As the battle continued,Syphos started using his evoliths.
Instantly, the ambient gravity around the platform seemed to double. The shattered steel plates, loose rivets, and heavy chunks of industrial debris stopped falling and hovered completely static in mid-air, caught in an absolute telekinetic field.
Jaxen, Rook, and Kylo didn't hesitate.
Bracing their muscles against the invisible crushing weight of the psychic aura, they lunged forward simultaneously, restarting the high-stakes brawl.
Jaxen triggered his evoliths, his body transforming into a jagged streak of blue electricity as he zipped across the ground, aiming a high-speed, diving right cross straight at Syphos's face.
But three feet before his fist could connect, an invisible, solid wall of psychic pressure materialized out of thin air. Jaxen's knuckles slammed into the barrier with a deafening CRACK, the golden lightning arcing wildly off the unseen wall like sparks off an anvil.
"Move!" Rook roared, dropping low. Using his metal manipulation, he pulled two massive, jagged steel girders from the ruined floor, shaping them into oversized, heavy iron gauntlets. He swung a brutal left hook from below, trying to shatter the psychic barrier from its foundation.
Syphos merely flicked his index finger.
The psychic force redirected instantly. The invisible wall snapped outward like a pneumatic piston, striking Rook squarely in the chest and launching his heavy, metal-clad body backward.
At the exact same time, Syphos used his telekinesis to seize control of the thousands of loose metal shards scattered across the courtyard, turning Rook's own element against them. The metal pieces spun rapidly into a localized storm of razor-sharp shrapnel, flying directly at Kylo, who was charging from the left flank.
Kylo's eyes flared as his copycat evolith kicked in. He perfectly replicated Rook's metal manipulation, violently thrusting his hands forward to seize control of the incoming shrapnel storm mid-air. He froze the jagged metal pieces inches from his face, turning them around and launching them back toward the Elite.
Jaxen used the distraction to bypass the frontline defense. Channeling his evoliths to its absolute peak, he generated an electrical field so intense that it superheated the air around his boots.
He executed a flawless, high-speed combination of close-quarters strikes: a lightning-infused left jab that cracked against the psychic armor, a spinning back-kick that rattled the telekinetic field, and a heavy downward elbow strike.
Syphos shifted his eyes toward Jaxen, unleashing a direct psychic blast from his pupils.
The shockwave hit Jaxen like a freight train, breaking his momentum and sending him skidding backward across the metal floor plates, his boots leaving dark scorch marks on the ground.
Jaxen, Rook, and Kylo continued fighting, realizing that if they stopped moving for even a fraction of a second, Syphos's psychic grip would pin them to the ground permanently.
Rook recovered instantly, sprinting back into the fray. He slammed his steel-coated palms into the ground, causing the metal floor beneath Syphos to violently erupt upward in a series of jagged, interlocking iron teeth.
Syphos casually floated a few inches off the ground using his telekinesis, dodging the rising spikes with effortless grace.
But Kylo was already waiting above him. Having copied Jaxen's lightning manipulation once more, Kylo dropped from the ceiling rafters like a falling meteor, his right heel crackling with a high-voltage golden current as he aimed a devastating axe-kick directly down at the Elite's skull.
Syphos raised his left hand, caught Kylo's electrified ankle with his bare palm, and used a massive burst of psychic energy to completely ground and neutralize the electricity.
Before Kylo could pull away, Syphos spun his body, violently hurling Kylo straight into Rook, sending both fighters crashing into a heap of twisted machinery.
Jaxen intercepted the Elite immediately after the throw. Moving at supersonic speed, his fists became a golden blur as he unleashed a relentless barrage of hand-to-hand strikes.
A right hook, a left uppercut, a devastating knee to the midsection—each punch carried the explosive concussive force of a thunderclap.
Syphos was forced onto the defensive, using his psychic-reinforced forearms to parry and block the lightning-fast onslaught.
The sound of Jaxen's fists colliding with Syphos's arms echoed through the sector like rapid artillery fire: Thud-thud-bang-thud!
Syphos found a gap in Jaxen's rhythm. He thrust his right palm forward, delivering a direct telekinetic pulse straight into Jaxen's chest.
The invisible impact cracked Jaxen's sternum, forcing him to spit out a spray of crimson blood as he staggered back.
"We aren't done yet!" Rook bellowed, rising from the wreckage. He drew all the loose metal in the area toward his upper body, constructing a massive, four-ton iron fist around his right arm.
He lunged forward, throwing an apocalyptic straight punch designed to crush the Elite and his psychic barriers all at once.
Syphos's eyes flashed a violent purple. He met Rook's massive iron fist with his own bare hand,
Coated with he's evoliths.
BOOM!
