On the Path of Eternal Strength.-Chapter 83 - 81 Under the Judgment of the Guardian

Chapter 83: Chapter 81 Under the Judgment of the Guardian

The gravitational field did not diminish after the first exchange of power. The invisible pressure created by the three Qi spheres continued to dominate the space around the spiritual pillar with a silent authority that distorted the terrain and the air at the same time, as if the Veil itself had been forced to accept a new law within that fragment of the world. The fractured ground continued to sink slowly toward the center of the gravitational domain while fragments of stone, dust, and small plates of earth were dragged downward under a constant attraction that granted no rest. Within that compressed region the three profanes no longer possessed the mobility they had shown when they burst into the battlefield. Narka’s domain had turned the space around the pillar into an invisible prison where even the posture of the body had to struggle against an omnipresent force that pulled everything toward the same point. The two spider hybrid creatures suffered the violence of the gravitational field with greater clarity. Their multiple black legs were nailed against the ground in desperation, but gravity pushed them with such intensity that their joints began to bend slowly under the pressure. Their reptilian torsos leaned more and more toward the broken rock while their green scales creaked under the weight descending from all directions at once. Every attempt to lift their torsos ended with their legs sliding a few centimeters toward the center of the domain, leaving deep grooves in the stone like fresh scars on the terrain of the Veil. Their yellow eyes, once filled with predatory confidence, now burned with a bitter mixture of fury and frustration, because even their magical energy found difficulty stabilizing their bodies within the guardian’s gravitational domain.

The leader of the group, the crocodile-headed profane, resisted with a different ferocity. His colossal structure was not yet completely crushed against the ground, but the pressure of the gravitational field had forced his body to bend forward in an evident manner. One of his knees was already sunk into the fractured rock while the other leg trembled under the invisible load descending from Narka’s domain. His reptilian head remained inclined toward the ground because of the force pulling on his spine, and the four serpents that emerged from his back had lost the arrogance with which they had moved at the beginning of the battle. Their necks were tense, forced to remain low by the same pressure that dominated the rest of the monster’s body, and although their forked tongues continued tasting the air charged with spiritual energy, they did so with slow movements, as if even that gesture were being crushed by the invisible weight that dominated the surroundings. Each breath of the profane was now an act of physical resistance against the altered gravity of the field, and even so his reptilian gaze did not abandon the figure that dominated the sky above him.

Because Narka was not on the ground.

The guardian floated above the center of the gravitational field with the heavy calm of a mountain suspended in the air by its own will. His mineral body remained motionless in the sky of the domain while the incandescent veins that ran through the cracks of his shell shone with a constant reddish glow that reflected the light of the spiritual pillar behind him. From that elevated position his presence dominated every centimeter of the gravitational field with a silent authority that did not need violent demonstrations to be understood. The three Qi spheres continued to rotate in the invisible air above the field, each one surrounded by rings of energy that rotated with constant precision, sustaining the gravitational structure that compressed the terrain and the bodies of the three profanes trapped within it. Narka’s golden gaze slowly descended toward the leader of the assault group. There was no haste in his movements nor impulsive arrogance in his expression. There was evaluation. There was experience accumulated in too many battles to count.

For several seconds he observed in silence how the profane struggled against the gravity.

Then he spoke.

The guardian’s voice descended from the sky of the gravitational field with a deep weight that mixed with the spiritual pressure of the place. Narka explained calmly that the level of energy the profane possessed was not very different from his own, but that battles had never been decided solely by the amount of power someone could release. His golden gaze remained fixed on the reptilian monster while he continued pointing out coldly that the true difference between combatants was born from other things that could not be measured so easily: the experience accumulated throughout countless confrontations, the absolute control over one’s own energy, the precise mastery of power at the exact moment it had to be used and, above all, the real understanding of the battlefield. While Narka spoke, the gravitational pressure continued slowly crushing the three profanes, and the contrast between the guardian’s words and the physical situation in which his enemies found themselves turned that explanation into a silent demonstration of the difference he was describing.

The crocodile profane responded with a roar.

