Chapter 270: Alpha class

Words : 2216 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

Darkness surrounded him. Not the comforting kind that promised rest, but the suffocating void that whispered of oblivion. Lucas Grey floated in this nothingness, his consciousness tethered by an increasingly fragile thread as the commander's dark chi invaded his very essence. In this liminal space between awareness and death, time stretched meaningless. The pain had faded to numbness—a dangerous sign. His body was shutting down, systems failing as his connection to his electrical abilities was systematically severed. Let go, the darkness seemed to whisper. Rest For one fleeting moment, the offer was tempting. An end to the constant battle, the weight of expectation, the burden of ability. How easy it would be to simply... drift away. But in that moment of weakness, faces flashed before him. Noah, his friend, possibly fighting his own battle elsewhere. Kelvin, with his quiet brilliance. Sophie, whose determination matched his own. His fellow students at Academy Twelve. His sister, his family. The countless civilians on earth and it's sister planets, looking to the military—looking to soldiers like him—for salvation. They didn't see Lucas Grey, the person. They saw what he represented: hope. Not just any hope—quantifiable hope. Measurable impact. Each S-ranked Alpha was a strategic asset that could turn the tide of battle against the Harbingers. The military planners had calculated it precisely: one S-ranked Alpha was equivalent to approximately two hundred standard awakened soldiers in combat efficiency. Lucas wasn't pride. He was mathematics. Cold, hard numbers in humanity's desperate equation for survival. If he died here, that equation would shift further toward extinction. 'I'm not special,' Lucas thought into the void. 'I'm necessary.' This wasn't arrogance—it was acceptance of brutal reality. His death wouldn't be heroic; it would be wasteful, irresponsible. Every Alpha lost was a catastrophic setback to humanity's chances. The Purge commander understood this; it was why he'd targeted Lucas specifically. His abilities weren't a gift. They were a responsibility. 'The lives of thousands for the life of one.' A cold clarity washed over him, pushing back against the creeping darkness. Survival wasn't an option—it was an obligation. To fall here, beneath the Ark, would be to betray everyone who depended on the protection his abilities provided. He recalled Commander Owen's words during welcome into the academy as first years: "The Harbingers aren't just fighting our military. They're fighting our mathematics. Every engagement is a calculation of force projection against loss minimization." Lucas was a variable in that equation. A critical one. In the darkness, something crystallized—not determination born of ego, but of duty. A soldier's understanding that his life belonged not to himself, but to those he was sworn to protect. If he allowed himself to fall here, the ripple effects would touch countless lives. Every ship that would have been defended by his presence, every squadron that would have survived because of his abilities, every civilian who might have been evacuated under his protection—all potentially lost. Lucas had never feared death. But he feared failure. He feared waste. He feared becoming a negative integer in humanity's desperate calculus of survival. 'Not today,' he thought, feeling something ignite deep within his core. 'Not here.' The dark chi continued its invasion, seeking to sever his connection to his ability. But it had touched something beyond ability now—something primal. The core of what made Lucas Grey not just an awakened human, but a soldier. A protector. A variable that refused to be erased from the equation. The spark grew, electric blue in the darkness of his mind. Not just his power—his resolve. His acceptance of what he was, what he represented, what he 'meant'. 'Every Alpha counts,' he thought, the blue light spreading outward from that central spark. 'Every. Single. One.' The commander had miscalculated. He saw Lucas as an individual to be neutralized. He failed to understand that Lucas had long ago stopped thinking of himself that way. Even if he hated to outwardly admit it, he knew who he was. A weapon, a shield, a component in humanity's desperate defense—and weapons didn't surrender simply because they took damage. In the physical world, the commander's grip tightened around Lucas's throat as dark chi penetrated deeper. But in the void of Lucas's mind, blue lightning began to surge, pushing back against the invasive force. Not with rage, not with fear, but with cold, absolute clarity of purpose. 'I am necessary.' Three words. Simple. Unflinching. The foundation upon which he'd built his existence since the Awakening granted him his abilities. Since he'd watched his powers emerge and understood what they meant in the context of a species fighting for its survival. The blue light spread faster now, consuming the darkness, burning away the tendrils of dark chi that sought to corrupt his connection. This wasn't about Lucas Grey the person—it was about Asset Grey, S-Class Alpha, a critical component in humanity's strategic defense. 'I refuse to become a minus.' His consciousness solidified, hardened by this absolute understanding of his place in the greater conflict. Not ego—mathematics. Not pride— but necessity. This wasn't about Lucas Grey anymore. This was about the equation. And Lucas refused to let it fail. Lucas's eyes snapped open. Blue light erupted from his irises, twin beacons cutting through the dimness of the submarine dock. The commander, still gripping Lucas's throat, flinched back as electricity suddenly crackled across the surface of Lucas's skin. "What—" the commander started, but the rest of his words died as Lucas's hand clamped around his wrist. "My turn," Lucas whispered. The air itself seemed to tear apart as raw power exploded outward from Lucas's body. The commander was hurled backward by the shockwave, slamming into a concrete pillar with enough force to crack it from floor to ceiling. He slid to the ground, eyes wide with genuine surprise as he took in the transformation unfolding before him. Lucas hovered three feet above the cracked floor, suspended by crackling blue energy that poured from his body in waves. His hair stood on end, charged with static electricity, and his skin glowed from within as if his veins carried lightning instead of blood. Arcs of blue electricity whipped around him in a chaotic dance, scorching the air and leaving ozone in their wake. Soul Form. The commander rose to his feet, red energy coiling around him defensively. "Interesting," he said, though his voice had lost some of its earlier confidence. "The Alpha class awakening. I wondered if you might unleash