[Ascendance: The Journey to Type 7. Ch_026]
Inside the Eternal Prison, Kael and his crew continued to fight, the sounds of blaster fire and shouted orders filling the narrow hallways. Guards were swarming, and every second felt like an hour as they tried to hold the line.
Behind Kael, Rax stayed low, watching as the fierce battle unfolded, his admiration growing with every strike the crew dealt.
Kael, pressing his back to the wall, yelled over the chaos to Astrid through his comm. "Astrid, where are we on that cut?"
Her voice came through the line, steady but tense. "Three minutes, Captain! Just hold on a little longer."
Kael took a deep breath, his expression determined. "You heard her, everyone. Three more minutes! We can do this!"
Indra, taking cover next to him, let out a low chuckle. "Three minutes might as well be three years down here." [He peeked over his cover, firing at a guard]. "But, hey, wouldn't be fun if it were easy, right?"
Kael smirked, exchanging a quick nod with Indra. "Exactly. Besides, no one ever said jailbreaks were supposed to be easy."
Meanwhile, aboard the Astral Vanguard, alarms blared as 8 space pods closed in, peppering the ship with laser fire. Osiris and Icarus sprinted through the corridors to the garage, exchanging glances as they slid into the seats of two sleek, one-seater attack ships. Osiris looked over at Icarus, a grin on his face.
"Think you're ready for this?" he asked, strapping himself in.
Icarus gave him a determined nod, gripping the controls. "Ready as I'll ever be. Let's take these guys out."
[With a roar of engines], the attack ships launched from the Vanguard, streaking out into the vastness of space. The enemy pods honed in on them immediately, firing shots that whizzed past the small ships as Osiris and Icarus swerved and dodged, maneuvering with expert precision.
Osiris's voice crackled through the comms. "Alright, Icarus. You take the three on the left, I'll handle the rest."
Icarus chuckled as he aimed, laser cannons firing in a flash of red light. "You think you're taking more than me? Not a chance!"
[Lasers from their ships met the incoming pods, causing small explosions as the pods began to splinter under the assault].
Back inside the Eternal Prison, Kael's team fought harder as the guards closed in tighter. Astrid's voice continued to come through the comm in updates. "Two more minutes. Just a little longer!"
One guard, wielding a heavy baton, swung it at Alaric, who barely dodged in time, delivering a swift counter-punch to the guard's gut before sweeping him to the ground.
Alaric panted, wiping his brow as he called out, "Kael, these guards just keep coming. Hope you've got a trick up your sleeve!"
Kael grinned, tossing a discarded blaster to Alaric. "Tricks? I'm full of 'em."
Just then, a group of elite guards stormed in, their armor a shade darker, and their movements precise. One of them locked eyes with Kael and raised a communicator. "Surrender now, or we'll take you down," he barked.
Kael smirked, his voice dripping with defiance. "Good luck with that."
[Activating Skill : ETERNAL FIST]
[At that moment, he unleashed a series of powerful strikes with his Eternal Fist, the blue aura forming and charging around his hand]. [With a fierce yell], Kael punched forward, releasing the energy straight into the elite guard's chest, sending him sprawling backward and causing the other guards to hesitate.
Meanwhile.
Osiris's voice came through the comm just then, triumphant. "Two down over here, Icarus! How're you holding up?"
Icarus, narrowly dodging a barrage of lasers, fired back at the pods. "Almost done! Just keep them busy. We're not letting anything get past us."
Enemies Pods POV :
[Pod 4 : These Bastards, They took down our to pods.]
[Pod 3 : Don't Let them Have it their way, Attack at Once.]
[Pod 7 : How Dare these shit heads Kill our Brothers.]
Inside, Astrid called out one last time. "One minute to breakthrough, Kael. Just a little longer!"
Kael's gaze narrowed as he took in the guards still pressing toward them. He glanced back at his crew, nodding resolutely. "Stand your ground, everyone. This is it. We're almost there!"
[Blaster shots echoed through the corridors] as they held the line, the entire crew fighting as one, each member determined to see the mission through.
Outside, Osiris and Icarus made the final strikes, sending the last pods spiraling into the abyss as the Astral Vanguard's lasers completed their cut.
As a faint rumble echoed down the hallway, Kael's eyes lit up.
