Their senses strained, the air growing cold and thick with anticipation. Their honed souls emanated an almost tangible pressure, reflecting their unwavering resolve. Kyra glanced at Kira, who was visibly shaken by the sudden tension. The girl was clueless about the impending threat, yet she seemed to sense the danger. She started hiccupping but held her ground.
"Selhob!" Kyra called through the Mind-Lace.
"I know," he replied, nodding grimly.
Shadows began to creep and crawl from beneath and around them.
As the other three approached, Igniss opened gaps in his Aegis-Veil to allow them entry. "They're in," he confirmed. CodeForger, Gaia, and Sena shot past their companions like silent lightning bolts, continuing straight ahead.
Kyra issued a single command to the remaining three: "Stride-Flash!"
Kyra leaped into the air, Igniss and Daed close behind. Selhob enveloped Kira in his Aegis-Veil, cradling her fragile form as he followed his companions. Guilt gnawed at Kyra's heart for bringing an Unawakened into such peril. We must protect her, she vowed.
Flying at top speed, they followed CodeForger, Gaia, and Sena, who scouted the path ahead. Leaving the vicinity of the gaping holes was their only option, though they had no way of knowing if they were truly safe. The Nexus-Spawn could emerge anywhere, at any time, undetectable until they chose to manifest.
Aura-Sight was useless against them, as they emitted no StreamBreath Pulsation and possessed no StreamBreath residue. Acuity provided no advantage either, with the squad fully shielded by their Aegis-Veils. Their lack of physical form before manifestation rendered them invisible to even the most acute senses. No scent, no heat signature, no trace. Only upon taking form could they be detected. Even Codex-7, with its advanced technology, was blind to their presence. They were flying blind, waiting for the inevitable.
The hunters, who had used themselves as bait, were now prey to something far more terrifying.
As they soared over the giant craters, Kyra's usual reliance on fear turned into a liability. A chilling realization struck her: Those three were more cunning than I thought. They must have chosen this place because it was infested with Nexus-Spawn, expecting their pursuers to be eliminated by them while they hid far away. All they had to do was wait for the Nexus-Spawn to weaken or kill their pursuers, an easy task for the monstrous creatures.
Kyra caught glimpses of flickering shadows within the crater walls, her stomach churning. The stench of decaying flesh filled her nostrils, sending shivers down her spine. Her mind darkened with dread. "They're coming!" she announced calmly through the Mind-Lace.
"Kira!" Selhob called out, holding the girl close. "Close your eyes!"
Kira obeyed silently, her body trembling.
Silhouettes flickered and flashed around them, their presence silent and menacing. The squad was surrounded, the Nexus-Spawn's attention fixed upon them. It was only a matter of time.
As they neared a hundred-mile-wide crater, a gargantuan, serpent-like creature erupted from the ground, its pitch-black maw gaping wide, threatening to swallow them whole. They narrowly escaped its reach, but the sight of the monstrous Nexus-Spawn, easily a hundred miles thick and thousands of miles long, with its decaying black scales and thick mane, left them shaken.
Kyra's mind reeled, her emotions a chaotic mix of fear, confusion, and a dwindling resolve. Hoping was unbecoming of a Rider, yet she could not help but hope the creature would not pursue them.
Then, out of thin air, THEY appeared.
Thousands of Nexus-Spawn materialized around them, filling the skies and the ground. Creatures of nightmare, varying in size and shape, their malevolent eyes locked onto the Riders. Some were as small as Kyra, others as large as mountains, but none rivaled the immensity of the first serpent. Some resembled deformed reptiles; others like grotesque deep-sea dwellers, and many were a horrifying amalgamation of both, along with unknown creatures.
Their repulsive forms could drive the weak-minded to madness. Their bodies were coated in a foul-smelling fluid that seemed to have originated from a river of hell, a concoction of blood, pus, sweat, and decaying flesh. Their screeches were unbearable; a sound so agonizing that death seemed preferable. Their jaws were lined with razor-sharp teeth and fangs, capable of shredding anything in their path, and their claws and tusks were sharper than any blade imaginable. Their most disturbing feature, however, was their grotesque bodies and limbs, a testament to their unnatural existence. Nexus-Spawn made even Wild Dragons appear cute.
They swarmed the seven Riders from all sides, leaving no escape.
