Late at night.
Inside Duke's tent.
Nidalee sat comfortably on a soft couch, her golden eyes curiously fixed on Duke, who was carefully pouring molten vibranium into a freshly forged mold.
"This place of yours is way too luxurious," she remarked.
Feeling the plush give of the cushions beneath her, Nidalee picked up a nearby pipe, gave it a sniff, and immediately sneezed, overwhelmed by the pungent scent of tobacco.
"I'm just doing the best I can with the resources I have," Duke replied casually.
Once he finished pouring, Duke resealed the container holding the molten vibranium. The weapon he was crafting for Nidalee was a vibranium spear.
Vibranium was unimaginably tough, and its unique molecular structure made it nearly indestructible.
Because its molecules remained in a state of relative stasis, vibranium absorbed heat and kinetic energy rather than transmitting them. This made it ideal for absorbing impacts, energy surges, and temperature fluctuations.
To the beasts of the jungle, such a weapon was akin to an apocalyptic threat from another plane of existence.
In truth, Duke himself was such a threat, his very presence in the jungle was a dimensional incursion.
"Just wait a little longer. Once the vibranium stabilizes, your weapon will be ready."
Settling back into his own couch, Duke reached for a packet of snacks. These were originally meant for Jinx and Neeko, but offering them to this "big cat" wasn't a bad idea either.
"I still think we should be out there already, tracking that monster," Nidalee said, glancing at the snacks but not taking any.
Duke shrugged. "I've already sent drones to search."
"Drones?" Nidalee tilted her head, clearly unfamiliar with the term.
Duke knocked on the desk where Edith was stationed. In response, Edith activated a projector.
A series of holograms appeared, surveillance footage transmitted from Duke's scout drone Model 320. When he first discovered someone had been killed, he immediately launched a search to trace the murderer.
The visit to the camp earlier had only been to identify the nature of their target.
Now, not only did he know who the killer was, but he'd also successfully opened dialogue with Nidalee. Not a bad turn of events.
Charging blindly into the jungle to chase Kha'Zix would be suicidal.
Only a fool would do that. It was far more efficient to let the drones scout ahead, then swoop in and take Kha'Zix down the moment he was found, kill him, harvest his body, and forge him into Duke's second Sin Core.
"So we're just gonna sit here like idiots and wait?" Nidalee asked, tapping her bare feet impatiently.
Duke glanced at her and replied calmly, "No need to rush. You need your new weapon, and the drones need time."
"Once they find him, the drones will lock on, and we'll pursue immediately."
"When do you plan on leaving?"
Realizing they wouldn't be moving out right away, Nidalee shifted topics. Duke rolled his eyes. "Why are you so obsessed with this question?"
"We came all the way from across the ocean. If you're not going to welcome us, fine, but don't act like you can't wait for us to leave."
"Your presence threatens the jungle."
"You're not wrong," Duke admitted with a nod. "After all, we're here for the resources. No need to pretend otherwise."
"You'll destroy the forest… disrupt the homes of countless animals."
"I know. But that's humanity."
He shrugged as he watched the mold begin to crack. "Also, your weapon is done."
With a soft crack, the mold split apart. A gleaming vibranium spear fell gently onto the carpet. It didn't make a sound.
The reason? Vibranium absorbed the impact entirely.
Sound is propagated by vibration, but the kinetic energy of that vibration had been fully absorbed by the spear. Hence, no sound.
Of course, if you slammed it with something like Thor's hammer, that would be a different story.
At that moment, an alert came from one of the drones. A blurry figure was flickering in and out of visibility in the void, already spotted by one drone, and now all others, guided by Edith, were converging on its location.
"We've found him."
Rolling down his sleeves, Duke equipped Edith and flicked the vibranium spear into his hand with a tap of his foot. He handed it to Nidalee.
"It's hunting time."
Nidalee hesitated for a moment before taking the spear. The weight was perfect, and the balance felt just right. The shaft had a grainy texture, providing solid grip even in sweat or blood.
The spearhead gleamed dangerously under the overhead light, momentarily dazzling her.
"This is a fine weapon, better than anything I've ever crafted myself."
"Far better," Duke said without modesty.
Grabbing a trench coat, he patted Nidalee on the shoulder. The softness of her skin surprised him, but he didn't linger on the sensation. Instead, he stepped toward the exit.
"Let's go catch ourselves a bug."
Somewhere in the jungle…
Swish,
Kha'Zix emerged from the void with a frustrated shake of his head. That inexplicable feeling of being watched had followed him for some time.
