NOVEL NEXT Chapter 144: Collision Point
At the Northern primordial world, the once radiant daylight now waned, dimming into a pale hush that mocked its earlier glory. Objects along the horizon stretched their long skeletal shadows across the rigid land, draping the ground in twilight scars. At the old northern Astro encampment, three Aether Glides, once proud steeds of the Hildred Astro division, now stood abandoned at the foot of a massive mountain, their metallic shells cold and silent, like forgotten relics of a hurried departure.
Shadows of moving figures flickered across their surfaces, dancing like restless spirits as the group approached.
"It seems they have left," Centric's voice rolled out, low and steady, echoing against the frigid stone as though the mountain itself repeated his words.
"But where could they have gone?" Karl's voice followed, sharper yet burdened with unease, as he drew nearer to one of the silent vessels. His hand brushed along the Aether Glide's surface, tracing the chill of its frame. "Strange, the machines are not broken down. Why abandon them?" He turned, his gaze narrowing at Centric, who was already circling another Glide, his eyes shifting as though trying to read secrets from its stillness.
"The Astro Lord does not act without reason," Hung's voice rose, threading through the mountain's hollow breath. The echo swelled and roared like a slumbering beast beneath stone. "Something must have forced their hand, leaving them no choice but to cast aside their vehicles." He gestured at the three abandoned Glides, their frames gleaming dully against the dying light.
"Then they cannot have gone far,"a voice muttered, each words swallowed by a softer sound, the fragile, trembling voice from behind.
They turned, slowly, each movement deliberate, until their eyes fell upon Seraphina. Her figure seemed fragile against the harsh backdrop, her body weakened, her pallor drained, yet her presence luminous even in its frailty. Vega supported her gently, steadying her steps.
"You shouldn't be here, not in your state. You'll only be a burden!" Kal's words cracked through the air, sharp and unrestrained.
Vega's teeth clenched like steel grinding against stone. "Watch how you speak to my lady!" she snapped, her anger surging like a tide. Yet Seraphina's frail hand, pale as porcelain and trembling as a falling leaf, rose to silence her.
"It... is fine," she whispered, each syllable fragile, yet resolute. Her hand fell slowly, like a wilted petal surrendering to the wind.
Now, only Hung, Centric, Kal, Seraphina, and Vega lingered at the mountain's base, while the rest of the force fanned out, scanning the vast silence for threats.
Back at the base of the mountain, Hung spoke again, his words heavy with thought. "Their trail grows faint. By leaving their vehicles, which means they've broken from the path we agreed upon. Tracking them now is like chasing smoke in a storm." He tapped the metallic surface of the nearest Aether Glide with the folded joint of his right index finger, the hollow sound reverberating in the cold air.
"We could scatter, spread wide, as always, searching for any signs," Kal suggested, his impatience cutting through the silence.
But Centric countered, his tone sharp with reason. "No. That will waste time and drain us further. Our strength is already frayed from this relentless march. To burn more energy chasing after shadows, without certainty of success... would only make our aid meaningless."
"Then is there any better solution?" Kal pressed, his voice simmering between frustration and demand.
Silence answered first. His gaze lingered on Centric, searching for a response, then drifted slowly to Seraphina's weakened form, to Vega's protective stance, and finally to Hung, whose eyes narrowed into the darkening horizon, as cool breeze whispered around them.
"The solution is already within the problem," Hung finally broke the silence, his voice carrying like a solemn bell across the still air, though his gaze still clung stubbornly to the looming mountain ahead.
"What do you mean?" Kal asked curiously, his words rushing out before he could temper them, his eyes darting between the others as if seeking reassurance that he wasn't the only one lost.
"Since they abandoned their Aether Glides, it assures us they did not follow the expected route, likely avoiding exposure," Centric's steady voice cut in, sharp as a blade, explaining with a tone that held no room for doubt.
"Then what is that supposed to mean?" Kal quickly intercepted, his impatience betraying the quiet tension.
"It means," Hung said, finally turning toward them, his words measured like drops of water falling into a still pond, "we must locate the path with the greatest chance of canceling outside detection."
He stepped forward, his boots pressing against the earth with quiet authority, passing between Centric and Kal, then moving past Vega and Seraphina like a shadow gliding through flame. "Summon all the forces. We move."
"Yes, sir," they all responded in unison, their voices echoing faintly, swallowed by the mountainside.
Hung took another deliberate step before halting, his back straight, his presence towering like an unspoken command. "And also… we are taking the three Aether Glides," he added, his tone unyielding, before continuing onward without a backward glance.
Seraphina, leaning with the aid of Vega, turned her head to follow him. The four of them stood momentarily still, their eyes locked on Hung's fading figure as the gap widened, each step he took seemed to carve the distance not just in space, but in resolve.
Back at the Northern Force skirmish battlefield, Hildred's chest heaved like a bellows, each ragged breath forcing his torso to rise and fall under the weight of his pounding heart. Sweat streamed down his face in thin rivulets, dripping from the tip of his nose and chin as though his body were weeping the cost of endurance. Across from him, the Primordial beasts loomed in silence, their eyes glimmering with an almost regal gravity, as if silently judging whether the lone warrior was worthy of their recognition.
"Roooorrrr!" The guttural cry split the battlefield, shaking the air itself. Then, the colossal beast in Hildred's line of sight, the very one that had pressed him relentlessly, slowly condensed a spear of pure, radiant light, its length forming just above the crown of its horn. The weapon pulsed with blinding brilliance, as if a fragment of the sun itself had been forged into a lance.
Hildred, though staggering and sluggish, raised his right arm to shoulder level, his elbow bent, fingers curling gradually into a fist. A faint shimmer of immortal energy radiated from it like embers fighting not to be extinguished.
With a thunderous wave of its horn, the beast launched the spear. It tore through the air with the speed and violence of a gunshot, splitting the atmosphere in its wake. Hildred, prepared to counter, let his fist hang lower… slowly… deliberately, as though surrendering at the edge of battle.
The sudden gesture startled even the beasts. Their colossal eyes widened, disbelief flashing for a heartbeat before smirks stretched across their monstrous jaws. Victory was theirs, or so they thought.
But Hildred's lips curved into a faint smile of his own, a quiet defiance that snared their attention. Before they could unravel his meaning, his head tilted slightly, neck bending left, and the truth revealed itself, an oncoming gleam, a streak of light searing through the battlefield like a fallen star.
"Froom!" The arrow hissed past, grazing the air beside Hildred's neck, its speed beyond the grasp of mortal sight. It hurtled forward, chasing the beast's spear. The two projectiles met in the sky with an impact that silenced the world for a heartbeat.
Then, they shatter. Light erupted in all directions, dazzling brilliance that burned away the sun's dominance, cloaking the battlefield in unnatural day. A moment later, the sound followed, a deafening boom that cracked the heavens, shredding the stillness.
The collision birthed a spiraling tempest, the wind coiling violently into a tornado that devoured stone, sand, and earth itself. Shards of ground tore free, flung skyward as though the battlefield rebelled against its own foundation.
Hildred threw his arms before his face, his body dragged backward, boots grinding against the broken terrain, struggling to hold ground against the howling gale. Dust surged upward in a suffocating canopy, veiling the battlefield in a storm of ruin.