it," Lucas didn't respond with words. He moved—vanishing from sight entirely. Krakrooom!!! The commander barely had time to raise his arms before Lucas reappeared directly in front of him, fist already in motion. Braarrrkkkh!! The impact shattered the dark chi barrier and drove into the commander's chest with catastrophic force. Ribs cracked like dry twigs. The commander's body blew backward through the concrete pillar, then through the wall behind it, and out into the adjoining dock hall. Lucas pursued, a blue comet streaking through the air. He caught up to the commander's flying body before it even hit the ground, grabbed him by the ankle, and whipped him overhead in a vicious arc that ended with the commander's face meeting the floor. Concrete exploded upward, forming a small crater. Without pausing, Lucas gripped the commander's uniform and hurled him skyward toward the high ceiling of the dock hall. The man's body crashed into steel support beams thirty meters above, bending them with the impact. Lucas shot upward, blue lightning trailing behind him as he crossed the distance in milliseconds. The commander had just started to fall when Lucas's knee connected with his spine, adding new momentum to his descent. The commander hit the ground with enough force to shake the entire dock facility, his body embedding itself in a crater six feet deep. For a moment, nothing moved. Then red energy flared from within the crater. The commander rose slowly, his uniform in tatters, blood running from his mouth and nose. His eyes glowed with malevolent red light. "Impressive," he said, spitting blood onto the floor. "Very impressive. But you still don't understand what you're facing." Lucas descended, still hovering a few feet above the ground, electric energy crackling around him. "I understand enough. You're trying to steal my ability," The commander laughed, a harsh sound that echoed across the hall. "Not steal. Evolve. Your natural gifts are just a stepping stone to something greater. Something transcendent." "There's nothing transcendent about being a terrorist," Lucas shot back, blue lightning arcing between his fingers. "Terrorist?" The commander's face darkened. "The Ark military sends children to die against the Harbingers. Uses people like you as living weapons. And we're the terrorists?" He straightened, red energy intensifying around him. "Humanity needs a new path. Not the military's false hope of victory through sacrifice." "Save the speech," Lucas snarled. "You tried to cut me off from my power. Turn me into nothing. I'm not letting that happen." The commander's lips curled into a smile. "Too late to stop what's coming, Mr. Grey. The Purge is inevitable." He struck without warning, moving faster than before. Red energy condensed around his fist as he aimed for Lucas's chest. Lucas caught the blow—the collision of energies sending out a shockwave that shattered every window in the dock hall. For a split second, they stood locked together, blue and red energies fighting for dominance at the point of contact. "You're strong," Lucas acknowledged, electricity crackling between them. "But I'm stronger." He released a focused burst of energy through his palm, sending the commander flying backward once again. This time, Lucas didn't pursue immediately. Instead, he raised both hands, generating a massive electrical field that encompassed the entire hall. "Tesla Cage," he said quietly. Blue lightning solidified, forming a dome of pure electrical energy around them. The commander landed on his feet, looking up at the construct with narrowed eyes. "Nowhere to run," Lucas said. The commander chuckled. "Who's running?" He lunged forward again, this time weaving between Lucas's lightning strikes with inhuman agility. Red energy trailed behind him like a comet's tail as he closed the distance. His fist, wreathed in dark chi, struck Lucas's chest—and connected. Pain exploded through Lucas's body as the impact sent him crashing into his own electrical dome. The energy field sizzled against his back, but didn't harm him—it was his own power, after all. He pushed off from it, launching himself back toward the commander like a missile. ZZZZZZZT They met in midair, exchange of blows too fast for normal eyes to follow. Each impact created thunderclaps that reverberated through the facility. Lucas landed three strikes for every one the commander managed, but the man's dark chi absorbed much of the damage, allowing him to continue fighting. Lucas disengaged, putting distance between them. "You're persistent, I'll give you that." "And you're running out of time," the commander replied. "Soul Form drains your reserves, doesn't it? How long can you maintain it?" Instead of answering, Lucas charged forward again. This time, he didn't aim for the commander directly. At the last second, he veered upward, shooting toward the ceiling. The commander tracked him with glowing red eyes, momentarily confused. Lucas raised both hands above his head, electricity crackling between his palms as he condensed it into a sphere of pure energy. Plasma Sphere He hurled the condensed ball of lightning downward. The commander raised his hands, dark chi forming a protective barrier—but the sphere didn't hit him. Instead, it struck the floor directly in front of him, detonating with explosive force. The blast tore through concrete and steel, opening a massive hole in the dock floor. Both Lucas and the commander fell through the newly created opening, plummeting into a lower level—a wide corridor lined with doors. Emergency lights flashed as alarms began to wail throughout the facility. Lucas landed on his feet, electricity cushioning his fall. The commander crashed through a metal table before rolling to a standing position, his movements slightly slower than before. "Getting tired?" Lucas taunted, blue energy swirling around him undiminished. Before the commander could respond, one of the doors along the corridor burst open. Six figures in black tactical gear poured out, weapons raised—Purge operatives responding to the alarms. "Sir!" one of them called, taking in the commander's battered appearance. "We have ravager blasters ready—" Lucas didn't give them time to finish. He extended one hand, releasing a concentrated beam of lightning that caught the first operative square in the chest. The man didn't even have time to scream as electricity vaporized flesh and bone, leaving nothing but ash. The remaining operatives opened fire, ravager blasts streaking toward Lucas from multiple angles. He moved with blinding speed, dodging between the energy bolts. One grazed his shoulder, burning through his uniform—but his Soul Form's electrical field absorbed most of the impact. "You're in my way!!!" Lucas growled.

Chapter 270: Alpha class

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