There wasn’t a person still seated. Dragon-kin were clutching their heads; phoenix-kin were shaking each other, the lower stands were cheering and stamping so loud they threatened to bring down the stadium. Drinks were flying, hats were flying, shoes were flying, streamers were popping mid-air, showering flaming confetti—it was rank pandemonium.

And the Scryers were capturing it all, beamed out across the galaxy. But most were trained on Zane's face in that moment. Nodding satisfied as he surveyed the destruction.

It was a scene no one there would forget. Not the sub-Faction folk in the lower stands, whose hearts swelled to see a man from the Frontier stand up to the Azure Flame elite.

Then there were the folk whose champions Zane had just crushed.

For many a drake, a phoenix, a Lava Ape—the image of Zane became a shadow in their hearts.

Similar reactions were happening in kingdoms and planets across the Azure Flame Faction—across the galaxy, even...

The rankers in the Scryers’ guild were engaged in heated debate at that very moment. Feverishly wondering just where to put Zane in the new Phoenix Rankings.

***

Temple of the World Tree

Reina let out a sigh of relief, still clutching a giant fluffy pillow to her chest. She knew there wasn’t actually a chance of death, but she still didn't like seeing Zane get hurt.

But it wasn't too bad this time. Though he got close, he didn’t get to the verge of death, at least.

She frowned.

…This said something about her boyfriend, now that she thought about it…

***

Constellation Order

“I knew you could do it!” cried Evan through a mouthful of cookie. Seeing Zane fight was also quite anxiety-inducing for him; cookies were Evan’s comfort food.

He hopped off to go scribble up a congratulations letter.

They’d all planned to go home soon and Evan couldn’t wait to catch up.

***

Burnwater dabbed his brow and shook his head. “For a second there…”

Noughtfire closed his eyes. He wore a little knowing smile.

***

Steelheart Conclave

On the edges of the Steelheart Conclave proper—so far the light of the Silver Star only reached it seven hours a day—there lay a close-knit system of planets. Most were shrouded in mists. They were run over with mountains, and a rich, dense aura leaked out from them. Deep growls and shrill screeches echoed from the depths of seemingly endless ravines, and everywhere glowing red eyes peered through the mists…

Asteroids at the edges had giant “DANGER! KEEP OUT!” signs planted there.

The signs were not for show. This was the reclusive home system of the Barbarian Sage.

It was also the most dangerous place in the Steelheart Conclave, by a longshot.

It was said that the Barbarian Sage wasn’t happy unless there was a significant danger of being eaten every morning. The many legendary beasts he cultivated in those depths were proof.

Unlike the rest of the Conclave—which lived in magnificent gear- and cable-laden cities, scribed all over with glowing bright-blue runes, he kept a simple home. A cottage at the highest peak of these planets.

This morning, there was silence on the peak.

Then came a smash so fierce it nearly popped the straw roof right off.

And a shout so loud it could be heard half the planet over—“HELL YEEAAAHHHHHH!”

***

Eclipse Stadium

The stadium was in uproar. But in one of the highest booths—cloaked and hidden—the reaction was the exact opposite.

A dragon-scaled man stood with his arms crossed, watching the scene with glowing golden eyes. He looked a great deal like Kakorax, only much better-made. Taller, sharper, fiercer-looking. As though Kakorax had been the shoddy first attempt, and this man was the perfected model.

He had no aura.

He’d watched in disgust as Kakorax sneak-attacked Zane. That fool deserved what came to him.

“This is your treasured disciple, Noughtfire?”he said, in a soft deep voice. He was intrigued by that absolute-white light Zane wielded…

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

For a moment, an absolute-black blazed across his pupils.

It would be some time yet, he knew. But when the time came—

“I look forward to his challenge.”

***

Deep Earth Hall

Cave of the Forgotten

Around the same time, another duel was taking place in a distant galaxy.

The Deep Earth Hall tested their disciples by pitting them against live captured Monsters. It was their belief that only by facing true danger could their disciples forge hearts of stone.

Today, every last one of its Outer Faction Disciples had been brought out to test their mettle. A few hundred of the most promising in the Faction.

But one man outshone them all.

A single touch—almost gentle…

Bang.

And the Emperor Basilisk, an ancient Grand Knight Monster species nicknamed the ‘Sovereign of Earth and Shadow’—crashed to the ground, eyes dulling. Soulless.

Its body dissolved to essence.

A clean-shaven, well-built man landed gently on rocky ground.

“Winner—Emeka Eze!” called the referee.

Gasps rang out among all his fellow disciples. Eze didn’t look at the kill. Instead he took out a handkerchief and started wiping the ash off his handkerchief. The ash that manifested every time his ability claimed a soul—from dust to dust.

Then he made for the teleporters, footsteps echoing across the vast cavern. His fellow disciples scrambled to get out of his way, whispering as he passed—

“That Basilisk was in the Level 440s—it had sixty levels on him, and he made that look easy!”

“What a monster…”

“That Earth, man.” A disciple whistled. “That’s something else. It’s a land full of monsters.”

