Bloody Odyssey

Chapter 63: Breakthrough.

Under the glaring sun, the team of six flew, drifting in the wind like leaves caught in an invisible current. The heat pressed down mercilessly—dry, unrelenting, baking the air until it shimmered in visible waves. Large avians circled high above—massive wings spread wide, shadows flickering across the endless plains below—but none dared approach. They kept their distance, wary eyes fixed on the small group, instinctive caution overriding hunger or curiosity.

Under the intense sun, Nadia's power increased exponentially. She entered a lotus position mid-air, legs folded neatly, hands resting on her knees, eyes closed in deep focus. Light rays and pure mana poured into her very being, flooding her meridians, pressing against every barrier inside her core. The sensation was overwhelming—warm, relentless, like liquid sunlight filling every vein.

Could this be a bottleneck? Nadia wondered, breath shallow. The energy is flooding in so fast… my channels are stretching, burning. It's not pain exactly—it's pressure. Like my core is a dam about to crack. If I don't guide it, if I let even one thread slip… She clenched her jaw. No. Focus. Breathe with it. Let it flow, don't fight it.

Dax spread his aura even further, a protective dome of invisible pressure wrapping around her completely. The air shimmered faintly where his power met the sun's glare, bending light into faint rainbows at the edges.

This is good, Dax thought, eyes locked on her internal flow. Every step must be taken carefully. He watched inside her core—golden threads weaving tighter, her mana channels expanding under the influx. She's close.

One wrong pulse and the breakthrough collapses. But she's stronger than she knows. Let it burn through the weakness. She'll come out sharper.

Anastas glanced sideways. "Is it me, or is the sun getting hotter?" he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.

He fanned himself furiously, the motion doing almost nothing against the rising heat. He pulled an iced drink from his storage ring and took a long, desperate gulp. "Ahhh, thank you Hanna, you're a saint."

But Hanna gave no answer.

Anastas turned to look at her—only to see the entire team frozen, gazes locked upward.

"Impossible," Zain breathed, voice low.

Rays burst from Nadia's body like she was the imitation of the sun itself—pure golden light exploding outward in sharp, blinding spokes. The air around her warped, heat rippling visibly in concentric waves.

Anastas's AI lens flashed warnings across his vision: Entering shade mode. Extreme thermal surge detected. Recommend immediate retreat.

What the hell is happening? Anastas thought, heart kicking hard. She's glowing like a damn star. My skin feels like it's cooking. If this keeps up, we're all going to fry.

Seconds passed—long, heavy seconds.

Suddenly Little Purple couldn't take it anymore. It screeched in pain—high, piercing, raw, the sound cutting through the wind like a blade.

"Purple!" Dax noticed instantly. The light rays had begun to burn through Purple's scales, blackening edges, smoke rising in thin, acrid wisps.

Dax's mind calculated with insane speed. The intensity is beyond its tolerance threshold. Scales melting in 0.8 seconds. Core temperature rising exponentially. If I don't act—

In an instant he levitated Nadia, suspending her mid-air. The moment the contact broke, the pain stopped. Little Purple began to fall, wings limp, body smoking.

He passed out, Dax noted, surprised. Little Purple actually endured that intensity longer than expected. Tougher than I gave credit for.

"Little Purple." Dax stretched his other hand, suspending the creature in the air. "You did well, little one."

He floated closer, petting the scorched scales gently. I believe I haven't given it a name. Dax smiled as the thought crossed his mind. He needs a good name.

Dax pondered for a second. "Rai. Yes—this name suits you perfectly."

He manifested the gate to his lab beneath him, dropping Rai inside with careful precision. The black portal swallowed the dragon smoothly.

Suspended in the air, the team awaited Nadia.

Once again, golden strings—only visible to Dax—appeared, moving toward Nadia with purpose, sharp and hungry.

You just wouldn't give up, Dax thought, eyes narrowing. He appeared above her in a blink. The team recoiled, suppressed by his sudden, strange action.

Dax opened his palm and grabbed—gathering all the strings instantly. Not even up to a hair's breadth passed before he burst into golden flames.

Instantly the team stood on alert. They all tried to approach, but Dax halted them with a single raised hand—still burning.

Dax's skin began to sting. Each sting felt like he was being stabbed. The worst pain was in his head region—sharp, pulsing, like needles driven behind his eyes.

This again, he thought calmly. The same old attack trying to claw its way back in. Pathetic.

He pushed his hair back as if standing under a waterfall, then stretched—arms wide, back arched. Though he felt immense pain, it was nothing compared to what he had endured before. Nothing compared to what he had put himself through.

To his team, he looked like he was dancing in agony.

Hanna moved fast—stretching her hand, ice manifesting in a rush to cover him, to reduce the intensity.

He's burning alive, she thought, panic spiking. I can't just watch. I will Freeze the flames before they eat him.

But then she felt it—a weeping sense of death. Not just her—the whole team felt it. A cold, suffocating pressure focused directly on Hanna and, surprisingly, Anastas.

In a split second Dax appeared—still burning—and grabbed the strings moving toward Anastas and Hanna.

I see, Dax thought. Dax drank—swallowing the whole flame in one motion.

+10,000 Origin.

+10,000 Origin.

Dax's newly formed core began to spin violently, forcing the galaxy inside it to dance—stars streaking, nebulae swirling in furious spirals.

No. Not only do you defy my will, but you also harbor the worshipper of the evil gods. A true heretic.

The voice echoed from the sky—this time they all heard it. Deep, resonant, carrying the weight of divine judgment.

Dax opened his lab gates, pointing at it with his thumb. "Go in."

Instantly Anastas moved. His bone wyvern flapped its wings with insane speed. You don't need to tell me that twice, he thought, heart hammering. Whatever that voice is—I'm not sticking around to find out.

Suddenly multiple trades began to pour from the sky—golden spears of light, crackling with holy wrath.

Zain and the others looked back at Dax.

"Go!" he yelled.

In a blink they moved. The black hole vanished into nothingness behind them.

Dax's aura burst outward, increasing. Two halos appeared, stacking above themselves. The pitch-black halo now possessed stars within it, yet it still carried an insane devouring force—pulling light inward, swallowing the sun's glare.

Cil appeared in Dax's palm—her crimson edge glowing gently.

"You are too much."