Chapter 58 | The Genius Idea

"That is the stupidest idea I have heard."

Nyra stood by Leon in front of the shield wall. The pack had been dealt with and they were getting ready to continue forward.

"I have to. I think it'll help me," Leon said.

"What are you two arguing about?" Mason walked up to the two of them.

"Leon thinks it's a good idea for him to be in front of the shield wall," Nyra said in an irritated tone, crossing her arms.

"What? Why?"

"Trust me, I think it'll help me. I haven't fought since…" Leon's voice died down to a whisper. "since that incident."

"How's being in front of the shields going to help?" Nyra asked.

Leon couldn't bring himself to tell Nyra that he wanted to activate his method's combat mode, to lose himself in it the way he had during the obstacle course. Since undergoing the blood modification, he had re-enabled Aetheric Combat State, but he hadn't tested it yet.

The first pack of Shade Stalkers had been handled with ease. While the MRM site was more dangerous than the initial reports suggested, this was only the first level. His cavora had been prepared with an updated threat assessment before arriving.

It felt like the perfect time to field-test it.

"I am not going to change my mind Nyra."

He and Nyra stared each other down, neither willing to be the first to give up.

A few seconds passed before Nyra sighed.

"Fine. But Mason and I are going to be right behind you."

"I am?" Mason said, confused.

Nyra turned toward him and raised her hand.

"I AM," Mason quickly corrected.

Nyra gave a small nod, then turned to address the cavora.

"Let's move!"

Vora One started to move ahead of Leon, but he raised a hand to stop them.

"Nyra, Mason, and I will take point. The rest of you, follow directly behind," he ordered.

The vora paused, exchanged glances then Owen shrugged and silently complied, followed by the others.

It didn't take long before another pack of five Shade Stalkers emerged ahead, just as they rounded a bend.

Leon steadied his breathing, focusing on the slow rhythm—inhaling, then exhaling. As his mana absorption and processing spiked, he manually activated Aetheric Combat State.

A surge of mana from the dense environment flooded into his body. His mind sharpened. The fear, guilt, and lingering self-doubt dissolved beneath the overwhelming power coursing through his cells.

The mana circuits on his armor shifted to a deep blue as he cycled mana between body and suit. Thin trails of blue steam hissed from the exhaust slits at his shoulder blades.

He drew his sword and sprinted forward. The sudden burst of speed caught both him and his target off guard. Bracing, he rolled his shoulder to absorb the impact—

KRRR-CHHNK!

With the ten percent boost granted by Class II armor and the amplification from Aetheric Combat State, he slammed into the Shade Stalker like a battering ram, crushing it against the bend's stone wall.

When he stepped back, the beast slid down in a mangled, bloody heap.

Another beast lunged from the side with a snarl. Leon pivoted into the attack, its claws missing his torso by inches.

He caught it by the neck with his left hand, the beast snarling and snapping as its claws tore into the armor covering his arm, leaving deep, jagged gouges.

Snarling back, Leon drove his blade into the creature's ribs. The sword punched through with a wet crack. The Shade Stalker screeched, thrashing violently in his grip.

He kicked it off with a heavy boot to the chest, yanking his sword free in a spray of black blood.

The beast staggered, coughing up viscous fluid, then collapsed twitching a few steps away.

Leon exhaled and deactivated Aetheric Combat State.

His body ached, a hint of exhaustion creeping in, but everything felt stable.

"Finished showing off?" Nyra stepped up beside him, an armor repair kit in hand. "Here."

She grabbed his damaged arm and pressed the tube-shaped device against the gouged plating. As she activated it, Leon channeled mana into the affected area. The kit released its contents, MRM-based materials infused with nanites, onto the armor.

As long as the damage wasn't too severe and the nanosuit beneath remained intact, the kit could easily mend the outer plating.

"Thanks," Leon said, turning to walk back toward the cavora.

Three more Shade Stalkers lay motionless in front of the shield wall. Mason stood with his sword dripping black blood. A glance at Nyra's blade, still at her hip, showed the same dark stains.

A week had passed. They had pushed deeper into the cave system and were now on the third level, having navigated the maze-like tunnels without a single casualty. The mana beasts were stronger in the deeper levels, but as long as the Obsidians worked together, they posed no real threat.

Just the day before, his cavora had discovered a sizable deposit of MRM ore on this level. With the rest of the area now fully mapped, they planned to begin their ascent to the surface in the morning.

Now, Leon sat at their camp, perched on a rock with his elbows resting on his knees.

"Can't sleep again?" He asked.

He turned as Nyra sat down beside him.

