Chapter 255 - Seasoned warriors

The Grayling ship broke through the clouds like a jagged shard of night, its metallic hide glistening under the fractured light of the setting sun. People scattered below as its shadow engulfed the city, the air trembling with the deep thrum of its engines. Panels along its belly split open, not with cannons—but with writhing masses of slick tentacles, ready to descend and tear the city apart.High above, Jian stood balanced on the skeletal frame of a half-collapsed tower, eyes calm, breath steady. His perception extended outward—threads of reality tugging, folding, rippling around the Grayling hull. He could see the stress points in the ship’s plating, the flicker of its conduits beneath the surface, the distortions of space around its stealth shielding.

"Holy crap, Jian, look at that ugly bucket of tin!" Nansich’s voice carried over the comm, loud, reckless, grinning. He stood on the opposite side of the street on another high-rise, crouched like a predator. His hands gripped the hilt of his Farian sword, blade gleaming faintly with shifting energy. "Bet I could punch a hole straight through it."

"You’d break your arm before you broke its armor," Jian replied evenly, though a small smile tugged at his lips.

"Bro, c’mon, where’s your sense of confidence?" Nansich chuckled, drawing his blade across the air. Space itself warped faintly around it, edges bending. "That thing’s just a flying coffin. Let’s stuff it with Graylings before it hits the ground."

"Patience," Jian murmured. His eyes narrowed as he tracked the Grayling crew swarming inside. He could sense the captain’s barked orders, the ripple of their monstrous limbs clawing at the hold. "They’re preparing to descend. If they breach the city... the humans won’t survive."

"Well then," Nansich said, bouncing on the balls of his feet like an eager kid at a fight club, "let’s crash their party."

With a roar, Nansich leapt from his tower, sword flashing. In midair, the blade shivered—and with a blink, he distorted, vanishing and reappearing directly against the Grayling hull. His strike cleaved through plating in one brutal slash, sparks and ichor spraying as tentacles burst outward to meet him.

The Graylings shrieked, their massive, maw-like faces pushing out from the ruptured hull. Dozens of slick arms lashed at him. Nansich grinned savagely, blade whirling in wide arcs. Each swing hacked through writhing limbs, the distortion flickering again and again as he shifted, reappearing behind them mid-strike, carving deep gashes through their rubbery flesh.

"Subtle as always," Jian sighed, before stepping off his perch.

For him, the world slowed. Dimensional Perception unfolded—tentacles, strikes, even the vibrations of the ship’s armor lit up before they happened. Jian drew his sword, void energy humming along its edge. He moved like a shadow sliding between folds of reality, every step placed where no strike could touch him.

He landed lightly on the ship’s dorsal ridge as a Grayling erupted from a hatch, its maw gaping, rows of teeth grinding. Tentacles lashed at him—but with one precise sweep, Jian’s void blade cut through everything in its path. Flesh, bone, armor—it all fell apart in silence, the strike leaving a ripple in the air as though reality itself had been sliced.

"Yo, Jian!" Nansich called from below, his laughter carrying through the chaos. He had already split a Grayling in half, the corpse wriggling as it tumbled into the street. "You finally brought out the fancy glowstick!"

"It’s not a glowstick." Jian’s voice remained calm, but there was amusement in his eyes. He sliced cleanly through another tentacle before it could wrap around his leg.

"Dude, it’s literally glowing. You can’t even deny it."

"Focus." Jian leapt down the ridge, void blade trailing black-violet arcs as he carved a path through the mass of writhing limbs toward the engine core. "We need to disable the ship before it crushes the city."

"Yeah, yeah." Nansich spun midair, his sword flashing—distorting space again so that he reappeared inside a cluster of Graylings, his blade cleaving through three torsos at once. Their screams rattled the hull as he kicked one body free. "Hey, bet I take down more of these freaks than you do!"

"That’s not a bet worth taking," Jian replied, already dismantling armor plating with surgical strikes, each void cut tearing through bulkheads and conduits.

"Ohhh, scared you’ll lose?" Nansich teased, even as he blurred forward again, blade trailing distortion. He hacked a Grayling’s head clean off, then used the flat of his sword to smack another back into the abyss.

For a moment, Jian allowed himself to laugh. It was quiet, fleeting, but real. "You’re impossible."

"Damn right I am!"

The ship shuddered violently. Ichor coated its sides, tentacles writhing and severed, while both tore deeper toward its vital systems.

From the distance, Xing Yu watched them with a small smile on his face. Five years have really brought out a lot of changes. The most prominent were these two.

