NOVEL NEXT Chapter 113: The war had began
Thanacrite is a cylindrical weapon, its body composed of a fine, pale-gray dust derived from the bones of Primordials. The cylinder itself is forged from the very same dust but reinforced with Supreme Essence, a potent fluid extracted from Essentia and meticulously bound together to ensure the Primordial dust remains contained without seeping out.
When launched, the sheer pressure behind its deployment sets off a violent chain reaction, causing the delicate bonds within the cylinder to shatter. The particles, now unchained, burst into the air in an eerie, shimmering haze.
Once inhaled or introduced into the bloodstream, Thanacrite moves with an unsettling intelligence, drawn instinctively to energy flows, much like how carbon monoxide clings to hemoglobin. It mercilessly clots the blood by overwhelming the body's natural energy pathways, throwing circulation into chaos and inducing a slow, agonizing internal suffocation. The victim experiences a creeping numbness as their life force falters, their body betraying them in silence.
Originally conceived in the desperate final days of the Year of Riftless Reckoning war, Thanacrite was crafted from the remains of fallen Primordials, mixed with Essentia, and weaponized through the Miasmothrower, a machine designed to disperse the deadly dust with devastating efficiency. It was meant to turn the tide of war, yet it proved to be an unmitigated failure.
The healing prowess of the Primordials rendered its effects negligible; they could purge the poison with ease. Ironically, it was the Celestial race, the very ones who sought to wield it, who suffered the most from its reckless creation. Their warriors fell in droves, victims of their own weapon. This catastrophe was precisely why Thanacrite was not deployed against the Primordial Rhino during the battle at the station, it posed too great a risk of self-inflicted casualties.
For years, Thanacrite was abandoned, branded as a failure, too weak against its intended targets. But history has a way of resurrecting its forgotten terrors. With the emergence of the grim trade of kidnapping Primordial children, the weapon was reintroduced, this time, with a far more sinister purpose. Thanacrite found a new purpose. No longer wielded in the war of gods, it became a tool of subjugation, though full-blooded Primordials could withstand its effects, their distant kin, the Primordial Rhinos and their lesser offshoots, were not as fortunate. In the Primordial world, Thanacrite found a second life, no longer a failed weapon but a tool of targeted devastation.
"RROOOOORRRR! RROOOOORRRR!" The primordial beasts bellowed, their deafening roars weaving into a monstrous symphony that rattled the heavens. Each step they took sent tremors through the land, their hulking frames moving sluggishly yet with an ominous purpose. Billows of dust rose beside them, swirling like restless phantoms, while an even greater cloud surged at their rear, masking the ruin in their wake.
Above them, the Flame Aether Glide hovered, slicing through the thickened air like a silent predator. Nine warriors stood within its reinforced hull, their gazes locked onto the monstrous tide below, while six others, including Kal and Centric, stood poised atop the glider's deck, the wind clawing at their armor. Their eyes burned with resolve as they faced the looming abyss of destruction.
Directly in front of them, the Miasmothrower, a weapon forged for war and devastation, stood ready. Two soldiers worked in tandem, heaving a Thanacrite shell into the machine's waiting chamber, the dull clang echoing ominously as they locked it into place. Another member gripped the weapon's ratchet, adjusting the trajectory with meticulous precision, the muzzle shifting in a steady arc, aimed squarely at the advancing colossi. Now, all that remained was Centric's final command.
The Aether Glide continued its approach, an eerie calm settling over the battlefield, but Centric's grip tightened on the railing. The seat forming at his side betrayed the outward composure he maintained, a sign of the pressure weighing on him. He exhaled sharply.
"Three… two… one…" He counted, pausing just long enough to let the weight of anticipation sink into his team's bones. Then, his voice rang out like a war drum. "Fire!"
A thunderous explosion erupted from the Miasmothrower, its muzzle exhaling thick plumes of smoke, a testament to the immense pressure unleashed. The Thanacrite tore through the air forward, its very shell groaning under the force propelling it. The sound it emitted, like bones cracking under pressure surging through its forged bones, causing it to groan and crack mid-flight.
Then, mere inches from the horde, the Thanacrite could no longer bear the force within.
its form suddenly shuddered, fracturing, splintering, until it burst into dust.
A cursed fog of fine bone powder expanded outward, latching onto the air itself. The unsuspecting primordial beasts inhaled it, diffusing into the lungs of the frontmost beasts. They reeled back, snarling, guttural, feral sounds laced with an unspoken fury. Their behemoth frames convulsed as the foreign substance took hold. A few of them howled, their rage igniting like wildfire, and in an instant, they lunged forward.
