Cosmic Crucible

Chapter 10: Palm Raised, A Star Appears

That night atop the tree outside the military tent at ​Mount Bellcrest, after dismissing ​Silas Third, ​Lucien Vance​ once again gazed skyward.

The Cataclysm had purified ​Earth​'s atmosphere, revealing more stars than ever before.

For days, he'd practiced the ​Astral Glyph, striving to mimic stellar motion. It was far from easy. Initially, Lucien had no clue. But today, touching the residual energy in ​Zane Shaw​'s axe marks and feeling the echoes of his battle with ​Yasta, something stirred within him. His eyes fixed intently on the night sky.

As time stretched, peripheral noises faded. Other stars seemed to dim in his vision, leaving only the moon, radiating a brilliant light.

This luminescence bathed the night and filled Lucien's sight, leaving room for nothing else.

Unconsciously, Lucien raised his hand. The air rippled. Energy, almost visible, streamed into his body. In his palm, a single star shimmered into existence—the moon, orbiting his hand. ​Palm raised, a star appears. This was the—Stellar Palm.

Lucien jolted back to awareness, staring in awe at the miniature star pulsating in his palm. He could feel its terrifying potential. Without comparison, he sensed deep down this single palm strike might even shock Zane Shaw.

Lucien willed the star to dissipate. He felt the surging ​Stellar Energy​ within him—energy he’d absorbed directly, unbound by crystals. He could draw it anytime, anywhere. And the absorption rate… it was twice as fast as Yasta or the others. This was the Astral Glyph. He had finally grasped its foundation.

The moment Lucien dispersed the stellar projection, Zane Shaw snapped awake in his quarters. A fleeting sense of profound dread washed over him, vanishing as quickly as it came. "An illusion?" he muttered, rubbing his temples. "Must be the strain from today's fight."

The next day, Lucien received orders directly from ​Zane Shaw, the ​Judicator: support the ​Northern Front.

The Northern Front was Zane Shaw's arduous campaign to forge a path north to the ​Northern Bastion. His vision was to connect ​Crimson Fortress​ to the Northern Bastion, then link with the other ​Six Paragons, uniting to reclaim the region. A noble goal, but staggeringly difficult. Months of effort had yielded only a fraction of the route—less than a tenth cleared. Communication lines had been severed long ago.

The Front was Zane Shaw's priority. No matter the hardship, his focus remained there. Nearly half of the ​Judicator Citadel​'s fourteen ​Legion Commanders​ were stationed on the Front, a testament to his determination to reach the Northern Bastion.

This time, Lucien, ​Conrad Magnus, and ​Rowena​ were dispatched. Rowena, the Legion Commander with strikingly alluring features, had always been intensely curious about Lucien.

Leading a force of ten thousand soldiers, they departed Crimson Fortress, heading north.

"Call it supporting the Front? More like glorified cable-laying duty," Rowena ​groused, fatigue evident in her voice.

The massive column had marched for a day with minimal rest. Her complaint was understandable.

The journey was rough. Vehicles broke down frequently. Roads needed constant clearing and leveling. Progress was slow.

Inside another armored vehicle, Lucien rested with his eyes closed, occasionally glancing up at the searing sun. Could I simulate the sun's trajectory? If successful, his Stellar Energy absorption rate would double. He already felt close to breaking through to the ​Scout Tier.

But simulating the sun wouldn't be easy. Perhaps he should start with Earth itself. He didn't need to look only at the sky; finding pre-Cataclysm astronomical videos could help. Mimicking stellar motion was about capturing the rhythm of the cosmos. Lucien needed to persist.

They passed through a burning city. Revenants roamed, periodically charging the convoy, only to be mowed down by gunfire.

"Conserve your ammo! We don't have an endless supply!" Conrad Magnus ​bellowed. Instantly, the rate of fire slackened.

Inside Lucien's vehicle, Silas Third ​scoffed. "The longer this Cataclysm lasts, the less useful thermal weapons become. Use them now or never. Soon, these guns will be worth less than scrap iron."

Lucien watched out the window as more Revenants gathered, frowning. "Order the convoy to pick up speed," he ​commanded. "We can't afford to get bogged down in a city horde. It's a waste of time."

"Got it, Boss," Silas Third acknowledged and stepped out.

Soon, the convoy accelerated. Lucien's defeat of ​Zoya Rain​ had cemented his standing among the Legion Commanders. Neither Conrad Magnus nor Rowena dared contradict him.

Speaking of Zoya Rain, Lucien genuinely admired her courage. To traverse the wastelands alone and reach Crimson Fortress safely—that took extraordinary guts.

Before long, the convoy halted again. The road ahead was destroyed, repairs underway.

Lucien closed his eyes, his fingers tracing invisible patterns in the air, mimicking celestial orbits.

A sudden shout pierced the air. Conrad Magnus had charged out, hacking at Revenants, ​cursing​ loudly.

