Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent!

Alex's instincts kicked in the moment he saw the guard's eyes widen in shock.

In a flash, he drew Virtue's Edge and lunged forward, aiming to silence the Red Demon before he could react and alert others to his presence.

The guard fumbled for an alarm button on his wrist, but Alex was quicker.

With a single, swift strike, he sliced through the guard's arm, severing it cleanly.

The Red Demon let out a guttural cry of pain, but Alex didn't give him the chance to recover.

He followed up with a penetrating strike to the guard's throat, cutting off any further sounds.

The guard slumped to the floor, lifeless, as Alex quickly scanned the area for any other immediate threats.

Since he had already stored his ship away, he couldn't perform any further scans and only had himself to rely on.

Alex's spatial perception spread out, mapping the immediate area around him.

The corridor was empty for now, but he knew it might not stay that way for long.

He dragged the guard's body away to a shadowed corner, making sure it was hidden from casual view.

Making sure to pluck the key card off his waist before abandoning him.

With the key card now in his possession, it would be much easier for him to make his way through the base.

Alex tucked the card away into a secure pocket and moved cautiously down the corridor, using his spatial perception to avoid any patrols or security cameras.

The base was a labyrinth of narrow hallways and reinforced doors, each marked with alien symbols.

Alex paused at each intersection, ensuring the path was clear before proceeding.

The only trouble was, he didn't know where the Planet Buster was, nor what it looked like.

So he really had no idea what he was looking for, or where he was going.

His spatial perception picked up a cluster of activity a few corridors away.

Since he had nothing to go off, he decided to head in that direction, hoping it might lead him to something important.

Moving silently, he advanced, each of his senses on high alert.

As he rounded a corner, he came upon a large, reinforced door guarded by two Red Demons.

Unlike the first guard, these two were heavily armed and looked much more serious.

Alex knew he probably wouldn't be able to take them out before raising any alarms.

Instead, he waited, observing their patterns.

After a few minutes, one of the guards left, presumably to switch shifts with another or report in.

Alex took this opportunity to strike.

He activated his Phoenix Flames, covering Virtue's Edge with them.

The remaining guard noticed the strange red light that had just appeared around the corner and went to go over and check the situation out.

But he had no idea that Alex was waiting for him, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

As the guard rounded the corner to check out the strange red light, Alex sprang into action.

With Virtue's Edge blazing with Phoenix Flames, he lunged at the guard, striking with precision.

The guard barely had time to register the attack before the flaming blade pierced through his chest, incinerating the guard and making sure no sound escaped.

Before the guard's body could even fall to the ground, it was completely burned away by the intense heat of Alex's flames.

Not even a speck of ash was left behind as the guard's body was gone completely.

With the second guard reduced to nothing with his Phoenix Flames, Alex knew he had only moments before the other guard returned.

He approached the reinforced door and swiped the key card, hoping and praying that it would grant him access inside.

'Yes!!'

To his luck, it did.

The door slid open with a low hiss, revealing a control room filled with all sorts of Red Demon technology and several Red Demons working at various stations.

Alex quickly assessed the situation.

The room was large and well lit, with a central console that seemed to control a massive, pulsating device in the middle — it had to be the Planet Buster.

Alex's nerves tensed a little as he realised how close he was to this Planet killing weapon.

If this thing went off with him so close to it, he wouldn't have the chance to escape even with his insane reaction speeds.

Alex steeled himself. Discover more at m'vl em|p yr

The way these Red Demons were acting so relaxed and joyous with each other could only indicate one thing.

It was near completion, or perhaps it was already finished…

Alex had to act quickly and decisively.

The Red Demons in the room were clearly engineers and scientists, but Alex wasn't going to let his guard down just because of this one simple fact.

They could also be incredibly strong awakened for all he knew.

He did his best to blend in to the surroundings, and moved silently towards the nearest Red Demon.

Thankfully, the pulsating device in the centre was giving out a similar red light to his Phoenix Flames, so none of the Red Demons would have noticed anything abnormal.

With Virtue's Edge still blazing with Phoenix flames, he struck swiftly, slicing through the first Red Demon's neck.

The alien barely even had a chance to think before collapsing silently to the ground.

'One down, four to go.' Alex kept count of them in his head.

He darted towards the second target. This one noticed a flash of light but had no time to sound an alarm before Alex's blade cleaved through him. The body disintegrated into ash instantly.

Two down.

The third and fourth Red Demons were closer together, working side by side. Alex decided to use a different approach. He summoned a small, controlled burst of Phoenix Flames, launching it between the two. The flames expanded rapidly, engulfing both Red Demons before they could react. They screamed briefly before turning to ash.

Four down.

The fifth Red Demon finally noticed the commotion and turned, eyes wide in horror as he saw his comrades' remains. He fumbled for a weapon, but Alex was already upon him. A swift, flaming strike from Virtue's Edge ended his life before he could even raise an alarm.

With the last Red Demon disintegrated, Alex found himself alone in the control room, the pulsating Planet Buster looming ominously in the center. He knew he had to act quickly, but without a clear idea of how to disable the device, he felt a rare moment of uncertainty.

His mind raced through his options. He didn't like the idea, but contacting Colonel Margit seemed like the best course of action. Margit was an abrasive and arrogant man, but he had the necessary clearance and resources that Alex lacked. Alex activated his comm device, connecting to the secure line back to HQ.

"Margit, it's Alex. I need your help," Alex said, his voice steady despite the tension.

"What the hell are you doing, Alex? You're not supposed to contact me directly," Margit's voice crackled through the comm.

"I found something. Something big. The Red Demons have a Planet Buster, and I'm standing in front of it right now. I need to know how to disable it," Alex explained, keeping his voice low but urgent.

There was a moment of silence before Margit scoffed. "A Planet Buster? Are you out of your mind? Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?"

Alex sighed, expecting this reaction. He activated his video feed, directing it towards the pulsating device in the center of the room. "See for yourself."

The feed transmitted the image back to HQ. Margit's face appeared on the screen, and his initial skepticism was quickly replaced by a look of shock. His face went pale, and he swallowed hard.

"By the stars... You weren't kidding," Margit muttered, his voice now serious. "If that thing goes off, we're all finished."

"Exactly. So, how do I disable it?" Alex pressed.

Margit took a deep breath, his eyes darting off-screen as he presumably pulled up classified information. "Alright, listen carefully. The Planet Buster will have a central core, likely in that console you're standing near. You need to access the mainframe and initiate a shutdown sequence. It's complex, but I can guide you through it."

Alex moved to the console, his fingers hovering over the alien symbols. "Alright, I'm ready."

Margit began issuing detailed instructions, and Alex followed them meticulously. Each step required precision and understanding of the Red Demons' technology, which Alex adapted to quickly. As they worked, the base's alarms grew louder, indicating more Red Demons were converging on his location.

"Hurry, Margit. I don't have much time," Alex urged, his spatial perception picking up the approaching enemies.

"Just one more step," Margit replied. "You need to overload the containment field. It will cause a controlled implosion, rendering the Planet Buster inert."

Alex input the final commands, his hands moving swiftly over the console. The device's pulsating grew erratic, and a low hum filled the room. "It's done. Now what?"

"Get out of there, Alex. The implosion will happen in thirty seconds," Margit said, urgency in his voice.