Chapter 19: The Mouth of the Abyss
Location: Station 9 – The Neutral Zone
The transport cruiser shuddered as it dropped out of Warp Speed.
"We have arrived," General Iron announced, his mechanical eye spinning as he calibrated the external sensors. "Look alive, maggots. This isn't a vacation spot."
The blast shields over the viewing deck slid open.
Even Jiang Chen, who had seen the memories of the Grandmist Sovereign, held his breath.
Dominating the view was a colossal Black Hole. It was a sphere of absolute nothingness, rimmed by a swirling, blinding accretion disk of orange and white plasma. It was eating a nearby star, siphoning its gas in a tragic, beautiful spiral.
Orbiting this cosmic monster was Station 9. It looked like a metallic ring city, spinning precariously on the edge of the Event Horizon.
"The gravity here is unstable," Jiang Chen noted, feeling a familiar tug in his gut. His Chaos Core spun faster, resonating with the singularity outside.
"It's loud," Mo You whispered, pressing a hand to the glass. "The Black Hole... it's screaming."
"I don't hear anything," Long Ao frowned.
"That's because you listen with ears," Mo You scoffed. "We listen with the soul."
The ship docked. The clamps locked with a heavy metallic thud.
Scene: The Welcome Hall
The airlock hissed open, and the Imperial University team stepped onto the station.
The Welcome Hall was massive, a cavernous atrium with a glass ceiling looking directly up at the Black Hole. The gravity was artificial set to 1G, but the air tasted metallic and recycled.
They weren't the first to arrive.
To the left stood the European Battle Academy. They were dressed in sleek, silver nano-armor that resembled medieval plate mail. They carried high-tech energy lances and heavy shields.
To the right stood the American Hunter Institute. They looked like a paramilitary group—heavy guns, tactical vests, and a few students with visible beast mutations (werewolf claws, eagle eyes).
"Fresh meat from Asia," a large American student with a cybernetic jaw grinned, spitting a toothpick onto the floor. "They brought a kid in a silk robe? Is he going to a fashion show?"
He pointed at Jiang Chen.
Long Ao stepped forward, his golden aura flaring. "Watch your tongue, barbarian. Or I will rip it out."
"Calm down, Long Ao," Jiang Chen said, placing a hand on the Dragon Prince's shoulder. "Don't bark at every dog that passes by."
Suddenly, the temperature in the hall dropped.
The lights flickered.
The far doors opened silently.
A group of ten students walked in. They wore grey, tattered robes that covered their faces. They didn't walk; they glided. There was no sound of footsteps. No heartbeat. No breathing.
The Academy of Silence.
Leading them was a figure wrapped in bandages, only his eyes visible. One eye was green. The other was a jagged, vertical scar that leaked black smoke.
"That smell," Feng Xi gagged, covering her nose. "It smells like rotting stars. Like the food that went bad in the fridge."
"Corruption," Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed.
The Silent students stopped. They turned their heads in unison toward Jiang Chen's group.
The leader—the Bandaged Boy—raised a hand. He pointed a rotting finger straight at Jiang Chen.
"Vessel."
The voice didn't come from his mouth. It was projected directly into everyone's minds. It sounded like scraping metal.
"Found... you."
Long Ao, eager to prove his dominance after his loss to Jiang Chen, snarled. "Who are you calling a vessel, you freak?"
Long Ao lunged. He activated Dragon Step, closing the distance in a blink. He aimed a golden punch at the Bandaged Boy's face.
"I am Long Ao! Kneel!"
The Bandaged Boy didn't dodge. He simply opened his robe.
Underneath, there was no chest. There was a swirling grey vortex.
SQUELCH.
Long Ao's fist hit the vortex. It didn't impact. It got stuck.
"What—?!" Long Ao panicked. He tried to pull his hand back, but the vortex was sucking him in. His golden dragon aura was being eaten, turning grey as it touched the corruption. "My mana! He's eating my mana!"
"Weak meat," the Bandaged Boy hissed.
Black tentacles shot out from the vortex, wrapping around Long Ao's arm, creeping up toward his neck.
"Enough."
FLASH.
A beam of purple light severed the tentacles instantly.
Jiang Chen stood next to Long Ao. He grabbed the Dragon Prince by the collar and yanked him back.
"Stand back," Jiang Chen ordered. "You can't punch a hole in water."
