Twenty-Seven

Culsans,

Boundary line between the Mundane and Hidden world

Hidden world, Terra

Gaea solar system

Milky way Galaxy

Neutral Free zone

 In the quiet street of Manhattan, rows of New York Police department cars drove around, searching for people out on the street. Ever since the lockdown that had been put in place by the government due to the epidemic, there had been mass protest, citizens roaring at the governments "misuse of power". Many believed that the epidemic was just a convenient excuse that the corporations used to control them through the government. At least that was the prevalent theory that conspiracy theorist were going with. Due to the protest, the city leaders had been forced to put a curfew on the city, making it possible to charge anyone out in the street after a certain time. But even with all the officers driving through the streets of Manhattan, one person was able to walk through the alleyway without a care for the human officers that were keeping an eye on any offenders. The person was dressed in a black cloak that hid the battle armor and obscured his face. Though his face was also hidden by a red mask with horns on it. As he walked through the alleyway, a light fell on him making him stop and turn to look at the mobile vehicle with the spinning light pass by him. He didn't bother to run or to hide, knowing that none of the officers would be able to perceive him due to the Grey that obscured the Mystic from the mundane. Arexander Pendragon watched as the vehicle passed by him, his mind churning with an an unknown feeling. The city had changed completely due to the actions he had taken, although it wasn't to the extent that it was in the other cities. The virus that the Fallen stars had made him release for whatever experiment that they were conducting had not gone as well as it should, that much he had gotten from the complaints of Titus who Rex was getting tired of. He frowned when he thought of what had happened. The Abominations- the Fallen Beast faction- had made their move by corrupting those who had been infected by the Fallen star's virus. Now there was a horde of Fallen beast's roaming the planet, something that had never happened within Terra before. Rex sighed as he kept on moving towards his destination. Days had passed since the attack on Samantha Mccoy by Anuntium and Sinutu. Their mission had failed due to the impressive strength of the girl. Rex had been surprised at the fact that she had been able to fight on equal toes with those siblings, and come out on top. He thought of that silver haired Celestial with a youthful appearance that had allowed the fight to happen. Rex had no idea what the Yesh were thinking letting the Assassin get close to the girl, but he had a hunch that the result of the fight had gone according to what they wanted. But for what reason. And why was the Admiral playing along with them? Rex came to the end of the alleyway he had been walking through, and in front of him was a silver fence that blocked his way. As he approached the fence, the space in front of him shook, like a ripple in the surface of water, and out of the space came a tall, brown skinned figure with a double face. One in the front and one in the back. His upper torso was bare while he wore a brown leather pants with a torque necklace around his neck, and a red cap that covered both heads. Within the front face was a pair of scarlet eyes with a slit nose and fangs for teeth. Appearing in it's hand was a silver staff. The Culsans- a Liminal entity that presided over the boundary between the world of the mundane and the world of the supernatural. A personification of the Grey itself. Rex could sense the dense concentration of World energy that made up the body of the Celestial before him.

"You do not belong in this planet, Offworlder," The Culsans said. Rex sighed as he felt a small annoyance of having to go through this. Most of the time that he had been in the Hidden world, he had gone through with the help of the Fallen star, but now Rex was about to step into the territory without their assistance. And as he was not an inhabitant of this world nor did he have the planet's recognition, he was kind of like an illegal immigrant if one were to think that way. His right hand summoned a coin from the Dimension band around his wrist and threw the coin to the Celestial. The Culsans caught it, inspecting the object that acted as a token which had been given to him by the Titanium Blade, Phoebe Yesh. As the High Guardian of the planet, Phoebe was the closest one could say that represented the Planet's will. 

"So the Blade goddess still breathes, " Culsans muttered. The being remembered a time when the gods once walked this planet, a time when both Immortals and mortals lived in harmony. And among them was the Blade goddess. But that was a long time ago. A period among the many in it's memories like pebbles underneath the water. As it held the coin, it disintegrated into dust, a sign of the entity accepting Rex's passage into the Hidden world.

"You may pass through, Offworlder," Culsans said. And it vanished, leaving behind a passageway for Rex to walk through. Before he entered the portal, Rex took a last look on the shadow that his body displayed on the ground, a smile forming underneath his mask.

