Chapter 6 — Collision Course
The creature reached the city center before the military could reorganize.
Its body towered nearly four stories high, spine jagged with protruding bone, hide thickened into layered armor. Each step shattered pavement. Cars flipped like toys in its wake.
People ran in every direction.
Kai did not.
He sprinted forward, Qi reinforcing his legs. Wind screamed past his ears as he crossed blocks in seconds. With every breath, Spiritual Qi poured into him naturally now, feeding his growing strength.
The creature swung an arm the size of a truck.
Kai jumped.
The shockwave from the missed strike shattered storefront windows for half a street. He twisted midair and drove his heel downward, channeling Qi into a focused impact.
The blow cracked its armor—
But did not break it.
He landed hard and slid backward.
Too strong.
This wasn't a chaotic mutation like before. Its Qi circulation was more organized. Almost cultivated.
The creature opened its mouth—
And released compressed Qi like a cannon blast.
Kai barely crossed his arms in time.
The explosion launched him through a bus stop, metal collapsing around him. Pain exploded across his ribs.
He coughed blood.
For the first time since awakening—
He felt the gap.
The creature advanced, eyes glowing with predatory awareness.
Kai forced himself upright.
If brute force failed—
Then precision.
He inhaled deeply, slowing his heartbeat.
The world dimmed.
Energy lines became clearer.
The creature's Qi wasn't evenly distributed.
Its chest—slightly left of center—
There.
He moved.
Not faster.
But sharper.
Every step optimized. Every motion minimal.
The creature struck.
Kai slipped inside its guard, sliding beneath its armored ribs.
His fist drove forward with every thread of Qi he could gather.
The impact sounded like a drum splitting.
Cracks spread across its chest.
He struck again.
And again.
On the fourth blow, something ruptured.
The creature staggered backward, roaring in agony.
The ground trembled as it collapsed.
Silence fell over the ruined intersection.
Kai stood over the fallen giant, body shaking from exhaustion.
Then—
The Qi inside the corpse surged violently.
Not condensing.
Exploding.
He leapt backward just as the body detonated into a storm of unstable energy.
When the dust cleared, a crystal remained at the center.
Not gray.
Not white.
Silver.
Kai stared at it.
Above him, the crack in the sky pulsed in response.
And far beyond it—
Something shifted.
Chapter 6 End