Jensen pulled out a dark spear which they call a 'Shell Lance.’

  Shell Lances are sharp blades made from putting together some shells. The purpose of those was to penetrate through the Star Creature's body. Jensen's Shell Lance was not exactly long, but the tip had three barbs, just like a harpoon. It was intended to prevent it from being shook off by the enemy.

  The man with a mask regulated his breath before pulling back his Shell Lance.

  I missed it.

  He thought, at the same time, commanded the shells to deploy and reform. They formed into two Shell Walls floating around him.

  Again, Jensen was sent to deal with the Star Creatures around the Death Rim. However, his landing spot was much closer to the Rim this time; since he could see the Wall of Dawn from where he was. It was a towering barrier standing right in the valley, just like a section of wall. It was also one of the checkpoints to enter the Rim. A ginormous stronghold that belongs to the S.D.A.

  Jensen lifted his hand to shift the Shell Wall, precisely blocking the attacks from the enemy. It was a surprisingly quiet fight. He did not need to speak, or even move at all. Shell wielding isn't a technique that needs to be initiated by commands or signs, it is controlled through the wielder's breathing patterns and will.

  He stared at the gigantic void of shadow in front of him, feeling the light airflow coming from the valley. Before the appearance of the Star Creatures, the valley was just a piece of wasteland. There were only tall rock walls, sand and gravel, as well as some drought-tolerant plants that were sparse across the land. It was a land of ancient stillness.

  It roared, responding to his regulated breaths.

  Star Creatures' bodies are aberrant and strange-looking. It draws the fear out of any living person. Those gigantic yet soft torsos were covered by thick, black shells; and in the middle was an enormous mouth that seemed endless. Six stout limbs, or more like tentacles that were covered with fluff extended from around the mouth. That was the only spot on a Star Creature's body that was not covered by shells, but it was also the deadliest.

  Jensen removed one of the Shell Walls, remaking a Shell Lance from it. Star Creatures might have their tentacles exposed out in the open, but attacking those will not kill them. Under normal circumstances, a Chaser team will cooperate with each other in covering and attacking in order to counterbalance the formidable enemy.

  But Jensen didn’t. He couldn't.

  Suddenly he started to miss having a teammate behind his back supporting him. He missed teamwork, and all the things he had learned in the training process. That was a time when he was not experimented on by the S.D.A.

  However, those principles and doctrines that he had sworn to never forget are no longer useful for him. No one gives him orders anymore, nor do they communicate and seek help from him.

  Breath in—— Breath out——

  Since when has it become that all he had left with were some changing and deploying black shells.

  Breath in—— Breath out——

  Since when has it become that all he could hear were his regulated and deep breaths.

  Jensen breathes slowly, feeling the vibration coming from the shells. He was feeling his power. He looked at it. Star Creatures don't have eyes, but Jensen can feel the anger and animosity radiating off of it.

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  It wants to leave.

  The man wielding the black shells thought.

  It wanted to get to the other side of the wall, and I was in its way.

  He slightly moved his head, glancing at the tall structure far away. He couldn't see the other side of the Wall of Dawn, but he knows that the other side is the Death Rim; or in a more professional way, the Death Annular Zone.

  The Death Rim's existence was because of the limitations on orbital launch. Sending the Chasers from the space station to the surface immediately drastically reduced the possibility of Star Creatures doing mass damage. However, the drop pods do have a pitching blind spot. Although the S.D.A possesses two space stations, the landing spots of the drop pods couldn't possibly cover the entire planet of Sheer.

  If there are no drop pods, there won't be any Chasers. If there aren't any Chasers, there won't be anyone to deal with the Star Creatures dropping from above. Those spots altogether that the drops pods can't get to in time are called the Death Rim. Even though there isn't a clear boundary you can see from the surface, it is a banded area that surrounds the Sheer in general.

  In order to solve this issue, the S.D.A had begun to assess the need to build a third space station. At the same time, the officials had come up with a trade-off tactic. They have also tried sending the Chasers to a station near the Death Rim, so that they may recover the lost territories in the Death Rim in the shortest amount of time.

  This wasn't the first time Jensen had felt that the Star Creatures wanted to enter the Rim, especially when they had landed near it. He knows that they want to cross the border, they want to get to a certain spot in the Death Rim; but he doesn't know why. It was as if he was a part of them, but partially wasn't.

  The aftereffect from the experiment had been bothering him. Thankfully, most of the time he was able to control himself. He could prevent himself from being affected by the 'agitating' feelings inside of him. He could still distinguish who he was, and what he was doing.

  All of a sudden, the enormous creature let out a loud shriek. After that, the shells that were previously covered on it started to fall off.

  It's time.

  Jensen told himself. The breathing gaps of the Star Creatures are short yet dangerous, since they will be inhaling large amounts of air through their mouth. However, this is also the only moment where their shells separate from their bodies.

  Jensen released the shells that formed the Shell Wall. He directed them to shift toward underneath his feet, forming a long piece of Shell Board. He glanced at the Star Creature who was drawing in breaths. They are like botched Shell Wielders as they only know to use the shells to protect themselves. Humans, on the other hand, are different. Shelling Bubble had become a more agile tool in humans' hands.

  Jensen flipped the Shell Lance, pointing the tip to the front. He then stepped on the Shell Board, allowing the airflow to bring him forward to the enemy. The Star Creature noticed the sudden change of distance. It started to wave its tentacles around, wielding acute offense. Jensen didn't bother to block, since he had no leftover shells that he could form a Shell Wall with. He stepped firmly on the levitating Shell Board, swaying and dodging in the air as if he had known the attack patterns of the enemy. He easily dodged as the tentacles followed behind.

  The giant creature had finished taking in air. The sizable pieces of shells started to stick back to its body. However, Jensen was already aiming at the gap between the shells. He shot the Shell Lance right before the shells closed up together.

  A hunt between the hunter and the prey often develops into a tug of war that goes back and forth; but in the end, only the critical shot can determine the result.

  Jensen watched as the giant creature tumbled and fell, then he slowly dropped back to ground level. He reached out to recall the Shell Lance. The Shell Lance had penetrated through the lungs of that Star Creature. He stared at the massive body as guilt began to wash over his mind.

  Just a few more steps before it reaches the Death Rim.

  No...

  Jensen shook his head, also shaking off the conflict he was feeling. He shouldn't have the illusion of him being on the same side as them.

  No matter if it's now, or in the near future.

  He told himself.