NOVEL NEXT Chapter 141: Heaven’s Dominion Fist
It was now almost four days since Nyxander had single-handedly taken over the harrowing battle against the Primordial Beast King and its monstrous subordinates. Since that decisive moment, Hung and the remaining Southern Astro forces had retreated and regrouped, steadily redeploying toward the North with hopes of lending Unlike Centric and Kal, among the Southern forces found themselves reluctant to abandon the front completely, they found retreat unbearable not out of pride, but from something held them back this time, a gnawing doubt and an instinctual fear that Nyxander, despite his strength, might be overwhelmed… and to them, pulling back felt like walking away from a storm and pretending it wouldn't follow, pretending it wouldn't swallow them whole if Nyxander fell.
However, after countless rounds of tense discussion, Hung finally managed to sway their hearts, not with bravado, but with clarity. He urged, reminding them not to misjudge Nyxander's true might. "There is no room for intervention," he had said. "To stand beside him now is to risk obstructing a storm mid-flight." Hung even invoked Hildred's own words, that not even the Astro Lord himself could guarantee victory in a battle against Nyxander, acknowledging that Nyxander might either be his equal or a being who had transcended the limits of mortal strength. With each conversation, each reflective pause, the soldiers began to understand. They slowly surrendered the frontline to him, not in defeat, but in deference.
All of this unfolded in the shadows of fate, before Karl and the others joined Nyxander, standing alone not as a soldier, but as a force of reckoning in the abandoned yet blazing battlefield, where the Beast King still raged, and the colossal subordinates loomed like gods of ruin.
Under the glowing afternoon light, somewhere at the borderlands of the Primordial Structurith Clan territory, just a few meters away from the boundary shared with the Nihilith Clan, tension floated through the air like mist. Hung and the Mountain and Fire Astro Force were infiltrating deeper, faster than anticipated, thanks to the Mountain Astro's Aether Glide, the sole surviving transporter. With it, they had pressed forward relentlessly, enduring both scorching days and shadowed nights with only minimal rest.
"Let's proceed forward, don't slow down, don't relax." At the front, Centric's voice rose like a commanding drumbeat, his presence pushing the force onward with unwavering resolve. Beside him was Kal, striding with equal conviction, leading the Astro Force further into the heart of the land.
Above them, Hung hovered in mid-air, his once-tattered body now nearly healed from past wounds. His three pairs of wings stretched outward in graceful symmetry, casting a vast shadow that danced across the sun-drenched terrain as he carved their path forward like a celestial blade.
Behind the front, nestled within the center of the Astro Force, was the Aether Glide. Inside, Vega sat silently beside Seraphina, watchful, composed, and alert. Seraphina's left arm, still wrapped in white tape, had stopped bleeding and partially healed, thanks to her celestial physique that defied mortal fragility. "You don't have to worry," Seraphina said, her pale gaze steady but soft, "as you can see, my arm is almost healed."
"Yeah, I know… you're the strong and energetic one," Vega replied, her lips pulling into a half-smile, as if wrestling a storm inside. "I'm just… worried about him. Was it really the right choice to leave him behind?" Seraphina's eyes dimmed slightly as her gaze fell to the earth below, like a leaf caught in the wind.
"Hum. Still thinking about him?" Vega rose gently, placing her hand on Seraphina's shoulder, prompting her to lift her eyes. Their gazes met in quiet solidarity.
"You don't have to worry. The Assistant Astro Lord said it himself, we should believe in his strength."
Her voice was calm, but its weight anchored Seraphina's wavering spirit. Around them, a few Astro members from both Mountain and Fire divisions stood watch, observing them during their brief reprieve.
Outside, at the front, slicing through the air like a silent hawk, Hung suddenly paused mid-flight. His eyes widened, as if trying to pierce through the veil of reality. His lips parted, and an unconscious hum rumbled from deep within his throat.
Centric and Kal immediately noticed his frozen stance. Kal raised his palm, an instinctive signal, and the entire Astro Force behind them halted like a machine out of breath. The abrupt stop sent a ripple of motion through the Aether Glide, nearly tipping some from their seats.
Seraphina and the other Astro members stepped out in haste. She and Vega moved with caution, their eyes sweeping the landscape, questioning those nearby. Yet, no one could explain the sudden interruption.
Moments later, Hung descended from the sky, cutting through the wind like a falling feather, and landed with quiet intensity before Centric and Kal. "What's wrong?" Centric asked, voice low and firm.
