Cosmic Crucible

Chapter 16: The Might of Stellar Palm

A beam of light suddenly shot skyward from Crimson Fortress's western sector. Odon swung his blade upward, its energy colliding with the beam in a high-altitude explosion. "Technological weaponry?" he sneered. Their reluctance to fight beyond city walls stemmed precisely from wariness of such arms. Even on this primitive planet, star-faring technology existed—capable of producing life-threatening weapons.

Outside the city, Glenna and Lucien Vance touched down.

"Treyce Valmont? This complicates everything," Glenna gasped.

Lucien frowned. "Treyce Valmont?"

"Top three at First Military Academy. Combat Rating twenty-five hundred," Glenna stated grimly.

Lucien's heart sank. "Hold him off while I eliminate Odon. Fast."

Glenna weighed it. "Possible. But not for long."

Lucien nodded, darting across the ground toward Zane Shaw's position.

Beam after beam streaked toward Odon from above. Snarling in irritation, he plunged groundward. "After gutting this primitive, you're next!" His blade thrust at Zane Shaw.

Zane gritted his teeth, heaving his massive axe to parry. Against Treyce alone, he could hold his own. But with Odon joining the fray, defeat was inevitable.

Treyce descended cautiously. Though confident in dodging tech-weapons, prudence was his way.

As Lucien closed in on Zane and Odon's clash, he hurled a Pyro-Crystal skyward.

The crimson mineral gleamed conspicuously. Engaged in combat, neither Odon nor Zane noticed. Treyce, however, locked onto it instantly, eyes blazing with greed. Before he could question its presence, searing pain exploded across his back. He twisted violently, swaying like a leaf in a gale, narrowly evading Glenna's follow-up strike. "You?!" he roared.

Glenna remained silent. She pulled another Pyro-Crystal from her Void Ring, crushed it, and unleashed a torrent of scorching flames. "Flame Palm Strike!" Fire coalesced around her palm, deepening to an ominous hue as it surged forward.

Treyce spat blood. "Seeking death?" His right palm vibrated furiously, clawing the air—Shockwave Palm.

BOOM!

Palms collided. Flame and concussive force ravaged the earth, flattening everything within a hundred meters. A fire tornado whipped skyward, dancing like an ember serpent.

Glenna staggered back, face pale. Treyce's Shockwave Palm dwarfed Lucien's; even her combat art barely countered it.

Treyce grimaced. Fire arts were inherently devastating. Glenna's Pyro-Crystal amplification made this strike equal to his own.

"Glenna! This is my territory!" he bellowed.

Glenna didn't respond. Her Nano-Weave Vambrace glowed crimson in the inferno.

Treyce clenched his jaw. His own vambrace materialized—he'd resisted activating it until now, but pressure mounted. Worse, he was injured.

Odon glanced over, shocked. "Glenna?! What—?"

Zane Shaw roared, his axe arcing down with brutal force. Odon barely parried. Razor-sharp energy sheared the ground around them.

Lucien struck. Phantom Step carried him beside Odon in a blur. His palm shot out—Stellar Palm.

Stars swirled around his hand. Both Odon and Zane froze, stunned by the ambush. Odon gaped in recognition; Zane stared blankly. Lucien's palm struck Odon's chest.

Odon didn't scream. His heart shattered. The overwhelming force tore through his torso, blasted into a residence, and vaporized it. The ground cratered instantly.

Zane stared at Lucien, aghast. "You—!"

Lucien spun, sweeping a leg toward Zane. Back turned to Glenna and Treyce, he hissed, "Attack me!"

Understanding flashed in Zane's eyes. He lunged without restraint—Tempest Cleave.

Lucien evaded with Phantom Step, wind shear tearing his clothes. "Throw me at them!"

Zane bellowed, swinging his axe horizontally. Lucien rode the momentum, hurtling toward Glenna and Treyce.

CRACK!

