood at the edge, gazing into the distance. He sipped from a wine glass, a peculiar smile playing on his lips. This was ​Leon Shaw, the Lumen Paragon.

Nearby stood another young man. Less handsome than Leon Shaw, his eyes radiated utter arrogance, looking upon the Paragon as if he were an insect.

“All this is your resource. Especially those ​Photonic Crystals. They could give you a decade’s head start over your peers. You’re wasting them,” the young man behind Leon Shaw snapped, his tone dripping with disapproval.

Leon Shaw turned, smiling warmly. “Don’t say that, ​Poe Eon. This is ours, not mine alone.”

The man, ​Poe Eon, seemed slightly mollified. “Disperse the light pillars. You’re squandering resources.”

Leon Shaw nodded agreeably. “As you wish. Now, about that ‘zone demarcation’ you mentioned earlier… could you elaborate?”

Poe Eon spoke dismissively. “The Trial has its unwritten rules. If a cadet controls a territory, they can mark it ​Blue Zone​ on the network. Early in the Trial, others generally avoid ​Blue Zones… unless they’re enemies.”

“So… Luminara Citadel is marked ​Blue Zone​?” Leon Shaw inquired.

“Obviously,” Poe snorted. “Did you think I was the only one drawn here these past days? The Trial is savage. Early on, cadets avoid life-or-death struggles. Backgrounds matter too. Mine is… substantial. Once marked, we’ll be left alone.”

Leon Shaw smiled faintly. “I see.”

“Enough. What about the information I asked for?” Poe demanded impatiently, his eyes flicking to the light pillars with visible irritation. “Shut those down! Such waste!”

Leon Shaw smoothly refilled Poe’s glass. “Your inquiry… I have leads.”

Poe’s eyes lit up. “Truly? Speak.”

Leon Shaw handed him the glass. “Look at the wine.”

Poe frowned, puzzled, but looked down. Nothing seemed unusual. Just wine, rippling gently. Ripples forming circles. Circles within circles. On and on, endlessly…

Leon Shaw watched, smiling faintly. After a moment, he murmured softly. “Give me your terminal.”

Poe’s eyes glazed over. With dazed obedience, he removed his combat scanner and handed it to Leon Shaw.

Moments later, Leon Shaw switched it off, rubbing his temples. “Troublesome. He severed the Astral Network connection. Did he detect my control? No matter.” He slipped Poe’s terminal onto his own wrist, a knowing smile touching his lips as he looked skyward.

Two days later, the Judicator Citadel forces neared the Northern Front. Delays repairing communication lines had slowed them.

For those two days, Yasta had stared obsessively at the moon each night, prompting Luo Yun to mutter about him losing his mind.

The convoy jerked to a halt. “Boss, something’s wrong,” Xu San reported, voice tense. “No survivors since yesterday. And the front should have patrols. We’ve traveled nearly a day without seeing a soul.”

Yasta stood, scanning the horizon. “Halt the column. Make camp.”

Moving away from the others, Yasta activated his combat scanner, sweeping for Combat Ratings. He filtered out anything below Scout-tier. Finally, thirty-seven kilometers northeast, a signal pulsed: Combat Rating 1800.

Yasta’s expression hardened. He checked the map. Thirty-seven kilometers out lay a derelict county town, positioned squarely between their location and the front lines, barely twenty kilometers from the fighting.

He ordered the army to fortify their position. Alone, he headed north. He needed to know if that Scout-tier signal belonged to a Mutant Beast… or a person.

He hadn’t gone ten kilometers before the answer became clear. Ahead, a column of Evolved soldiers marched. Military presence meant the derelict town was now a settlement. Meaning that Scout-tier entity was one of the landed students.

Yasta pondered briefly, then reattached Asta’s terminal’s tracking beacon.

The moment the beacon reactivated, a figure in white armor, her long hair flowing past her waist, jolted to attention seventeen kilometers away. She glanced at her own combat scanner, face hardening. “Hmph.” She shot southward.

Within moments, a white silhouette appeared in the sky, hovering coldly above Yasta. “Cadet,” her voice cut through the air, icy. “This territory is marked ​Blue Zone. Leave. Now.”

Yasta looked up, feigning pleasant surprise. “Hello there! Name’s Asta. From the Grand Yu Imperium, ​Tartarus Prime​ First Military Acad–”

“I don’t care,” she interrupted, energy rippling around her, pressing down like a physical weight. “Leave.”

Yasta whined hastily, “Hold on! I’m injured! Barely ​Apprentice Tier​! No threat to you! And… I can pay! Lots of resources!”

Her gaze remained frosty. “Apprentice Tier​? How did vermin like you even get into a Planetary Evolution Trial?”

“My grandfather is the Chancellor!” Yasta declared, puffing out his chest with feigned arrogance. (Cultural Ref: Chancellor Gramps)

Disgust flickered across her face. “Scram.”

Yasta quickly pulled several Pyroclast Crystals from his Void Ring and tossed them up. “Help me survive this Trial. Get me out alive, and I’ll give you a whole ​crate​ of these back home.”

She caught them, surprise registering as she felt their warmth. She descended, landing nearby. “Where did you get these?”

Yasta adopted a smug expression. “My grandfather, obviously. He’s a ​Void-Walker. He’s got mountains of this stuff.”

A flicker of killing intent radiated from her. Her fist clenched.

Yasta scrambled back, eyes wide with feigned panic. “Don’t even think about it! Sure, no one can interfere with the Trial… but they do track who kills who! You want a ​Void-Walker​ hunting you across the stars?”

She hesitated, then relaxed her hand. Her voice was glacial. “I can ensure you leave this rock alive. But any Trial accolades are mine.”

Yasta exhaled dramatically. “Fine! Whatever! Gramps will get me into Astralis Decimus anyway. You can have the credit.”