The savanna's transformation into a blazing inferno accelerated with every passing second, the multiplying fire pillars casting long, dancing shadows that twisted like tormented spirits across the cracked earth. Raygen's world narrowed to survival, his body a battered shell pushed beyond limits. The surge from earlier—the mysterious push that had awakened the void-shard and destruction affinity in tandem—had left him and Asa as hollow vessels, their energies siphoned dry. His legs felt like lead weights, each step a Herculean effort as he half-dragged, half-supported Asa through the gully. The heat was relentless, a living entity that clawed at their skin, evaporating sweat before it could cool them. Smoke choked the air, stinging eyes and throats, turning every breath into a rasping cough.
Behind them, the clash between the sect members and the cicada swarm intensified into a symphony of destruction. The insect general's roars shook the ground, its colossal mandibles snapping through the air with the force of siege engines. It barreled into a group of disciples, its armored shell shrugging off their frantic strikes like rain on stone. One disciple, a young man with a spear that glowed with inner energy, thrust forward—only for the general to counter with a wing sweep that hurled him skyward, body crumpling mid-air. Ichor sprayed from minor cracks in the general's armor, but it healed almost visibly, veins pulsing with stolen fire from the pillars.
Elder Huo, his face a mask of controlled fury, coordinated the counterattack. "Form the Binding Chain Array—now!" His voice cut through the din, whip cracking to emphasize the order. The remaining disciples—now numbering around fifteen after losses to the swarm—shifted into position, their movements a practiced dance despite the chaos. They linked hands, energy flowing between them in visible crimson streams, forming a net-like barrier that descended on the general. The insect screeched, sonic waves rippling outward, but the array held, squeezing like a vice. Cracks widened on its shell, ichor leaking in streams.
Raygen glanced back from their precarious hiding spot behind a smoldering boulder, his enhanced senses—fading but still acute—picking up the details. "That thing's holding them off... but not for long." The wolf spirit nudged him weakly, urging retreat, its presence a shadow of what it had been.
Asa nodded, her face pale and slick with grime. She clutched her side where a glancing blow from a disciple had left a bruise blooming under her tunic. "The pillars... they're getting worse." As if on cue, another eruption burst forth a hundred yards away, the ground splitting with a thunderous crack. A pillar of flame shot upward, twisting like a serpent uncoiling, its heat wave slamming into them like a physical blow. They ducked, shielding their faces, the air shimmering with intensity. Rocks nearby melted into slag, the smell of liquefied stone adding to the acrid miasma.
Lira, her fox-kin agility a lifeline, scouted ahead. "Path's clear south—but the swarm's everywhere." Her tail was singed at the tip, fur charred, but she moved with determination, bow slung over her shoulder. Kael limped beside her, his wolf-kin resilience keeping him on his feet despite cracked ribs and a gash across his flank. Blood matted his fur, but his eyes burned with pack loyalty. "We make for Urrakar. Thorian needs to know about these... invaders."
The sect wasn't idle. Portals continued to flicker open, more reinforcements spilling out—now over twenty in total, their crimson robes a stark contrast against the black tide of cicadas. They adapted quickly, small groups harvesting wisps from the pillars while others formed defensive perimeters. One disciple, a woman with a fan that unfolded into energy blades, sliced through a wave of elites, her movements a blur of grace and lethality. "The essence is volatile—stabilize the vials!" she called, capturing glowing fire in a jade container that hummed with power.
But the cicadas' numbers were their strength. Foot soldiers in endless waves piled onto sect barriers, mandibles gnawing, bodies sacrificing to weaken the energy fields. Elites dove in coordinated strikes, wings slicing like scythes. Lieutenants directed from the rear, their runes flaring to amplify the swarm's efforts. The general, trapped in the array, thrashed wildly, its venom spray corroding the chains bit by bit.
