Cosmic Ruler - Chapter 355

Chapter 355: Fights

The forest grew darker as the team moved north, the thick canopy above blotting out even the faintest traces of moonlight. Aiden led the way, his Spirit Sense stretched to its limits, scanning for signs of movement. The tension among the group was palpable; every rustle of leaves, every crack of a branch seemed magnified in the oppressive silence.

Reia broke the quiet, her voice barely above a whisper. “If they’ve got elites on us, they’ll catch up sooner or later. We can’t keep running forever.”

“We’re not running,” Aiden replied sharply, his tone brooking no argument. “We’re repositioning. If we fight them here, we’re boxed in. We need open ground where we control the engagement.”

Myne shot him a sideways glance. “You’re planning a counterattack, aren’t you?”

Aiden didn’t answer directly. Instead, he stopped, motioning for the group to halt. His gaze swept their surroundings, sharp and calculating. Finally, he nodded. “There’s a clearing about a mile ahead. It’s surrounded by natural bottlenecks—we can funnel them into a kill zone.”

Arlen groaned, slinging his explosives bag higher onto his shoulder. “Why does every plan of yours involve us fighting overwhelming odds?”

“Because it works,” Cyris said, his voice calm. “And because you’re still alive to complain about it.”

Reia smirked, shaking her head as she checked the sights on her rifle. “I’ll take point once we hit the clearing. If they’re sending elites, I’ll slow them down before they even see us.”

Aiden nodded, his mind already racing through the details. “Reia, you’ll have high ground. Myne, cloak our position as long as you can. Arlen, I want traps—explosives, snares, anything to disrupt their formation. Cyris, you’ll anchor the flanks with me. Hit and fade tactics.”

“What about you?” Myne asked, her tone probing. “You always end up throwing yourself into the thick of it.”

Aiden’s lips curved into a faint smile, though his eyes remained cold. “They’ll expect that. Let them. I’ll draw their attention while you do the real work.”

The team moved swiftly, each member falling into their roles without hesitation. The clearing came into view, just as Aiden had described—ringed by jagged rock formations and narrow paths that forced any approach into a choke point. It was perfect for an ambush.

Arlen got to work immediately, setting up a network of explosives along the primary paths. “These aren’t the flashy kind,” he muttered, mostly to himself. “Pressure-activated, directional blasts. Should shred their frontlines if they’re dumb enough to rush us.”

Reia climbed to a perch high in the rocks, her rifle already trained on the forest’s edge. Myne spread her hands, her shadowmancy seeping into the ground, creating an unnatural darkness that clung to the clearing’s perimeter. Cyris remained on the move, his twin blades flashing briefly as he tested the balance of his weapons.

Aiden stood in the center of the clearing, his presence calm yet commanding. His Spirit Sense picked up the faint ripples of approaching forces—fast and organized. The elites Liam had warned about were closing in.

“They’re here,” he said quietly, his voice cutting through the stillness. “Get ready.”

The first wave came without warning, a dozen shadows bursting from the trees with inhuman speed. Their movements were precise, their coordination impeccable. Aiden recognized them immediately—special operatives from the Celestial Court’s Obsidian Division.

Reia’s rifle barked, and one of the shadows dropped, a clean shot through the head. The others scattered, darting between cover as they advanced. Myne’s shadows lashed out, slowing their movements, while Arlen’s traps detonated with deafening roars, sending shrapnel and fire into the advancing lines.

“Hold the line!” Aiden barked, stepping forward as a pair of Obsidian operatives broke through. His hand shot out, the Golden Sword Martial Spirit materializing in a flash of radiant energy. With a single swing, he cut down the first attacker, the blade slicing cleanly through their armor. The second lunged at him, but he sidestepped, driving his elbow into their throat before finishing them with a precise thrust.

Cyris was a whirlwind on the flanks, his twin blades dancing in a deadly rhythm. Every strike was precise, every movement calculated. He moved like a ghost, cutting down any who dared approach.

The air crackled as Myne unleashed a wave of shadowy tendrils, entangling three more operatives and pulling them into the darkness. Their screams were brief, silenced by the suffocating power of her shadowmancy.