 ****

Bel-Yor city

Exterior ward

Spring court

Hidden world, Terra

Gaea solar system

Milky way Galaxy

Neutral Free zone

Stepping out of the passage, into another cleaner alleyway, Rex's senses searched around his surroundings, making sure that he was alone, and no one had noticed his presence. After confirming that everything was alright, Rex leaped up in the air, flying so fast that he quickly reached the purple sky that covered the city of Bel-yor, one of the cities of the exterior ward of the spring court. The Hidden World of Terra was divided into four seasonal courts: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Each of these courts was home to the various races of the Nine races and their sub-races, a place that was once a haven for refuges across the cosmos who fled the chaotic state of the warring galaxies. And now presently, it had reached a point where it was almost on the same level as other advanced civilizations outside the Milky Way galaxy. It wasn't on the same level as Agartha, Rex's homeworld, but there was a huge difference between this place and that of the mundane world. Even the concentration of Od in the atmosphere was vastly different. Rex peered down upon the city, a city with tall buildings, and a Maglev rail system that ferried the white sleek colored train across the city. People going about their lives, enjoying what the city had to offer. It was so different from what was happening on the other side. Rex sighed, knowing that even this city, below the light that filled it, was facing the same problem. Luckily, the branch of the Golden Dawn in the city had quickly taken control of the situation and the public was not aware of what was happening. His eyes turned to a corner of the city, where the light had gotten dimmer. And with a booming noise, Rex flew in the direction of the building he was looking at. The flow of Od enhanced his eyes he was circulating within them, making it possible for him to see long distances. He flew above the clouds, making sure no one sensed him by countering the circulation of his Odic flow in the opposite direction. Doing so suppressed his Odic force, allowing him to hide his presence within the Odyllic. As he got closer to the medium-sized, rectangular-shaped building, with most of the street deserted, Rex landed on the ground. In front of him, were the sentries, assigned to guard and protect the secret facility. Some of the Sentries walked along the roof, keeping an eye on the sky, while two clad in Black combat gear with weapons by their side. Like most members of Sector Zero, the Sentries' faces were covered by a mask, though theirs had no descriptive distinctions like the one worn by Rex. One of the Sentries saw a shadow approaching them, his hands went for the sword by his waist. But then Rex took off the hood of the cloak revealing the Dragon horned mask that he wore. Though he was still suppressing his Odic force, the Sentry upon seeing the mask recognized him as one of the Constellation agents of Sector Zero. Recognizing the Dragon mask representation, the Sentry saluted him, followed by his partner. Rex nodded at them, and soon one of them pressed a button and the door slid open for him to enter the building. Rex stepped into the darkness of the hallway, walking down a path while his senses scanned the inside of the building. There was a long stairway that led to the upper floor of the building, the inside of the building having more space than one would think from looking at the outside. Spatial expansion. The inside of the facility was fitted with a magitech that was able to expand the space, making for more distance within the room. There was also some corner of space that was filled with a Spatial barrier that concealed the Sentries that kept an eye on what went on inside. Rex climbed the stairs, ignoring the eyes of the Sentries that were on him. Rex felt like things were happening too fast for him. First, it was the other facility that had been attacked by the Fallen stars, the virus that the Fallen stars made him release into the mundane city and the situation with Sinutu and Anuntium. And now he was about to do something once again. He reached the third floor where the door opened revealing a large room filled with people in white lab coats, moving around, whispering to each other, taking notes on tablets, and watching a hologram screen that was filled with data that Rex didn't understand. Each of these researchers was renowned back in the Divine Federation and to think that they were also working for Sector Zero. If one were to look underneath the mask worn by Rex, one would see a glint of madness within his Scarlet eyes. As Rex walked around the room, the Scientists picked up on Rex's presence, but they said nothing going back to their research. After a while, he left the room and began climbing up the stairs, the beat of his heart calmly thumped as he got to the position of his goal. Even with the knowledge of what he was about to do, Rex didn't feel any ounce of emotion. As a Supreme rank Awakened Mystic, his mental capacity was at its peak of what was possible for mortals along with his Physical prowess, making him able to think of various strategies to enact his goal and process the information at a fast rate while being aware of his surroundings. What Rex needed to do was not as easy as it originally sounded when it had been given to him. In the end, Rex decided to go for the fastest and easiest route. Even though he knew how much pain and suffering it would cost. As he reached the upper floor, the guards by the door straightened themselves, acknowledging his presence.

