The Culprit behind the scenes (Part-1)

Before Jay stepped into the Trial Region where the 1st Raid Party was cornered, a restlessness gnawed at him. Under usual circumstances, if only the elite members—Earth's top Alpha Chosen and Akor—were involved, his concern would have been tempered by confidence. 

They were powerful, resourceful, and capable of escape if things took a dire turn. But the 1st Raid Party was more than just the core of his strongest allies. It included Akor's team members, Halbor and his team members, and, most importantly, the Alpha Chosen from the collateral trial zones—those whom Jay had made a promise to protect.

The memory of what transpired on Day-10 weighed heavily on him. The chaos wrought by Heaven Breaker shattered innocent lives and forced Jay to confront the unintended cost of his strongest skill. 

Accepting the responsibility for those losses had not been easy, but he had vowed to make amends. Now, those very ones were in peril once more, their lives teetering on the edge of death simply because they had chosen to join his side.

The thought stoked a fierce determination within Jay. He had offered more than just protection; he had offered them a chance for something greater—a foundation that would empower their planets long after this brutal trial ended. 

To that end, he had orchestrated three Raid Parties, rather than the two that would have sufficed from a tactical standpoint. Half of each party was comprised of members from the collateral teams, ensuring they gained invaluable combat experience and the potential rewards that came with clearing Obelisks. It was a decision born from responsibility and resolve, to compensate for what had been lost and to pave a future where the lives lost would not be in vain.

The knowledge that he wouldn't be able to get to them in time unless the Space Platform on the other side activated left him feeling powerless, a sensation that twisted in his gut and kindled a deep, simmering anger.

'How could it come to this?' he thought while clenching his fists. 'They're fighting for their lives out there, facing death at every moment, and I'm stuck waiting for this spatial portal to connect.' The idea of entering that Trial Region and obliterating every enemy force burned within him, a white-hot resolve that surged through his veins.

Just then, MJ, the baby AI that served as Jay's constant companion, chimed in with a soft alert. "Master, I have new intel on the enemy forces," it said, its tone cautious yet informative. "It seems they are defending their territory under false pretenses. Their leader believe that the 1st Raid Party is here to conquer, kill, and enslave their people. The misinformation appears deliberate—Urzo's fingerprints must have been over this."

Jay's jaw tightened at the name. Urzo. 'That manipulative bastard was playing his games again, using deception to push others into doing his dirty work.' 

The knowledge deflated some of the anger simmering in Jay's chest, shifting it from raw anger to a more calculated fury as a cold realization settling over him. 'Urzo is trying to weaken me by sacrificing these misguided fools.'

Although Jay could see the situation for what it truly was, anger still surged within him at the attackers who hadn't paused to exchange a single word before launching their assault on the 1st Raid Party. 

Despite Olivia's earnest attempts to reach out and assure them of their peaceful intentions, the local army had relentlessly pressed on. Their refusal to stand down only stoked the simmering anger and frustration boiling inside him.

By sheer luck, the Raid Party had suffered no losses. Dante, however, had come dangerously close to death, narrowly surviving as he managed to hold Yinad in place for the devastating arrows to land had resurfaced in his mind, stoking the flames of his anger. 

If not for their life bond and his quick severance of║FATE SHOWDOWN║, Dante might not have survived. That near-miss grated on Jay's nerves.

After what felt like an eternity of tense waiting, MJ pinged again. "Master, the Space Platform connection is stable. You're clear for transfer."

Without hesitation, he dived in, prepared to uproot every trace of war that dared to threaten his people.

The instant he stepped through the portal, Olivia reached out mentally, urgently sharing her findings to temper his response and prevent an indiscriminate massacre. Yet, Jay already knew much of it; MJ had kept him supplied with real-time, detailed information on the events that had unfolded. 

Jay long knew that Olivia had ordered a full retreat and taken a purely defensive stance, hoping to spare the locals from further casualties—all caused by their leader's deceptions.

While Jay respected Olivia's restraint and her unwillingness to spill more blood than necessary, the persistence of the local army in attacking his Raid Party, even after repeated chances for peace, soured his view.