The sound emerged from his throat like a tearing explosion that shook the air of the gravitational field. The four serpents on his back opened their mouths at the same time and a violent release of magical energy burst from every scale of his body like a dark storm that tried to expand in all directions. The magical energy collided with the structure of the gravitational field with brutal force, and for an instant the ground of the Veil trembled under the collision between both powers. Fragments of stone rose from the terrain while shockwaves traveled through the altered zone, and for a brief moment it seemed that the gravitational domain might deform under the violence of that magical explosion.

But the field did not break.

The energy released by the profane was absorbed by the gravitational distortion that dominated the space. The waves of power twisted as they entered the region controlled by the Qi spheres and ended up dispersing in distorted directions that never managed to escape the domain created by Narka. The profane’s roar continued for a few more seconds as he tried to push his energy against the invisible structure that imprisoned him, but when the echo of his cry began to weaken the reality remained the same: the gravitational field remained intact.

From the sky of the domain, Narka released more Qi.

The energy descended from his mineral body like a deep current that moved directly toward the three spheres that sustained the gravitational field. When his Qi reached them, the rings of energy that rotated around each sphere began to move with greater speed and the vibration of the field intensified immediately. The altered gravity increased its pressure on the surroundings, and the ground of the Veil responded with a prolonged creak as the depression of the terrain grew deeper. The two spider creatures were crushed completely against the fractured rock while their legs bent under the new intensity of the field. The crocodile profane also felt the change. His second knee struck the ground and his head descended even further as the increased gravity forced his body to lean forward.

It was at that moment when Narka felt something different.

It did not come from the gravitational field.

It did not come from the three profanes.

It was a distant disturbance moving through the Veil with extraordinary speed. The guardian’s senses extended toward that direction while his golden gaze narrowed slightly. What was strange was not only the speed with which it approached, but the fact that there was no energetic signal accompanying it. There was no aura. There was no magical energy. There was no Qi. And yet something was crossing the space of the Veil directly toward the gravitational field with a rapidity that no ordinary being could reach. While the guardian maintained control of the field and observed the three profanes trapped under the pressure of his domain, a new presence advanced toward the battlefield from the distance, moving with a silent speed that left no energetic trace whatsoever, and that absolute absence of signals was precisely what made its approach more unsettling than any explosion of power.

The disturbance that Narka had perceived on the horizon of the Veil did not take long to reveal itself. For a brief instant the space above the gravitational field remained motionless, as if reality itself were waiting for the appearance of something that had not yet finished crossing the distance between two invisible points of the world. Then, in a matter of seconds, five silhouettes emerged in the air above the combat zone. They did not descend from the sky nor cross through the terrain; they simply appeared suspended in the upper space of the gravitational field as if they had crossed an invisible line that separated two regions of the Veil. They were humanoid figures approximately two meters tall, constructed with a robust metallic structure that combined angular plates with an internal framework visible between the joints of their articulations. They did not have the stylized appearance of light machines nor the rudimentary design of improvised artifacts; they were mechanical bodies designed for combat, dense, heavy, with thick arms and proportions that resembled mountable armors similar to those used by pilots in war machines. Their presence evoked a mixture between industrial machines and armored warriors, as if each of those bodies had been designed to withstand direct impacts without sacrificing mobility.

The five robots remained suspended in the air, held by energy thrusters that emerged from the soles of their feet. From those thrusters projected columns of translucent energy that descended toward the void of the Veil like silent flames of pale light. The energy was neither fire nor vapor; it was a clean emission that shone with a faint clarity while keeping the mechanical bodies floating with absolute stability. The plates of their torsos were thick and compact, with an angular design that suggested resistance and impact absorption capacity. Their arms, in the same way, were built with reinforced metallic segments that ended in articulated hands of long and heavy fingers. There was no glass nor visible cockpit in their bodies; instead, each robot seemed to function through a sealed framework whose external structure revealed small ventilation slits and modular panels embedded in its surface. From the back of each one protruded a slightly elevated square structure, like a box integrated into the dorsal system of the machine. That piece stood out because of its clear geometric form in contrast with the curved plates that protected the rest of the armor.

From inside the gravitational field, Narka observed.