-

"So I heard a rumor that a new rotation is going to be occurring soon," One of the Guards by the upper floor said. He was an average-height man with orange hair underneath the black helmet he wore. He had the standard black combat gear that all Sentries of Sector Zero wore, with the average handsome features that the Pleiadian race possessed. Though there was some fat around his face and body. His partner, taller than him by a few meters, had a horse-shaped face that still outshined the look of most Terrans, with black hair and blue eyes.

"I wonder what planet they're going to send us to next," the partner said. He was kind of tired of being on this planet. He missed his home, and his family which he hadn't seen in a while, and though the Hidden world was advanced, it was not on the same level as his home world. As a Pleiadian, Vaery Rivers had the standard arrogance that came from being of a superior race, even though unfortunately for him he had been unable to awaken. No one in his family was Awakened, and though a long time ago, there was once one blessed enough to be Awakened, it had been a long time. As such there hadn't been any Paladins from his family within Starlight. But at least, luckily for Vaery, he was able to join Sector Zero due to his skills in the mystic art. The same was the situation with the average height man, Terry Simmons.

"Hope it's not any planet in the Neutral Free zone," Terry said. "Tired of these barbaric planets,"

"Even a planet in the colonies would be better than this place," Vaery muttered just as they heard a movement coming towards them. Terry turned around to see a red armored man with a red mask that looked like a dragon. It had two curved horns on it. Vaery noticed that he couldn't sense the presence within the Odyllic but he couldn't say anything because the person before them was a Constellation. A Constellation were the top tiers Members of Sector Zero, said to possess the highest authority after the Grand Constellation. So when Vaery saw a Constellation walking through, he lowered his guard, though he was wondering why a Constellation was doing here.

"Agent Krios, I didn't know you were-" Rex shoved his hand through the chest of the orange haired man. His hand pierced the heart of the sentry, killing him immediately. Vaery's shock was soon replaced by cold anger as he tried to draw his sword from it's sheath. But Rex was faster, pulling his hand from Terry and using the side of his hand to slice the head of Vaery's off his body. He ignored the bodies on the floor as he opened the door to the room they were guarding. Inside of the white room, with more Sentries walking around, there were various beds, with people strapped to it, more scientist checking and studying the people on the bed. The Sentry closest to the door turned around, seeing the blood that was dripping from Rex's right hand. He pulled his weapon out just as a blur reached him, Rex smashing his fist through his body, killing him on the spot. And then immediately, there was a lot of screaming, the Scientist trying to run in fear. But before they could, Rex simply stopped the Counter flow of his Od, releasing his Odic force in full. The pressure of the aura from his Spiritual power was enough to knock out all the scientist in one go. Some of the Sentries were affected by it, their bodies swaying as they tried to fight off the effect of Rex's will mixed with the pressure. Rex used that chance to eliminate all the Sentries quickly. He moved so fast that none of them could react. It was a one-sided massacre as Rex used just his fist to smash their bodies into paste across the room, careful not to disturb the experimental subjects that were strapped on the bed. After he was done with them, his hearing picked up on the movement heading towards him from the lower floor. His killing intent mixed with the Spiritual pressure that he released must have riled them up. Rex walked out of the room after quickly casting an isolation spell, making it impossible for anyone to enter it. And like that, he turned to the Sentries running up the stairs. Rex raised his foot and sent it down, causing a shockwave that crushed most of the sentries in the front. And then he moved quickly, making sure to give them all a quick death. After five minutes of a one-sided culling, Rex was back in the third lab, where he had just finished killing all the Sentries, the researchers on the floor unconscious from his earlier pressure release.