"Mhmm," she murmured, stretching her arms overhead with a quiet groan. "You?"

"Same. The mana concentration down here is stronger than the upper levels. It feels… off."

"You think it's connected to that procedure you went through?" she asked, leaning back on her hands.

"I think so," he said, glancing at his arm, then stealing a look at her.

She wore only her nanosuit and helmet, the suit clinging to her athletic frame.

His pulse quickened.

The way the suit hugged her body—the curve of her hips, the subtle rise of her chest—kept drawing his eyes.

"Now that the upper levels are mapped out, getting back to the surface should be a lot quicker," Nyra said.

"Mhmm."

"You can stop staring now," she added, her tone light and teasing.

"Huh? What? Ahem." Leon blinked, startled, and shook his head. "I—I wasn't staring."

"So what were you doing then?"

"I—I was looking at the map and planning."

Nyra giggled, tilting her head toward him.

"You make it too easy, Leon," she said, her voice low and teasing.

"I wasn't—"

CLANG!

Leon turned toward the deeper part of the cave, drawn by the distant sounds of battle echoing through the tunnels.

The vora on patrol must have been ambushed.

"Nnnnh…"

He turned back at the sound of Nyra groaning as she stood, stretching one arm overhead.

Don't look… he told himself. She has a nice helmet. Very clean. Just a helmet.

"I'm going back to try and sleep. Don't want to disturb your… planning," Nyra said, her tone teasing.

She walked off toward her tent, hips swaying in a way that shattered Leon's remaining self-control. He watched her the entire way, frozen in place even after she disappeared inside.

"I need to hit something," he muttered, before turning and jogging toward the sound of the fight.

The journey back to the surface took just two days. Leon stayed at the front for most of it, with Mason and Nyra at his side. Vora One rotated into the lead at intervals, giving Leon time to recover after using Aetheric Combat State without slowing their pace.

At the surface, Gravemire's sun was at its peak. Leon squinted as the harsh light struck his eyes, momentarily blinded after spending over a week in the depths of the MRM site.

"Sir." Nell approached at a jog and snapped a salute.

"Prepare your cavoras," Leon ordered. "I've already informed command about the route to the MRM deposit. They'll be sending Fulgaris and a mining team to begin operations."

"Yes, sir." Nell gave a sharp nod and hurried off.

Around the cave entrance, the camp quickly came alive. With the site now scouted and confirmed for extraction, preparations began for the next phase. Supplies would arrive soon to replace the tents with sturdier structures for the miners and Fulgaris.

Nyra and Mason left his side to inspect the cavora and take stock of the supplies they'd used.

"That was an interesting dive, if I say so myself," Jeffrey said as he stepped up beside him.

True to his role, Jeffrey had remained quietly observant throughout the mission, positioned in the middle of the formation, never interfering or interacting.

"Did I pass?" Leon asked.

"No casualties and mission complete. Professionally, I can't complain."

"And personally?"

"A Fulgari commander at the front of a shield wall," Jeffrey said, his voice tinged with disbelief. "Either you're reckless or you were taught wrong. Reckless seems more likely—but I haven't heard of any unhinged Fulgari from the Upper Levels joining the Obsidians lately."

He tilted his helmet toward Leon.

"Are you going to tell me which faction you belong to this time?"

Open a comms line to Inceptor.

Beep.

"Inceptor, radio check," Leon said.

"Loud and clear," came the reply from the Inceptor's comms officer.

"Requesting Valkyrie for pickup."

"Copy that. Dispatching now, sir."

Beside him, Jeffrey let out a low chuckle and gave a slow shake of his head.

"Ignored again," he muttered just as an Aquila roared overhead, banked sharply, and settled at the edge of the camp.

"No matter," he added, turning towards the vessel. "I'm sure we'll meet again, Captain Ezra."

A Valkyrie touched down beside the Aquila shortly after.

"The cavora is good to go," Nyra said, taking Jeffrey's place at Leon's side.

Leon gave a nod and made his way toward the Valkyrie.

The ascent to orbit was as usual. This time, however, Leon rode at the bridge with the aircrew. The pilot and copilot managed the controls while a technician sat behind them, monitoring a spread of gauges and readouts.

Leon took the spare seat just behind the technician, eyes fixed on the view beyond the cockpit glass. Two Corvettes hovered in low orbit, positioned side by side.

Jeffrey's Aquila was in the final stage of its docking sequence. A minute after it disappeared into the bay, the Corvette beside the Inceptor slipped into warp and vanished.

Leon exhaled quietly. For the first time in days, no other Obsidians were watching over his shoulder—only his Ruinaris remained.