Executioner's League-Chapter 70: The Hybrid Ascension and The Trip to the Bastille!

The sun had barely dipped

behind the hills when the three warriors arrived at the mansion atop the

cliffs. The sky was stained in hues of gold and rose, casting long shadows

across the stone path leading to the grand entrance. The towering estate loomed

over the valley like a sentinel of forgotten ages, its aura humming with

dormant power.

Veyvron Krynn stood at the

entrance, arms crossed, his cloak billowing slightly in the wind. As they

approached, his eyes—sharp and commanding—met theirs with silent

acknowledgment.

"You've returned," he

said. "Good. Time is thinning."

He turned and began

walking toward the underground chambers. "We'll begin the core upgrades immediately.

Once they're complete, and your training reaches the required threshold, you'll

be ready to approach the Shinkoku Bastille."

Kael nodded with resolve.

"Yes, sir. We're ready."

Veyvron glanced back

briefly. "Good. I hope you're as ready as you sound."

Inside the mansion, the

underground laboratories were alive with luminous streams of data flowing

through crystal conduits and arcane circuitry. Syvaren awaited them at the Core

Integration Hall, standing by a pulsating terminal glowing with flux energy.

"Give us the extracted

data," he said, and Kyrin handed over a sealed case encoded with their core

resonance patterns.

Syvaren took it and

plugged it into the archive, and intricate holograms of each of their cores

projected into the air—spinning with radiant complexity.

"Fascinating," Syvaren

muttered. "These readings... your cores have reached a level even beyond standard

Hybrid Mode. You're nearing Ascension Parameters."

"We'll begin

reconstructing the cores immediately," Veyvron added. "They'll be attuned to

your new limits—raw physical output, energy alignment, spiritual

synchronization. This will unlock what we call Core Hybrid Ascension."

"How long will it take?"

Senjuro asked.

"By dawn," Syvaren

replied. "But while we prepare the new cores, you three will train.

Push your limits. Because when these are ready... you'll need to be."

The trio exchanged a

look—and without another word, they made their way toward the Training

Arena.

The facility was vast and

multi-tiered, with sections designed for different combat and energy

disciplines. Towering dummies reinforced with energy-reactive alloys lined the

strength zone. The agility sectors shimmered with holographic enemies

programmed to mimic real battle instincts. And in the flux chamber, energy

resistance training commenced under intense pressure from gravitational fields.

Kyrin took to the

marksman's lane, honing his ultimate accuracy through layered forcefields. He

moved like a wind-honed blade, every shot deliberate, piercing synthetic

enemies with near-perfect precision.

Kael moved into the

close-combat zone, wielding a dual-form blade that shifted between solid steel

and crystalline flux. He practiced his Flux combinations, creating pulses of infused

flux with each clash against the spectral drones.

Senjuro entered the Spiritual

Section—an area that replicated hostile battlefields from real war archives. He

summoned his scythe, shifting his stance through Kurogiri's fluid forms,

combining them with the Divine Dragon's movement patterns. His every slash

cracked the air with sheer force and spiritual rhythm.

They trained for

hours—each movement more refined, more dangerous. They weren't just preparing

for a mission—they were preparing for war.

And deep within the lab,

the new cores pulsed, waiting to be awakened.

In the vast, high-tech

training area beneath Veyvron's mansion, the atmosphere pulsed with raw energy

and anticipation. Massive panels lined the walls, simulating a variety of

environments—icy caverns, scorching wastelands, and shifting shadow realms. These

weren't just visualizations. They were flux-reactive battlefields, designed to

push warriors beyond their limits.

Senjuro, Kyrin, and Kael

each stood in separate arenas. Above them, a chamber overlooked the entire

training compound where Veyvron and Syvaren observed their progress, analyzing

core reactions and energy synchronization.

"Begin Simulation Level

7," Syvaren announced into the console.

Senjuro took a breath and

closed his eyes, his core humming gently in resonance. The environment around

him shifted to a battlefield cloaked in twilight mist, filled with shadow

projections. Without hesitation, he activated his upgraded core— Celestial

Aetherefrax Forge —and a brilliant aura surrounded him. His movements

became fluid, his senses expanded, and his speed became nearly untraceable to

the eye. The shadows and light lunged, but Senjuro struck with precision, each

motion an elegant fusion of technique and instinct.

Meanwhile, Kael was

surrounded by volatile geysers of Hyper Resonance Flux in his simulation. The

system had generated elemental anomalies to challenge his command over

temperature and elemental control. Drawing the Aetherborn Helix Drive,

Kael's entire body pulsed with multiple flux streaks. As the ground cracked

beneath him and flux pressure tried to pin him, Kael countered with elegant

rhythm, using resonance harmonics to redirect the flux back into his control.

Every movement of his blade sounded like a musical note, resonating with his

surroundings.

