The violet planet trembled.
Not from tectonic movement, but from the weight of something enormous pushing its way through the atmosphere.
High above the metallic forests, clouds parted like curtains being torn open. A colossal vessel descended from orbit—its hull shaped like a spearhead, blacker than the vacuum between galaxies. Strange geometric patterns pulsed across its surface, glowing faintly crimson like wounds that refused to heal.
The Event Horizon Order had arrived.
Their ship did not roar like ordinary engines. Instead, the air vibrated with a low harmonic chant—an artificial mantra generated by machines designed to mimic enlightenment.
But something about it felt wrong.
Corrupted.
Incomplete.
Inside the regeneration facility, warning lights flashed across every surface.
Lina stared at the projection of the descending ship, her jaw tight.
“That thing is too big for a simple raid,” she muttered.
The hovering drone beside her flickered nervously.
“Ship mass estimated at seventy-three megatons. Energy signatures indicate void-reactor technology.”
“Wonderful,” Lina groaned.
Behind her, the Six-Eared Macaque stepped barefoot across the chamber floor.
Golden regeneration fluid still clung to his fur, dripping quietly onto the metal panels. Despite three centuries of cosmic exile and three years of healing, his posture carried the same quiet balance as a monk who had spent a thousand lifetimes studying stillness.
He approached the massive observation window.
Outside, the sky burned purple and black as the invading ship slowed its descent.
“You said these beings seek enlightenment,” the Macaque said calmly.
“Yeah,” Lina replied.
“They’re obsessed with the idea that ultimate truth exists beyond the edge of the universe.”
The Macaque tilted his head slightly.
“Many have believed that.”
“The difference,” Lina added darkly, “is they’re willing to destroy entire star systems trying to prove it.”
Outside, the ship’s undercarriage opened.
A triangular aperture glowed like a dark star.
Dropships began pouring out.
Hundreds of them.
Each one angular, predatory, and silent.
Lina ran her hands through her hair.
“Fantastic.”
The Macaque remained still.
“Fear does not help.”
“Easy for you to say,” Lina snapped. “You just woke up from a cosmic spa treatment.”
He turned to her.
“I also remember dying.”
That shut her up.
The first dropships pierced the violet cloud layer and began descending toward the plains surrounding the facility.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Metallic forests bent beneath the shockwaves.
Something new appeared on the ship’s projection.
Figures.
Armored soldiers emerging from the dropships in perfect formation.
Their armor was smooth black alloy etched with glowing sutra patterns. Their helmets were featureless, their visors reflecting the violet sky like mirrors.
Each soldier carried a long staff-like weapon humming with gravitational distortion.
The drone beeped nervously.
“Hostile force approaching perimeter.”
Lina opened a weapons locker near the wall and pulled out a compact plasma rifle.
“You know how to fight?” she asked the Macaque.
He considered the question thoughtfully.
“I have some experience.”
“That’s reassuring.”
Outside, the first soldiers reached the edge of the facility grounds.
They moved with eerie discipline—perfectly synchronized, like monks performing a ritual.
One of them stepped forward.
He raised his weapon.
And spoke.
His voice boomed across the plains, amplified by unseen speakers.
“UNKNOWN OCCUPANTS OF THE ANCIENT FACILITY.”
The metallic forests vibrated with the sound.
“YOU ARE IN POSSESSION OF ARTIFACTS BELONGING TO THE EVENT HORIZON ORDER.”
Lina muttered under her breath.
“Oh sure. Now the whole planet belongs to them.”
The voice continued.
“SURRENDER ALL TECHNOLOGY AND PRESENT YOURSELVES FOR SPIRITUAL EVALUATION.”
The Macaque looked mildly amused.
“That is an unusual threat.”
“They’re religious extremists with warships,” Lina said. “Unusual is their brand.”
Outside, the soldiers raised their weapons.
The lead figure spoke again.
“NON-COMPLIANCE WILL BE MET WITH COSMIC PURIFICATION.”
