Chapter 17 — The Day the Sky Shattered
Cold Open — The Omen
The air over Elysium Prime tasted of rain and static. Xavier's body still hummed from the transformation forced on him by the World Breaker — muscles faster than lightning, bones hardened against any gravity the cosmos could throw at him.
The Tribunal fleet was gone. Not defeated — just… gone. Retreating like predators who had gotten what they came for.
And now the sky itself was breaking.
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It began at dawn.
The first to notice were the street vendors in the plaza, staring upward with fruit still in their hands. Across the pale light of morning, thin cracks of brilliance formed, spiderwebbing from a single point high above the clouds.
A deep, resonant crack rolled across the city. The sound wasn't thunder. It was sharper, colder — the sound of something ancient and impossible shattering.
Then the heavens split apart.
Glasslike fragments of light peeled away to reveal a churning rift beyond the atmosphere. From it poured shapes with wings as broad as skyscrapers, their bodies plated in jagged crystal armor that caught the sunlight and scattered it into lethal rainbows.
The Skyborn War Beasts had come.
Act 1 — The Descent of Monsters
Sirens wailed across Elysium Prime as the Hunter Guild's command network roared to life. Planetary rail cannons spun into position along the defense perimeter. Magic artillery towers hummed with enough mana to burn holes in the clouds. Interceptor squadrons tore into the sky, leaving trails of blue fire.
Xavier and Kai reached the Central Defense Spire just as the first War Beast broke through the outer line. A single wing strike smashed an armored airship in half like paper, sending it spiraling toward the streets below.
"We're not ready for this!" Kai shouted over the commotion.
Xavier's eyes narrowed. His Beast Sense burned like wildfire.
"They're not here for the city," he said. "They're here for me."
Act 2 — First Contact
He didn't wait for the defenses to catch up. With Gravity Resistance thrumming in his veins, Xavier launched himself skyward in a single impossible leap. Air roared past him as he intercepted the nearest War Beast in midflight.
The monster's wing swept toward him with the force to level a city block. Xavier caught it with one hand. His arm burned, but the beast's momentum broke against him like a wave against stone. With a roar, he hurled it into another creature, shattering their formation.
HUD ANALYSIS:
• Weakness: Core located within crystal heart.
• Kill Condition: Total core destruction.
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The next few minutes blurred into a storm of motion. Xavier blitzed from one beast to the next at supersonic speed, Volt Breaker Overdrive crackling around him like a thunderstorm given form. Shockwaves rolled through the clouds as he punched through wings, ripped cores from armored chests, and sent corpses tumbling toward the streets.
Below, Kai directed ground units to intercept the falling giants, detonating them mid-descent to prevent devastation.
Act 3 — The Queen Arrives
The clouds thickened, swirling into a vortex above the city. Then she descended.
The Skyborn Queen.
Her crystal-plated wings spanned half the horizon, her body gleaming with a thousand shades of deathlight. She was faster than Xavier's eyes could track, each movement a blur of diamond-edged lethality. Her scream shattered every window in the capital, the air itself vibrating like it might tear apart.
She struck first — crystal-tipped limbs cleaving through fortress walls as though they were mist. Her core hovered behind layers of spinning crystal rings, each one shimmering with protective magic.
Xavier surged forward, chaining Apex Hunter Mode into Volt Breaker Overdrive, then into Star Killer's Edge. Each strike detonated in blinding arcs, breaking shield after shield, closing in on the heart of the monster.
Act 4 — Pushed to the Limit
The final shield broke — and the Queen retaliated.
A crystal spear as long as a skyscraper punched through his shoulder. Pain flared white-hot as his HUD screamed warnings.
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HEALTH: 9%
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His vision narrowed to a tunnel of blood and fury. His Limit Break ignited, pushing every stat beyond human comprehension. The spear ripped free under his grip, shattering in his hand.
He launched upward, drawing every ounce of stored power into one killing strike.
Hunter Technique — SKYFALL FANG SEVER
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The air ignited as he descended like a meteor, driving the Queen down through the clouds, through the atmosphere, and into the ocean with a cataclysmic impact. Water erupted in a geyser that reached the edge of space, vapor clouds rolling across continents.
When the steam cleared, there was no sign of her.
Act 5 — Victory & Level Surge
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LEVEL UP: 2,535 → 2,545
• New Passive: Aerial Apex — Triple damage while airborne.
• Permanent Boost: Agility +50%
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"That was insane…" Kai's voice crackled over the comms. "You just killed the Queen!"
Xavier smiled grimly, blood still dripping from his shoulder.
"Then the King's next."
Ending Scene — The Tribunal's Hand
Somewhere in the far reaches of space, the Tribunal Master stood before a vast holographic map of known worlds. His gaze lingered on the blinking red marker that represented Elysium Prime.
Behind him, a shadow formed — larger than the World Breaker, darker than the void between galaxies.
"Send him," the Master said. "End the Hunter."