The collision of psychic energy and hardened metal created a devastating shockwave that shattered every remaining window in the surrounding automated factories. The metal platform beneath their boots buckled and split down the center, smoke and purple energy arcing across the ruined courtyard as the brutal battle raged on with zero signs of slowing down.
Meanwhile, back in the cage filled with diamonds and crystal.
Cipher and Temi Nova,( the 5th Division Vice Captain), were together.
They had been navigating the treacherous, maze-like layout of the cave system for hours, searching for an exit.
Feeling the immense physical and mental strain of the journey, they decided to take a break.
Cipher slumped heavily against a smooth, polished mound of clear crystal, letting his gear bag drop to the dirt with a soft thud.
"I'm really tired," Cipher said, his voice echoing softly against the cavern walls.
Temi Nova leaned gracefully against a towering shard of raw diamond,
"Yeah that's why we are taking a break," Temi said, as she sat down.
Cipher stared down at his boots, his face tightening as a sudden, heavy realization settled into his mind. He looked back up at the Vice Captain, his expression deeply serious.
"Yeah but time isn't on our side," Cipher said.
Temi tilted her head, her brow furrowing slightly as she took a step toward him. "What do you mean?" Temi asked.
"Well basically the moving planet was 2 days away from Earth then we left earth to the moving planet, when it was a day away and time runs faster here we've spent 10+hours so that means we only have about 10+ hours or even less before the moving planet collides with earth," Cipher said, mapping out the mathematical trajectory with a bleak look in his eyes.
Temi listened intently, her eyes widening slightly as she processed the terrifying timeline of their mission. A look of genuine respect crossed her face.
"I see, so we must take control before that happens, you know, you're actually pretty smart," Temi said, a warm, genuine smile breaking through her face
Cipher began to blush, a bright pink hue spreading across his cheeks as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck, looking away to hide his embarrassment. "Well em....I wouldn't say I am...."
Temi let out a soft, melodious sound as she laughed, thoroughly amused by his sudden shyness. "And also funny," she added, her eyes crinkling with amusement.
Cipher quickly looked back up, blinking in surprise as he tried to defend his humor. "I am," he insisted gently.
"Of course, well most times," Temi replied, her voice full of playful teasing as she watched him.
Trying to clear the nervous tension, Cipher reached down and unzipped his survival pack. As Cipher opened his bag for a snack, his fingers brushed against an old, worn piece of glossy paper tucked away in the inner lining. He pulled his hand out quickly, but the movement caused the object to dislodge.
A picture slipped out.
The photograph fluttered through the air, landing face-up on the glittering crystal floor right between them. It was a slightly faded, candid picture of a younger Cipher, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a beautiful young girl who shared his exact, bright eyes. Both of them were laughing heartily into the camera.
Temi saw it, her gaze naturally dropping to the floor. She leaned down, carefully picking up the photograph by its edges to look at it closer.
"Wow who's this cute," Temi said, her thumb lightly tracing the edge of the girl's smiling face in the image.
"Oh that's my sister," Cipher said in a sad
Temi smiled warmly, holding the picture out toward him. "Awnn, she's so cute, I'm sure she's really worried about you," Temi said, completely unaware of the reality behind the photo.
Cipher took the picture back, his fingers trembling slightly as he stared down at the frozen memory. "Yeah she probably is," he whispered.
Temi's smile faded as she noticed the sudden, change.
The playful energy from moments before completely vanished. "What happened you seem down did I saw something wrong" Temi asked, her voice filled with immediate concern as she stepped closer to him.
"No it's just, my sister isn't alive anymore, she's gone and I really miss her," Cipher said, his voice breaking on the final syllable as a single, heavy tear escaped his eye and dropped onto the clear crystal floor.
Temi's heart sank, a look of profound regret filling her eyes. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up," Temi said softly.
"No it's ok, she was really sweat, she always wanted to be a singer, she would always sing everyday," Cipher said, a faint, sweet smile forcing its way onto his lips through the grief as he remembered her voice.
Temi knelt down on the crystal floor right beside him,. "What happened to her" she asked gently.
"After my parents divorce they left us alone I had to get a job in order to survive, but my sister would always smile no matter what,she would tell me as long as I have you I'm happy," Cipher said,
"Then she got sick I didn't have enough money to take her to the hospital, I begged no one answered, I tried to find a cure but I couldn't, I couldn't," Cipher began to cry, the tears flowing freely down his face. "But even as took her last breath she sang, I really miss her."
Temi Nova didn't say another word; her heart broke.
Moving with deep empathy, Temi Nova came close to cipher and comforted him, wrapping her arms around his trembling shoulders and holding him tight against the cold, unyielding silence of the crystal cavern.