The ship rumbles beneath my feet as we break through Earth’s atmosphere.

  Every second that passes brings us closer to the colony world—closer to Sol’Rath, The Burning Pyre.

  Twelve hours.

  That’s all we had.

  And now?

  We’re almost out of time.

  Dr. Lynn stands beside me in the cockpit, arms folded.

  Her eyes stay glued to the countdown on the screen.

  00:27:46

  Less than half an hour before Akunon wipes out an entire planet.

  I clench my fists.

  Not happening.

  Jovalis-9 was a battlefield of steel and war machines.

  But this?

  This is something else.

  As we drop out of hyperspace, the planet below comes into view.

  A beautiful, lush world, covered in sprawling green forests and oceans of golden rivers.

  And above it—

  A monster.

  Sol’Rath is not just a Harbinger.

  He’s a cataclysm given form.

  A towering behemoth of molten rock and celestial fire, his body wreathed in constant flame.

  The space around him warps from the sheer heat radiating off his form.

  And behind him?

  Akunon’s warship—preparing to unleash an orbital planetary wipe.

  I exhale.

  This is it.

  No more running. No more waiting.

  I crack my knuckles, stepping toward the ship’s exit.

  “Open the hatch.”

  Lynn glares. “Yuri—”

  I turn to her, my body already surging with cosmic fire.

  “I’ve got this.”

  She hesitates.

  But then, finally, she nods.

  The hatch slides open.

  I leap.

  And the war begins.

  The moment I drop into the planet’s orbit, the heat slams into me like a freight train.

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  The air bends around Sol’Rath, the sheer temperature igniting oxygen itself.

  He turns his burning gaze toward me.

  “So… you are the Cosmic Monster.”

  His voice is a deep, endless inferno, like the roar of a star about to go supernova.

  I land hard on the rocky surface below.

  The ground beneath my feet is already melting.

  I smirk.

  “And you must be Akunon’s latest punching bag.”

  His laughter shakes the planet.

  “No. I am the fire that reduces false gods to ash.”

  His body shifts, growing even larger. The flames around him burn white-hot.

  “Let’s see if you burn, Monster.”

  Then—

  He erupts.

  I dodge just in time as a wave of pure solar fire explodes from his chest.

  The blast tears through the sky, incinerating everything in its path.

  I blast forward, throwing a cosmic-infused punch straight into his core.

  The impact detonates the landscape, sending molten rock flying in all directions.

  Sol’Rath barely staggers.

  Then he grabs me.

  His massive hands clamp down, heat searing through my cosmic form.

  Shit.

  I grit my teeth, trying to break free—

  But the more I struggle, the hotter he burns.

  He’s feeding off me.

  I realize it too late.

  His grin widens.

  “You shine so brightly. It will be a pleasure to consume you.”

  I’ve fought brute force before.

  I’ve fought speed.

  I’ve fought Harbingers who attack the mind.

  But this?

  This is something else.

  Sol’Rath isn’t trying to overpower me.

  He’s trying to suffocate me in his flames.

  To erase me.

  The more I push back with cosmic energy, the stronger he gets.

  And if I keep fighting him on his terms…

  I’ll lose.

  Think, Yuri.

  Think.

  I stop struggling.

  I go still.

  And let my cosmic form flicker—just for a moment.

  Sol’Rath’s grip tightens.

  “Giving up already?”

  I smirk.

  “Nope. Just letting you win.”

  Then I shrink back to my human form.

  For a split second, his flames overload.

  Too much power. Nowhere to direct it.

  And in that moment—

  I surge back into my Cosmic Monster form.

  But this time?

  I don’t fight against his heat.

  I absorb it.

  Sol’Rath roars in fury as the flames around him flicker and dim.

  He tries to burn brighter—

  But I pull every ounce of heat into myself.

  My body crackles with raw energy, my veins glowing like a dying star.

  For the first time, Sol’Rath takes a step back.

  I exhale, my hands burning like twin novas.

  “Oh man.”

  I grin.

  “You’re really gonna hate this part.”

  I launch forward, unleashing a cosmic-charged strike straight into his core.

  The impact rips through him.

  The heat he tried to consume me with—

  I just turned it into a weapon.

  And I detonated it inside him.

  Sol’Rath shrieks, his body convulsing.

  For the first time—

  He’s the one burning.

  Then—

  With a final roar of agony, his form implodes, collapsing in on itself.

  And just like that—

  The Burning Pyre is extinguished.

  I land hard, breathing heavily.

  The sky is quiet.

  No more firestorms.

  No more death.

  Dr. Lynn’s voice crackles through my comm.

  “YURI! The warship—it’s charging up!”

  I look up—

  And my heart freezes.

  Akunon’s fleet is still there.

  And the planet-killing weapon is about to fire.

  I barely have time to think.

  I blast upward, pushing my power to the limit.

  I’m fast—

  But is it fast enough?

  The ship glows, energy building—

  I reach out—

  And then—

  Akunon smiles.

  His fingers hover over a command console.

  His generals watch in silence.

  Morgath frowns. “Shall I fire?”

  Akunon watches the flashing display, the power surging through the warship’s systems.

  His eyes glint.

  Then—

  He lowers his hand.

  “Not yet.”

  The energy fades.

  Akunon leans back, amused.

  “Let him believe he has won.”

  His grin widens.

  “The next lesson will break him.”