"Why...Why are you doing this," A Sentry groaned as Rex held him by his neck. Yes! Why are you doing this, Rex? The answer was quite simple. But it wasn't one Rex was willing to answer as he broke the Sentry's neck. After letting go of him, Rex left the room and began climbing the stairs till he got to the roof. There was no one there, as most of the Sentries had gone after him. He was sure that a call for help had been sent but he wasn't in a hurry as his eyes turned to the moon in the sky. He sighed as he took off the cloak from his body dropping the bloody garment on the floor. The red battle armor that Rex wore glowed, as the shadow displayed by his body on the floor began to wriggle. 

"You can come out now," Rex said. And then out of his shadow, four bodies jumped out of it, surrounding him. Rex took a look at the new opponents he would be facing. Each wore tight black armor, their hands by the sword on their waist, all in a battle stance, their bloodlust leaking out.

"Black Knights," Rex muttered. Each was a non-Awakened Pleiadian who was skilled in the Mystic arts. Even more so than the Sentries stationed here. After all, unlike the Sentries, these Warriors were trained in martial arts also. Among the Nine races, the humans were the weakest out of all of them, so in the end, they came up with the system of Martial arts to facilitate the development of their physical, mental, and spiritual prowess. By integrating martial arts with the mystic arts, a warrior could fight against Awakened beings. It's one of the reasons why the Pleiadian race always looked down on humans. Yet it didn't stop them from also developing their Martial art style. A style that Rex was familiar with.

"How did you know," The captain of the Squad assigned to Rex's shadow asked. He was flabbergasted that the traitor was aware of their presence.

"I've always known," Rex said simply.

"Since when," The Captain said.

"Since the beginning," Rex said. He took out a device from his Dimension storage. It was a circular box that emitted a weird sensation. A sensation that was able to influence the five senses of those that had been targeted. It was one of the latest magitech device cooked up by the science and technological department of Starlight called dissembler.

"That..." the Captain said looking at the magitech device. He couldn't believe he had fallen for such a trick. "But if you have that....then how did we witness your behavior moments ago...,"

"Simple." Rex said. "I got tired of you guys in my shadow," Rex bought out a silver longsword from his storage tech. The sword glowed with the imbued power that was forged within it along with the blade. Rex was kind of curious to see what a Black Knight was capable of. "So are we going to do this or not." 

[Nine Star Hegemony martial art style- Star Slash] The Captain made diagonal slash with his sword releasing a slash made up of pure white light. Rex simply moved to the side as the light passed him, cutting across another building in front of the one they were on. Three of the Knights jumped towards him, their blades moving through the air at him. But Rex just used his longsword to block both the three swords. His Physical strength made it possible for him to do it, and that was without using his enhancement technique to boost his physical prowess. He pushed them away like they were nothing but he was surprised to see them adjust their footing to stabilize their balance. Hmm. There was no doubt they were skilled. Rex could tell that they were all in the peak of Diamond rank of the Mystical rank. Especially the Captain. The Mystical rank had six levels in the rank system known as Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. These ranks were different from the Awakened rank and were below it. But that didn't mean just because one had lower rank, that they were helpless against those who were awakened. There were also the Martial arts quality and the mastery one has over it that could factor within one's strength. And the Nine Star Hegemony was a five star quality. The Highest one. So Rex knew that he couldn't afford to underestimate the Black Knights. He moved to the nearest one, making a thrust movement making the knight try to block it, but it was just a feint, as Rex's sword moved so fast making a slashing gesture that cut through the Knight's defense, blood spurting out. Rex saw another Knight attacking him from his back, his sword imbued with Sword aura. Rex turned backwards and used his left hand to block the attack. The Knight was surprise to see Rex use his hand covered in his armor to block his attack. But Rex didn't give him time to make another move, as he sent a kick right at his stomach sending him flying away. Two down. Two to go. Rex felt a swarm of light approaching him. He only smirked as a red light covered Rex as a huge explosion occurred. The two Black Knights watched, the Knight who released the attack excited at the thought of killing a Constellation agent. But out of the smoke Rex hand came out and caught the knight's face and smashed it on the floor. And then he sent a kick at his guts, knocking him out. And now it was just Rex and the Captain. The Captain was not surprise to see that Rex was unscathed. He was a member of the Pendragon family, a named family that were descendants of Dragons and Dragons slayers. But just because he came from a powerful family did not mean that the Captain was going to hesitate. The Knight released his spiritual aura- a condensed form of Odic energy when released from the body-and wrapped it around his body creating his Odic skin technique. He imbued his sword with his Od condensing it into his Sword aura. The Captain's Od output was steadily rising, the quality and quantity reaching an Awakened level.