"That's our exit, team!"
The heavy silence in the Eternal Prison was shattered by a commanding voice that echoed through the steel corridors.
Thors: "Stop right there."
[An icy chill spread through the air as every crewmember, guard, and prisoner froze, their heads snapping toward the familiar voice. Thors Ashvale emerged, stepping into view with calm menace, a dark smirk curling at his lips.]
Kael's eyes narrowed, muscles tensing as he watched Thors approach.
Thors: "Did you really think I'd let you barge into the Eternal Prison and do as you please? Not a chance."
In a sudden, fluid motion, Thors launched himself at Kael. His hand glowed with a fierce red aura, radiating heat and intensity. The attack was named "Oblivion Crush"—a signature move that seemed to bend the very air around it as it carved a deadly arc toward Kael.
Thors: "You better block this, Captain."
The air grew thick and suffocating as Oblivion Crush surged toward Kael. Its sheer energy sent out a wave of force so intense that several guards and crew members fell to their knees, faces twisted in terror. The weight of the aura was immense, almost unbearable.
Kael braced himself, his mind racing. He could feel the raw power radiating from Thors' attack and knew he had to act fast.
[BOOM!]
Oblivion Crush slammed into Kael, sending a powerful shockwave through the room. The walls and floor vibrated, and a cloud of debris filled the air as Kael absorbed the impact. He gasped, pain exploding in his side as the attack connected, blood spraying from his mouth.
At that moment, the final cut on the prison wall was completed. The wall burst open, leading directly to the vacuum of space. The pressure difference yanked everything that wasn't secured toward the void. Objects, guards, and prisoners without astro bracelets were sucked into the open expanse, their terrified screams cutting off as they disappeared into silence.
Kael felt the powerful pull, his body still reeling from Thors' attack. Fighting through the pain, he activated his skill.
System Message: [Activating Skill: VOID STEP]
A shimmering blue aura formed beneath Kael's feet, anchoring him against the pull of the vacuum. Despite his injuries, he gritted his teeth and held his ground. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he pressed a hand against his injured side, his abdomen and leg pulsing with pain.
Across from him, Thors stood unaffected by the vacuum, his eyes glinting with satisfaction as he observed Kael's struggle.
Thors: "Impressive, Captain. But this is the difference between us—experience, power, and fate."
Kael glared back, defiance in his gaze despite the pain racking his body.
Kael: "This isn't over, Thors. I don't give up that easily."
Thors let out a low, mocking chuckle. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver pendant, dangling it in front of Kael, who noticed a faint engraving on it but couldn't make out the details. Thors' expression turned unreadable as he looked from the pendant back to Kael.
Thors: "You're not as special as you think, Kael. Rax isn't worth it. But if you want him so badly, come and get him."
Kael clenched his fists, the determination in his eyes mirroring Thors' unyielding gaze. Around him, his crewmates struggled to hold their positions, concern flashing across Astrid's face as she looked at Kael.
Astrid: "Kael! Are you alright?"
Kael forced a small nod, gritting his teeth against the pain.
Kael: "I'll manage."
Thors' smirk widened as he stepped back, readying for another move.
Meanwhile, as the chaos and debris filled the vacuum of space around the Eternal Prison, a lone figure drifted in the freezing darkness—Rax Veylan.
body trembled as the cold bit into him, but he acted quickly, tapping the ring on his right hand's index finger. The ring glowed, its intricate engravings shifting as it morphed and expanded, surrounding Rax in a shimmering sphere.
The ring had transformed into a circular escape pod, and with a hiss of depressurization, Rax found himself in a cramped but life-saving cockpit. He could finally breathe, the warmth of the cabin a stark contrast to the bone-chilling cold outside. Rax adjusted his course, setting the pod's trajectory toward the Astral Vanguard.
Rax: "Come on, come on… get me out of here."
[The engines hummed to life as the pod jolted forward, the view of the prison shrinking as he sped toward his crew's ship.]
On the bridge of the Astral Vanguard, Astrid's eyes widened as her console flashed with an incoming vessel.
Astrid: "Captain, we've got an unidentified escape pod approaching! Scanning… wait, it's Rax!"
Orion: "He made it out! Open the docking bay."
