Alpha Strike: [An Interstellar Weapons Platform’s Guide to Organized Crime] (Book 3 title)

The open field between the village and the forest had never been small. A wide buffer zone was necessary in the Deep Tunnels, where the delicate balance of a cavern could shift unpredictably, and danger lurked in every shadow. Newly ascended spirit beasts, eager to test their strength, often targeted the nearest sapient settlement.

Under Alpha's direction, however, this buffer had been expanded even further — nearly three hundred meters now lay between the village and the treeline. Within that expanse, four concentric rings of wooden and stone barricades jutted from the ground like jagged teeth. Alpha had called them 'dragon's teeth,' though to Boarslayer, the squat pyramidal structures bore little resemblance to the fangs of any dragon she had ever seen.

Then, movement.

Magnus Ironheart emerged from the treeline. Not with arrogant bravado or theatrical display, but with a quiet, crushing presence that demanded attention. The shift in the air was palpable. Conversations faltered, then ceased altogether. One by one, heads turned toward the distant figure, a collective stillness overtaking the wall as eyes locked onto him.

Robert was the first to move. With effortless confidence, he strode forward, chest squared, head high. In a single bound, he vaulted onto the rampart's edge. Spirit energy laced his voice as he spoke, amplifying his words beyond mortal limits.

"Attention! The Adventurer's Guild of Halirosa has officially laid claim to this cavern and, by extension, this village. As of this moment, you are trespassing. Proceed, and you will be recognized as bandits and dealt with accordingly! Lay down your weapons, identify yourselves, and submit to questioning, and the Guild may still consider negotiations on open terms."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Then…

"Robert! That's not what we discussed!"

"What in the nine hells are you saying, human?!"

Garrelt and Boarslayer's voices rang out in unison, sharp.

Boarslayer lunged forward as if ready to rip Robert from his perch, but a massive arm blocked her path. She whipped around, eyes locking onto Bert's towering frame. The giant's gaze met hers, calm, unreadable. He gave a single shake of his head.

Her snarl deepened, but before she could act, a small pulse of spirit energy radiated from Bert — not enough to restrain her, merely a warning.

Her comm crackled to life. Alpha's voice. "Stand down, Boarslayer."

"You too?!" she snarled under her breath. "This isn't what we agreed to!"

"Stand down," Alpha repeated, his tone brokering no room for debate.

Boarslayer's jaw clenched, her fists curling, long ears twitching in agitation. But after a tense moment, she took a measured step back. Dr. Maria, standing beside her, exhaled slowly.

At the treeline, Magnus simply tilted his head. Even the highest-ranking cultivators atop the wall would have struggled to discern his expression from this distance, but Alpha's cameras caught it clearly. A slow, creeping grin spread across the dwarf's face.

He swept his gaze slowly across the barricades, his eyes skimming over each defender as if committing them to memory. Then, as his attention returned to Robert, a low chuckle escaped his lips.

A heartbeat later, an immense wave of power erupted from him, surging forward with crushing force. The air warped as it passed, distorting like a heat haze. Wooden defenses shattered into splinters while the stone dragon's teeth shuddered before sinking under their own mass, pressed into the earth as though forced down by an unseen hand.

On the ramparts, Boarslayer watched the surging wave of destruction hurtle toward the village's last line of defense. Then, movement at her side. Bert was already in motion, clearing the rampart's edge in two strides before leaping over. He landed with a ground-shaking thud and sprinted forward. After covering a few dozen meters, he skidded to a halt and braced himself.

With a deep breath, Bert unleashed his own spiritual energy.

A second wave of power surged forth — a tempest, a roaring typhoon of raw force. It rushed ahead, colliding with the oncoming might of Magnus Ironheart.

When the two energy walls collided, the air reverberated with a strange, warbling hum, like a great gong struck by an unseen force. The clashing powers formed a luminous curtain of flickering greys and sparking purples, shifting and twisting as if caught in an ethereal wind. It hung between them as a celestial veil, a shimmering aurora that split the battlefield in two.

Just looking at it sent a shiver down Boarslayer's spine. This wasn't quite on the level of the Kigendoro's true domain, but the sheer mastery required to weave such a phenomenon... She wasn't sure she'd ever reach that level herself.

As if sensing her thoughts, Dr. Maria spoke — though Alpha couldn't help but note the brief flicker of her gaze toward his [Wasp] drone.

"This is the difference the Greater Realms make," she murmured, captivated by the display like everyone else. "Those who reach the lesser Spirit steps of the first Realm gain a refined control over their energy, allowing them to perform miracles that mortals can only dream of. But even a peak-[Shackle Breaking] cultivator can only channel their spirit energy through a medium. An art, a spell, a tool."

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As she spoke, Magnus's grin widened. His spirit energy pulsed, sending a ripple through the auroric curtain. On the other side, Bert grunted under the pressure.

"Breaking into the second Greater Realm changes that," Dr. Maria continued, her voice edged with both awe and caution. "[Spiritual Awakening] cultivators don't just control their spirit energy — they project it. It ceases to be just a fuel source and instead becomes a weapon in its own right. This ability has had many names, but in the current era, we call it Spiritual Will."

"That's…" Boarslayer started, but the words stuck in her throat. She had known this, of course — such knowledge wasn't rare, especially in the Deep, where cultivators were expected to push further than their surface-dwelling counterparts, if they lived long enough. But knowing was one thing. Witnessing it was something else entirely.

