Once again, the never-ending realm of red and black surrounded him from every side. Leo relaxed, let go of his Essence, and waited for the inevitable System message to arrive.

  He didn’t have to wait long.

  Planetary transit in progress. Due to the User’s strength, teleportation might take longer than usual. Please remain calm and refrain from using any Essence techniques. Planet of arrival: Terlasfor. Estimated Void Corruption: 88%.

  Leo’s eyes widened. What? How the hell did it progress so fast?

  Had the Terrontaurs failed? Or had a second Cataclysm struck? Either way, this wasn’t good. Not good at all.

  Then again, he wasn’t sure if eighty-eight percent was a lot in the grand scheme of things. Earth had been at ninety-six the last time he checked, so Terlasfor didn’t really have much to go until it reached the level of a dark zone planet.

  Second Cataclysm… It must be that. Plenty of time has passed since I was last here, after all, he mused internally. But those centaurs… They were already struggling back then. Another cataclysm could have been the deciding factor.

  Leo shook his head, dismissing those thoughts. Imagining different what-if scenarios would achieve nothing. He needed to see the planet with his own eyes before drawing any conclusions. For all he knew, the Terrountaurs might still be thriving despite the odds.

  Speaking of…

  Planetary transit completed. Arrival in 10 seconds. Welcome to Terlasfor.

  A different message. No rough landing this time?

  As if to answer his question, the void pulled him in. Darkness claimed his vision before he was hurled into the air, gravity once more reclaiming control over his body.

  I guess that answers my question, Leo grumbled as his eyes snapped open. He quickly flipped mid-air and landed back on the ground on all fours, skidding slightly on impact. Okay, maybe it was a bit better.

  He dusted off his clothes and stood up, taking in his surroundings. They had changed since his last visit—not a lot, but enough to notice.

  The massive trees still stood tall around him, their ancient forms as imposing as ever. But where once there were hues of blue, yellow, and green, the Void stepped in, claiming the forest for itself. Crimson, black, and purple, three colors that had overtaken the Earth, now did the same to the rest of Terlasfor.

  Even Vetilim had started creeping into the forest, although only in small amounts for now—a pulsing vein here and there, nothing more.

  Leo frowned. Looks like I was right.

  He moved to take the first step forward, but before he could even do that, a blue bolt of light came at him out of nowhere. Even with his enhanced speed, he could do nothing as it slammed into his shoulder, burning through his cloak and drilling into the armor beneath it.

  Thankfully, the projectile failed at that task.

  The hell? Leo growled, his blades snapping out as more of those blue bolts rushed at him from every possible direction. Someone has a death wish.

  The cloak covering his body vanished into his soul while Bloodmail activated, taking the incoming projectiles head-on. Sure, they stung on impact, but aside from that, they barely scratched his scales.

  “Enough!” He shouted, Stromveil erupting out of his body and forming a crackling wall around him. “First and final warning. Show yourself, or die!”

  The warning fell on deaf ears. The bolts continued to rain down, slamming into his barrier. A moment later, a bigger projectile flew at him, exploding against the violet affinity and pushing it a bit back.

  Your choice then.

  At once, an overpowered Hunter’s Pulse left his body, searching for any living signatures in the area. At the same time, his bloodlust came to assist, pulling Relentless Hunger out of its slumber.

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  His sight darkened, but thanks to those two skills, multiple crimson humanoid silhouettes appeared in his vision. They looked tall—maybe only slightly smaller than him—and muscular. Other than that, he could only make out the shapes of some firearms held in their arms.

  Game over.

  With a burst of Blink, Leo faded out of his Stormveil barrier, only to appear right in front of his nearest enemy. Before the unknown creature could react, a blade sank into its torso, earning a pained gasp.

  Just like that, the being shimmered into sight, its invisibility breaking. Green blood spilled out of its insectoid mouth as a dozen eyes blinked up at him, surprise, fear, and acceptance flashing within those tiny orbs.

  Greater Hexadrone | LVL: 32

  Weak!