The guardian did not move from his floating position within the domain he had created. His golden eyes lifted toward the five machines that remained outside the zone of altered gravity, suspended just above the invisible boundary of the field that compressed the terrain where the three profanes were still trapped. From that height the robots could observe the spiritual pillar that pierced the sky of the Veil with its dark and blackened energy, crossed by bright veins that coiled like currents of liquid moonlight forming violet spirals around its structure. For several seconds the battlefield remained silent while both sides evaluated the situation.

Then the robots moved.

The first gesture was synchronized. The five raised one of their arms with mechanical precision, and in the same movement the metallic hands began to transform. The plates of the palms separated with an internal displacement while the fingers retracted backward, contracting inside the structure of the forearm to free space. In the center of the open palm a circular cavity appeared that revealed the interior of a cannon integrated into the limb. The entire process lasted only seconds, but each movement of the transformation was executed with the cold accuracy of a mechanism designed to repeat thousands of times without error.

When the firing cavities were completely open, a translucent energy began to accumulate inside them. That energy did not shine in a static manner; it vibrated with an electrical activity that extended outward in the form of filaments of light that crackled in the air. In the next instant the five robots fired at the same time.

Five energy projectiles crossed the air of the Veil with a sharp sound that cut through the silence of the gravitational field. The translucent spheres advanced toward Narka’s domain while their surface released electrical discharges that coiled around them. When they reached the invisible edge of the gravitational field they did not disperse immediately. Instead they began to expand, and the energy released by each projectile spread until it formed a luminous layer that enveloped the gravitational domain from the outside. In a matter of seconds a second energetic structure began to form around Narka’s gravity field, like an external shield that covered the zone from above and from the sides.

Inside the gravitational field, the guardian observed the phenomenon without moving.

Then he sighed.

The sound was deep, barely audible beneath the spiritual pressure that dominated the place.

While the five robots began to move toward the spiritual pillar in an advancing formation, Narka gathered Qi within his body. The energy descended toward his throat and from there a mineral mass emerged that began to condense in front of his mouth. The stone grew rapidly, taking a compact form of brown tones with orange flashes running across its surface like incandescent veins. In a few seconds the mass reached approximately one meter in length and half a meter in width, a solid structure whose weight remained suspended only by the guardian’s will.

Narka spun the stone.

At first the movement was slow, but in a matter of moments the rotation accelerated until the rock began to emit a deep hum. The speed reached a point where the stone no longer seemed like a solid block but a blurred mass of rotating mineral energy, like a gigantic drill whose rotation began to deform the air of the Veil around it. The space in front of the guardian’s mouth curved slightly under the pressure of the motion.

Then Narka fired.

The rock shot out from his mouth with a velocity that crossed the gravitational field like a mineral lightning bolt. The rotating mass crossed the boundary of the gravity domain without losing momentum and ascended directly toward the energy shield that the robots had deployed around the field. The impact arrived an instant later.

The shield broke.

The spinning stone pierced the energetic structure as if passing through a thin layer of crystal and continued its trajectory toward the group of machines suspended above. One of the five robots failed to evade the attack. The rock penetrated through its back exactly at the point where the dorsal box protruded from its metallic structure. The impact opened a gigantic hole in the machine, exactly the size of the rock that passed through it, and the mechanical body shook violently as the rotating mass exited through the front of its torso leaving a brutal void inside it.

The robot fell.

Its propulsion system shut down immediately and the mechanical body descended from the sky toward the devastated terrain of the Veil. When it struck the ground the impact broke part of its internal frame and metallic fragments scattered across the fractured rock. From the open cavity in its torso a dark liquid began to flow.

It was not oil.

It was blood.

The mechanical body of the robot pierced by the stone had not yet finished settling on the ground of the Veil when the echo of its impact dissipated across the battlefield. The metallic structure lay stretched among the cracks of the fractured terrain while fragments of its internal framework continued to break off with small snapping sounds that resembled bones breaking inside armor. From the enormous hole opened in its torso the dark liquid that had surprised even Narka himself as he observed it continued to flow. It was not oil nor a common mechanical fluid; it had density, it had color, and it spilled over the rock with the same heavy viscosity as the blood shed by living creatures. That sight left in the air a silent question about the true nature of the machines that had burst into the battlefield. The robot remained motionless, its propulsion system shut down, while the dark liquid continued spreading slowly through the cracks of the devastated ground.