Raygen's group pressed on, using the gully's natural cover—twisted roots and fallen boulders—to evade detection. But luck ran thin. A stray energy blast from a disciple ricocheted off a lieutenant, arcing toward them. It exploded nearby, showering them with dirt and shards. Raygen shielded Asa, shards cutting his back, fresh blood soaking his tunic. "Keep moving!"
They emerged from the gully into a flat stretch, pillars flanking them like sentinels of doom. The ground heaved again, fissures opening with hisses of escaping steam. Cicadas poured from one crack, ignoring the group in their rush to a breach. The air was alive with their hum, a vibration that set teeth on edge, the scale of the colony dawning in full horror—millions stirring below, a force that had held back a phoenix for eons now unleashing.
The pursuing sect group—three disciples detached earlier—closed in. "Stop running, weaklings!" one taunted, his fists glowing as he leaped over a pillar's base. He landed with a thud, cracking the earth, and charged.
Kael met him, claws clashing against fists in a flurry. The disciple's strike landed first, sending Kael flying into a bush, but the wolf-kin rose snarling, blood dripping from his maw. Lira loosed arrows, one piercing the disciple's shoulder—he grunted but pressed on.
Asa and Raygen fought back-to-back, her daggers parrying a whip from another, his fists swinging with what little strength remained. The third disciple flanked, grabbing Asa's arm— she twisted, kneeing his gut, but he barely flinched, his grip tightening.
All seemed lost. The main battle raged distant, the general's screeches weakening as the array tightened. Pillars erupted sporadically, the phoenix's fury building. Raygen's vision tunneled, strength failing. "Asa... I'm sorry."
Then, a shadow streaked across the sky—a figure crashing down like a meteor from above, slamming into the lead disciple with bone-crushing force. The impact saved Raygen by inches, the disciple crumpling under the newcomer, a crater forming from the collision. Dust billowed, obscuring the scene momentarily.
The newcomer rose slowly, robes tattered and bloodied, face contorted in confusion and pain. He was a senior brother of the Crimson Chain Sect, his aura stronger than the others, presence commanding even in disarray. "What—where am I?" He staggered, shaking off the impact, his body healing visible wounds with a glow. He'd been knocked from the sky mid-flight on some artifact, by an unknown force that had disrupted his path.
The other disciples paused, surprise halting their assault. "Senior Brother Kai! What happened?"
Kai rubbed his head, eyes narrowing at Raygen's group. "Intruders... and these mortals. The array above was ambushed—someone struck from the shadows." His voice was deep, laced with authority earned from higher standing in the sect.
The interruption shifted the momentum. Kael lunged at the distracted burly disciple, claws raking deep gashes. Lira's arrow found its mark in another's thigh, slowing him. Asa broke free, her dagger slashing across her captor's arm, drawing blood that didn't heal as fast.
But Senior Brother Kai was a different caliber. He moved with fluid power, his palm strike sending Kael tumbling again, the wolf-kin yelping in pain. "Deal with them—I'll secure the essence here." He turned toward a nearby pillar, vial ready, but the cicadas reacted— a lieutenant diving at him, mandibles snapping.
The main battle echoed their struggle. The insect general thrashed in the array, its wings beating gusts that scattered disciples. More portals opened, sect numbers swelling to thirty, their harvest accelerating despite losses. Vials filled, glowing with captured fire, but the breaches widened, fire leaking uncontrollably.
Raygen's group used the confusion, retreating step by step. But Kai noticed, his eyes locking on Raygen. "That aura... unusual. You—stay." He lunged, hand outstretched to grab.
Asa intercepted, her body moving on autopilot, dagger clashing with his palm— the impact numbed her arm, but she held. "Leave him alone!"
The savanna trembled violently, another chain breaking below. Pillars multiplied—now twenty, the horizon a forest of flame. The phoenix's presence grew palpable, a pressure building like a storm about to break.
Kai backhanded Asa aside, advancing on Raygen. The orphan raised his fists, void-shard flickering weakly. Doom closed in, the senior brother's power overwhelming.
End of Chapter 26