The Siege of Li Na's Home
1. A Sky Full of Shadows
The distant hum of aircraft grew into a roaring storm as the military approached Li Na's settlement.
Black VTOL dropships cut through the evening sky, their silhouettes sharp against the dying light. Ground transports rolled through the valley, kicking up dust as heavily armored troops took position.
This wasn't a raid.
It was an occupation.
Li Na's heart pounded as she stood in the fields, watching the invaders close in. The settlers had seen nothing like this before—soldiers wielding technology enhanced by qi, weapons humming with power that should have never belonged to them.
"They've already learned to control it," she thought grimly.
The military wasn't here to negotiate.
They were here to claim.
And if she didn't act fast, her home—her people—would be crushed beneath their boots.
2. The Warning Comes Too Late
Inside the settlement, panic spread like wildfire.
"Everyone inside! Now!" Mira barked, grabbing one of the younger children and pulling him toward a reinforced shelter.
The elderly and sick were hurried underground, hidden beneath reinforced steel doors. The warriors among them armed themselves—makeshift weapons, old rifles, anything they had.
But against this?
Against an army built for subjugation?
They weren't ready.
Li Na's fingers curled into fists as she felt the qi in the air shift, the presence of something unnatural pressing against her senses.
Then, the first shot was fired.
A blazing arc of energy shot down from one of the aircraft, striking a defensive tower at the edge of the settlement.
Boom.
The explosion sent flames curling into the sky.
Li Na moved.
3. The Battle Begins
Before the soldiers could advance, Li Na raised her hands.
The air shifted.
The earth beneath her feet trembled, and then—exploded upward in a shockwave.
The first line of soldiers were thrown off their feet, their exo-armor struggling to compensate for the sudden unleashing of raw qi.
Li Na's eyes burned with golden light.
She had no choice now.
If they wanted her land, they'd have to fight her for it.
4. The Arrival of Reinforcements
A second wave descended.
Soldiers leaped from the VTOLs, moving with unnatural speed and precision. Some of them weren't even human anymore—their bodies enhanced by qi-infused nanotech, their movements too perfect.
One of them—a commander in sleek, segmented armor—stepped forward, his presence crushing. Qi-enhanced intimidation.
"Stand down," he ordered, voice amplified through his helmet. "This settlement is now under international jurisdiction."
Li Na exhaled. "Like hell it is."
She charged.
Their battle was a storm.
The commander struck first, his palm glowing with kinetic force, aiming for her chest.
Li Na dodged, twisting like water, redirecting the energy with a flick of her wrist. The counterstrike sent the commander skidding backward, but he recovered too fast.
They were trained for this.
They knew how to fight people like her.
But she wasn't alone.
Because at that moment, the mountain answered.
The sky split open—
And Nathan and Gorampa arrived.
5. The Guardians Strike Back
A roar of thunder erupted as Nathan dropped from above, slamming his fists into the ground. The earth cracked, sending a fissure racing toward the military formation.
Soldiers toppled, scrambling.
Gorampa landed beside Li Na, his robes rippling in the energy-filled air. His gaze settled on the soldiers, his expression calm.
"You overreach," he murmured.
Then, with a single gesture, the air itself bent.
A wave of compressed force blasted outward, sending soldiers flying.
The battlefield shifted.
Li Na fell into place beside Nathan, panting. "Took you long enough."
Nathan smirked. "You looked like you had it handled."
"Shut up and fight."
And just like that, the true battle began.
6. The Government's Secret Weapon
The fight was chaos.
Nathan fought like the mountain itself, each strike causing the earth to shift beneath the enemy's feet.
Gorampa was a ghost, untouchable, redirecting force with such precision that the soldiers fighting him barely understood what was happening before they collapsed.
Li Na flowed like the river, overwhelming the enemy's momentum and turning it against them.
For a moment—just a moment—it seemed like they could win.
Then, the sky darkened.
And from the VTOL's open doors, something stepped out.
Nathan felt it before he saw it.
A humanoid figure, clad in runed exo-armor, descended with unnatural grace.
But this one wasn't human.
The air around it warped, the ley lines bending toward it unnaturally.
Li Na stiffened. "What the hell is that?"
Gorampa's face darkened.
"The government's next step."
The war had just escalated.
7. The Eclipse Queen's Whisper
Far beyond the battlefield, beyond the reaches of mortal sight, the Eclipse Queen watched.
Her eyes gleamed in the abyss.
"Now, they begin to break."
Her voice curled through the darkness, reaching unseen ears.
"And soon… they will be ours."
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