Chapter 405: The Planet’s Ceiling

Jhonson pulled his radio from his vest and pressed the button, gazing down at Alexander’s remains scattered across the asphalt.

"Target neutralized, area secured," said Jhonson. "Send the cleanup crew."

"Copy that, Captain. En route..." replied the static voice through the comms.

Jhonson felt a rush of air behind his back. He tried to react, but it was late: Alexander’s fingers plunged through his flank, aiming for his guts. Yet the hand couldn’t press further; his talons stopped against an invisible barrier.

"Jhonson, Jhonson, Jhonson..." echoed a deep voice from the shadows. "I tell you that you’re too complacent. Never trust that your enemy is dead, and never turn your back."

"Major... I’m sorry, I slipped up," muttered Jhonson, swallowing hard.

"And you, young man... hurting my men is something I cannot forgive."

Alexander tried to wrench his hand back, but his limb was locked tight as if inside a steel clamp. Standing before him was an older man of imposing stature, clad in a dark military uniform.

"A weakling like you coming to my planet?" said the Major, looking down at Alexander with contempt. "If I could cross over to your world, I would have eradicated your kind already. [Divine Fist]."

A punch sent Alexander flying, plowing through concrete and bedrock before slamming into the earth, carving out a crater.

The Major rose into the sky, shedding gravity. His body erupted into blue flames that warped the space around him.

"Let’s see if this is your size," called the Major from above. "[Great Meteor]."

He dived toward the earth with both hands raised, impacting the center of the crater.

BOOM!

The blue flame explosion swept through several kilometers in a fraction of a second, flash-melting asphalt and steel structures like wax.

Jhonson materialized outside the blast radius, brushing soot off his shoulders while shielding his face.

"Major!" bellowed Jhonson over the roar. "Give a warning when you perform your moves! You almost killed me!"

The Major descended from the sky, landing on the glowing ground without his boots sustaining damage.

"Don’t be a pussy, I trained you better than that," said the Major, looking at Jhonson.

The terrain surrounding the impact resembled a volcanic zone, bubbling under heat. The earth quaked, and an eruption of debris shattered the center of the dome. Alexander leaped out, naked and with his hair singed, landing on the melted asphalt.

"Impressive... you survived that," said the Major, raising an eyebrow.

Alexander’s body had mutated once again. His hide no longer bore scaly density; instead, it exuded a stream of blue aura that chilled the air. The horns on his forehead dropped away, shattering against the ground. His organism was adapting to his new enemy.

"Interesting... You have the skill of that guy Stephen..." muttered the Major, tightening his gloves. "I must kill you before you grow further. You are far too dangerous."

"So you know my guardian," said Alexander in a calm tone.

"Guardian?" asked the Major, knitting his brow.

"Yeah. Stephen is my trainer, he trained me," said Alexander, crossing his arms. "I’d show you my TMC phone, but I don’t have it on me right now."

The Major stood in silence for seconds. He extinguished his blue flames and walked toward Alexander, inspecting him with an analytical gaze.

"You don’t look human..." said the Major. "Who are you?"

Alexander didn’t answer with words. He deactivated his [Vampire Emperor] form. His eyes returned to their natural hue, his features refined, and the bone claws alongside his fangs retracted entirely, revealing his base form.

"So you are human..." said the Major, relaxing his stance as the tension receded. "What happened here? Why did they activate the Alien Invasion Code?"

"Big Black tried to use you to kill me," said Alexander in a neutral tone, glancing over the ruins. "The coward and I crossed paths in the other world, and he almost managed to finish me off."

The Major gazed at the minotaur’s remains and the scorched frame of the truck where Vanessa’s body lay. He turned his eyes back to Alexander, assessing him.

"We need to verify your story. Would you come with us?" asked the Major. "This place isn’t suitable. At headquarters, we can get to the bottom of this."

Alexander raised an eyebrow, keeping his distance.

"If I go to your headquarters, I’m not walking out alive," said Alexander in an icy tone. "I’m not an idiot."

The Major sighed, crossing his arms as the blue aura dissipated.

"I understand your distrust, kid. You survived a containment squad and two of my attacks. But think with a cool head: if I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t be having this conversation. I would have used [Great Meteor] a second time."

"That’s assuming you can," countered Alexander, taking a step as the muscles in his legs tensed. "I’ve seen how your tech works. Walking into an underground facility packed with mana suppressors and containment cells is handing myself over on a silver platter."

Jhonson, who walked up wiping blood from his chin, let out a laugh.

"Trust me, rookie, if the Major decides to take you as a prisoner, neither your regeneration nor your blue aura is gonna save you. The TMC has strict protocols for Awakened who cause Gold-Rank destruction. We’re offering the easy way."

"The easy way for you," corrected Alexander, locking his eyes on the soldier. "I’m not stepping into a cage without guarantees. If you want to verify my story, contact Stephen directly. He can confirm who I am and what I was doing in that portal."

The Major remained silent, assessing the vampire’s stance. The tension spiked once more, turning the atmosphere heavy around the crater.

"Well, I gave you a chance because you’re human," the Major said in an icy tone, settling into his stance. "But since you don’t want it, let’s see if you can regenerate after this."

His body erupted into violent blue flames once again. The suffocating heat instantly warped the surrounding air as he braced for battle.