"Hmm," Rex muttered. The Quality of his Od was purer than the other three, his Odic force almost breaking through the barrier between the Regular and Awakened rank. His Martial art had surely cultivated his overall Odic power to it's current level. Nine star hegemony. It was a powerful marital art that allowed a martial artist to form nine Star cores through the Blood circulation vessel that allowed for easier and stronger Odic circulation through the body. Rex knew if he was facing an Awakened who used this martial art, he would have to put more effort into this fight. But alas-

[Nine star hegemony Martial art style- Starfall] The same attack from the other Knight came at Rex again, this time wider and more powerful than the first one. Rex imbued his own Sword aura on his sword and easily cut through the wave of energy, and used Rapid step to appear behind the Captain and lowered his sword to cut him. The Captain jumped forward and moved again towards him, a barrage of sword slash heading towards Rex.

[Nine star hegemony Martial art style- Meteor Barrage] The swarm of the attack headed to Rex, who just simply evaded each of the barrage, avoiding six of them, parrying three with his sword and tanking two of them with his defense. The Captain breathed heavily, his muscle spasming from the intense pain. He was using a maximum amount of his Od output, something that was tiring. He had half of his Od remaining and yet, he hadn't done anything against Rex. Rex just stood there, staring at the Captain with an air of indifference.

[Flame creation- Dragon's claw] Red flames appeared, forming into a huge claw and when Rex bought his left hand down, the Claw struck the Captain. He felt the hotness of the spell, hot enough to melt even his armor so he decided to dodge it. He rolled to his side as he sent a flying crescent slash at Rex. A simple Mystic technique. Rex activated his own Defense technique, a sturdy Odic skin that boosted the invulnerability of hos body. Validus. One of the Mystic technique for physical strengthening. 

[Dragon art- vertical slash] A red surge of flame sprouted from his sword and with a vertical slash that came from up, Rex lunged his sword with more force. The Captain used his own sword to block it as Rex sent a horizontal slash at him. But the Captain managed to parry it aside. Rex continued his offensive stride against the Captain, putting him on the defense, each blow of his sword got heavier and heavier, making the Captain sweat. Even with the armor and defense that the Captain had, he had still managed to get injured from some of Rex's attack. Rex could sense that the captain was planning something, some kind of last ditch effort to save himself. So he decided to see what he had in mind. Meanwhile the Captain was circulating the remaining Od he had, molding it into his last technique. A technique he was sure that could at least hurt the bastard. Rex couldn't help but be curious as to what he planned to do. So he lowered his defense and put less efforts within his strikes. Unfortunately for the Captain he couldn't notice the difference in Rex's strikes since they were still pressuring him. Rex could see that the Captain was hesitant to make his move so he decided to make it easier for him. After a brief clash between their swords, Rex allowed the Captain to have some leeway, stepping backwards and making space for him. He then made an attempt like he was trying to close the distance in a hurry. Seeing this the captain couldn't help but smile as he made his move. He saw the attack from Pendragon coming at him, a horizontal strike that was infused with red fiery flames. 

[Movement Technique-Rapid step-Afterimage] Rex attack collided against the captain only to find out it was just an afterimage of him. He couldn't help but grin as he turned around to see the Captain behind him, ready to finish him off with his last technique.

[Nine star hegemony martial art style-Secret technique: Nebula disaster] An enormous cloud of dust and gas with a dark silhouette poured forth from the sword of the Captain. The dark cloud had an attractive force that could grind matter into dust. Rex raised an eyebrow as a barrier of red hexagon shaped light formed around Rex. The barrier began to spread around the attractive cloud of dust and gas, surrounding it and capturing it entirely. It began to shrink till it was nothing but a ball of energy in Rex's palm. The Captain watched it all. perplexed and enraged. He had put all his Od into that attack and it had all being for nothing.

