The road into Crater Valley was broken long before they reached the crater itself.
The earth dipped unnaturally, like something massive had pressed its thumb into the land and never lifted it back up. Buildings leaned inward. Asphalt cracked open in spirals. Old Dive warning towers stood bent and half-melted.
Tara raised her fist.
"Stop here."
The truck rolled to a halt.
Alaric checked the scanner and swore under his breath. "Multiple signatures ahead. Not human. Not machines either."
Xin stepped out first. He rolled his shoulders once, fists loose at his sides.
Rion followed, sword already in hand.
The air vibrated.
Scene: The First Wave
They came out of the fog without sound.
Eight figures at first. Then twelve. Then more.
Spinat-enhanced soldiers, but not like the ones Xin fought before. These were bulked heavier, veins glowing faintly under gray armor plates. Their movements were jerky, aggressive. No hesitation. No fear.
Each one was easily five times stronger than a normal human. Bones reinforced. Muscles overclocked. Reflexes pushed past safe limits.
Tara shouted, "Contact front. Xin, Rion, clear a path. We'll hold the rear."
Xin didn't answer.
He ran.
Scene: Xin Engages
The first soldier swung a reinforced blade.
Xin slipped inside the arc and drove a punch into the man's ribs. The impact echoed like a drum. Bones shattered. The soldier flew backward and crashed through a concrete wall.
Another charged.
Xin absorbed the momentum, twisted, and redirected with Phenom Force. The soldier's own strength snapped his spine when Xin threw him into the ground.
Two more rushed him together.
Xin stored energy in his shoulders, feet grinding against the cracked road.
Force Push.
The blast detonated outward. Both soldiers were launched down the slope, smashing into a wrecked transport and folding it in half.
Xin didn't slow down.
But they kept coming.
Scene: Rion Moves
Rion stepped forward calmly.
"Berzar."
He didn't shout it this time. He said it like a breath.
The sword flashed.
One slash. Horizontal. Clean.
Three soldiers were cut apart before they even realized they were dead. Their armor split like paper. Their bodies fell in pieces.
Another soldier lunged from the side.
Rion pivoted, blade reversing grip. He cut upward, cleaving through the soldier's chest and jaw in a single motion.
Xin glanced at him mid-fight.
"You don't waste movement," Xin said.
Rion didn't look back. "Neither do you."
Scene: Fighting Together
A larger unit emerged from the fog.
These were heavier. Nearly three meters tall. Fused armor. One carried a hammer the size of a door.
Xin charged the hammer unit head-on.
The hammer swung down.
Xin caught it.
The impact crushed the ground beneath his feet. His arms screamed. Veins bulged. He grit his teeth and held it.
Rion appeared beside him in a blur.
"Duck."
Xin dropped.
Rion's blade sliced through the hammer shaft, then continued through the soldier's torso. The upper half slid off and collapsed.
Another heavy unit rushed from behind.
Xin spun, leapt, and slammed both feet into its chest. The force cracked the armor inward. He landed, twisted, and punched through the weak point.
Blood sprayed hot.
They moved like they had trained together for years.
Xin broke guards and created openings.
Rion finished them instantly.
Scene: Power Gap Revealed
The last soldier tried to retreat.
Xin grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
"Tell Dive something for me."
The soldier gurgled.
Xin slammed him into the road and finished him with a downward punch that cratered the asphalt.
Silence followed.
Only the wind remained.
Scene: Aftermath
Xin stood breathing hard. His knuckles were split. Blood ran down his forearms. But he was standing.
Rion cleaned his blade and sheathed it.
Tara approached slowly, eyes sharp.
"That was controlled," she said. "Both of you."
Xin wiped blood from his mouth. "They weren't at Andy's level."
"No," Rion said. "But they were closer than before."
Alaric checked the scanner again. His face tightened.
"That was only the outer line."
Xin looked toward the crater.
"Then we keep going."
Rion stepped beside him.
"Yeah," he said. "Same direction."
The ground trembled faintly beneath their feet.
Something deeper had noticed them.