BOOM!!
Duke's fist flashed like lightning across the night sky. As it barreled forward, the compressed air around it erupted into a sharp sonic boom, and then, with a spark, ignited into flame.
The blaze roared toward Kha'Zix, carried by a wave of crushing power and unstoppable momentum.
The void before Duke's fist seemed to collapse inward, creating a vacuum that drew Kha'Zix straight into the path of the blow.
Kha'Zix extended his bladed claws with a mechanical crack, and jagged bone spurs shot forward from his shoulders, crackling with violet energy. His figure flickered like a mirage, a blur of insect wings buzzing in high frequency.
They had only just locked eyes, yet the fight had already entered a white-hot frenzy.
Claws slashed toward Duke's throat. Bone spurs aimed for his visor. But with a thought, Duke summoned Mingchan, the golden cicada, who instantly flew to intercept, blocking the mantis between them.
Despite its tiny size, Mingchan's delicate wings spread wide and unleashed a stream of vibrating particles at a molecular frequency, enough to cut through nearly any material.
One swift circle around Kha'Zix's outstretched claw, and snap, the blade split in two.
Kha'Zix hadn't even realized it had happened. The savagery burning in his eyes hadn't faded when the bone spur meant to pierce Duke was shredded to dust.
Zzzzzzz!!
The cicada's high-pitched chirping echoed through the void. Kha'Zix's eyes widened in stunned confusion.
Mingchan's speed was insane, dozens of times faster than sound. Before even a whisper of the attack could be heard, the insect had already acted.
"Tssskhh!!"
A shriek escaped Kha'Zix's mouth. The ghostly veil cloaking his body flickered violently, he was trying to phase into the Void.
Even as his form blurred between reality and unreality, new bone spikes writhed forth from bleeding shoulder wounds.
But it was too late.
With another crisp chirp, a massive gash tore through Kha'Zix, from shoulder to waist.
He glared at Duke with pure hatred.
This opponent wasn't just stronger than that damned cat, he was more terrifying than anything he'd faced since birth.
One exchange. That's all it took. He hadn't even touched Duke before being disarmed and brutally wounded.
Never before had he suffered such an injury.
Kha'Zix immediately phased out of sight, vanishing into the void. At the same time, a nearby stream suddenly exploded, blasting water and fish high into the air, everything instantly boiled alive.
But Duke didn't stop. With Kha'Zix now invisible, he shifted his punch forward instinctively.
Mingchan still buzzed protectively around him, while two of Kha'Zix's severed claws, still glowing faintly with Void energy, lay lifeless on the ground.
Duke crouched and picked them up.
Lightweight. Razor sharp. Clearly made for one purpose, killing.
The purple energy clinging to them was residual Void force, not yet dispersed. Duke inspected them carefully, then stored them in his item inventory.
Just then, a shadow dropped from the sky.
A vibranium spear stabbed into the ground, absorbing the shock perfectly as Nidalee landed beside it, light as a feather.
She marveled at the weapon in her grip. Any other spear would have snapped from such height, but this one remained flawless. It was built for war.
"How's the situation?" she asked, emerald eyes scanning the area with catlike precision.
When she spotted the blood on the ground, her face hardened. She sniffed the air, then frowned sharply.
"You ran into him?"
"Almost killed him," Duke replied flatly. "If he hadn't phased out, you'd be looking at his corpse right now."
"What's next?"
"Wait for him to show again," he said. "Then finish the job."
He raised his hand, and Mingchan landed on his fingertip. Duke studied the golden insect with admiration.
This little thing had proven… devastating.
Mingchan's wings flicked. It twisted its head sharply and took off again, this time upstream.
"Wait, "
"He's trying to escape," Duke said, eyes narrowing. "He's on the move."
Mingchan was tracking Kha'Zix's faint void traces, indistinguishable to most lifeforms but to the cicada, they stood out like footprints in sand.
Duke followed, already planning how to study Mingchan's tech once this was over. Even just a sliver of its secrets would be invaluable.
Inside a Void cocoon, Kha'Zix crawled forward in agony. No matter how he flexed, the bleeding wouldn't stop.
The attack had been bizarre, silent, unseen, and impossible to block. His organs were failing.
He had to find nourishment. Fast.
But his body flickered, like static on an old television, phasing in and out of reality. The predator from the Void was cornered.
Just as he surfaced again, ready to dive back into invisibility,
CHIRP.
Mingchan's cry rang out.
Kha'Zix froze.
He looked down.
A hole had appeared in his chest. His heart, and the blood vessels connecting all his vital organs, were cleanly severed.
His organs remained intact… but disconnected.
"Sssshhkkk!"
With one last screech, he launched a final bone spike, desperate for revenge.
But Mingchan struck again, pulverizing the spike into dust.
And at that moment, his dying cry echoed through the jungle… drawing attention.
Duke arrived moments later, slightly slower than the golden insect. By then, Kha'Zix lay motionless, sprawled across the rocky riverbed.
The apex predator of the Void… was dead.
Nidalee followed, breath catching at the sight. "It's over?"
"The moment I saw him," Duke said calmly, "his fate was sealed."
He pulled out a silencer-like device and twisted it open, it began to hum softly.
He stabbed it into the remains.
This tool would remove the residual Void consciousness from the body, neutralizing it before storage.
Buzz... click.
As the device hummed, the sinister aura around Kha'Zix's corpse faded. What remained was nothing more than biomass.
Duke flipped the body over, inspecting the damage.
Mingchan had cut clean through every major blood vessel, while preserving the internal organs. Efficient. Surgical.
Even through his reinforced gloves, Duke grimaced. The green, corrosive blood stuck like oily paint.
Zzzz!
Suddenly, Mingchan buzzed in alarm.
Duke turned, eyes switching to heat vision.
In the bushes, a massive figure crouched, watching him.
"Looks like we've got company."
Duke tossed Kha'Zix's corpse into his inventory for safekeeping.
At that moment, the beast leapt.
A huge silhouette burst from the brush, holding a massive reversed curved blade.
The weapon was nearly as large as Neeko herself, coming down like a guillotine.
"YOU, !"
"How dare you steal my prey!!"
Faced with the enraged newcomer, Duke instinctively swung his fist, but as he saw the attacker's face, he held back slightly.
He needed this guy alive.
The blade collided with Duke's punch, shattering spectacularly. The massive creature was sent flying.
THUD!!
He skidded across the ground, clutching his chest in pain, but refused to back down.
That prey… that Void beast…
Was his.
Only he could hunt Kha'Zix. Mount its skull on his wall. No one else had that right.
It was his obsession. His purpose.
He would not accept this theft.
With a furious roar, the massive figure leapt again.
This time, Duke summoned Pride from his inventory.
The moment the guardian opened its eyes, Duke gave the order:
"Catch him."
Pride charged forward, ignoring the wild claws and fangs.
It seized the beast by the throat and slammed him into the dirt.
"RAAAWR!!"
The hulking feline thrashed in defiance, but Pride's red eyes flared, unmoved.
"Quiet, kitty," Duke said coldly.
(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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