The ridge trembled under Raygen's feet as the wiry disciple lunged, her daggers slicing through the air with a crimson hum. Time seemed to slow, the wolf spirit sharpening his senses to a razor's edge—the scent of her sweat mixed with an unnatural metallic tang, the subtle shift in her weight telegraphing a feint. But even enhanced, he was no match for her speed. She closed the distance in a blink, her blade grazing his arm, drawing a line of blood that burned like acid. Pain lanced through him, but he bit down on it, using the wolf spirit's instinct to roll away.
"Raygen!" Asa shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos like a knife. She twisted free from Lira's grip, her own daggers drawn in a flash, throwing herself into the fray. Her blades met the disciple's in a clash of steel, sparks flying as metal ground against metal. The impact jarred her arms, but she held, her years of training kicking in despite the fear gnawing at her gut.
Kael roared, a deep, primal sound that echoed the wolf spirit's call within Raygen. The wolf-kin charged the burly disciple, his claws raking across the man's armored chest—only to bounce off with a dull thud, the stranger's skin unyielding as if made from forged iron. Kael staggered back, surprise flashing in his eyes, but he didn't stop, circling for another attack.
Elder Huo watched from below, his chain-whip uncoiling lazily like a serpent awakening. "Pathetic mortals. Bind them quickly— we have essence to harvest." His voice was calm, almost bored, as if this was just another chore in a long day.
The wiry disciple smirked, her eyes gleaming with malice. She kicked Asa back with a force that sent her sprawling across the brittle grass, air exploding from Asa's lungs. "This one's got spirit. Pity it's wasted on a weakling." The disciple advanced, twirling her daggers, enjoying the hunt.
Raygen dodged a follow-up strike, his void-shard pulsing in protest like a second heartbeat gone arrhythmic. He countered with a punch infused with the wolf spirit's ferocity, his fist connecting with her side. She grunted, staggering slightly, a crack appearing in her confident facade. But she recovered with a laugh, shaking it off. "Not bad for a barbarian. But you're outclassed."
The burly disciple grabbed Kael by the scruff, his massive hands closing like vices. He lifted the wolf-kin like a pup and slammed him into the ground with bone-jarring force. Cracks spiderwebbed the earth, dust puffing up in a cloud. Lira loosed an arrow from her concealed bow, the shaft whistling through the air and embedding in the man's thigh. He yanked it out without flinching, the wound closing before their eyes, blood staunching almost immediately. "Annoying pests," he growled.
Overwhelmed. The word echoed in Raygen's mind as the disciples pressed their advantage. The air was thick with the scent of ozone and scorched earth from the distant pillar, mixing with the coppery tang of blood. Asa rose, daggers ready, but her breaths came ragged— the pressure from these strangers was suffocating, like standing before a storm about to break. Her destruction affinity whispered in her core, urging release, a dark void begging to be unleashed. But she held back, memories of Earth anime flashing—heroes losing control, destroying allies. *Not yet. Not here,* she thought, gripping her weapons tighter.
Elder Huo's whip lashed out, the chain moving with a life of its own, coiling around Raygen's leg and yanking him off balance. He hit the dirt hard, the impact jarring his teeth, the void-shard flaring in pain like a hot coal in his chest. The elder ascended the ridge with measured steps, his presence a wall of intimidating aura that made breathing hard. "Enough play. These auras... unusual. They'll serve the sect well as test subjects." His eyes raked over them, calculating, like a merchant appraising goods.
As the wiry disciple pinned Asa, binding her wrists with glowing cords that bit into her skin, and the burly one hauled Raygen up, his grip crushing, despair crept in. Lira and Kael lay battered, the beastkin escort no match for these foes. Their breaths were labored, fur matted with blood and dust. All lost—the phoenix's whispers from the vision mocking them now, *emptiness and ruin* feeling like a cruel joke.
Then, a stir. Deep within, Alac's presence—ancient, amused—nudged. Not a voice, but a surge, like a dam breaking. The void-shard ignited, shadows exploding from Raygen like tendrils of night, writhing and lashing. The wolf spirit howled, amplified, its form briefly overlaying his—a spectral void-wolf snapping at the burly disciple's arm with jaws of darkness. The man yelped, his grip loosening as inky blackness corroded his skin, eating away at flesh with a sizzle.
Asa felt it too—a dark void blooming in her core, her destruction affinity roaring to life unbidden, a force she couldn't control but didn't resist. She shattered her bonds with a pulse of ruinous energy, the cords disintegrating into nothingness, particles vanishing like dust in wind. The wiry disciple recoiled, eyes wide with shock. "What sorcery—"
The surge peaked. Raygen and Asa, linked by the whispers of *emptiness and ruin*, unleashed a combined wave—void shadows merging with destructive force in a swirling vortex. It slammed into the disciples, hurling them back down the ridge with the force of a gale. Elder Huo staggered, his whip cracking wildly, failing to find purchase.