The transformation was jarring. The sluggish advance of the beasts shattered as they surged ahead, their massive bodies betraying an unnatural speed. The earth beneath them trembled under their newfound momentum, their eyes gleaming with raw, unhinged anger.
But before they could cross much ground, a second Thanacrite shell was launched, this time from the right flank of the Flame Aether Glide. The timing was impeccable. It sliced through the air, an executioner's blade descending upon the cursed.
The beasts faltered, caught between their blistering rage and the looming explosion hurtling toward them. Confusion intertwined with their wrath, a chaotic storm raging within their colossal forms. Their minds warred between action and hesitation, a mere flicker of indecision, yet in battle, even a heartbeat of hesitation could be fatal.
The Mountain Astro Aether Glide loomed into view, its colossal frame cutting through the distant sky like a fortress of war, standing in stark opposition to the Flame Astro Aether Glide. Wisps of smoke curled lazily from the Miasmothrower's muzzle, lingering evidence of a recent Thanacrite bombardment. Above the formidable Aether Glide, Seraphina and her four subordinates stood poised, their figures rigid with resolve, eyes locked onto their next target. Another attack was imminent.
Ahead, a chaotic battlefield unfolded. The remaining Primordial Beasts, those fortunate enough to evade the lethal onslaught, hesitated, their movements uncertain as the air turned toxic. The thick, venomous dust lingered, a noxious veil threatening to devour all who dared to advance. Their hesitation, however, was not shared by the seven Primordial Rhinos at the vanguard. Their massive forms radiated primal fury, nostrils flaring from inhaling the tainted air. With a guttural roar, one of them, the largest of the herd, steeled itself, muscles coiling with terrifying power.
Harnessing the Law of Energy Conversion, it willed the pure fluid of Essentia Energy, an untamed force nestled within its crystalline core, into a devastating attack. In a heartbeat, the energy condensed, shimmering dangerously on it horn before it erupted in a blinding beam of raw destruction, streaking toward the Flame Astro Aether Glide like a vengeful comet.
With deliberate steps, Kal emerged from the Aether Glide's front, stepping into the oncoming catastrophe with an almost indifferent calm.He did not hesitate, his stride was resolute, his presence unshaken. Leaping from the front of the Aether Glide, he raced toward the incoming devastation, his form a streak of determination against the battlefield's grim backdrop. A surge of power ignited within him, a response to the Convergence Formation, an unbroken chain of strength tethered to him by the nine members within the Aether Glide.
"Infernal Edge: Blazing Shield Formation!" Kal's voice rang clear, cutting through the chaos like a war hymn.
His Flame-Heat Duality Sword answered, its very essence roaring to life. The blade's flame half spiraled into a violent inferno, shaping itself into a swirling, fiery bulwark. Simultaneously, the heat half radiated an overwhelming, shimmering thermal distortion, warping the very air around him. The two forces, dancing in a tempestuous harmony, fused into a barrier of cataclysmic might, a radiant, pulsating wall of destruction, standing defiantly between Kal and the onrushing death.
The Primordial Rhino's energy beam struck with unrelenting force. Some of its power was devoured by the Infernal Shield, absorbed and repelled by the mystical interplay of fire and heat. But even so, the explosion that followed was nothing short of cataclysmic, the sheer magnitude of the attack shattered equilibrium, the barrier detonated in a fiery burst, sending Kal reeling backward, his feet dragging deep grooves into the ground as he fought to maintain balance. A powerful recoil coursed through his body, momentarily threatening to overwhelm his stance.
Yet, as the dust settled, Kal remained standing.
His Flame-Heat Duality Sword crackled, embers drifting from its edge like remnants of a dying star. His breath was steady, unwavering, even as the battlefield trembled under the weight of impending war.
Kal's Status virtual panel popped up
[Name: Kal - (Vassal of the God of Flame)]
[Race: Celestial Race (Immortal)]
[Age: 20 Years]
[Stage: Ascendant Realm]
[Celestial Core: Convergence Formation Core (600/700) ↓ 100]
[Bloodline: Flame Immortal Lineage]
[Weapon: Flame-Heat Duality Sword]
[Skill: Infernal Edge]
[Techniques: Flame Surge Dash / Blazing Shield Formation/ Inferno Wave]