Jay was not one to kill without cause, and he wouldn't go out of his way to harm those who were innocent. But when it came to those intent on spilling the blood of those he protected, regardless of their ignorance, he had no reservations about eliminating them.

Without delay, he deployed the second most potent skills in his arsenal,║Arcane Vortex║. Its destructive potential rippled through the air, but he refrained from unleashing its full might. Instead, he wielded it as a warning, a silent testament that he held their fate in his hands.

In an instant, Jay's eyes locked onto the second-in-command leading the local forces. With a swift use of Isolated Suction, Jay yanked the commander to him and seized him by the throat. 

The figure, whose features bore a striking resemblance to Yinad, froze in shock as Jay's iron grip tightened. Delving into his mind, Jay sifted through the memories, piecing together the missteps and misunderstandings that had brought them to this moment.

As the other two Raid Parties surged through the shimmering portal manifested over the Space Platform, Rex, Seath, Pompa, Vral, Tyuk, and Vorqen took the lead, their presence fierce and commanding. 

Akor, sensing the influx of their allies, dispelled the protective Aqua shell, its translucent barrier dissolving into thin air as the last stragglers stepped through. The combined force, now bolstered to a formidable count of over a hundred warriors, stood shoulder to shoulder, an unwavering testament to their collective power.

For a moment, a tense silence draped over the battlefield. None dared to act precipitously. All eyes were drawn to Jay, who, without hesitation, had unleashed a vortex of deadly whirlwind ready to obliterate the local army at a mere flick of his will.

The spectacle silenced even the most battle-hardened among them; the locals, arrayed in disciplined ranks, stood paralyzed, their courage faltering under Jay's unyielding gaze that swept across them like the edge of a blade.

Jay's anger, though bubbling, was cooled down by the lack of casualties on his side. He took a deep breath, allowing a fraction of the tension to loosen before issuing his next command. "Rex," he said, voice firm and cutting through the still air, "bring their leader to me."

Rex's response was immediate the moment Dante indicated Yinad's location. With a sharp nod, he activated his Pseudo-Speed Energy, vanishing in a flash that even most of the Tier-4 individuals struggled to follow. His form became a streak of pure speed, slicing effortlessly through the wreckage of the snow-covered mountain, sending sprays of ice and shattered rock flying in his wake.

In just fifteen seconds, traveling at 3.5 times the speed of sound, Rex reached Yinad—leader of the locals—covering the 20 kilometers (about 12.4 miles) with ease. Yinad was a grim sight; all four of his limbs were missing, though they had begun to regenerate, each stump already a third restored and slowly inching toward completeness. 

Despite his dire condition, Yinad summoned the strength to launch Aura-coated arrows as soon as he spotted Rex. However, Rex evaded them effortlessly, his movements fluid and assured. 

Soon, Rex seized hold of Yinad and used his body as a shield, positioning him directly in the path of the incoming arrows. This forced the Sentient Aura projectiles to veer away and nullify the threat before they could cause any harm.

The spectacle was almost cruel in its efficiency. Yinad, one of the top-10 power rankers, was rendered helpless, bound by the relentless speed that Rex wielded as a weapon. Unable to defend himself, Yinad was dragged forward, an unwilling captive who fought in vain to maintain his composure.

Rex's return was met with silent anticipation. He released Yinad with a sharp, dismissive motion, letting the leader collapse at Jay's feet. The once-proud Alpha Chosen now lay in the dust, eyes blazing with defiance and fear, as Jay looked down on him.

≿━━━━━━༺❀༻━━━━━━≾

Author Note: 

Exclusive artwork for every free chapter is now available on my PATRE0N page! You can find the link in my Discord server.

I'm thrilled to share that I'm taking a big leap forward! Alongside Earth's Alpha Prime, I've launched the first sub-book for EAP.

ALTER REALITY: Online

≿━━━━━━༺❀༻━━━━━━≾

The first ten to comment for new chapter releases will get '1 ADVANCED CHAPTER' for free on Earth Alpha Prime's Discord server.

In the discord server, I opened a private channel for those Top 10 candidates, where I posted the respective Advanced Chapter.

 ╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

Discord Link for 'Earth's Alpha Prime' :

https://discord.gg/maQC7xDBYZ

 ╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