The Core-Wastes were a nightmare of physics. Located on the inner mantle of the Dyson shell, the environment was a churning sea of liquid fire and pressurized plasma. Here, gravity didn't pull you down; it pulled you in every direction at once, as the star's magnetic filaments whipped through the air like invisible, miles-long lashes.
Raen plummeted from the transport ship, his boots hitting the surface of a "Cool-Spot"—a plate of solidified solar slag that was still a staggering 5,500°C.
[ENVIRONMENTAL WARNING]
Ambient Temperature: Lethal.
Atmospheric Pressure: 300x Standard.
Status: Black-Body Law is automatically converting heat into Core Stability.
Current Reserve: 12% (Charging...)
"Raen, can you hear me?" Kaelith's voice was a mess of static in his ear. Back on the Aurora-Vanguard, she was pushing the ship's comms to the limit. "The interference is insane! My sensors show three signatures closing in on you. They aren't looking for Star-Beasts, Raen. They're looking for you."
"I know," Raen said, his eyes scanning the horizon of dancing fire. "Helios never was one for patience."
From the plasma-mists, three figures emerged. Prince Helios (Rank 9), Princess Selene (Rank 8), and Prince Ignis (Rank 8). They stood in a triangular formation, their gold-and-crimson armor glowing with protective wards that shimmered against the heat.
"End of the road, glitch," Helios shouted, his voice amplified by his mana. He held a spear made of white-dwarf matter. "Aurelius promised a seat at his right hand for the one who kills you. I think I'll take his head and the seat."
"Three against one?" Raen asked, his hands hanging loosely at his sides. "You're bringing an army to kill a 'candle'?"
"We're bringing a funeral," Selene hissed. She raised her hands, and the liquid plasma around Raen's feet began to rise, forming into tethering chains of [Solar Bind].
The three heirs attacked simultaneously. Ignis launched a barrage of Magma-Bolts, Selene tightened the chains, and Helios lunged with his spear, a strike aimed directly at Raen's heart.
Raen didn't dodge. He breathed in.
[BLACK-BODY LAW: EVENT HORIZON]
As the attacks converged, Raen's body didn't just absorb the hits—it sucked the light out of the surrounding area. For a fifty-meter radius, the blinding Core-Wastes went pitch black. The Magma-Bolts hit the darkness and vanished. The Solar Bind chains snapped as their energy was drained into the void.
Raen caught Helios's spear-tip with two fingers.
"What... what is this?" Helios stammered, his Rank 9 fire failing to even singe Raen's skin. "My spear... it's losing its heat!"
"Your fire is just a snack, Helios," Raen said.
Raen stepped forward, his fist connecting with Helios's chest plate. He didn't use physical strength; he used [RANK 6: CORONA BURST]—but instead of releasing heat, he released the absence of it. The "Cold-Fire" shattered Helios's armor like glass.
Before Raen could finish the fight, a roar that shook the very foundation of the Dyson shell echoed through the wastes. The ground beneath them heaved, and a Rank 10 Solar Drake—a creature of pure, sentient fusion—erupted from the plasma sea.
It was a hundred feet of golden scales and wings made of solar flares. It looked at the four intruders, its eyes burning with the rage of a cornered god.
"The Heart-Crystal!" Ignis shouted, momentarily forgetting the fight.
The Drake opened its maw, preparing a [Supernova Breath]. Selene and Ignis immediately threw up their strongest shields, and even Helios scrambled backward, his face pale.
Raen, however, turned his back on his siblings and walked toward the Drake.
"Kaelith," Raen whispered into the comms. "Turn off the safety limiters on the Shard. I need to see if I can delete a Rank 10."
"Raen, if you miss, the kickback will turn your soul into a vacuum!"
"Then I won't miss."
Raen drew the Axiom Shard. As the Drake unleashed its breath—a torrent of fire that could melt a continent—Raen didn't hide. He pointed the needle and stepped into the flames.