The Macaque stepped closer to the observation window.
For a moment he simply watched them.
Then he sighed.
“A misunderstanding.”
Lina blinked.
“A misunderstanding?”
“Yes.”
“Pretty sure they mean to kill us.”
“They believe they are liberating us.”
“That’s worse.”
The Macaque nodded.
“Much worse.”
He turned toward the main entrance of the facility.
“You should remain inside.”
Lina raised the plasma rifle.
“No chance.”
“You cannot defeat them.”
“Maybe not,” she replied. “But I’m not hiding while someone steals my planet.”
The Macaque studied her.
Then he smiled faintly.
“You remind me of someone.”
“Hopefully someone who survived.”
“Eventually.”
Outside, the soldiers advanced.
Their leader raised one hand.
A beam of gravitational energy slammed into the facility’s outer gate.
The reinforced alloy buckled instantly.
Another blast followed.
Metal screamed as the gate collapsed inward.
Lina swore.
“They’re coming in!”
The Macaque calmly walked toward the shattered entrance.
His tail swayed behind him.
His breathing slowed.
Three soldiers stepped through the broken gate.
Their armor glowed faintly red as their weapons charged.
“IDENTIFY YOURSELF,” one demanded.
The Macaque stopped ten meters away.
For a moment he simply looked at them.
Then he spoke.
“My name would not help you.”
The soldiers aimed their weapons.
“YOU WILL SUBMIT FOR ENLIGHTENMENT.”
The Macaque smiled.
“I have already been enlightened.”
They fired.
Gravity beams tore through the air like invisible spears.
Before they struck—
the Macaque vanished.
The beams punched through empty space and blasted a crater into the facility wall.
A heartbeat later, the first soldier collapsed.
His armor dented inward by a blow that had landed faster than the human eye could track.
The second soldier swung his weapon around.
Too late.
The Macaque appeared beside him, striking two precise points along the armor’s energy nodes.
The suit shut down instantly.
The soldier dropped.
The third fired blindly.
The beam grazed the Macaque’s shoulder.
Lina gasped.
But the Macaque didn’t even flinch.
He simply tapped the soldier lightly on the helmet.
The armor cracked like porcelain.
Three seconds.
Three soldiers defeated.
Lina stared in disbelief.
“Okay,” she said slowly.
“You definitely have more than ‘some experience.’”
The Macaque flexed his injured shoulder.
The regeneration process had not fully finished.
But it would be enough.
Above them, the massive warship hovered in the clouds.
And deep inside it—
someone was watching.
In a vast observation chamber lined with black crystal screens, a tall figure stood with hands folded behind his back.
His robes were dark red.
His head was shaved.
His eyes glowed faintly violet.
The High Ascetic of the Event Horizon Order.
He watched the replay of the Macaque’s movements carefully.
“Interesting,” he murmured.
One of his attendants spoke nervously.
“Shall we deploy heavier units?”
The Ascetic shook his head slowly.
“No.”
He leaned closer to the screen.
“That creature…”
He smiled faintly.
“…is not the prize.”
The screen zoomed in on the facility interior.
Specifically—
the empty regeneration vat.
“The true relic,” the Ascetic whispered, “has already awakened.”
Outside, more dropships descended.
Hundreds of soldiers marched across the violet plains.
The sky darkened beneath the shadow of the warship.
Inside the broken facility, Lina checked her rifle.
The Six-Eared Macaque stood calmly beside her.
And across the galaxy—
Sun Wukong suddenly paused mid-conversation with Pandora.
He scratched his chin.
“Strange.”
Pandora frowned.
“What?”
“I feel like someone just punched a religious army.”
“…why is that strange?”
Wukong grinned.
“Because it wasn’t me.”
And somewhere in the vast darkness between stars—
two ancient rivals were unknowingly moving toward the same destiny.
The path to the Event Horizon was tightening.
And the universe was beginning to hold its breath.
