Rai was then taken back to the monitoring room, where many khodams were seen facing off against alien entities.
"We tried installing cameras on the Moon to monitor the conditions on Mars," Nadine explained.
One of the largest screens lit up, displaying the red planet known as Mars. As the image zoomed in, what first appeared to be ordinary surface points slowly revealed something more alarming—those dots weren't natural formations, but alien bases. And there were countless of them.
"And that's only what we can see on the surface. We don't know how many more might be living underground or hiding on the far side of Mars," Nadine added gravely.
Rai, with her winged angelic khodam, swallowed nervously.
One of the technicians—mature-looking and notably handsome—smiled reassuringly.
"No need to be nervous. We'll be assisting from here. Hopefully, with our latest signal upgrade, we can maintain real-time communication with Mars."
He handed her a sleek, high-tech helmet.
"Alright, can you hear us?" a voice came through the helmet's built-in speaker.
"Yes," Rai responded.
"Good. Since your khodam looks like an angel, we'll be using the codename Angel for her."
"Understood."
"Are you ready?" Nadine asked, as many of the staff turned their attention to Rai.
"Ready," Rai said, taking a deep breath, feeling her connection with her khodam as it extended toward the red planet.
With a flash of light, Angel vanished from the monitoring room.
Now descending above the Martian surface, Angel gazed solemnly at the red planet below.
"Hello? Are we connected?" came a static-laced voice through the speakers.
"Yes, we're connected," she replied, voice calm but focused.
"Angel, through the telescope, you're currently in a safe zone. There are no alien movements around you," Nadine's voice came through the comms.
"However, one kilometer behind your current position, we've detected the nearest alien base."
"Alright, I'll head there now," Angel replied. Her radiant wings flared open as she soared across the dusty plains of Mars.
"Focus on the satellite images—the base appears to be a tower. Zooming in, the aliens resemble humans… but with bat-like heads. They have wings, humanoid bodies, but are completely covered in black fur," Nadine continued.
"These aliens are presumed to be intelligent. We've detected energy readings—possibly alien technology."
Angel gave a slight nod even though she knew the team couldn't see her. She glided down and hid behind a tall Martian rock formation. Before her stood a massive, dark tower—around thirty floors tall, with no visible doors. Only wide windows, where the bat-like beings flew in and out, sometimes carrying prey.
One of them held a bizarre creature—like a flying fish with fins that flapped through the thin Martian air. Its tail moved in soft, rhythmic motions, allowing it to "swim" mid-air.
Angel activated her visual transmitter and sent the video feed back to the monitoring station on Earth.
"Got the footage. Zoom in. Focus on the bat-like creature," one of the technicians ordered quickly.
A few minutes passed before Nadine spoke again. "Alright, based on the video, this species is likely what we're calling 'Martian Vampires.' They use fangs to drain blood. But their real danger isn't their physical form—it's their intelligence and technology."
Angel gazed at the intimidating tower. The red Martian sunlight reflected off its upper antennas, casting eerie glints from alien metals.
"Do you have any suggestions?" asked Angel.
"There are two options," replied the voice.
"First, you could take the safer approach—eliminate the bat-like aliens one by one as they leave the tower. It's slower, but less risky."
"And the second?" Angel raised an eyebrow.
"Use the cannon on your back. Charge it to full power and fire directly into the tower through the windows."
Angel grinned. "I like the second option better."
"Haha, don't forget to run after that!"
Angel began charging the cannon on her back with a mix of light and wind energy. It would take three minutes to fully charge. She crouched behind cover, waiting patiently as the energy built up. The cannon began to glow with a soft yet dangerous hum.
After three minutes, with the charge complete, Angel took aim. Two massive energy shells burst from the cannon, blazing through the Martian air and into the large window of the alien tower.
A violent explosion erupted from within the structure, rocking the ground. The dark tower shook, then collapsed entirely, sending debris and fire into the sky.
Dozens of bat-like humanoid aliens—survivors of the blast—scrambled out from the wreckage in a panic.
Angel quickly activated the stealth mode of her armor and vanished into the Martian landscape, her steps silent as she fled the chaos she had just caused.
At the same time, as Angel was flying, she received a notification from the system.
[Ding]
Level 2
Angel's Spirit Level: 9
Synchronization: 5%
Congratulations! You have gained the "Firefly Light" skill.
Firefly Light:
The fireflies can be controlled and used both offensively and defensively.
The fireflies can be heated by increasing light energy.
They can shoot light energy as an attack.
They can also heal allies.
Seeing that she had acquired a new skill, Angel was eager to test it.
Using the light energy within her body, she summoned a firefly formed entirely of radiant light.
The firefly flew in perfect sync with Rai's thoughts and would persist as long as her khodam's energy lasted.
With her khodam's level increasing, Angel could feel the changes: her body felt stronger, her flight speed had increased, and the energy coursing through her body was more abundant and vibrant.
Her main body had also leveled up to Level 2, but she didn't know what had changed yet—since she was still controlling her khodam form.
Curious and excited to test her new skill, Angel turned around and spotted dozens of bat-like humanoid aliens gathering near the ruins of the tower. They appeared to be searching for something.
Angel recalled how intelligent these creatures were with technology and decided not to give them a chance to regroup. She directed her glowing firefly toward t. The temperature of the firefly sharply increased.
The aliens shrieked in agony as their bodies were pierced and burned from the inside by the searing light.
Angel then soared over the rubble of the tower she had previously destroyed.
Her eyes landed on the area she had struck with the blast. There were dozens of shattered gas canisters scattered around the wreckage.
Ah, now Angel understood why the explosion had been so massive.
She had unintentionally struck the alien's gas storage facility.