But then came the second wave, larger and more organized. Among them were the elites—figures clad in gleaming obsidian armor, their auras radiating power. Aiden’s eyes narrowed as he spotted their leader, a towering figure wielding a glaive crackling with lightning energy.

“Focus fire on the leader!” Aiden ordered. “Take them down fast!”

Reia’s rifle fired again, but the leader deflected the shot with a casual swing of their glaive. They charged forward, their presence commanding, their strikes devastating. Aiden intercepted them, his Golden Sword clashing against the glaive in a shower of sparks.

“You must be Aiden,” the leader said, their voice cold and mechanical. “The one who thinks he can defy the Celestial Court.”

Aiden smirked, his blade locking with the glaive. “Defy? No. I’m here to dismantle it.”

The leader sneered, their glaive surging with lightning as they pushed Aiden back. “Then you’ll die here, just like the rest of your pitiful resistance.”

Aiden steadied himself, his smirk turning into a cold, determined grin. “We’ll see about that.”

The clash between Aiden and the Obsidian leader sent shockwaves rippling across the battlefield. Sparks flew with each collision of their weapons, the crackling of lightning against the radiant glow of the Golden Sword. The intensity of the fight drew the attention of both sides, but neither combatant seemed to notice—they were locked in a deadly dance, each testing the other’s limits.

“You’re good,” the leader admitted, their movements fluid and precise. “But skill alone won’t save you.” They spun the glaive in a deadly arc, unleashing a surge of lightning energy that lit up the clearing. Aiden leapt back just in time, the blast scorching the ground where he had stood.

“You think this is just skill?” Aiden retorted, his voice steady despite the strain of battle. He extended his free hand, summoning the Reaper Scythe in a burst of dark energy. Wielding both weapons, he lunged forward, his strikes now faster and more unpredictable. The leader faltered, their confidence momentarily shaken as they struggled to keep up with the dual assault.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team was holding their ground against the Obsidian Division. Arlen’s traps continued to wreak havoc, the explosions disorienting the advancing operatives. Reia provided cover fire from her perch, each shot precise and deadly. Myne’s shadows swirled around the battlefield, creating zones of impenetrable darkness that confused and isolated the enemy forces.

But the elites were relentless. Cyris was engaged in a fierce duel with two operatives, their movements perfectly synchronized. He parried a series of rapid strikes, countering with a whirlwind of his own blades. One of the operatives managed to land a glancing blow, drawing blood, but Cyris barely flinched. With a swift counterstrike, he disarmed one of his opponents and drove his blade through their chest.

“Myne!” Cyris called out, his voice urgent. “I need cover!”

“On it!” Myne replied, her hands weaving through the air as she summoned a wave of shadows that engulfed Cyris and his remaining opponent. The shadows twisted and writhed, obscuring their forms from view. When the darkness receded, Cyris stood alone, his blades dripping with blood.

Reia cursed under her breath as she spotted more reinforcements emerging from the treeline. “They just keep coming,” she muttered, adjusting her aim. Her next shot took down another elite, but it wasn’t enough to stem the tide.

Aiden, still locked in combat with the leader, noticed the reinforcements as well. “We’re out of time,” he muttered, his tone grim. With a surge of energy, he pushed the leader back, creating a momentary gap between them.

“Myne, signal the fallback,” he commanded. “We’ve done enough damage for one night.”

“But the leader—” Myne began to protest, her frustration evident.

“Isn’t the objective,” Aiden interrupted. “We’ve crippled their supply lines and forced them to show their hand. That’s a win. Now move!”

Reluctantly, Myne raised her hands, sending a signal through the shadows that enveloped the battlefield. The team began retreating, their movements disciplined despite the chaos.

The Obsidian leader sneered, their glaive crackling with renewed energy. “Running already? I expected more from you.”

Aiden smiled faintly, his golden eyes glinting in the dim light. “This isn’t running. This is strategy.” He raised his Reaper Scythe, the dark energy swirling around its blade. With a single swing, he unleashed a wave of destructive power that tore through the ground, forcing the leader and their forces to fall back.

By the time the dust settled, Aiden and his team had vanished into the shadows, leaving behind a battlefield littered with the remnants of the Celestial Court’s forces.