 "Was that your last shot?" Rex's voice came from beside the captain. He turned around swinging his sword, but Rex just moved his neck backwards and his fist moved through the air creating a circle of shockwave within the air as his fist smashed the Captain's chest. The Captain flew to the other destroyed building in front of the research facility, hitting the front door, and throwing up blood. The Captain's chest was filled with so much pain that he was having difficulty breathing. He tried to but it felt like the air would just not enter his lungs. More blood poured out of his mouth as he tried to breathe.

"I have to say Captain that you surprised me," Rex said. He was already there, resting his body on the wall of the building so nonchalantly. "The Nebula disaster is a dangerous technique. I've seen it at it's full power destroy an entire planet. But fortunately for me, you were only able to bring out 1.5 percent of it's power efficiently. Tell me, how many star cores have you formed. One, two, three...No two at most since you're at the peak of Diamond rank." The Captain gazed at Rex with pure hatred. He was trying to say something, but his difficulty breathing made it difficult. But Rex had an idea of what he meant to say. He raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to say it loudly.

"You and your men never stood a chance from the beginning," Rex said. "Maybe if I didn't know about your existence, you might have stood a chance at touching me with a surprise attack. But that wouldn't have worked either. I guess you might be able to kill a Heroic rank, but it seems luck wasn't on your-"

"Fuck you! You traitorous bastard. Fuck you and your fucking traitor bloodline." The Captain said. "You and your father are a disgrace to the honor of the Pendragon bloodline," Rex gave the Captain a dark grin, though his eyes were full of fury.

"You should have only insulted me captain, then perhaps I would have given you a painless death like your comrades. But you just had to go there, didn't you," Rex said. He laid his palm on the Captain face and recited a spell.

[Inferno spring] A gush of bright red flames poured out of the magic circle within Rex's palm, burning the Captain before he could do anything. First the flames slowly devoured the face, making the Captain scream in an unforgettable way, then the flame spread through his body, burning him into ash. After the business with the Black Knights were done, Rex waited by the front of the facility, taking his time as he went over what had happened. Now that he had made his move, Mallus would definitely move to take him down. He sighed as he used his Zodiak to make an intergalactical call. A hologram of Admiral Wilcock appeared.

"Is it done," The Admiral said.

"Yes," Rex said.

"Did you get it," Admiral Wilcock asked. Rex bought out two disc object from his dimensional storage. He had procured it after he had finished killing the Captain of the Black knight.

"I still don't understand why the risk of blowing my cover now of all time," Rex said.

"You being undercover within Sector zero lost it's use after what happened with Cedar Lake," The Admiral said. "I did not expect Mallus of all people to ally with the Beast King in this Shadow war."

"Do you really think Mallus gave the Beast King the coordinates to the town," Rex said.

"Yes, I'm sure of it. The town was protected and hidden by the works of the Storm god," The Admiral said. Rex thought of the silver haired Celestial that had been in the Admiral's office. He still couldn't get use to the idea that a god was just leisurely existing in the Physical plane. And what was worse...there was a whole family of them. He sighed just thinking about the red haired woman who had assigned him the job of executing this mission.

"Do you think it's wise giving this to the Fallen stars," Rex said waving the disk. "We could use it ourselves."

"Mallus made a move against not just the Golden Dawn but also the Fallen star by going after the girl," Admiral Wilcock said. "Now it's our turn to make a move. We will use the Fallen star to get rid of a thorn that should have been gotten rid of a long time ago."

"Do you want me to involve Leon in the matter," Rex asked. The Admiral paused, thinking about a certain golden haired boy. He sighed and shook his head knowing that including him would just make things worse.

"Let the boy enjoy his exile. It won't be long before the Stellar council decides to rescind his exile and bring him back," Rex nodded at what the Admiral said just as he sensed the approaching Hovercraft in the air.

"They're here," Rex said.

"Alright. Admiral Wilcock out." He said cutting the call from his side. Rex watched as the Golden Dawn's reinforcement approached the site, eager to pass the baton to them.