Chapter 264 264: A storm

Words : 1734 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

In Noah's system interface, notifications flashed: [Void Energy: 650/1100] [Enemies eliminated: 9] [Experience gained: 180] The remaining guards circled warily, dark chi flaring around their bodies as they coordinated their approach. Noah centered himself, void energy swirling around his form. "Take him together!" one shouted. "Pattern Theta!" They attacked as one, moving with the synchronized precision of elite soldiers. Noah met them head-on, his movements a fluid dance of death. Where their dark chi lashed out, his void energy absorbed and nullified. [Void Absorption activated] The red-white energy they projected dissipated against his defenses, feeding his own reserves rather than harming him. Noah pressed his advantage, systematic and precise. [Null Strike activated] One by one, they ceased to exist—erased completely by the touch of void energy. When it was over, nothing remained of them but discarded weapons and scattered gear. [Enemies eliminated: 12] [Experience gained: 240] [Void Energy: 750/1100] The alarm continued to wail, and Noah knew reinforcements would be coming. He returned to the systems hub, where Kelvin was just disconnecting from the main console. "Got it all," Kelvin announced triumphantly, holding up a small data drive. "Complete operation plans, personnel files, everything." His victorious expression faltered as he looked at Noah. "I heard it from in here. The fighting. How many...?" "It doesn't matter," Noah cut him off. "Time to go." Kelvin looked like he wanted to say more but nodded instead. This wasn't the place for moral debates. The exit from the systems hub led them deeper into the facility—away from Kelvin's cell but toward what the schematics identified as a secondary exit point. They moved quickly, Noah dealing with any resistance they encountered with the same lethal efficiency. Corridor after corridor, security checkpoint after security checkpoint—guards simply ceased to exist as Noah unleashed his true power without restraint. Kelvin grew increasingly quiet with each encounter, his usual banter silenced by the sheer destructive force his friend was displaying. Finally, they reached a vast open chamber that appeared to be a training area. Equipment lined the walls, and the floor was marked with combat positions. "Almost there," Kelvin said, checking the stolen schematics, his voice subdued. "Auxiliary exit is just beyond that far door." A slow clap echoed through the chamber. "Impressive," a familiar voice called out. "Really, I'm genuinely impressed." A figure stepped from the shadows—tall, powerfully built, wearing the same tactical gear as the other guards but with distinctive markings designating higher rank. His mask was already removed, revealing a face they knew all too well. "Micah," Noah said flatly. Micah Reeds, ranked fifth among Academy 12's third-year students, smiled coldly. "Eclipse. Should have known it was you. Always sticking your nose where it doesn't belong." His eyes narrowed. "And leaving quite a trail of bodies behind you. Didn't think you had it in you." Kelvin tensed beside Noah. "Micah's part of the Purge? Man, recruitment standards must be slipping." "Get to the exit," Noah said quietly to Kelvin. "I'll handle this." "But—" "Go." Kelvin hesitated, then nodded, making for the far door as Noah stepped forward to confront Micah. "You're outmatched, Eclipse," Micah said, dark chi swirling around his form—but unlike the others, his glowed with a deeper red, signifying greater mastery. "There's no Lucas here. We both know he is the reason you survived Cannadah. You are average at best." Noah said nothing, simply settling into a fighting stance. Micah struck first, the air around him distorting as his gravity manipulation activated. The floor beneath Noah suddenly compressed, gravity intensifying tenfold in an instant. Most opponents would have been crushed to their knees. Noah merely grimaced behind his mask. [Void Absorption activated] The increased gravitational force pressed against Noah's void energy like an invisible tide—not nullified, but resisted. Each step forward compressed the metal floor beneath his boots, leaving footprint-shaped depressions in the reinforced alloy. Micah's eyebrow arched slightly. "Interesting. The records from your combat trials were... understated." The air thickened as Micah twisted his fingers, gravitational pressure doubling. Noah's joints creaked in protest, his advance slowing to inches per step. The floor panels groaned and buckled around him, metal warping as though under the weight of a small building. Noah's lips curved into a slight smile. [Void Blink activated] Space folded. Noah vanished mid-stride, the gravitational field collapsing on empty air. Micah pivoted instantly, chi flaring around his elbow as he drove it backward—connecting with nothing but afterimage. Noah had already blinked again, reappearing three feet to Micah's left. "Standard counter-teleport defense," Noah remarked casually. "You telegraph with your shoulders." Fury flashed across Micah's face. He slammed both palms toward the ground, creating a rippling wave of intensified gravity that radiated outward. The wave caught Noah mid-step, driving him down to one knee. "Predictable," Micah scoffed, circling like a predator. "Not surprised though. Albright suspected your... undocumented abilities. And I know luck didn't help you survive that cat 3 beast!" The fight escalated into a deadly