  Leo grinned at the creature before disappearing again. Screams of pain filled the area for the next few seconds as he slaughtered his way through the invisible aliens like they were ants. More of their blue energy bullets struck him, but not once did they stop him.

  There was a gap between them, a gap so wide that not even some advanced technology could help to close it. The aliens were helpless, and they knew it—he saw it in their eyes—but not once did they try to run.

  Leo could respect that much, even if it was stupid. No matter what, it was always better to survive and live to fight another day.

  Not that I would let them escape. He growled, pinning the final alien to a tree. His blade sliced through its arms, removing them at the shoulders. Invisibility broke again as the creature screamed.

  Only Leo wasn’t done yet.

  Tendrils of Stormveil slithered up the Hexadrone’s body, covering the bloody stumps. The alien screamed again, but he continued his work, slowly enveloping its entire form with the violet element.

  Done. Leo nodded, taking a few steps back. “Who are you? Where did you come from? Where are the Terrountaurs?”

  The Hexadrone ceased its futile struggles, its wasp-like head twisting to glare at him. There was no fear in its multitude of eyes now—only pure, unfiltered hatred.

  Leo tightened the bindings in response. “I asked you a question.”

  The alien spat at him, the glob of green blood hissing against his chestplate.

  “Very well,” he muttered, releasing the energy charge building up within the elemental bindings.

  Violet lightning exploded all over the alien, its crackle soon joined by the Hexadrone’s screams. Slowly, its usual brow skin—or whatever it was—turned darker under the strain. Leo took it as a cue and stopped the assault.

  “Ready to talk now?” he asked as the alien gasped for air.

  It spat blood again and, for the first time, spoke up. “Death… Death comes for all.”

  Leo frowned, yet before he could answer, a glow settled over the Hexadron’s head. It became brighter and brighter with each millisecond until only a blue orb remained in its place.

  He moved a tendril of Stormveil to touch it, but it never got there. The orb exploded, spraying acidic blood and fragments of the Hexadron’s remains in all directions. He cursed and jumped back. The alien’s lifeless body slumped within its violet prison.

  So that’s what it meant. Leo grimaced, trying to get the acidic blood off his armor and scales. Nyx! If you still haven’t gone through. Remain on Earth.

  ‘What? What’s going on?’ the feline asked through their link.

  Look into my memories and see for yourself. Afterward, protect the gate.

  ‘Understood.’

  As their connection quieted, Leo took a moment to inspect the quiet forest. His gaze instantly fell onto one of the many weapons the Hexadrones used. He picked up the nearest rifle, its design unlike anything he’d seen outside of sci-fi movies. It was sleek, futuristic, and bristling with switches, flashing lights, and strange protrusions.

  Identify.

  Proto-rifle HD V0.4 (Uncommon):

  A prototype energy rifle created by the skilled scientists of the technologically advanced species, the Hexadrones. Despite its suboptimal build, this Proto-rifle makes perfect use of the User’s Essence to create highly condensed energy bullets. Their power is dependent on the User’s Soul.

  Impressive, Leo commented internally, putting the rifle inside his soul.

  With that, he went around the battlefield, collecting every piece of technology he could find. It wasn’t only rifles but also smaller guns and daggers with blades that could be enhanced by channeling Essence into them. He also found something akin to a rocket launcher, but it lay broken in two.

  He still took it.

  Done with looting, Leo took out his transmitter and opened a chat with Naz’Tor. Humans were apparently a common species in the Void—perhaps the Hexadrones were as well.

  A few minutes passed before he received an answer, and to his disappointment, the merchant didn’t know anything. All he could offer was a vague observation: “There’s always some species that figure out the combination of technology and Essence faster than others.”

  Gotta gather more information then. He rolled his shoulders and summoned his cloak.

  ‘Going to the Terrountaurs’ village?’ Nyx asked suddenly.

  Yeah, that’s my best bet on learning what’s going on here. I will contact Lily afterward… And you? Noticed anything in my memories that I might have missed?

  ‘No, nothing aside from the fact that their level is similar to people in London.’

  True. Leo nodded. Even more reason to find out what they are doing here. Protect the gate, I will be back soon.

  ‘Good luck.’

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