-Dancing fire region - location: unknown-
Apex ships blotted out the sun, their hulls stretching wide across the sky, red thrusters cutting through the haze like hot blades. Metal groaned above as rows of warships aligned, cannons locking in, every barrel pointed down.
Ash stared at the wall of steel.
"Now what? It's not like we can take on an entire fleet."
His eyes darted to Max, hoping for a plan. But there was none.
Kael cracked his neck. Flames curled up his arms, pulsing through the cracks in his skin.
"Nah. We can."
Before Max could open his mouth, Kael launched.
He was gone in a blink—just fire and smoke in his wake.
The lead warship tilted too slow. Kael tore through its bottom hull, dragging fire behind him like a blade. Metal bent. Steel screamed. Then the ship imploded, crumpling into itself before slamming into the vessel beside it.
One impact turned into two. Then three. Fire climbed the sky in broken waves as explosions tore through the fleet. Shattered parts rained down, crashing into the sand and lighting the wasteland with burning wreckage.
Kael floated above it all, breathing hard. Fire still burned at his feet.
Max let out a breath.
"Nice. Guess we can take them down after all."
Ash didn't speak. His arms stayed crossed, his eyes fixed on the sky.
"Doesn't look like we need to. He's handling it just fine."
But Max wasn't looking up anymore.
Across the cracked earth, black shapes pushed through the haze—Apex troopers, armored head to toe, rifles raised. The glow of fire lit their helmets, sharp and cold.
They moved in formation. Silent and Unshaken.
Max's jaw tensed.
"Looks like we're fighting."
Ash's grip closed around his blade.
"Great."
A rifle cracked.
The first shot hit dirt, steam rising where it burned the ground.
Then the battlefield exploded.
Kael streaked through the sky, fire lashing from his hands as he struck another ship. The hull bent under the heat, metal dripping before it gave way. He shot out the other side, already reaching for the next.
Below, the desert became a storm of dust, fire, and steel.
Ash moved through the fight like a storm let loose.
His blade flashed, carving through Apex troopers. Sparks flew as steel met armored gauntlets. One soldier lunged—Ash stepped aside, spinning low, blade arcing across a chestplate that split open under the force.
Boots pounded behind him.
"[Activating skill: Storm Vein]"
The world bent.
Everything slowed. Sand hung in the air. Fingers curled slowly around triggers. Limbs moved mid-strike, frozen in stretched motion. The battlefield spread out in perfect lines—clear, sharp, wide open.
A trooper's swing crept toward him. Ash shifted. The blade missed by inches. His sword drove into exposed metal, cracking through armor. Another raised their weapon—he was already gone, letting the plasma shot pass through dust. Everything was moving in slow motion.
But more poured in. A fresh squad locked onto him, weapons raised in sync.
"[Activating skill: Static Surge]"
Lightning ripped through his veins.
The ground blurred.
One step turned into a dozen. Sparks exploded with every movement. Bodies dropped around him, their armor split open before they saw the strike. He blinked forward, leaving arcs of blue light. His blade moved with him—fast, clean, final.
A shot zipped past his face.
He turned—Max lowered his blaster, smoke rising from the barrel.
"Could've warned me," Ash muttered.
Max gave a crooked grin.
"Well i didn't hit you."
A soldier leapt at Max. Ash was there first, his blade slicing through the rifle before it fired. Max didn't flinch. Another aimed from behind—Max's bolt dropped them before they could breathe.
Ash pulled his sword back, flicking off the blood.
"We're even."
Max popped the chamber open, sliding in a new cell.
"Not even close."
They moved like clockwork.
Ash charged the front, cutting through the line. Max followed behind, his shots clean, one after another. A soldier raised their weapon—Ash's blade struck first. A sniper adjusted their aim—Max dropped them with a single blast.
Above, the sky burned.
Kael tore across it, fire trailing from his limbs. He crashed through a warship, punching into the hull with raw force. Metal buckled, flames spilling from the wound. He didn't stop—bursting out the other side in a streak of fire. The ship spun. Heat swallowed it from the inside. Then it struck another, and the sky lit up.
One explosion sparked a chain of others, and the desert below pulsed with heat and falling wreckage.
On the ground, Apex troopers closed in, their boots striking the sand in perfect rhythm. Rifles rose, barrels glowing with ready fire.
Max shifted his stance. Power buzzed under his skin.
Shots cracked through the air—he moved first. His blaster lit up, plasma bolts ripping through the front line. The first wave dropped, but more charged in. Too many.
Ash blurred past him, blade flashing through the dust. He cut low and fast, sliding between gaps in their defense. A trooper came at him—he met the strike, blade snapping the rifle in half, then buried the tip into armor. Another rushed behind. Ash spun, dropped low, swept their legs, and finished it clean.
The pressure kept building.
Max stood firm. Let down his arm with the blaster and raise his other hand. Heat climbed up his spine. Flames curled at his fingertips, flickering brighter with every breath. The air thickened, humming with energy.
Apex troopers lifted their rifles again.
Max's eyes narrowed.
"Wrong move."
Fire exploded from his hand.
The wave tore through the line, swallowing metal and men in a roar of heat. Screams cracked, then vanished. When the flames cleared, only scorched ground remained—armor melted into black shapes scattered in the ash.
Ash moved through the wreck, cutting down the stragglers with quick, sharp strikes.
Max rolled his shoulder. Fire still clung to his fingers.
"Man, too bad it burns so much energy."
He look at the destruction it cost. His grin widened.
"Fire Vein never disappoints."
Ash didn't slow.
"Just try not to burn me with it."
Max raised his blaster.
"Then move faster."
The ground shook.
Engines roared overhead.
New ships dropped from the sky, thick hulls blotting out the sun. The battlefield dimmed under their shadow.
Flames licked up Max's arms.
"Good. I was just getting started."
Above, Kael broke through another warship. He grabbed the pilot, ripped him out, and tossed him into the clouds. The ship buckled, falling into another with a blast that lit up the sky. Kael didn't wait—he caught the wing of the next ship midair, melted through it, and launched straight into the next target.
Ash barely looked up.
More troopers rushed in.
He moved through them like water through cracks. One swung. He caught the edge, knocked the weapon free, and struck deep. Another came at him—he stepped aside, blade flashing up and across in one motion.
Behind him, Max stayed close.
A rifle lifted—Max fired. Another enemy lunged—his palm burst into fire. The flames hit before the scream did.