Location: Inside the Void-Ark 'Beast-Tamer' – Hangar Bay 4
Time: The Moment of Intrusion
The crash was not graceful.
The Naglfar, moving at Mach 3, smashed through the magnetic containment field of the hangar bay. The field shattered with a sound like a thunderclap inside a cathedral.
The bone-ship plowed into the deck plating. The Leviathan Ribs groaned as they carved a deep furrow through the pristine Celestial Gold floor. Sparks of spirit-energy flew like fireworks. The ship drifted sideways, crushing a row of parked Void-Chariots before slamming into the far bulkhead and coming to a halt.
Silence followed for exactly three seconds.
Then, the alarms screamed.
[Intruder Alert. Hull Breach in Sector 4.]
[Atmospheric containment failing. Emergency bulkheads closing.]
The airlock of the Naglfar hissed open.
Smoke poured out—green, necrotic smoke from the Samsara Drive.
Aris stepped out onto the golden deck. He was limping, his Void-Walker's Mantle torn, but his eyes were glowing with the violet light of a predator who had just broken into the sheep pen.
"System," Aris commanded. "Map the dungeon."
[Scanning...]
[Environment: High-Density Spirit Zone.]
[Material: Celestial Gold (Rank: Heaven).]
[Loot Potential: Infinite.]
Aris looked at the walls. They weren't just metal; they were engraved with moving frescos of dragons and phoenixes. The lighting came from floating pearls of eternal radiance.
"It's too clean," Aris spat a mouthful of blood onto the golden floor. "Nox. Make a mess."
The Boarding Party
Nox leaped from the airlock. The Eclipse Hound shook his fur, releasing a cloud of shadow-soot that instantly stained the pristine environment.
Behind him marched the Undead Laborers.
The skeletons didn't look like scary monsters anymore. They looked like a professional tactical squad. They moved in formation, their Abyssal Rifles (made of rusted pipe and void crystals) raised and ready.
"Secure the perimeter," Aris ordered. "We need a beachhead."
Suddenly, the blast doors at the end of the hangar slid open.
A squad of Inner Disciples rushed in. They were dressed in beautiful azure armor, wielding swords that glowed with starlight.
"Demons!" the lead disciple shouted, seeing the skeletons. "They have unleashed the Underworld! Form the Sword-Light Array!"
The twenty disciples moved in unison. They raised their swords, creating a web of blinding light that slashed toward the crashed ship.
"Cover fire," Aris said lazily.
The skeletons pulled their triggers.
THWIP. THWIP. THWIP.
The Abyssal Rifles didn't fire bullets. They fired concentrated bolts of Void Qi.
The bolts hit the Sword-Light Array.
Normal Qi would have clashed and exploded. But Void Qi deleted the structure of the light. The bolts punched holes straight through the defensive formation.
"What?" The lead disciple gasped as his sword shattered.
A bolt hit him in the chest. His beautiful azure armor turned grey and crumbled to dust. He fell, screaming as his cultivation base evaporated.
"Push," Aris commanded.
The skeletons marched forward, stepping over the dying disciples without hesitation. They didn't feel fear. They didn't stop to gloat. They were efficient killing machines running on Aris's will.
The Looting Run
Aris walked behind his army.
He passed a rack of Spirit-Spears mounted on the wall.
[Item: Star-Iron Spear (Rank: Earth)]
[Value: 5,000 Gold each.]
"Mine," Aris swiped his hand. Inventory. The rack vanished.
He passed a console made of Blue Jade.
"Mine." Inventory.
He saw a wall panel that was particularly shiny.
"I'll take that too."
Aris ripped the panel off the wall, exposing the pulsating spirit-circuits underneath.
[System Warning: Ship Integrity Dropping.]
[Grand Elder Kong is aware of your location.]
"Good," Aris smiled, pocketing a glowing crystal node. "Let him come. I'm dismantling his house brick by brick."
The Mini-Boss
They reached the exit of the hangar—a massive circular gate sealed by a Five-Element Lock.
Standing in front of the gate was not a human.