Lucien glanced out, annoyed, but ignored it.

Silas Third watched, impressed. "Legion Commander, indeed. Scared those Revenants right off."

"Tell Conrad Magnus to return. We move immediately. There are too many to kill," Lucien ordered, his voice ​turning cold.

Silas Third nodded, about to exit the vehicle again, then paused. "Boss... Conrad Magnus chased them into that abandoned tower."

Lucien ​snapped his gaze​ towards the skeletal structure of the ruined skyscraper. After a moment's observation, he stepped out of the vehicle, his expression grim.

"Boss, what's wrong?" Silas Third asked.

Lucien narrowed his eyes. "No sound."

Silas Third thought for a second. "Yeah... no fighting noises from inside."

"Lucien, where did Conrad Magnus go?" Rowena approached, concern etching her features.

"Stay here," Lucien ​barked. "I'll check." He drew his iron rod and strode towards the derelict tower. Yasta’s dagger remained back in Crimson Fortress. He hadn't expected the Judicator Citadel to return it and had declined Zane Shaw's offer of a steel blade. The iron rod sufficed.

Flames licked the lower floors of the tower, casting eerie shadows even in daylight.

Lucien entered cautiously. The first thing he saw was Conrad Magnus's blade lying discarded on the ground. Its owner was nowhere to be found.

He advanced deeper into the gloom, retrieving Yasta’s ​combat scanner​ from his ​Void Ring. A few taps activated the ​Combat Rating​ scanner. An arrow materialized on the screen, pointing sharply to the right rear, accompanied by a numerical readout: 900.

Lucien twisted aside instantly. A thick strand of white silk whipped through the air where he’d stood, thudding into the wall with tremendous force, cracking the concrete.

Lucien’s gaze locked onto the source—a massive ​Arachnid Mutant. Six pairs of crimson eyes glowed menacingly. Clenched in its mandibles was a scrap of blood-soaked fabric—Judicator Citadel issue.

Lucien sighed. Conrad Magnus was dead. Consumed by this monstrosity. He was too late.

The Arachnid Mutant boasted 900 Combat Rating—equivalent to the ​Terra-tier apex. Conrad Magnus, barely into the ​Terra-tier, stood no chance.

Lucien tightened his grip on the iron rod and lunged. The rod swept horizontally with a whoosh. The spider’s eight legs propelled it backward, attempting to dodge. But in the next instant, Lucien vanished, reappearing behind the creature. The rod descended in a devastating arc, shearing through the spider's abdomen. The half-digested remains of Conrad Magnus tumbled out.

The sight was grotesque. Lucien grimaced and turned away.

Back at the convoy, Lucien ordered Silas Third to announce a strict command: no one leaves the convoy without authorization. Violators would be expelled from the Judicator Citadel.

"Conrad Magnus... really dead?" Rowena asked, shaken.

Lucien replied flatly, "You can see for yourself in the tower. His body's still recognizable... mostly."

Rowena paled. A Legion Commander, gone just like that. Without even a struggle. If not for Lucien, Conrad Magnus would have been fully digested. Such was the brutal reality of the Cataclysm. Not even Legion Commanders were safe.

Silas Third also turned pale, scrambling back into Lucien's armored vehicle, resolved never to leave his side.

Rowena boarded Lucien's vehicle too, refusing to budge.

Lucien sighed. "Staying with the convoy is safe enough."

Rowena shot him a ​withering look. "Easy for you to say. Who knows what other mutated horrors are out there? Safer near you."

Lucien ignored her and ordered the convoy onward.

"Boss, should we report back to Crimson Fortress? A Legion Commander's death isn't trivial," Silas Third inquired.

"Not yet," Lucien said coolly. "We'll inform them when we reach the Front. If we reach it alive."

Silas Third blanched further at his words.

Rowena unconsciously licked her lips, inching closer to Lucien.

"It... it can't be that bad. We should make it safely," Silas Third ​mumbled, trying to reassure himself.

Lucien watched the landscape crawl by outside the window.

"Still," Silas Third mused aloud, needing the sound of his own voice for comfort, "Conrad Magnus was so unlucky. Chasing them right into that tower... that's what got him killed."

The words struck Lucien like a bolt. "What did you say? Repeat that."

Silas Third blinked. "I said Conrad Magnus was unlucky, chasing them into that tower. Otherwise, he wouldn't be dead."

Lucien's eyes narrowed, thoughts racing. Chase. Revenants. Tower. Something was wrong. Revenants lacked consciousness, but they had instincts—instincts to avoid danger. That Arachnid Mutant was lethal. Revenants shouldn't have gone near it. Yet they fled into its lair. Why? Having survived over half a year of the Cataclysm, Lucien knew Revenants intimately. Even if terrified of Conrad Magnus, they wouldn't flee towards a greater threat.