There happened to be two others recruited from that Ur-Planet this Integration, from Earth clans called ‘Britain’ and ‘Japan,’ and they were muscling their way up the Deep Earth Hall’s rankings too. It was almost unheard of to get two recruits from the same planet, much less three…

But Eze in particular, everyone agreed, was something special. He’d become an Elder—if not a Grand Elder. It was just a matter of time.

“You know what’s crazier? There’s supposed to be someone from ‘Earth’ that’s even stronger…”

“No way. Stronger than a one hit kill?!”

“Oh! The #1—Rising Dragon Ranking—Zeke, or something? Zac?”

Eze stopped. “His name is Zane.”

Before he could say more a disciple rushed over, flapping a roll of newspaper overhead—“An Earth-ling just completed the Ten-Man Challenge!” he cried. “The first in ten thousand years in all the Dragon Spire Galaxy!”

“What?!”

Eze wore a little knowing smile. He knew who it was before the newspaper even unfurled—but when it did, sure enough, there was Zane’s face. He’d been wondering what Zane had been up to.

***

Cult of Endless Shadow

Jason Walker swirled bloody daggers, knee-deep in a rotting demon-corpse the size of a small mountain. An Ascendant creature dispatched in three quick strokes.

A notification flickered above his head.

The third floor of the devil slaughter array has been cleared.

Jason Walker

Outer Faction Disciple: New Rank: #186

It was the fastest progress anyone in the Cult had seen in the last 10,000 years. The Elders watching on shook their heads in disbelief. All they spoke of these days, it seemed, was the rise of that terrifying super-genius with no remorse…

“Eh?”

Jason cocked his head. Pulled out a jade pendant, held it to his ears and listened. A strange expression flickered across his face.

Then he looked to the sky for a moment. What he said next made the Elders do a double-take.

“I’ll never catch up to you, huh, brother.”

Jason gave a wistful smile, and sighed.

***

Vaness Volkova heard of it soon after she finished up her Concept after three weeks of isolated meditation at the heart of the Millennium Glacier. Her icy-blue eyes brightened after she heard the news. She set off for the Everfrost Peaks, and threw herself back into training.

All over the Dragonspire Galaxy the heroes of Earth were making a mark. But they all remembered the man leading the way.

When they heard what he was doing, it lifted their spirits too. It showed them what an Earthling could do.

***

But one hero was having the best day of them all.

Shopkeeper Lau was leaning on the stand of his beachside pawn shop, drinking a fruit smoothie and staring at the ever-glistening waves, when the sands began to shake.

A rumbling was overtaking the island—he leapt to his feet, wide eyed. Were they under attack?! But who would dare strike right at the heart of the Thousand Seas Tribe?

It turned out they were not under attack.

A figure was pattering over, trailing a long cloud of smoke. She was dragging along a creaking wagon. Which was tied to another creaking wagon. Which was tied to a third creaking wagon.

Lau’s mouth dropped open.

On those wagons were giant sacks as tall as palm trees. And bulging out their tops were the purest crystal the Storekeeper had ever seen—the finest Sky-grade Spirit Stone.

A girl in a hoodie, was pulling it along, waving merrily at Lau.

“I want my fridge back!” cried Avery.

***

Zane left the arena pretty quickly. He was a bit concerned the place might come crashing down it was shaking too much. But there were teleporters in the fighters' quarters, so it was an easy exit.

That challenge had mostly been a raw test of his new powers. He’d been curious to see what he could do. Now he knew.

No Ascendant could stand with him toe-to-toe now. His Heavenly Stormfire could match Laws a full tier above.

He was quite pleased with how his new hammer had done too. It punched well above its weight.

As for the fight… that Kakorax had been easier and tougher than he’d thought. He’d damaged Zane more badly than Zane would’ve liked. It was the case with a God Golem too. Hit him hard enough, and his body could still start to shut down.

He was still not happy about blacking out eating that one continent. It was never a satisfying thing for his body to fail before his mind did.

He resolved to buff up his body some more.

It’d been a while since he worked on his organs anyway. And now that he’d ascended he could take in more Bloodline, and Godbeast flesh, and body Skill Levels—there was lots to do there.

He was still in a good mood—that post-fight after-glow—as he whizzed through streaking space, arcing back to Planet Stormhaven.

He could feel himself getting stronger day by day—could feel that raw strength translate into combat power right away. There’d always been something to tug on his attention before, some new crisis. Now he could hunker down and turn his whole focus to training… he quite liked it.

The Kakorax and Throck fights were still on his mind. He’d had a lot of mob fights of late. Smashing great hordes or waves—but there was something to the one-on-one. Even against the God Golem—that strangle and smash style… when he could bring the full strength of his chains down on one head, that was where he was most devastating.

Those kinds of fights got him going. Especially against a worthy foe.

He resolved to do it more.

***

The moment he touched down back home, the Princes and Princesses of the Storm Drake tribe rushed out.

“That was awesome!” said Drex.

Little Rei gave Zane a gift: some kind of lightning-dandelion.

The reception warmed him quite a bit. Jawl gave him a hearty pat on the back too. “Hell of a show, my lord—hell of a show!”

He handed Zane a letter.

It was an invitation from the Barbarian Sage.