[The Astral Vanguard's doors slid open, and the escape pod eased inside, steam hissing as the bay pressurized to accommodate it. The crew members gathered around as Rax stumbled out, catching his breath and clutching his side from the exertion.]
Cronan: "Rax! Good to see you made it!"
Rax: [Nods, breathing heavily] "I'm fine, but Kael and the others… they're still out there."
He looked out at the expanse of space visible through the hangar bay windows, his face tightening with worry.
Back in the prison's destroyed corridor, Kael and Thors faced each other, both unfazed by the vacuum that tugged at everything around them. The chaos raged around them, debris and bodies pulled toward the gaping hole leading into space.
Thors' expression was cold, a smirk playing at his lips as he surveyed Kael, who stood defiantly before him, fists clenched and breathing steady despite the bleeding wound on his side.
Thors: "It's impressive, really. Most men would have already surrendered to despair in your position, Captain. But here you are, still holding on."
Kael: "I don't need your approval, Thors." He gritted his teeth, the pain from his wound sharp, but his gaze remained steady. "You won't keep me from taking my crew and leaving with Rax."
Thors gave a low, mocking laugh, the sound echoing eerily in the silence of space.
Thors: "Leaving? Did you forget where you are?"
Without warning, Thors lunged at Kael again, his right hand igniting in a fierce red aura. This time, he unleashed another version of Oblivion Crush—"Inferno Cleaver"—his arm swinging in a brutal arc toward Kael. The attack created a blade-like wave of energy that sliced through the air with blistering speed.
Kael, with no time to hesitate, summoned his Void Step skill once more.
System Message: [Activating Skill: VOID STEP]
Kael's feet lit up in a shimmering blue aura, allowing him to step back with blinding agility as he narrowly dodged the slicing wave of Inferno Cleaver.
[WHOOSH!]
The wave of energy crashed into the wall behind him, disintegrating part of the cell block's interior. Pieces of black steel shattered and scattered like confetti, though the core structure held firm against the relentless assault.
Kael: [Smirks] "Missed."
Thors' smirk faded slightly, but he maintained his composure.
Thors: "Clever boy. But dodging won't get you far. You have no idea what I'm truly capable of."
Kael's gaze hardened. He shifted his stance, bringing his hands together, the faint glow of his Eternal Fist skill gathering between them. A blue aura began forming around his fists as the image of a dragon manifested once more, its fierce gaze mirroring Kael's resolve.
Kael: "You think you're invincible, don't you? But you're just as vulnerable as anyone else."
With a roar, Kael launched himself at Thors, his Eternal Fist forming into a spiraling dragon that shot forward, its jaws wide open as it aimed for Thors' torso.
[ROAR!]
The blue dragon charged at Thors, the energy crackling around it like lightning. Thors lifted his hands, forming another translucent aura shield, the orange glow intensifying as he braced himself. The dragon collided with the shield, sending shockwaves rippling through the space around them.
[CRASH!]
The impact of the collision created a blinding flash, and both men staggered back from the force, but neither faltered. Kael's breathing was labored, the wound in his side throbbing, but he refused to back down.
Thors: [Smirking, with a glint of admiration] "You've got spirit, I'll give you that. But this is the end of the line, Kael. Surrender, and I might consider sparing you."
Kael's expression remained defiant as he clenched his fists tighter.
Kael: "I don't surrender."
Suddenly, Thors reached into his pocket, pulling out the silver pendant with Kael's name engraved. His eyes softened momentarily as he looked at it, a flicker of something unreadable passing over his face.
Thors: [Whispering to himself] "I'm proud of you my boy, even if you'll never know."
He closed his hand around the pendant, the moment of vulnerability vanishing as he straightened, his gaze hardening once more.
[Meanwhile, the vacuum of space continued to pull debris out of the prison, and the alarms blared louder. Astrid's voice crackled through the comms, urgent and breathless.]
Astrid (via comm): "Kael! We're almost through! Just a few more moments!"
Kael's eyes darted briefly to the comm, and he nodded, though his focus never wavered from Thors.
Kael: "Looks like time's running out, Thors. For both of us."
With a final, determined look, Kael prepared himself for the next strike, while the tension crackled between them like static, each knowing the battle was far from over.
TO BE CONTINUED.