The Behemoth swung its scorched arm, turning solid rock into molten slag.
Aeros answered with a flash of motion. Solar Qi burst around his fist, distorting the air as he shot forward in a burning afterimage. He met the blow head-on, palm blazing with radiant heat that flared like a sunrise. Sparks scattered across the stone as the strike was deflected—but the beast shook off the hit with a furious roar.
Korra, twin blades spinning, darted to its flank. Her daggers hissed as they sliced through cooled magma. She yanked them back, wincing.
"Too hot—I need a shield!"
Zhen darted in beside her, murmuring incantations. A talisman flared in the air, casting a cooling ward that dulled the heat between Korra and the beast. The sizzle lessened.
Toba surged forward, guandao crackling with beast Qi. He slammed it into the creature's ankle, tearing a chunk of molten armor away. The Behemoth roared again—but this time, it lumbered toward Aeros.
Lenia twirled her moonsteel staff, conjuring a shimmer of moonlight to block the creature's angle.
"Keep it from circling—don't let it split us!"
Aeros ran alongside the beast's massive head, Solar Qi blazing. His robes were scorched, his boots dragging through ash—but his steps were steady. Focused.
In a moment of perfect timing, Aeros planted his palm on the Behemoth's temple. A surge of Solar Radiance lanced through its skull, inscribing luminous runes across its molten skin. The creature froze, locked in place as though shackled by sunlight itself.
He called out over his shoulder:
"Now! Hit its flank—together—when I let go!"
Korra and Toba lunged in unison. Zhen launched talismans like paper arrows, each sizzling on impact. Lenia's staff glowed, silver light weaving a vortex that coiled into the exposed wound.
Aeros released his hand.
The Behemoth shrieked—then collapsed with a seismic rumble. Solar energy flooded its form like liquid dawn, hollowing its core. Its bulk hit the ground, steam bursting from fissures in its hide.
Silence.
They stood still, five shapes in the haze, breathing hard.
Korra, panting, broke the quiet.
"What the hell was that? You didn't just hit it. You froze it."
Toba adjusted his grip. "That thing could've killed sect elders. You made it look like a training dummy."
Zhen shook his head slowly. "You said you trained a lot, but that wasn't just training. That was… Solar Radiance, right?"
Lenia stepped forward, her tone tighter. "You're in Solar Radiance? Already?"
Aeros wiped ash from his sleeve, calm as ever.
"Yeah. Broke through last night. Still getting used to it."
Korra blinked. "Last night?"
He shrugged.
"This sun helped. And… I've had a head start."
Toba frowned. "What kind of head start gets you a full realm above us?"
Aeros smirked.
"Let's just say some things come easier."
They all stared for a moment.
Lenia folded her arms.
"Alright. You're strong. Really strong. But don't expect us to bow because of your fancy Qi."
Aeros met her gaze, a flicker of humor in his eyes.
"Didn't ask you to."
Korra studied him again, her voice softening.
"We've seen our share of geniuses. Most are jerks. You just helped us survive, so… guess you're not one of those."
Zhen, quieter:
"You could've let those other cultivators die. You didn't."
Toba gave a low whistle.
"I was ready to carry you after the first mile. Shows what I know."
Aeros' smile faded just a little.
"You weren't wrong to be cautious. You barely know me. But now you've seen what I can do. Better that than finding out mid-fight."
He glanced out toward the horizon, heat waves rising in the distance. His voice dropped.
"And that Behemoth? That wasn't the strongest thing out here. Not by a long shot."
A quiet pause. Then:
"I'm strong. But I'm not invincible."
Lenia nodded once.
"Fine. We move together. But next time you square up with a tower-sized beast, maybe give us a heads-up first."
Aeros chuckled.
"Deal."
Korra slid her blades into their sheath.
"Alright, Solar Boy. Where to?"
Aeros pointed into the distance, where cracked ridges shimmered like dying embers.
Elsewhere in the Fire Zone…
The air shimmered with heat, distorting the jagged horizon like glass melting in a forge. Amidst the smoldering crags and rivers of lava, another squad moved with ruthless precision.
Squad Six.
Five silhouettes wove through the terrain, but unlike Squad Nine, they didn't hesitate at fissures or retreat from roaming beasts—they moved through them. Where Squad Nine maneuvered like a team learning to sync, Squad Six flowed like a sharpened blade. Coordinated. Efficient. Cold.
At the center of the group was a tall figure in obsidian robes, trimmed with blood-crimson thread.
Vaen Althus, the team's unofficial leader.
His expression was calm—almost bored—but the spiritual pressure leaking from his frame told a different story. His cultivation sat at late-stage Lunar Embrace, and there were whispers that he was being groomed for Stellar Nexus before age seventeen. His sect—Black Wake Pavilion—was infamous for raising specialists in soul corrosion and forbidden Qi techniques.
His gaze tracked a column of smoke rising near the volcanic ridgeline.
"That's the third eruption in under an hour," he said, voice smooth and low. "Either unstable terrain… or someone else is drawing the Fire Veins."
Behind him, a shorter girl in green-black robes chewed a sliver of spiritual bark. Her eyes glowed faintly orange.
Mai of the Drought Roots, an alchemical prodigy who'd weaponized poisons that ignored Qi shields.
"Could be beasts. Could be desperate rookies flailing around in lava."
She grinned. "Either way, we'll clean up what's left."
To her right walked a hulking brute of a cultivator—Boros, a quiet giant who never spoke unless prompted. He wielded no weapon. He was the weapon. His entire frame had been reinforced with flame-touched body techniques from the Crimson Vault Sect. Each of his steps cracked stone.
"Signs of battle ahead," he murmured, voice like grinding stone. "Smells fresh."
"Don't engage yet," Vaen said flatly. "We collect our third banner, then we circle back. I don't want any surprises before the six-hour mark."
Trailing behind them was a boy with wild, ink-black hair and yellow eyes that never blinked. He didn't walk—he hovered slightly above the ground.
Eryx of the Hollow Flock. A rare Void-Wind hybrid cultivator who trained in a style that left no scent, no presence, no trace. He wore a half-mask and rarely spoke.
"Someone's ahead," he said finally. "Five signatures. Their path intersects ours. Within the hour."
The last member of Squad Six was harder to notice. She didn't carry weapons. She wore no sect badge. But her eyes were cold as ice. Her name was Sila, and even in the heat of the Fire Zone, frost coiled around her fingers.
Rumors said she was once from the Frostmourne Temple, but something had happened—something that got her expelled. No one asked. She didn't answer.
Vaen turned, gaze distant.
"Let them come," he said, voice calm. "If they're weak, we'll take their banner. If they're strong…"
He smirked faintly.
"All the better. I want to see what passes for talent this year."
Back with Squad Nine…
Aeros paused mid-step.
A subtle shift in Solar Qi tickled the edge of his senses—an echo of something wrong.
He glanced to the west.
"Another team's nearby," he said. "Strong. At least late-stage Lunar Embrace. Might be headed our way."
Lenia tightened her grip on her staff.
"Allies?"
Aeros shook his head.
"Doesn't feel like it."
Toba grinned.
"Good. Let's see how we stack up."