A shockwave rippled out. Glenna stood pale, right hand trembling—Treyce had shattered her defenses.

Treyce wasn't unscathed; his vambrace smoked with cracks.

At that instant, Lucien smashed into a wall near Treyce and slumped down.

Treyce glanced at Lucien, then toward the distance. Odon's corpse made his eyes widen. Before he could react, Zane Shaw soared skyward, fleeing.

"You won't escape!" Treyce leaped after him—back exposed.

Lucien vaulted from the rubble. Mid-air, he unleashed another Stellar Palm. Stars blazed openly. Treyce, initially dismissive, sensed lethal danger too late. He twisted frantically.

Stars detonated. Treyce cratered the earth. Lucien, simultaneously struck by Treyce's reflexive counter, coughed blood as he flew backward into another wall. His Nano-Weave Vambrace disintegrated—Yasta's gift destroyed.

Glenna clutched her arm, limping to the crater's edge. She peered down.

Treyce lay on his back, face ashen, blood frothing at his lips.

She stared at Lucien incredulously. An Apprentice Tier crippling Combat Rating 2500? Impossible.

Before she processed it, Treyce's eyes snapped open. He drew an oddly shaped pistol and fired. Energy pierced Glenna's shoulder. Snarling, she retaliated instantly—another Flame Palm Strike—slamming directly into Lucien's Stellar Palm wound. The impact pulverized Treyce's organs.

Glenna collapsed beside the corpse, icy dread cutting through the heat. Planetary Evolution Trials had no official death limit... but casualties like Treyce Valmont—a top-three prodigy—risked severe backlash.

Lucien dragged himself to her, voice weak. "Don't panic. Worst case, my grandfather transfers you to Tartarus Prime Academy."

Glenna fixed him with an icy stare. "That strike... Not even Double Shockwave Palm could've wounded him so deeply."

"You softened him up. I hit the same spot," Lucien deflected.

Glenna's eyes narrowed. Coincidence? Unlikely.

A furious roar erupted behind them. Zane Shaw, presumed fled, reappeared—axe arcing toward them!

Instinct took over. Glenna shoved Lucien forward as a shield. Zane desperately altered his swing. The axe whistled past Lucien's ear, biting deep into earth. Lucien spun and slammed a palm into Glenna's chest. Weakened, it lacked Odon-killing force, but still shattered her ribs.

Glenna gasped, white-faced. Reflexively, she kicked out, sending Lucien sprawling. She collapsed beside Treyce as Zane roared, axe raised. Glenna snatched Treyce's fallen pistol, aimed, fired. The beam shattered Zane's axe, tore through his shoulder, and hurled him meters away. He crashed, motionless.

Silence fell, broken only by crackling flames devouring the ruins.

Four Scout Tiers and one Apprentice had razed half of Crimson Fortress.

Glenna fumbled in her Void Ring, swallowed a healing capsule, and focused.

Minutes later, footsteps approached. Jaw tight, she hauled herself up—body battered, shoulder pierced—and stumbled toward Zane's prone form.

Soon, Marcus Flint, bespectacled Quinn, and others surrounded her. "Surrender! We might spare you!" Marcus demanded.

Glenna scoffed. "Primitives sparing me? Care to gamble his life?" She pressed the pistol to Zane Shaw's temple.

"Release the Judicator!" Marcus thundered.

"Fall back ten miles! Or I execute him now!" Glenna's voice cut like ice.

Defenders exchanged uneasy glances but held firm.

Glenna's eyes turned arctic. She snatched a rock and smashed it onto Zane's head. Blood gushed.

"STOP!" Marcus roared. "We withdraw! But the Judicator needs treatment now!"

Glenna conceded.

A medic tended to Zane, stemming the bleeding after twenty tense minutes. "His injuries require immediate comprehensive care."

Glenna ignored them. "Fall back ten miles. I leave in three hours. Intervene earlier..." She tapped the gun against Zane's skull. "...and he dies."