00:00 PM
At sea,
I was slowly meditating. My internal energy was flowing into my dantian, while the force around me vibrated, manipulating the laws of reality and the powers that moved the world.
"It seems it's starting." A voice beside me pulled me out of my focus.
I turned and saw Shang-Chi. He also appeared to have been meditating a moment earlier.
I smiled at him and turned my attention back to the images in front of me.
At the moment, I was aboard my martial ship, floating in the air. Below us was a massive oil platform.
In the images, I saw several individuals emitting a high amount of heat and energy. The threat wasn't extreme, but it certainly wasn't minor either.
I closed my eyes and focused on the images and sensations sent by my bees.
Two locations stood out to me.
The first was where Killian was, the one Stark was supposed to handle today. Two other people were with him. However, they were different from the other Extremis-enhanced users. Their bodies not only emitted stronger energy and heat, signaling superiority, but there was also a massive centipede behind them — indicating a link between both experiments.
The danger level from these three was significantly higher than the others.
The second location was a bit farther away, a massive ship. It housed some Extremis users and others tied to the centipede tech, along with seemingly normal individuals who, based on their physique and posture, looked like well-trained soldiers.
But what truly caught my attention was a specific man aboard that ship. He was in a meditative position, and his features reminded me of Shang-Chi — though something was off. Despite appearing human, his vitality was unusual.
Even more striking were his fingers — or more precisely, the rings he wore.
Each ring emitted a distinct vibration. Some resonated with mental energy, others with pure power, and others still with different elemental energies.
I couldn't fully analyze each ring, but they seemed to be a fusion of technology and magic.
When I attempted to send one of my bees closer, I saw his eyes snap open. With a flick of his finger, intense flames shot out, destroying my small bee instantly.
Losing the connection, I frowned in irritation. Another bee outside showed me he had left the ship, seemingly searching for more bees — or for their master.
Taking this into account, I pulled my bees back.
"It really does seem like your father is here," I stated, drawing Shang-Chi's attention.
He looked like he wanted to rush to him immediately, and I could feel his Qi vibrating intensely.
"Hold on. We're waiting for something more…" I said, and we both patiently remained in position.
Soon, a signal was detected by my ship, and loud music began playing inside. It was heavy, fast-paced rock.
I smiled softly and murmured,
"This guy really knows how to put on a show."
Even though I had been warned, the next scene still caught me by surprise.
In the sky, dozens of suits of armor began flying toward the base — each with a different design, color, and weaponry.
It was a true spectacle.
My divine eyes glowed. I saw six suits heading toward Killian's location.
One of them stood out. Not only was it more technologically advanced, but there was a living person inside.
Seeing this, I smiled and said,
"Let's go."
My companion took a deep breath as the floor beneath us opened with a mere thought of mine.
Without hesitation, we jumped. I flew calmly, guided by the power of wind, while Shang-Chi performed acrobatic movements in the air and landed gracefully on the base.
His gaze immediately searched for the ship, but before he could rush off, I made a mental connection with him:
"Be careful. Your father definitely has something powerful with him. And he's not alone on that ship."
He turned his head, nodded, and continued on.
I had no intention of interfering immediately, so I focused on reinforcing our side.
My mana vibrated intensely, pressing down on the entire area and announcing my presence.
I didn't mind being noticed. I concentrated my internal energy to transform it into ice magic.
The surrounding temperature plummeted. The air began to freeze, and small snowflakes started to fall.
My hands joined above my head.
"Ice Make…"
A massive bluish-green magic circle appeared above me, with a faint purplish-gray hue influenced by my soul power.
From it, countless ice birds were formed — eagles, owls, flamingos, and more — each varying in size and pressure.
They were also intelligent like golems, crafted using my soul and ghost clan techniques.
"Advance."
As if obeying my command, not only did the ice birds move forward, but the waiting armors did too.
And so, another great battle began.
I watched carefully as my creations bit and clawed, freezing or eliminating their targets.
The suits advanced with energy blasts, bullets, and missiles.
It was then that I got a better look at the Extremis users.
They emitted extreme heat, manifesting as fire or pure energy.
After a while, I landed gently on the base.
Two individuals rushed toward me.
The one on the left unleashed a wave of fire; the one on the right attempted a direct strike.
I moved calmly.
In my left hand, I summoned my sword. With a single swing, a wave of silver and black energy cut through the flames and sent the attacker flying — hard to tell if he was still alive.
As for the second, I aimed at his neck with my right hand.
Multiple spheres of sharp threads — deadlier than bullets — pierced his neck and skull.
"Let's continue..." I said calmly.
As my body was reinforced by the wind, my Haki and divine eyes pulsed with mental energy. I used martial arts to eliminate or restrain several enemies.
I sealed some, tied others with wires, and took the lives of a few.
Soon, I reached Stark's side of the battle.
He and his armors were holding out, but there was a risk of defeat.
I decided to step in.
I accelerated harder, and before one of the enemies could react, my sword was already slashing toward him.
But unlike the others, he turned at the right moment.
An intense energy surrounded him, allowing him to resist the blow.
My eyes glowed softly.
"Good resistance. Definitely an interesting genetic evolution."
I increased my speed even more, and my sword glowed with silver energy.
We exchanged a few blows. Wounds began to accumulate on his body. When he tried to attack with energy, my sword easily sliced through it. When he came with physical blows, my other hand — equipped with sharp, colorful threads — struck him.
I didn't want to waste time. I prepared my sword for a finishing blow.
But he noticed — and took a drastic step.
I realized it immediately: his energy-overloaded body was about to explode.
Stark seemed ready to use one of his suits to carry the body away — something he had already done with others.
But it was too late.
Or maybe not.
At the exact moment of the explosion, it was contained.
A powerful energy surrounded his body.
Of course, it was me.
My hand was raised, and my forehead furrowed in concentration.
Using my soul, I stopped the energy from expanding further and launched him far away with a powerful gust of wind.
When I released control over his body, the energies quickly collapsed.
He exploded — a massive blast of bright orange fire and golden light.
I sighed softly.
This was a major complication.
If more people had this kind of destructive power, innocent lives could be at risk.
I turned my attention back to the battlefield.
Stark was still holding on, aided by his armors and my ice creations.
So, I decided to head toward Shang-Chi — his situation could be even more critical.