Kyra focused on the dozens of Nexus-Spawn charging from the front. Without a word, the squad continued their flight, knowing they could not evade the onslaught. They had to push through.
Igniss accelerated his body into a blur as he pierced through ten of the creatures like a comet. The Nexus-Spawn did not bleed, nor did their forms crumble. They continued their relentless pursuit. Igniss decelerated, adjusted his position, and rejoined his squad, his movements swift and precise as he tore through more Nexus-Spawn, protecting his comrades.
CodeForger unleashed a barrage of Soul-Sever-enhanced StreamBreath Shatters from his gun, obliterating the Nexus-Spawn in his path. Gaia followed suit, her arrows exploding upon impact, turning her targets into dust.
The explosions were carefully controlled to avoid obscuring their vision. Losing their ability to see would be fatal.
Sena created shielded black cubes with Convert, trapping and crushing the Nexus-Spawn within. She knew that unenhanced Shatter projectiles were ineffective against them, so she opted for physical force and Soul-Sever-enhanced attacks. She repeated the process, efficiently eliminating the creatures on their flanks.
Kyra and Daed sliced through any Nexus-Spawn that dared to approach.
Selhob, his battle axes transformed into whirling disks of black lightning, created a protective sphere around himself and Kira, shredding any Nexus-Spawn they encountered.
The seven Riders left a trail of destruction in their wake, a rain of disintegrating Nexus-Spawn plummeting to the ground. The remaining Nexus-Spawn swarmed over the remains of their fallen comrades, devouring them in a gruesome spectacle.
Just as Kyra was about to strike down another Nexus-Spawn, one materialized behind her. She attempted to react, but darkness swallowed her vision.
Seven minutes later, Kyra regained consciousness, her back pressed against something firm. CodeForger knelt beside her, concern etched on his face. Slowly, her senses returned, and she noticed the hilt of her sword in her hand and a warm liquid coating her left hand. She raised it, seeing the blood that covered it. "Wh—at hap—pened!" she stammered, her voice weak. She scanned her surroundings, but Selhob, Kira, Gaia, and Sena were nowhere to be seen. Only CodeForger and Igniss remained by her side. She turned her head, finding Daed supporting her back, his chest a steady presence against her injured spine. Blood trickled from his left hand, which he placed gently on her head. "We're fine, Captain," he reassured her with a smile. Kyra noticed their injuries, a wave of dread washing over her.
"Easy there, Captain," CodeForger soothed, blood dripping from his forehead. "We're truly alright. Your back was badly injured by a Nexus-Spawn. Luckily, Igniss caught you mid-air, so you didn't sustain further damage."
She felt the pain in her back slowly receding. "I s-ee!" she sighed, looking at CodeForger, who was using his nano machines dust to repair her shattered spine and regenerate her nerves. The blood on her back and hands was from the initial injury, as he had already stopped the bleeding. Ah! I messed up again, she thought. Nexus-Spawn could penetrate their Aegis-Veils, inflicting the same damage as Soul-Severs. Using Mend-Flesh and Restore was useless, necessitating CodeForger's Nano Machines to treat her wounds.
As her mental faculties returned, she became aware of their surroundings, her heart sinking. "Wh-ere are-the ot-hers!" she struggled to speak, her voice still weak. "A-nd MY Ci-phers!" she added, fear creeping into her voice.
The Nexus and VoidBubbles harbored unique lifeforms – the Nexus-Spawn. These mechanical monsters spawned from Nexus matter, driven by a single instinct: to consume and prey on anything composed of the same material. They were insatiable, devouring Nexus-Streams, VoidBubbles, and even their kind.
Nexus-Spawn had no interest in StreamBreath and could not be tracked with Aura-Sight. Numerous attempts to find a way to detect them had failed, even with advanced TechKin technology. Essentially existing in a meta-reality, they manifested in the physical realm only when they willed it. While they typically ignored anything not composed of Nexus matter, their behavior was erratic and unpredictable. There was no defense against them until they took physical form. Much remained unknown about them, but their ability to penetrate Aegis-Veils with ease, similar to Soul-Severs, made them a formidable threat.
"Don't worry!" CodeForger assured her. "The rest are fine, and your Runes are unscathed."
Relief washed over Kyra. Her friends were safe, and she could still use her Runes. She looked at Igniss, who stood to her right, his white gloves stained red with blood from his injuries. "Sta-tus?" she inquired.
