Zero to Peak: Ascension Online

Meteorite, the Und that had emerged from the crater, realised their initial effort was not enough to decimate the border control points. They would have to exert five times the force to overwhelm the anti-meteorite systems.

Meteorite's right arm gleamed with a dark purple light, and a humongous web of purple silk threads, akin to a spider's, suddenly manifested. The threads reached into the void of space, latching onto asteroids floating kilometres away from the colossal rock that supported the Torn Indigo. The silk threads tugged on the asteroids, shearing off thousands of fragments before pulling the newly-formed meteorites down towards the surface.

The rapidly descending rocks blotted out the light in the sky above the border control points. Now, the soldiers panicked. They had never witnessed a meteorite strike of this magnitude. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to run, nowhere to find safety. The anti-meteorite systems were overwhelmed. The meteorites crashed down mercilessly, decimating every structure and soul in the vicinity.

Meteorite expected devastating clouds of fire and intense shockwaves, but the aftermath was not what they anticipated. There was a surreal quality to the explosions, a muted intensity to the flames. It felt as if a black hole was suppressing and swallowing the effects of the attack.

Meteorite gnashed their teeth, growling loudly at the newly arrived opponent hidden within the flames. The fire came to a sudden standstill, as if its chaotic life had been extinguished. Then, a powerful force drew all the flames from both sides into a single point: a gaping mouth.

The mouth snapped shut and its throat convulsed as it swallowed. The flames were condensed into a perfectly spherical bolus. The intense luminosity of the flaming orb was visible through the grey-skinned neck as it travelled down, vanishing as it passed into the abdomen. The body bearing the monstrous mouth pulsed with dazzling show of fire as the bolus settled in its belly.

"Flame Ash, you traitor!" Meteorite cried furiously.

Flame Ash could not reply. It was currently an empty, puppeted vessel that now stood against one of its own comrades. Its naked form was visible for all to see.

Meteorite did not brashly engage. They warily observed the area, using their gravitational threads to feel for and create a weak attraction on all objects and concepts in the vicinity. The alien detected no other living presence, confirming they could engage the puppet without interference. Meteorite was not concerned that Flame Ash had yet to attack; they knew the puppet's purpose was simply to suppress their assault and hinder their advance.

"I know you can hear me, you cowardly puppet master!" Meteorite roared as they soared high, hurtling towards Flame Ash. "You dare to steal the corpse of my comrade and use it to battle me. If you do not know, my kind fosters strength, not weakness. Your puppet was weak; that is why it fell into your hands. I will show you what true strength feels like!"

Meteorite levitated in the air as long bands of dark purple light enveloped their limbs. Five gravity wells, each ten metres in diameter, formed on the ground around Flame Ash, with another appearing directly above. Purple silk threads—the physical manifestation of the gravity—erupted from the wells. The threads latched onto Flame Ash, pulling viciously at the reanimated corpse from multiple directions, intending to tear it apart.

A wicked smile was plastered on Meteorite's face as they waited for a scream of pain. But the scream never came. The corpse could not scream. It was dead, its nerve receptors inert.

Anger surged within Meteorite, and they amped up the gravitational pull. The corpse was stretched to the verge of being torn asunder when it finally moved. It responded by generating a torrent of flames that flooded the gravity wells. Simultaneously, it launched a continuous torrent of fire at Meteorite.

Meteorite descended to the ground and subsequently rolled away from the incoming attack, but the flames gave chase. They were forced to create a new well that swallowed the sustained torrent of flame directed at them. Flame Ash was relentless. It tripled the power of the flames pouring into all the gravity wells. The fire directed at Meteorite blasted past the defensive well, warping around its edge to strike the alien. Meteorite roared in pain and instinctively doubled the size and power of their shielding well.

Instantly, Flame Ash doubled the power of its own flames. A deep, powerful hum pulsed out from the gravity wells. Meteorite used their innate connection to the wells to investigate the cause. First, they noticed an intense build-up of heat and pressure. Then, they began to see heavily distorted images of the flames, of Flame Ash's figure, and of the wells themselves. They could barely keep their eyes open against the constant, blinding release of intense light and energy.

Lady Flux had been clever. She was countering the gravity wells by overloading them with flame energy. Her intention was to cram that energy into a space smaller than its Schwarzschild radius, culminating in a kugelblitz—a black hole formed from pure energy—which would abruptly end the battle. Eleven black holes would be formed from the collapse of the gravity wells. Lady Flux had a method to contain their effects, preventing devastation to the surrounding terrain, but she was certain Meteorite would not survive the consequences.

Meteorite, hailing from a scientifically enlightened society, understood precisely what was about to happen. They cancelled the gravity wells, which collapsed and exploded with the brilliant, fleeting beauty of New Year's fireworks.

The battle raged on. Flame Ash displayed a dazzling array of flame manipulation. Meteorite countered and attacked fervently with gravity wells and further meteorite strikes.

Meteorite sidestepped, dodging another torrent of flame sent their way. However, they did not dodge it completely; the flames licked at their hip. They roared, infuriated. Something felt wrong. They were getting slower. Some unseen force was affecting them, but they couldn't tell what it was. Desperation began to set in; they thought that destroying the puppet would end whatever affliction was taking hold.