Kyrin faced something

different. A mirror arena, where dozens of shadow-forms of himself attacked in

unison, each imitating his fighting style down to the last move. His newly

upgraded core—Xyvern Prismatrix Apex—ignited like a radiant sphere of

flux, radiating waves of multiple variants of the ten energies of Aurora

Spritian. It wasn't brute force Kyrin relied on here—it was clarity. He calmed

his mind and embraced the heat, striking each mirror-form with radiant bursts

that obliterated the shadows and echoed across the chamber.

Above, Veyvron nodded in

satisfaction. "They've all surpassed their previous limits."

Syvaren added, "And this

is just the first tier of ascension. Their bond with their cores is stronger

than ever."

After hours of grueling

trials, the three warriors exited their chambers, drenched in sweat but glowing

with power. They gathered in the central chamber where Veyvron and Syvaren

stood waiting beside a crystalline table with their refined core badges laid

upon it—each core pulsing with vibrant energy signatures.

"These are your fully

awakened Core Ascension tokens," Veyvron announced. "They will link directly to

your essence. No more just wielding power—you are now one with

your core."

Kael approached and picked

up his badge, a circular crystal etched with ancient Aetherian runes. "I can

feel the pulse... like it's alive," he whispered.

Senjuro and Kyrin

followed, taking their tokens with reverence.

"Rest tonight," Veyvron

continued. "Tomorrow, you leave for the Bastille."

The next morning was

silent, but tension rippled through the mansion. The team stood at the northern

balcony, dressed in high-grade hybrid combat suits. Syvaren approached them,

holding a sealed scroll marked with the sigil of Neonis.

"This scroll contains the

Bastille's old floor schematics and a secondary key pass. It's encrypted with

light-infused language—you'll need it to navigate the mid-levels."

Kael took it and nodded.

"Understood."

Veyvron handed Senjuro a

wrapped item. "This... was Raizen's. A blade forged in the eclipse core of

Neonis. It resonates with your flux pattern."

Senjuro unwrapped it to

reveal a katana-like weapon with a black-silver finish, the blade humming with

dormant power. "I'll carry it with honor."

As they prepared to leave,

Kyrin looked out at the landscape stretching toward the horizon. "We're not

just fighting to retrieve data or confront old enemies... we're walking into

history."

"And possibly rewriting

it," Kael added.

Their transport—a sleek

hovercraft coated in stealth alloys and powered by dual flux reactors—glided

silently over the terrain. The Bastille rose in the distance like a jagged

monolith, piercing the skyline with its blackened towers. Once a proud fortress

of knowledge and mystic defense, it had become a prison for secrets—both lost

and locked away.

"ETA: 20 minutes," the AI

announced.

As they neared the outer

perimeter, automated turrets scanned them. Kael activated the scroll's

encryption pattern, releasing a radiant pulse of energy. The turrets lowered

instantly.

"They've still got old

Neonis protocols running," Kyrin observed. "That's... comforting."

Once inside, the

Bastille's inner halls echoed with silence. Dust and forgotten memories hung

heavy in the air. Cracks in the walls leaked residual flux—some dangerous, some

familiar. And somewhere within, the presence of something—or someone—was

watching.

They entered the first

chamber—a labyrinth of ancient mechanisms and energy gates. Senjuro took the

lead, placing his hand over a glyph-locked panel. His core reacted, aligning

the runes until the doors opened.

"Here's where the real

test begins," he said.

Inside the chamber,

hundreds of pillars stood with glowing orbs atop them. A whispering voice

filled the room. "Those who enter must answer the past. Choose a memory. Relive

it. Survive it."

Each orb pulsed and

revealed visions—personal moments from each of their pasts.

Kael walked toward one,

drawn by a reflection of his younger self being crowned Aetherborn Prince.

Suddenly, the vision twisted, showing betrayal from within his own court.

Kyrin's orb showed him the

first time he lost control of his Shinkoku Flux—when he nearly destroyed his recruit

hub.

Senjuro's orb revealed the

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moment he stood over Eryx Heshira's broken form... and saw a fragment of his own

darkness staring back.

They each stepped into

their visions. It wasn't just memory—it was a simulation wrapped in emotional

and spiritual confrontation. Their deepest regrets and fears clawed at them.

But one by one, they overcame it.

Kael forgave the

betrayers, altering the vision with his core's resonance and stabilizing the

Aether Flux.

Kyrin embraced his mistake

and used that energy to protect the comrades in the vision, mastering his flux

instead of fearing it.

Senjuro walked up to his

reflection and placed his blade down. "I'm not you anymore." With a blast of

Divine Emberlight, the shadow vanished.

The orbs shattered, and a

doorway emerged.

"You've passed the first

gate," the voice echoed again. "Deeper lies the convergence of power... and the

truth about Eryx Heshira."

As they moved to the next

level, something stirred below the Bastille. Hidden chambers, long dormant,

flickered to life. And far beyond in the shadows, a figure watched them through

a crystal monitor—one with deep violet eyes and a smirk.

"Welcome to the endgame,

warriors of light."

The Bastille's final

secret... was about to be unearthed.