"We left a trail of Nexus-Spawn remains, which drew the others away from us," Igniss reported. "After you were hit, they did what they do best – feasted on their own kind and then vanished. So, for now, we're safe."
Saved by their very nature. Nexus-Spawn could not maintain their physical forms for long, causing the Nexus particles they were composed of to disperse rapidly after manifestation. Whether destroyed or not, they always vanished into thin air, leaving nothing behind, hindering further study or the possibility of using their remains for weaponry.
"Good," Kyra sighed. "The marks?" she asked, her voice regaining its strength. CodeForger's treatment was proving effective.
"We made sure they didn't locate us when we deactivated our Runes," Igniss replied. "For now, we're still out of their reach."
Kyra sighed again. Good, we have time to think, she thought. "What's the plan?" she asked with a grin, knowing her team must have devised something while she was unconscious.
The three exchanged knowing glances before looking back at her, aware that their Captain had figured out their scheme.
"Well, it was Selhob's idea," Daed revealed.
Four minutes later, Kyra remained on the ground, her left arm resting on her knee as she gazed ahead, her Sigil and Runes still deactivated. CodeForger, Igniss, and Daed stood around her, their Sigils and Runes activated, watching as one of their targets rapidly approached from the direction of the Way-Shear.
He was mere seconds away.
"It's Unshorn's StreamBreath Pulsation!" Igniss hissed, identifying the mark with Aura-Sight. Kyra nodded. They must have used Aura-Sight to scan the area, locating them after her teammates activated their Sigils. They believe the others were killed by the Nexus-Spawn, and Unshorn must have used Acuity to confirm their injuries before informing his accomplices via Mind-Lace. He was approaching alone, confident in his ability to neutralize them, assuming they were still injured from their encounter with the Nexus-Spawn.
Unshorn showed no signs of slowing down or hesitation. He was determined to eliminate them.
CodeForger aimed his gun, a cloud of black dust shrouding it, and unleashed a barrage of Shatter bullets as Igniss leaped forward to intercept the Dragon. CodeForger's bullets reached Unshorn first. Normally, Igniss would have been faster, but they needed their target to believe Igniss was still injured. Unshorn easily evaded the projectiles, altering his flight path with each shot. CodeForger's assault served its purpose, providing a reference point for Igniss's speed.
Soul-Sever-enhanced Shatter projectiles could penetrate Aegis-Veils. However, with Accelerate-Mind and Acuity, a Rider could easily dodge them at medium and long ranges by perceiving their trajectory.
As Unshorn evaded the bullets, Igniss closed in, but the Dragon abruptly changed direction, flying westward. Without hesitation, Igniss pursued him.
"Captain! OneEye is next," Daed announced. "He's taken Unshorn's form."
"Smart!" Kyra grinned. Disguising himself as a Dragon provided OneEye and Grim with strength comparable to their accomplice, while also creating hesitation among Kyra's team. They could not risk killing the wrong target before confirming their CallSign.
They planned to divide and conquer. Luring Igniss, their strongest member, away would make it easier to eliminate the remaining three, especially if they were still injured. A ShadowWeaver disguised as a Noble Dragon could easily overpower a wounded LastBorn, TechKin, and Masson, especially with Kyra seemingly unable to use her Runes after the Nexus-Spawn attack.
"Seven seconds before contact with the mark," Codex-7 announced. "He's carrying a sword in his left hand."
CodeForger resumed his barrage, and OneEye, like Unshorn, dodged the projectiles. Daed and Kyra remained stationary, feigning weakness and further reinforcing their opponents' assumptions.
OneEye continued his approach, CodeForger's bullets chasing after him.
Just as OneEye was about to enter CodeForger's effective range, he extended his right hand and launched a Shatter bomb. CodeForger swiftly targeted it, triggering a massive explosion. OneEye pressed forward, but in the aftermath of the blast, Kyra activated her Sigil and Runes.
The ShadowWeaver, relying more on Aura-Sight than Acuity, charged into the cloud of fire, dust, and debris, aiming for Daed. But before he could strike, Kyra materialized at his side, severing his left arm with a swift stroke of her sword. He was caught off guard, not expecting her to move. CodeForger followed up with a single bullet to the back of the head, instantly killing the ShadowWeaver. His lifeless body continued its momentum towards Daed, who sidestepped it and, with a fluid motion of his Dao sword, decapitated the corpse, splitting it in two.
One down.