It was a War-Automaton.
It stood four meters tall, made of red brass. It had six arms, each holding a different weapon (Sword, Spear, Axe, Hammer, Shield, Wand). Its face was a rotating mask of tragedy and comedy.
[Enemy Identified: The Six-Armed Asura (Guardian Model)]
[Level: 55 (Nascent Soul - Mid Stage)]
[Armor: Spell-Resistant.]
"Intruders," the Automaton spoke, its voice a grinding metallic echo. "You have violated the sanctity of the Myriad Beasts Mountain. The penalty is Dismemberment."
The Automaton spun its weapons. It moved like a whirlwind of death.
"Skeletons, focus fire!" Aris shouted.
The undead unleashed a volley of void bolts.
PING. PING. PING.
The bolts bounced off the red brass.
[Analysis: Target is coated in 'Anti-Magic Varnish'. Energy attacks are nullified.]
"Of course," Aris muttered. "It's a mage-killer."
The Automaton charged. It plowed through the skeleton line, smashing three undead laborers into bone-dust with a single swing of its hammer.
Nox lunged at it, biting its arm.
CRACK.
Nox yelped. His teeth couldn't pierce the brass. The Automaton backhanded Nox, sending the massive hound flying into a wall.
"Physical resistance is high too," Aris noted. "It's a stat-check boss."
Aris looked at his own inventory. His Singularity Shard was still attached to the ship. He couldn't use it here.
"Time to improvise."
Aris stepped forward.
"Hey! Tin Man!"
The Automaton stopped its slaughter. It turned its rotating face toward Aris. The mask shifted from 'Comedy' to 'Fury'.
"Target Priority: Alpha," the Automaton droned. "Eliminate the Leader."
It charged at Aris. Six weapons raised for a synchronized strike.
Aris didn't dodge. He stood his ground.
"System. Equip The Seal of the East (Azure Dragon)."
A green aura exploded around Aris.
"You are metal," Aris whispered. "Metal conducts electricity."
"Art: Emperor's Thunder."
Aris didn't shoot lightning at the robot. That would be magic, and the varnish would block it.
Instead, Aris grabbed the broken power cable hanging from the wall panel he had looted earlier. The exposed spirit-circuitry was sparking with the ship's own raw energy.
Aris threw the live wire.
It wrapped around the Automaton's neck.
"Ground yourself."
Aris channeled the Dragon's authority to amplify the ship's current.
ZZZZZAAAAAAP!
The Automaton convulsed. The voltage from the massive Pagoda-Ship's main reactor surged through the wire and into the robot. The "Anti-Magic Varnish" could stop spells, but it couldn't stop a raw power surge.
The red brass glowed orange. Then white.
The internal gears melted. The rotating face spun wildly—Happy, Sad, Angry, Dead.
BOOM.
The Automaton's core exploded, blowing its six arms off. The torso fell backward, smoking.
[Enemy Defeated: The Six-Armed Asura.]
[Loot: Asura Core (Can be used to upgrade skeletons).]
"Thanks for the parts," Aris said, stepping over the wreckage.
He placed his hand on the Five-Element Lock of the gate.
"System. Hack it."
[Bypassing Security...]
[Door Open.]
The blast doors slid open.
Beyond lay the Central Corridor. A mile-long hallway of gold and crystal, leading directly to the ship's reactor core.
But standing at the far end of the corridor, blocking the path, was a figure.
It wasn't Elder Kong.
It was a woman in white robes, floating a few inches off the ground. She held a flute made of bone. Around her, the air rippled with invisible, distorted beasts.
[Boss Alert: Elder Mei (The Soul-Piper)]
[Rank: Dao Severing (Early Stage).]
[Specialty: Mental Attacks / Illusion.]
Aris froze.
"A Dao Severing expert," Aris whispered. "This isn't a mini-boss. This is a Raid Boss."
Elder Mei raised the flute to her lips.
"You play a loud game, child," she whispered, her voice echoing inside Aris's brain. "Let us see if you can dance to a quieter tune."