"Of course," Garrelt said as he approached, his voice even, "not all Wills are equal."

As if to confirm his words, the luminous curtain trembled, the flickering energy twisting violently. Then, Boarslayer witnessed something she never thought possible.

Bert took a step back.

It was small, stiff, hesitant, even. A rare moment of weakness. He recovered quickly, digging his heel into the ground, adjusting his stance, and bracing himself. His arms lifted, palms thrust forward as though pushing against a collapsing mountain. The curtain's glow flared brighter, its deep, resonant hum rising into a screech, like metal being torn apart.

With his back to them, no one could see Bert's expression, but the slick sweat beading along his broad frame and the barely perceptible tremor in his arms spoke volumes.

And through it all, Magnus's grin stretched wider, nearing something almost manic. Then, his eyes flared to life, twin purple stars igniting in the gloom.

The aurora shuddered, writhing like a captured serpent. The metallic wail fractured, splintering into the sharp crack of shattering glass.

Then, all at once, the curtain broke.

With a thunderous BOOM!, both waves of energy collapsed inward, a shockwave ripping across the battlefield.

Bert's massive frame hurtled backward, crashing against the village wall with enough force to send tremors through the fortifications.

Magnus, by contrast, barely shifted. He stood amidst the dissipating energy as if untouched, the only sign of its passing the faint chime of the metal ornaments woven into his beard and hair.

"Bert!" Boarslayer shouted, moving toward the edge of the wall. Below, adventurers had already leaped down, rushing to his side. Before she could follow, Robert's arm shot into the air.

"HOLD!"

Boarslayer snapped toward him, eyes blazing.

Before she could demand an explanation, another voice cut through the charged air.

"I must say," Magnus's voice carried effortlessly across the battlefield, buoyed by his own spirit energy, "I'm rather impressed."

The dwarf took a slow, deliberate step forward. Below, Bert was already moving, forcing himself upright. His face was pale, and when he spat to the side, Boarslayer caught the faint tint of blood — but he remained standing.

Magnus continued, tone light, almost amused. "As expected of the famous 'Galefist,' I suppose. Perhaps the younger generation's boasts aren't entirely unfounded after all."

He exhaled, shaking his head in mock regret. "Even as a peak-[Spiritual Awakening] cultivator, few could have endured for as long as you. You should be proud." His arms spread in a lazy shrug. "In another time, in another place, I might have enjoyed offering my junior some… pointers."

The way he said it, combined with what Dr. Maria had told them of Ironheart's 'training methods,' sent a cold twist through Boarslayer's gut.

"Unfortunately," the dwarf added, "I'm here for business, not pleasure."

Magnus stood tall, his voice ringing clear across the battlefield.

"Adventurers of Halirosa, thank the Galefist! His strength has earned you a small mercy! Surrender now, and on my honor as one of the Ironheart clan, your lives will be spared. You will be allowed to return to the surface with enough supplies to reach the city."

A murmur rippled through the gathered defenders. Soft at first, like the distant rustling of leaves, but growing with each passing second.

Boarslayer's jaw clenched, her fists curling at her sides as she glared at the dwarf.

It wasn't just that this bastard had come to attack her home.

It wasn't just that he had hurt Bert.

And it wasn't even the insult to their pride—the condescending offer to flee, tails tucked between their legs—that set her blood boiling.

No.

What truly ignited the wildfire in her chest was what Magnus hadn't said.

Magnus's so-called 'mercy' had only been offered to one group.

That bastard! Boarslayer seethed. Does he even consider us a threat?!

And as the murmurs swelled — first among the goblins, then, one by one, through the surrounding adventurers — it was clear she wasn't the only one to notice.

To Boarslayer's surprise, the first to speak up wasn't one of her own, but a tiny human mage.

"Screw you, ya coal-speck of a bandit!" Maggy shrieked, waving her staff as if she could pummel him from across the field. "Like we'd ever run from some dog barking for a master too scared to fight us himself!"

A cheer erupted from the wall.

"Yeah! That's right!" someone else shouted.

"You want it? Come take it from us!"

More and more voices joined the defiance, their shouts overlapping into a single, roaring tide.

Boarslayer blinked, caught off guard — then laughed. The fire in her chest didn't fade, but the deep-red bloodlust creeping at the edges of her vision shifted. The fury was still there, but now it burned with something steadier, something brighter.

Then, a new sound cut through the rising shouts.

Laughter.

It started softly, a chuckle barely heard beneath the crowd. Then it grew — louder, fuller — until it swallowed the defiant cries entirely.

Across the battlefield, Magnus clutched his side, his booming laughter shaking his shoulders. A grin split his face in two, wide and gleeful, as if he had just heard the greatest joke in the world. His amusement rang so pure, so unabashed, that unease crept through the defenders. One by one, the voices on the wall faltered, until the only sound that remained was the dwarf's unrestrained mirth.

At last, Magnus wiped at his eyes, still chuckling as he straightened.

"I see," he said, voice breathless from laughter. "I see. So that is your choice, is it?"

His gaze swept the defenders, locking eyes with each in turn. Then, with slow, deliberate intent, he raised his hand.

"So be it."

His arm dropped.

From the treeline, an army of bandits surged forward.