Above, in the air of the Veil, the four remaining robots reacted.

Their bodies suspended by the translucent energy thrusters turned at the same time with a perfect synchronization that did not seem the product of individual reflexes but of a single shared coordination system. The columns of energy emerging from their feet fluctuated briefly when the metallic bodies changed orientation in the air, and in a matter of seconds the four were aligned facing directly toward Narka’s position within the gravitational field. For a moment none of them moved beyond that adjustment. The plates of their armor remained rigid, their thick arms still at the sides of their bodies, and the faint glow of their internal systems vibrated with a constant intensity that indicated their sensors were analyzing the environment.

Then a voice emerged from one of them.

The sound had no human tone. There was no emotional inflection nor natural variation that would allow identifying whether the voice belonged to a man, a woman, or anything else. It was a purely robotic emission, modulated with artificial precision, as if each word were generated by a system that did not understand emotions but data.

The voice announced that the priority had changed. The original objective of the mission was no longer to seize the pillar of spiritual energy. The new objective was to eliminate the obstacle that prevented access to it.

The words echoed in the air of the Veil with a coldness that contrasted with the violence dominating the battlefield.

Another of the robots spoke immediately afterward, using exactly the same neutral voice, the same metallic tone that did not allow any identity to be distinguished among them. The second analysis indicated that the sensors had registered in the projectile launched by the enemy an energetic combination composed of gravitational manipulation and compressed terrestrial matter. The report continued explaining that the individual identified as the obstacle radiated a form of energy unknown in the records of the continent, an energetic signature that did not match the databases available in their systems. Despite that anomaly, comparative calculations had allowed establishing an approximate estimation of the threat level. According to the analysis, the energetic intensity released by the guardian was within the same range as that recorded in individuals classified as aura masters at the level of Titan of Aura or arcane practitioners equivalent to the rank of Mystic Mage.

Throughout that entire analysis, Narka remained floating inside the gravitational field without moving.

His golden eyes observed the four machines suspended outside the gravity domain with the heavy calm of someone who had witnessed too many forms of war to be surprised by another one. The incandescent veins of his shell continued to shine with constant intensity while the Qi sustaining the gravitational field kept the three profanes crushed against the ground of the domain. The spiritual pillar continued rising behind him, dark and blackened, crossed by bright currents that coiled like liquid moons in violet spirals that ascended toward the sky of the Veil.

When the report ended, the four robots responded at the same time.

The confirmation was identical in all four cases. The same robotic voice, the same emotionless tone, the same mechanical acceptance of the order.

They had understood.

In the next instant, their bodies began to release energy.

It was not a localized discharge like the one that had come out of their cannons before. This time the energy emerged from multiple points distributed along the entire structure of their armor. Small lines of light began to open between the metallic plates of their torsos, shoulders, and legs, as if the internal systems of each robot were releasing power from inside the frame. The energy was not completely visible, but it could be felt as a growing vibration expanding in the air around them. The thrusters of their feet increased their intensity, and the translucent light that held their bodies in the air became brighter as the columns of energy lengthened toward the void of the Veil.

Inside the gravitational field, Narka observed that increase of activity without altering his posture.

Then he spoke.

His voice emerged from the center of the gravitational domain with a grave calm that contrasted with the energetic agitation surrounding the robots. The guardian explained with absolute serenity that the arrival of more machines of their same kind would not change the result of what was happening in that place. His words descended over the battlefield like an immutable statement while his golden eyes remained fixed on the figures suspended in the air. For Narka, the meaning of the spiritual pillar was clear. It was a source of power that belonged to an order older than any technology that had arrived from the skies of the Veil. And everything that tried to covet it, everything that tried to seize it, would end up encountering the same answer.

It would be destroyed.

While those words settled in the air charged with spiritual energy, the gravitational field continued exerting its pressure over the three profanes trapped inside it, the dark pillar continued piercing the sky of the Veil with its veins of lunar light coiling in violet spirals, and the four robots suspended outside the gravitational domain kept their combat systems slowly activating, as if the battle were about to enter a new phase where neither gravity nor technology would allow a brief confrontation.

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END OF Chapter 81

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