dance. Micah manipulated gravity with impressive versatility—creating localized pockets that sent storage containers hurtling toward Noah like missiles, generating crushing pressure points that threatened to shatter bone, alternating between weightlessness and crushing force to disrupt Noah's balance. But Noah had faced worse. Much worse. He sidestepped a gravity-accelerated storage locker without bothering to blink, letting it crash into the wall behind him. Against a category 3 beast as a none combat ability user, againsg the Harbingers on Cannadah—this was practically a sparring match. [Null Strike activated] Noah drove his palm forward, a focused burst of void energy neutralizing the gravitational field directly in front of him. The sudden absence created a vacuum that pulled Micah off-balance. Noah closed the distance in three quick steps, moving with the economical grace of someone conserving energy. Micah recovered quickly, dropping to one knee and slamming his fist into the floor. The gravitational surge rippled outward, warping the metal plates in concentric circles. "You're better than the files suggested," Micah admitted, sweat beading on his forehead. "But you're holding back. These guards? Disposable assets. But can you bring yourself to kill someone from your own academy?" Noah didn't waste breath responding. Instead, he assessed the pattern in Micah's movements—the two-second recharge between major gravity manipulations, the slight tensing of his left shoulder before each attack. The next time Micah created a gravity well, Noah was ready. He blinked not away from the attack, but directly into it, using the increased density to accelerate his own movement. His body blurred with unnatural speed as he closed distance. [Void Bullet activated] A pencil-thin beam of concentrated void energy shot from Noah's extended finger, purposely grazing Micah's shoulder. It didn't erase flesh—just fabric, leaving a perfect circular hole through his uniform and a painful but superficial burn on the skin beneath. Micah's eyes widened at the precision. The message was clear: Noah could have taken his head. "You missed," Micah hissed, clutching his shoulder. "Did I?" Noah replied evenly. Understanding dawned on Micah's face as Noah blinked again, reappearing directly behind him. Before Micah could react, Noah spun him around, slamming him against the wall with a forearm across his throat—just enough pressure to immobilize, not damage. "I've faced monsters that hit harder than you," Noah said quietly. "Tell your Purge masters or whatever you call them something for me: if they took my friend to get to me... it worked." [Enemy defeated: Micah Reeds] [Experience gained: 500] [Void Energy: 350/1100] He didn't linger, moving quickly to the exit where Kelvin waited, anxiety evident on his face. "About time," Kelvin said, relief flooding his features. "I was about to come back for you." "No, you weren't," Noah replied, checking his friend for injuries. "Well, I was thinking about it very heroically," Kelvin amended with a weak grin. His eyes flickered to the blood on Noah's gear. "You left Micah alive?" "Mostly," Noah answered flatly. Kelvin looked like he wanted to say more but simply nodded. "Got the exit open, by the way. We're clear to the surface." Noah shook his head. "We're not taking the exit." "Uh, what? The escape route is right there, man." "Too obvious. I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier. They'll have it covered." Noah placed a hand on Kelvin's shoulder. "Trust me?" Kelvin sighed dramatically. "Always a dramatic exit with you. Fine, what's the play?" "Domain Travel," Noah said simply. "Hold on." Kelvin's eyes widened. "Wait, you're taking me to your—" Purple energy enveloped them both, reality shifting around them as Noah activated his ability. [Domain Travel activated] The world dissolved into void energy, reconstituting into a vast landscape unlike anything on Earth. Before Kelvin could respond, Noah vanished again, the Domain Travel depositing him back in the real world—specifically, where he'd left Micah who was no longer there. Alarms were blaring, security forces mobilizing as they realized their prisoners had somehow vanished. Noah didn't waste time. He focused his thoughts on Sophie. [Domain Link: Sophie Reign activated] Reality warped again, and suddenly he was standing in Sophie's academy quarters. She jumped from her bed, startled by his abrupt appearance. "Noah?" she gasped, taking in his masked appearance and the blood staining his combat gear. "What happened? Did you—" "Got him," Noah confirmed, pulling off his mask to reveal a face streaked with sweat but wearing a grim expression. "And a whole lot more." "Is he okay? Are you?" "We're fine. But we need to move quickly." He held out his hand. "Come with me. There's something you need to see." Sophie took his hand without hesitation. "The Purge?" "It's bigger than we thought," Noah confirmed grimly. "Much bigger." Purple energy swirled around them as Noah prepared to transport them both back to his Domain, where Kelvin waited with data that would change everything. [Domain Travel activated] As reality shifted around them, Noah allowed himself a moment of cold satisfaction. The Purge had made a critical mistake taking his friend. Now they would learn exactly what happened when they threatened someone under his protection. The storm was coming. And this time, it came with an eclipse.

Chapter 264 264: A storm

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