Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent!

"I guess that's for you to decide, though I'd say it's pretty stupid to throw your weapon to your enemy like that."

Alex retorted instantly, not hesitating to bite back at the Red Demon commander.

However, without the need to respond, the Red Demon commander just clicked his fingers together, and the spear hummed and suddenly forced itself out of the ground, like it was being pulled by some sort of telekinetic force.

It landed in the Red Demon commander's hands, like it had never left them to begin with.

"Neat trick."

Alex wasn't too impressed, in the world of awakened where all sorts of magical things can happen, a self returning weapon wasn't too revolutionary.

"Karosh, you know what happened the last time you left your hiding spot. Are you really willing to start another battle over a kid like this?"

Suddenly, another voice joined the fray, this time coming from Alex's rear.

Alex himself was a little startled, as his 200 metre range didn't really help perceiving B tiers.

But when he looked to see that the voice he heard was from a Human, he calmed down.

"So what Liran, our last match came to a stalemate, don't act like you did something big that last time we fought."

But Karosh wouldn't back down so easily.

"So, is this a meeting between powerhouses I've stumbled upon, or something like that?"

Seeing the pressure both of the B tiers were pushing on each other, and in turn Alex as well since he was in the middle of both of them, Alex felt like he was in some sort of third wheeling scenario.

But he wasn't too worried, he had confidence in his own strength now that he was a C tier.

And his confidence was what compelled him.

"You guys had something to do with the disappearance of our drop pods, don't you?"

He asked Karosh, the Red Demon commander straight up, surprising even Liran.

Karosh narrowed his eyes at Alex's direct accusation.

The tension between the two B tier powerhouses didn't waver, but now it was infused with a sharp edge of curiosity.

"Bold of you to assume, human."

Karosh replied, his voice dripping with condescension.

He didn't deny it, but he didn't confirm it either, which was basically an admission of guilt to Alex.

The spear in Karosh's hand hummed with latent power, a clear sign that he was ready to act if necessary.

Liran, the human B tier commander, raised an eyebrow at the young C tier's audacity while speaking to someone who was not only a whole tier above him, but with a difference in status of higher and lower life forms.

It seemed he must have been preoccupied over the last year, as he didn't seem to be recognising Alex as the human race's top prodigy.

But he didn't intervene though.

It seemed he was more interested in seeing how this would play out than saving Alex from a potential misstep.

"You're not denying it." Alex pushed further. He wasn't in the mood for games, not with Mira's whereabouts still a mystery.

The stakes were too high for subtlety.

Karosh curled his lips into a sneer. "Whether we had a hand in it or not is irrelevant."

"What matters is that you're in over your head, boy. You think just because you've reached C tier, you can challenge me? You're out of your depth."

Alex just smiled.

"Am I?"

And released his full aura.

This was the first time he was doing this after reaching C tier.

'What!?'

And both Liran and Karosh reeled back in shock.

They felt the pressure exuded by Alex, and it rivalled their own.

"Impossible!"

Karosh was the first to speak out in disbelief.

He knew that even in his own race, where they had thousands of years of history, there was nearly nobody who could achieve what Alex had achieved in terms of strength above his own rank.

Like he said, it should have been impossible in his eyes.

Even the S+ rank talent holders that he knew of back in the Red Demon domain couldn't match up to Alex in terms of potential.

"You hid your real strength!"

And because of this, Karosh didn't believe that Alex was a C- rank one bit.

It just didn't make sense to him.

Feeling the huge surge of power from Alex, Karosh knew he was in trouble.

The young human had somehow reached a level of strength that defied all known logic, and with Liran present, the odds were not in his favour.

Karosh's mind raced.

If he engaged now, he was almost certainly walking into a death trap of his own making.

Liran had no reason to stand on the sidelines if he decided to attack, and if the two humans joined forces against him, the battle would most likely end in his death.

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He couldn't afford to be reckless, not when the Telorn system would hang under a tight balance if he was subdued.

If he died, the Humans would be able to take over Planet Eldaris for themselves quicker than they could send reinforcements, which would far strain their efforts in the Telorn system.

Without a word, Karosh made his decision.

He wouldn't waste time on a fight he wasn't sure he could win.

The stakes were too high.

The Red Demons were already facing pressure, not expecting the Human race to be able to fight back as well as they had.

If Karosh knew of the news of their defeat in the Shen Wu system, he would have realised just how smart this decision was.

"Consider yourself lucky, human." Karosh spat, masking his retreat with a sneer.

"This isn't over, but I've got more important matters to tend to."

Karosh's form blurred, and in an instant, he was gone, disappearing into the dense foliage of the first.

His retreat was swift, his aura vanishing as he put distance between himself and the humans.

Liran watched him go, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Smart move." He muttered, more to himself than Alex.

"He knows when he's outmatched, I'll give him that."

Alex remained tense for a moment longer, his aura still flaring, ready for a fight.

His range of perception was still 200 metres, and as he had learned from Liran's arrival, a B tier like them could arrive in front of him before he was able to pick them up with his senses.

But as the seconds ticked by, and it became clear that Karosh wasn't coming back for the time being, Alex finally allowed himself to relax, letting his aura recede.

The adrenaline was still coursing through his veins, but he knew the immediate danger had passed.

Liran turned to him, a look of genuine curiosity on his face.

"I have to admit, I didn't expect that from you. When I first saw you, I thought you were just some scrawny kid getting too big for his boots, but here we are…"

Liran's demeanour contrasted sharply with Karosh's reaction.

He studied Alex with a mix of curiosity and newfound respect, though there was a hint of wariness in his eyes.

Anyone that could scare off Karosh like that practically commanded his respect.

"So, what brings you to this part of the forest?" Liran asked, his tone casual but probing.

They were, after all, barely a few metres away from the entrance of the Floodgate.

Alex didn't hesitate in his answer.

He knew he didn't have time for any games.

"My investigations into the drop pod disappearances brought me here. They vanished without a trace after landing in this area, and I've been tracking them down ever since. Which led me to this place."

Liran nodded, absorbing the information.

"I've heard about that. The sudden loss of communication, and the fact that they were never found, not even the location they landed. I knew something was weird about it, but unfortunately I'm too preoccupied here watching over this Floodgate and Karosh to do some digging of my own. But it seems there's more to it than I thought."

"There is." Alex confirmed.

"The Red Demons are definitely involved, but it's not as simple as a sabotage or an ambush. Tell me, have you seen or experienced anything strange around here recently, particularly around the time those drop pods disappeared?"

Liran pondered for a moment, before shaking his head and turning back to Alex.

"No, why?"

"The space around this area, particularly around the Floodgate, was under a spatial lock recently."

This time, Liran looked really interested in what Alex had to say.

He was half treating Alex's investigation as unnecessary, and half just interested in having a normal conversation with another person after so long.

He was wondering why Alex was so interested in finding out the truth, but he raised an eyebrow when he heard that this place was under a spatial lock.

Not even he could have guessed that had happened, as he had no spatial affinity to speak of, so he couldn't sense anything like that.

"A spatial lock? That's… unusual."

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