His eyes unconsciously followed the figure dressed in a black t-shirt and cargo pants, watching the young man slice into the Graylings with ease.

It took five years... five years for Jian and Nansich to become fully seasoned warriors.

"Darn, do you think I can defeat those two in a duel?" Eren mumbled, leaning up against Varon’s sturdy chest.

The other man, with a long scar on his face, lovingly hugged the slightly shorter Farian. "I bet not."

"Tsk, how on earth are they so powerful? I get Jian—he is our prince and carries the royal bloodline—but why can’t I even take down that runt?" He grumbled, turning over and burying his face in his lover’s chest.

"There, there... you will get over it."

Eren glared up at him. "Can’t you even console me properly?"

"There is no use consoling. Just get used to it. Those two are more powerful than us..."

"More powerful than our general... what do you say, general?" Eren nudged curiously, glanced at Xing Yu who was intently watching the fight.

"They can spar with me for about an hour."

Eren took in a deep breath. "Fuck. That strong. Ahhh, I want to be strong too." He whined, hugging Varon’s sturdy waist.

"I want to be of use." Another voice interjected with a sigh.

Looking to the side, Eren peered at the only human in their gang, Li Wang, adjusted his slightly cracked glasses with a loud sigh. "Gods, I wish I had powers to fight."

"There, there, little human, you can be of great use too." He reached out and patted his head, for which Varon pulled his lover’s hand away.

Li Wang glared his way. "What use am I to anyone... I’m just a glorified waterboy... I used to be a CEO for God’s sake. Do you know how many people worshipped me?"

"You?" Eren looked him up and down. The human that once wore an exquisite three-piece suit was wearing a white, slightly crumpled t-shirt and some y-tracks. "Seriously? Humans have no taste... if you looked anything like Varon, maybe I would have understood." He mumbled lovingly, kissing his lover’s chin.

Li Wang grimaced and squatted on the rubble. "Don’t make me jealous... I’ll curse you otherwise."

"What use is a puny human, curse. Tsk." Varon mumbled, hugging his lover’s neck and kissing his plump lips.

"Gods save me..." Li Wang moaned and looked away at the heated battle in front.

Right then, Nansich tilted his head back, inhaled deep, and let out a thunderous Resonance Roar. The soundwave blasted across the hull, tentacles snapping like twigs, Graylings thrown screaming into the void. The entire ship lurched, its armored panels splitting under the pressure.

Jian winced at the force, but seized the moment. His Void Pulse Blade flared brighter, cutting through a conduit in a single, devastating strike. The void slash extended farther than steel could reach, severing the reactor feed in one impossible cut.

The ship’s glow flickered, then died. Its engines howled once, then collapsed into silence. The massive vessel listed sideways, spiraling toward the ground.

Nansich leapt free first, hitting the street below with a heavy crash, laughing breathlessly. "Hell yeah! Did you see that roar? Shook that rust bucket’s bones outta its skin!"

Jian descended more gracefully, landing beside him. His blade dissolved into nothingness, the ripple of drained void energy fading. He was tired, but composed. "Messy, but effective."

"Messy?" Nansich barked a laugh. "Bro, we just sent a Grayling warship into early retirement! That’s called style."

Jian allowed the faintest smirk. "If that’s your definition of style."

"You’re just jealous." Nansich nudged him with his elbow, still grinning.

"Shut up." Jian pushed him away as he walked up to the others. Spotting Xing Yu standing up front, he dashed over to him.

Xing Yu nodded softly. "You did well."

"T-thanks..." with a soft blush he looked away from those steel-grey eyes.

"Tsk, you love-struck puppy." Nansich mumbled from the side.

"Shut up." He smacked the back of his head.

"Did you just smack me? Just you wait."

They started to chase each other around playfully.

Xing Yu peered at his mate, his mate who he had met at fifteen was now twenty years old. The years have really done him justice. His face had turned angular and much more handsome, and his golden hair had shifted to a much paler gold, making it look almost like molten sun. As for his eyes... they really could see a person’s soul in.

Taking a deep breath, he quickly looked away. "Let’s get cleaned up and rest for the night."

Li Wang handed them each a bottle of water. "Thank me, you puny Farians, for I have quenched your thirst."

"Thank you, Li Wang." Jian happily took the bottles.

Li Wang smirked and patted the top of his head. "Tsk, why did you grow taller than me?"

Jian just smiled and handed the empty bottle back. "Genes."

"Tsk, I guess genes fucked me up." he mumbled with a small smile on his face.