"Nothing serious," Hung replied, though his tone steady and bold. He held his breath briefly, his brows furrowed into a tight, unreadable line.
"We're close." Kal and Centric exchanged glances, unease flickering in their eyes.
"I saw… something," Hung continued, his voice like gravel smoothing over steel. "Not clear, but from the shapes and movement, I'm almost certain, they were Aether Glides."
He stopped. Kal and Centric were about to respond, but Hung silenced them with a single nod, sealing their assumptions into certainty. "We are probably close," he repeated, but this time loud and with that, a wave of murmuring surged through the Astro Force like a rising tide of anticipation.
Hung cleared his throat, and at once, Centric and Kal motioned for silence, drawing their subordinates' attention. "Let's speed up, catch up to them," Hung commanded.
"Yes, sir!" voices echoed like thunder in unison. Hung soared into the sky, his wings slicing the air with renewed purpose. With morale lifted and their resolve reignited, the Astro Force surged forward, the rhythmic stomp of their march blending into a low murmur that rippled across the fields like whispers of fate itself.
At that moment, Hung and his Astro force surged forward, shadows streaking along the flanks, their momentum guided toward the left behind Aether's glide by the Northern Astro forces who silent hope were to slip past the colossus Primordial beasts unnoticed, but plan now shattered like shadows in twilight, as the collosal beasts seemed to have already caught their waves.
Back at the Northern Astro flank, Hildred stood like a mountain unmoved by time, an unyielding bastion before the encroaching chaos. Yet even he could not fully betray the truth, beads of sweat betrayed his stoic composure, tracing down his cheeks like silent prayers. The ground beneath them quivered, a low growl of the earth rumbling upward into their soles, turning it into a battlefield of nerves. Stones jittered, soil pulsed like it had come alive, and dust rose with electric tremors as if the land itself feared what approached.
Across him, the number of Primordial beasts remained indistinct, obscured by a monstrous dust storm, an ominous veil that danced around their towering silhouettes like death's own curtain. Their shadows loomed and stretched, morphing with each thunderous step. Waves upon waves surged forward like a storm tide determined to wash away everything in its path.
Amidst this dread, behind Hildred, the Astro forces worked tirelessly, preparing their weapons with quiet intensity, metal clinking like distant war drums. Then, as if fate drew a blade, the dust parted, a divine act or a cruel unveiling, splitting like fabric being torn in the wind. The Primordial beasts revealed themselves, their massive forms shaking the air, the ground, and even the courage of those watching.
"Now, toss it to me!" Hildred barked, his voice sharpened by urgency, cutting through the noise like a sword's edge.
From the sideline, one of the three massive boxes had already been opened. Scattered around it were the remnants of burned Thanacrites, glimmering dust from a divine material, proof that it had been used for something dire. A few of the Astro forces hovered there, startled by the sudden order. But Lumina didn't hesitate. With zero delay, she reached into the box, seized a Thanacrite, and with every ounce of might surging through her arm, hurled it toward Hildred.
The Thanacrite spun through the air, the wind howling around it like a banshee cry, trailing streaks of power. As it approached, Hildred clenched his fist, energy surging like molten light through his veins. "Heaven's Dominion Fist: Skybreaker Strike!"
He roared, his fist, now infused with divine force and immortal might, came down with the weight of falling stars. The impact echoed like thunder cracking through the sky, "BOOM!" and sent out a shockwave that warped the air itself, launching the Thanacrite forward like a divine missile.
It tore through the sky with supersonic rage, carving a tunnel through the wind, the pressure at its head forming a dome of warped air like a crown of violence. Then, "BAAM" it struck.
The first Primordial beast at the vanguard reeled back, its monstrous frame flipping like a broken toy, not merely because of the blow but from it sudden inhaling the remnants of the Thanacrite's burn dust, an ancient chemical warfare now invading its breath. The smokescreen that followed spread wide, swallowing visibility, buying precious moments.
Hildred didn't even watch it fall. Instead, he slowly shifted his gaze over his shoulder toward the rest of the Astro force, eyes like tempered steel.
"I will be charging first. Join me when you're ready." His words weren't loud, but they fell with weight, like fate being written.
A low chorus of hums followed, affirmations whispered more from resolve than from voice, as if their tongues refused to move but their hearts dared not defy. Sweat traced the brows of some, others swallowed hard, cheeks twitching from the pressure, but none stepped back as the storm was only beginning.