Chapter 449: The Shadow of Calamity

Stephen pressed the command sequence on the console, and the SUV began to vibrate as the jump drive overloaded. Space in front of the vehicle distorted until it tore open, revealing a vortex of warped light.

"Hold on, this is gonna hurt," said Stephen, slamming the accelerator to the floor.

The vehicle crossed the threshold in a flash and appeared within the airspace of the Federation’s capital planet, breaching the sector’s defensive barriers before the radars could react. The SUV slammed down upon the central plaza, in front of the Council Hall’s entrance.

Threat alarms blared, staining the sky red as guards and combat mechs surrounded the vehicle.

"We’re in the old bastards’ lair," said Scott, drawing his weapons.

"They spotted us, but it doesn’t matter," said Stephen, gripping the vial of [Desolate Earth] with a smile. "The show is about to start."

Alexander threw open the rear door, feeling the mana density surrounding the area, allowing the energy of shadows and blood to flow through his veins.

"I’ll clear the path for you," whispered Alexander, taking his first step toward the enemy guard.

Alexander unleashed his dark form, letting the haze of shadows and blood devour the pavement.

"Looks like the kid grew up... let me in on this! [Spatial Domain]!" said Scott, extending his palm.

Thousands of the fortress’s cannons unleashed salvos of energy against them, but Scott halted them midair before they could touch the SUV, causing them to detonate at a distance by warping the battlefield’s geometry.

"That’s how I like it! [Relentless Hunter]!" roared Stephen, unleashing the silhouette of a lion around his body.

Not satisfied, he roared to break past his limits.

"[Final Hunter]!" screamed Stephen, as his leonine form turned black like gloom.

His roar shook the foundation of the continental fortress, shattering glass and structures for miles around.

"I can’t fall behind... [Spatial Force]," said Scott, clenching his fist as the veins in his arms bulged.

The veteran extended his hand, and every enemy beam launched across the perimeter began to warp mid-flight, intercepted and redirected back into the fortress’s own walls.

Inside the headquarters, sirens blared alongside screams from military personnel.

"What is going on?" asked one of the elders in the council chamber, leaping to his feet.

"We are under attack, sir!" shouted an officer, bursting into the room. "It’s TMC! They are attacking us!"

"Looks like this will be a bitter battle," said the council leader, gripping the table.

"I will go," said one of the elders, stepping forward in combat robes. "Call Brian, we need him here. I will buy time outside."

"You don’t need to be a martyr, we’ll all go," said the council leader, standing alongside the rest of the members. "If they want a war, let’s show them why we are the Twelve Elders."

The doors of the Council Hall shattered as the Twelve Elders descended onto the plaza, unleashing a collective mana pressure that cracked the ground to its core.

"Miserable TMC rats, you dared to come die in our home!" said the lead elder, raising a staff that deployed a domain of light.

Alexander didn’t wait. He launched himself forward like a dark meteor, coating his claws with the haze of shadows and blood.

"Try this, you decrepit old bastards!" roared Alexander, plunging his claws into the chest of the first elder who tried to block his path.

The elder’s armor shattered like glass beneath Alexander’s strength, forcing the remaining elders to scatter.

Stephen, wrapped in his [Final Hunter] form, pounced on three of the elders with a bite of black energy that devoured the surrounding space.

"Keep them busy while I prep this!" said Stephen, crushing a guard beneath his leonine claw while clutching the vial of [Desolate Earth] in the other.

"You’re not cornering me, you elders!" said Scott, clapping both hands together to activate [Spatial Force].

The mass of air across the plaza compressed, warping the energy strikes launched by the elders and reflecting their mana blasts right back at them. Four of the twelve elders were struck by their own powers, coughing up blood as they staggered backward.

"Hold the line, Brian is on his way!" shouted the lead elder, struggling to contain the trio’s onslaught as the capital’s sky collapsed in fire and shadows.

Stephen capitalized on the opening created by Alexander and Scott, diving toward the center of the plaza and crushing the stone slabs beneath the weight of his [Final Hunter] leonine form.

"Cover the retreat, this is about to blow!" screamed Stephen, plunging the vial of [Desolate Earth] into the pavement’s mana core.

The glass container shattered, releasing a viscous black mass that seeped through the cracks in the ground. Within seconds, the earth began to rot, and a toxic mist shot toward the sky, corroding the elite guards’ armor and reducing them to ash before they could scream.

"Stop that! It’s destroying the planet’s mana veins!" shouted the lead elder, coughing up blood as he backed away in horror.

"Too late, you elders!" said Scott, activating [Spatial Domain] to envelope Alexander and Stephen in an instant teleportation bubble.

Alexander cast a side glance at the plague of black mist devouring the Council Hall’s structures, initiating the chain reaction that would tear the continental fortress apart.

"Get us out of here before the poison catches up to us," whispered Alexander, as the light of the spatial jump enveloped them.

Before the light of the spatial jump could envelope them, a voice echoed through the air, nullifying the surrounding energy.

"Where are you boys going?" asked a figure, emerging from the toxic mist. "I didn’t think you were so decisive."

"Brian..." said Scott, his eyes wide as blood ran cold in his veins. "The Bloody Pillar of Nullity..."

The presence of Brian, the Federation’s most powerful weapon, triggered a collapse of energy across the battlefield. In a fraction of a second, Scott’s spatial ability shut down, Alexander’s dark form dissolved, and Stephen’s leonine form was extinguished, sending all three plunging toward the ground.

Alexander reacted on instinct, shielding Scott with his body as they plummeted. The two slammed into the pavement like a meteor, shattering the plaza’s bedrock into pieces, while Stephen managed to roll across the ground, breaking his fall without sustaining further injuries.

"Shit..." whispered Alexander, spitting blood as he raised his eyes toward the figure striding through the ruins.