But every time he looked up, nothing. No sound, no shape, nothing.
Still, his instincts screamed at him: something was watching him.
Just like how he stalked prey before the kill.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three bone spikes shot into the air, aimed at the source of the feeling. Kha'Zix's wing cases twitched anxiously. He opened his jaws and let out a furious hiss.
But before he even fired, the drone had already shifted position, remaining invisible and silent in flight, still keeping him under surveillance.
This type of drone, which Duke called a Watcher, was no larger than a kettle but capable of optical camouflage, silent operation, and top speeds of 300 km/h. It also had extraordinary battery life.
A machine born for tracking and surveillance.
After his spikes missed, Kha'Zix vanished back into the void without hesitation. Cocooned in his spatial pod, he didn't move forward, he simply waited, confirming the presence still lingered above him.
Then he began to move, in the opposite direction.
The humans in the camp hadn't been a waste. After absorbing their nutrients, his thinking had become more cunning, more erratic.
Hidden within the spatial cocoon, he moved swiftly through subspace. Everything in the real world looked hazy, like being viewed through frosted glass.
On the other end, Duke noticed the mantis's disappearance.
Clad in his Wally armor, he ordered the drones to scan every inch in a 360-degree arc around the last known location.
Meanwhile, he sped off in pursuit. Pride was stored away in his inventory, and Nidalee was following close behind, carried by a drone.
Back at the camp, the shield generator was fully activated. Duke didn't care about energy costs anymore. Burn money? Fine, he could craft Hex Crystals by the dozen.
Before long, he reached the spot where Kha'Zix had vanished. He scouted the area carefully, while the Cicada unit circled above, scanning for residual traces.
"Damn. Without spatial tech, I can't track him in the void."
Duke clicked his tongue. Spatial tech was one of the few things he didn't yet possess, probably a prize from a ten-thousand-credit lottery pull.
Screee!!
Cicada let out a shrill cry, and in that moment, a faint thread of perception sparked in Duke's mind, extending in a straight line in the opposite direction.
A mental image, relayed from Cicada.
Following the lead, Duke continued forward, marveling at Cicada's capabilities. This little guy kept surprising him.
On top of supersonic flight, molecular cutting, and energy shielding, it could now even detect spatial traces?
As Duke pushed forward, guided by the mental trail, the drone carrying Nidalee began to drop altitude, but a sudden burst of speed from Duke caused the drone to ascend again to keep pace.
Moments later, they arrived at a small stream, where the trail abruptly ended.
Cicada buzzed around in the air, moving so fast Duke couldn't even track it visually, he could only feel it through their link.
"He must be close," Duke muttered, beginning to scan the area.
Inside his spatial cocoon, Kha'Zix watched Duke through the dimensional barrier.
He stayed perfectly still, letting Cicada lose track. Though the drone could sense his vague presence, it couldn't pinpoint him.
"That annoying little bug…"
Casting a glance at Cicada, Kha'Zix then turned his full attention to Duke. This tin can posed the greatest threat. Better to eliminate him first.
With a flex of his claws, Kha'Zix's wing cases burst open. His legs coiled like springs, storing energy. Then
Whoosh!
He lunged from the void at full speed, scythe-like claws aimed for Duke's neck.
Duke saw the mantis erupt from thin air. Wally's core systems surged into full power, and Duke threw a punch.
Gauntlet Combat Technique, Full Barrage!!
The shockwave from his fist ignited instantly, flames roaring toward Kha'Zix.
But Kha'Zix's wings buzzed violently as he shot upward, his claws extending mid-flight, joints cracking as they lengthened to twice their size.
Void-coated claws slashed toward Duke's throat.
Simultaneously, bone spikes crackling with purple lightning aimed directly at the eye lenses of Duke's helmet.
His wings kept twitching, ready to retreat at any second.
His whole body shimmered like silk, barely tethered to reality.
Dragonfly Skimming the Surface!!
From the very first move, the battle exploded into white-hot intensity.
(End of chapter)
We're still in the early chapters fam! and to everyone who's joined the Patreon, thank you so much! 🙏Your support truly means the world. You're the reason this story keeps growing, chapter by chapter, world by world. I promise to give it my all! more content, more depth, more epic moments, to make sure your support is always worth it. You're part of the foundation that keeps this universe alive.
🔹 Hexcore Initiate – 15 chapters ahead
🔸 Arc Reactor Elite – 35 chapters
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