But the power didn't stop there. It rippled downward, into the earth, a dark echo cracking more of the phoenix's ancient chains. The ground bucked like a living thing, new eruptions bursting forth—pillars of fire shooting up in a chain reaction, dotting the savanna like fiery lances piercing the sky. Heat waves scorched the air, grass igniting in waves, the smell of burning vegetation filling the lungs.
The cicadas panicked. The hum turned to a deafening screech as the colony mobilized—foot soldiers swarming from burrows in black tides, elites taking flight in clouds that blotted the sun. Lieutenants directed the frenzy, their larger forms weaving silk barriers to contain the leaks, threads glowing with absorbed fire. But the damage was done. The king's decree echoed through the hive mind: *Reinforce. Hold the cage at all costs.*
From afar, more crimson-robed figures appeared—reinforcements from the sect, drawn by the massive disturbances. Portals ripped open with flashes of light, spilling out a dozen more, their presences flaring as they rushed to secure the essence amid the chaos. "The breaches are multiplying—harvest what you can!" one bellowed, vial in hand.
Raygen collapsed to his knees, drained—the surge had sapped his strength, the void-shard dimming to a faint glow. His body felt like lead, every breath a labor, muscles twitching from overexertion. Asa fared no better, her body trembling from the uncontrolled release, knees buckling as she leaned on him for support. "What... was that?" she gasped, vision blurring, the world spinning in heat haze.
The battle escalated before their eyes. The new arrivals clashed with the mobilizing cicadas, blades and fists meeting mandibles and sonic waves in a symphony of destruction. Explosions dotted the landscape, fire pillars destabilizing further, the ground cracking under the strain. A disciple sliced through a swarm of foot soldiers, ichor splashing, but an elite dove, wings slicing his arm. He screamed, clutching the wound as blood flowed.
Elder Huo rallied from the base of the ridge, his whip felling a wave of insects with precise strikes. "The essence is pure—fill the vials! The sect will reward us for this haul!"
Raygen's group retreated slowly, using the chaos for cover, weaving between rock outcrops and burning patches. But a pillar burst nearby, forcing them to dive behind a boulder. Heat blistered their skin, the air wavering like a mirage, sweat evaporating instantly. "This is insane," Raygen muttered, peering out, his voice hoarse. The colony's scale was staggering—thousands upon thousands emerging, a black tide against the fire, their bodies piling to form dams against the flames.
Asa coughed, the smoke thick and acrid, stinging her eyes. "Those strangers... they're not backing down. What do they want with the fire? It's like they're feeding on it."
"Whatever it is, it's making everything worse," Lira said, nocking an arrow despite her trembling arm. She loosed it at a disciple who strayed too close, the shaft piercing his shoulder. He yanked it out, glaring up, but a cicada swarm distracted him, mandibles tearing at his robes.
Kael growled, his beastkin resilience kicking in despite the pain. "We fight where we can. Hit and run." He clawed at another disciple's leg as the man passed, drawing blood before retreating into the smoke.
The odds worsened as more portals opened, bringing the sect's numbers to nearly twenty. They formed groups, one harvesting wisps from a pillar while others fended off insects with coordinated strikes. A fire pillar nearly consumed a pair, but they shielded with barriers of energy, emerging singed but alive, vials glowing with captured flame.
Raygen felt a pull—the void-shard reacting to the chaos, but too weak to surge again. His mind raced, the orphan in him calculating escapes, but the pillars blocked paths, the swarm and strangers filling the gaps. "We can't stay. Back to Urrakar—warn them of this madness."
They moved, dodging eruptions and skirmishes, the heat sapping what little strength remained. A lieutenant cicada barreled past, ignoring them in its haste to reinforce a breach, its body a blur of obsidian and crimson. The king's influence was palpable, the swarm's focus on the cage absolute, their long vigil turning to desperate defense.
But the pillars multiplied, the earth groaning under the strain, fissures opening with hisses of steam. The phoenix's rage built below, chains snapping one by one, each break heralded by a new pillar. The sky darkened with smoke, the sun a hazy orb, the savanna a battlefield of fire and shadow.
Raygen glanced back, the ridge now a distant silhouette amid the flames. "This is just the beginning," he whispered, the weight of it settling like ash. The group pressed on, legs heavy, breaths labored, the eruptions lighting their path with ominous glows. Behind them, the clash intensified, sonic waves clashing with energy bursts, the savanna alive with war.
As they crested a small hill, another pillar erupted to their left, the force knocking them off their feet. Raygen hit the ground, rolling, dirt grinding into his wounds. Asa landed beside him, groaning. "Can't... keep this up."
Lira pulled them up, her fox-kin agility a saving grace. Kael limped, but his eyes burned with determination. "Urrakar's close. Just a little further."
But the sect's reinforcements spotted them—a group detaching to pursue. "The ones who caused the surge—capture them!" one yelled.
The chase began anew, drained heroes fleeing through a landscape of fire, the odds stacking higher.
End of Chapter 24