Jiang Chen looked at the Bandaged Boy.
[Target Analysis: Subject 01]
[Affiliation: Academy of Silence]
[Rank: ??? (Void Walker)]
[Status: Highly Unstable.]
"You want the Vessel?" Jiang Chen stepped forward. His Grandmist Aura exploded outwards.
It wasn't a wave of force. It was a wave of Authority.
The purple light clashed with the grey corruption. The air in the hall distorted. The glass ceiling cracked.
The students from Europe and America were forced to their knees by the sheer pressure.
"What... what is that power?" the American captain gasped, struggling to breathe.
The Bandaged Boy recoiled. The grey smoke leaking from his eye sizzled and evaporated as it touched Jiang Chen's aura.
"The Origin..." The Bandaged Boy hissed, stepping back into the shadows of his group. "We... will... wait."
"Don't wait," Jiang Chen smiled coldly. "Come at me in the tournament. I'll bury you all."
PING.
The PA system chimed, breaking the tension.
"Welcome, Students. Please proceed to the Simulation Deck. The Opening Ceremony is about to begin."
The Academy of Silence retreated, fading into the crowd like ghosts.
Long Ao held his arm. It was bruised and covered in grey slime. He looked at Jiang Chen with a mix of shame and fear.
"I... I underestimated him," Long Ao admitted through gritted teeth.
"Go see Feng Xi," Jiang Chen said. "She can burn the corruption off. And Long Ao?"
"What?"
"Next time, don't rush in. We are a team. Let the Tank take the aggro."
"Who is the Tank?"
Jiang Chen pointed at Mo You, who was currently filing her nails with a dagger.
"The one who can't be killed."
Scene: The Simulation Deck
The Simulation Deck was a circular room lined with hundreds of high-tech pods.
A holographic projection of the Tournament Arbiter appeared in the center.
"Welcome to the 50th Inter-Academy Tournament," the Arbiter announced. "The rules are simple. Your consciousness will be uploaded to the Battle Grid. It is a hyper-realistic reconstruction of a ruined city."
"Objective: Capture the Core Points or eliminate the enemy team."
"Bracket A: Imperial University (China) VS European Battle Academy."
"Bracket B: American Hunter Institute VS Academy of Silence."
"Teams, enter your pods."
Jiang Chen looked at his team.
* Long Ao (Damage/Fighter)
* Feng Xi (Mage/Healer/Nuke)
* Bai Ling (Control/Ice)
* Gu Jian (Speed/Scout)
* Jiang Chen (Captain/Flex)
"Europe uses formation tactics," General Iron advised before they entered. "They turtle up behind heavy shields and poke with lances. Break their formation, and they crumble."
"Understood," Jiang Chen nodded.
He climbed into his pod. Mo You stood outside. Since she was a summon, she would be projected directly into the game alongside him.
The pod door hissed shut.
[System Link Established.]
[Transferring Consciousness...]
[Welcome to the Grid.]
Scene: The Battle Grid - Map: Ruined Cathedral
Jiang Chen opened his eyes.
He was standing in the ruins of a gothic cathedral. Rain poured down from a digital sky. The graphics were indistinguishable from reality.
He checked his body. He felt... surprisingly good. The simulation allowed him to use 100% of his power without worrying about damaging the surroundings.
"Husband!" Feng Xi materialized next to him, holding her staff. "I can feel the mana! It's unlimited!"
"It's simulated mana," Jiang Chen reminded her. "Don't overeat, or you'll crash the server."
The rest of the team spawned in.
"Where are they?" Long Ao asked, shaking his arm. The corruption was gone in the simulation. He felt strong again.
"They are at the North Gate," Bai Ling reported, her eyes glowing blue as she used an ice-scrying spell. "They are setting up a phalanx. Five shields in a row."
"A turtle shell," Jiang Chen smirked.
He drew Nightfall.
"Gu Jian, flank left. Bai Ling, freeze the ground to slow them down. Long Ao, hit the center shield."
"And you?" Long Ao asked.
Jiang Chen looked up at the digital rain.
"I'm going to test something."
[System Cheat Code: Grandmist Authority.]
[Modifying Physics Engine...]
[Gravity: 10x]
Jiang Chen grinned.
"I'm going to make it rain."
He leaped onto the top of the cathedral spire.
"Let the games begin."