Chapter 44: Emerging Power
A deep, ominous hum echoed across Seattle, shaking the very ground. Abandoned skyscrapers trembled as a massive shadow loomed over them. Even Raizang Temple was swallowed by the growing darkness—the colossal mechanical city, Hive Ares, had finally arrived.
These mobile mechanical fortresses were more like enormous robotic insects than cities. Each Hive was designed after a specific insect, and Ares, with its spindly, towering limbs stretching over 10 kilometers, resembled a monstrous spider.
Ares already knew Alex’s location. It halted before Raizang Temple, planting two massive legs on either side, kicking up clouds of dust and debris, as if declaring that escape was impossible.
"Alex, I know you’re in there. Stop resisting and come out!"
Ares broadcasted its message with an overwhelming presence. Suddenly, a whirlwind of dust burst from the temple, swirling into a small storm around the structure. A lone figure leaped gracefully onto the temple roof—it was Alex.
Standing atop Raizang Temple, Alex locked eyes with the towering Hive. Channeling his usual arrogance, he shouted:
"What kind of half-baked AI are you? Bring it on! I’ll make you cry for your mommy!"
Ares scoffed at Alex’s words and responded coldly:
"As you wish."
With that, the mechanical titan opened its massive underbelly. From within, a flood of mechanical spiders and biomechanical soldiers poured out, their metallic limbs glinting menacingly as they surged forward, eager to tear Alex apart.
As the robotic horde trampled the ruined streets toward Raizang Temple, Alex felt a flicker of fear. But he forced it down—he was humanity’s last hope.
He recalled the events leading up to this moment…
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Earlier…
Sitting cross-legged, Alex controlled his breathing, his hands shifting through various mudras in rhythmic repetition. When he finally opened his eyes, they were steady with newfound determination—he had mastered them all.
Rising to his feet, he turned to Maggie and the others.
"Get to the underground shelter immediately. No matter what happens, do not come back up!"
Maggie was far from pleased. After everything they had been through to reunite, she couldn’t bear the thought of losing him again. Even if Alex had unlocked the full power of qi, could he really stand against an entire Hive?
But Maggie was no fool—she knew distracting Alex with her worries would only make things worse. Right now, her best choice was to trust him and let him fight.
She gazed at him, her heart heavy with emotions. Then, in the next moment, she gently cupped his face and kissed him.
Alex was caught completely off guard. Maggie, flustered herself, tried to play it cool and teased:
"What? Never been kissed before?"
If she expected him to be embarrassed, she was mistaken. Alex smirked and leaned in, kissing her back without hesitation. This time, it was Maggie’s turn to be stunned. But within seconds, they melted into each other’s arms, lost in the moment.
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This kiss had been years in the making—since childhood, through the arrival of Anna, through the destruction of their homes, through everything they had endured. It had taken far too long, but now, at last, it had come.
When they finally pulled away, Maggie didn’t say much. She simply looked into his eyes and whispered:
"You better come back alive…"
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Countless mechanical spiders and cybernetic machines stood at the gates, ready to strike. Alex snapped his thoughts back to the present. Slowly, he extended both hands and spoke to his AI smartwatch.
"Ray, it’s time to go!"
The smartwatch responded with a brilliant blue glow.
"Let’s show them the true power of Qi!"
At that moment, the mechanical spiders bared their fangs and lunged toward him. Alex took a deep breath and said firmly,
"Watch closely, you soulless machines…!"
The moment of truth had arrived. Alex clasped his hands together, forming the first Muira, the Wisdom Fist Seal.
As soon as the seal was complete, he felt Qi surging into his hands, amplified many times over. He knew he was right—the key to unlocking Qi’s full potential lay in the Muira.
A dense mist erupted from between Alex’s palms, interwoven with blue sparks—symbolizing the first level of mastery. Unlike before, the center of the swirling energy now glowed with a faint blue light, resembling a miniature galaxy—breathtaking and powerful.
As the energy cyclone peaked, time itself seemed to hold its breath. Alex aimed at the mechanical horde charging toward him and released his attack.
With a mighty push of his hands, the blue galaxy in his palms erupted into a beam of pure energy, surging forward at breakneck speed.
The moment the blast fully discharged, a massive explosion followed, detonating like a bomb and tearing through everything in its radius. A thunderous roar filled the battlefield as the blast annihilated a vast number of cybernetic enemies.
A mushroom cloud rose in the aftermath. The attack had left a fifty-meter-wide zone of devastation, wiping out hundreds of mechanical spiders and cyborgs. In this AI-dominated world, such raw destructive force was unheard of.
Alex stared at the rising cloud, stunned. He hadn’t expected the attack to be so powerful. But he wasn’t the only one shocked—on the other side, the AI core Ares was frantically analyzing the phenomenon, desperately searching for an explanation.
"What is this power? Why does this so-called Qi possess such destructive force? Why…? This human must be eliminated. Immediately!"
For the first time, Ares felt threatened. A power that could generate explosions out of thin air was beyond the AI’s calculations. Panic-stricken, it deployed an even greater wave of cybernetic warriors and mechanical spiders toward Alex.
Alex smirked. "Come on, then! Isn’t killing me your goal?"
Now that he had confirmed the effectiveness of Muira, his confidence soared. As another wave of enemies approached, Alex leaped onto the rooftop of Lei-Yin Temple and formed a second Muira—the Vajrasattva Seal.
As soon as the Muira activated, a colossal fist made of dense mist materialized, far larger than anything he had summoned before. Moving swiftly, Alex dodged through the battlefield, striking down mechanical enemies with powerful swings of his mist-formed fist.
The battlefield was pure chaos. No cybernetic warrior or mechanical spider could stand against him—they were all crushed into scrap metal.
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Meanwhile, deep underground, Maggie and the others watched anxiously through the surveillance feed inside Lei-Zang Temple.
Seeing Alex effortlessly tearing through the AI forces, Maggie’s eyes lit up with hope.
"He’s incredible! Those machines don’t stand a chance—he’s definitely going to win this!"
But beside her, Master Yuan-Zhen wore a grim expression.
"…No. Defeating Ares’ colossal nest will take far more power than this. And besides…"
His unfinished sentence left Maggie puzzled. Just then, Ryan spoke up, his voice tense.
"Alex… looks exhausted."
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Back on the battlefield, Alex had destroyed most of the AI forces. He formed another Muira, this time summoning the Diamond Seal.
A massive blue galaxy coalesced in his hands, even more powerful than before. Alex poured all his remaining strength into it and hurled it directly at the AI’s city-sized core, the Nest.
The resulting explosion was massive, sending shockwaves through the battlefield. Dust and debris filled the air.
As the smoke cleared, Alex saw the damage—only a small hole had been blasted into the Nest’s outer shell.
Master Yuan-Zhen had been right. The attack wasn’t nearly enough.
Even worse, Alex felt his stamina draining rapidly. The Muira could amplify Qi’s power, but it came at the cost of his own physical strength. The stronger the attack, the more energy it consumed.
Now, his body was reaching its limit. His breathing grew heavy, and his movements slowed. He clutched his chest, struggling to stay on his feet.
Seeing this, Ares knew the moment had come.
A distorted voice echoed across the battlefield.
"You're out of energy, aren’t you? That’s the weakness of all humans—you have limits. You were never meant to wield such power. And now… accept your fate!"