The breach in the dome should have spelled doom for everyone inside. But the cultivators matched the enemy's energy. Swarm against swarm they fought, desperately, throwing their lives away not to kill the enemy but to buy time, just a little bit of time for what was going to happen next.
The mountain's peak soon became red in blood as tens of thousands of cultivators fought desperately to stop the breach.
And soon for a small window of time, the creatures were surrounded and were encased in a massive cube of Soulsteel. The breach was stopped and reformed by the sacrifice of other cultivators who used their own soul energy to morph it back and seal it once more.
The number of trapped creatures inside the dome was incredible. And among them I saw it, a smaller version of the bigger creatures, unlike the paler ones, this one was pitch black. A creature of nightmare that would even make a xenomorph look like a cute home pet.
This was the source of the unholy screech from before. The leader itself had come inside the dome and was now trapped.
Feeling at a loss, no one knew what to do next. The portion that trapped the creatures was massive, and no one could move it outside, even if they could, they'd have to open a path through the endless hordes swarming and now climbing even on top of the dome.
Suddenly a man in full golden armor appeared in the air. He slowly hovered and descended down. An aura of immense power surrounded him. Dare I say that he was way stronger than even the eight Suns of the Beyond?
I couldn't tell, but I knew that everyone seemed to respect this man.
He then, moved until he reached the locked cube and sighed.
"My people... we have lost our world. And can no longer live here. These fiends would kill all and any life form they would meet. But I cannot leave us without a path of survival. I'll use the last of my powers to take us away from here."
"Father, to move the Bastion, it will require all of your soul energy," a woman who wore the same type of armor said to him.
"If I were to die, then you should lead them. My only wish is for our people to survive."
"What are we going to do about this cage?" she asked.
"I only have enough power to move us away from this planet. As for the cage, as long as it is locked and sealed, they wouldn't be able to exit. They have no souls and cannot use them to break out, eventually, they will die out. So leave them trapped inside. The only grace we had was that their queen was trapped inside.
Maybe in a few thousand years, when you come back to our planet, they would all be long since dead," he said.
The hunter was prowling the passages of the vessel, under even the most scrutinized guard and watch, it still hunted with ease.
It hunted, and it converted. It was breeding its offspring through our own cultivators. And we only noticed when many of us were missing. We only realized it when the queen no longer screeched for orders but began screaming a guttural sound akin to a laugh. A laugh against our own miserable and unfortunate future.
It had succeeded in taking over the vessel, making it its own hunting ground. They grew smarter and no longer killed everything in sight, they captured the humans and enslaved their minds. They then pushed them to open passages for them so they can kill more."
My head began hurting as I thought of the terror they must have all felt. Even in this enclosed place, they were nothing but prey.
"Once we realized that they captured hostages, we all began consuming poison. We would rather die than be the reason why more of our brothers and sisters die. But that was a solution that didn't last for long. Since we were outnumbered they could simply use cultivators who didn't have the time to poison or sacrifice themselves to open more passageways.
Until our Queen decided to make the last stand behind that door. All of the remaining cultivators had been ordered to move to where we are right now. And only eight of us were left. As for our Queen, she fought at the doorway, stopping them from moving forward. But the queen's voice... we can hear it no more. The queen is probably dead is what we wholeheartedly wish.
Because if she was captured... then the leader of these fiends could be liberated... here we drink, to our last breath, and for you who is watching this. No matter what, do not open that door..."
I swallowed hard as the realization hit me.
The first thing I did was look back.
There were no words that needed to be said. It was obvious even through the inability to understand the language.
Everyone behind me was in a state of utter shock. They had seen what these creatures were capable of, and they understood what this whole thing was.
If this thing were to open to the outer world, then what happened to that planet would happen to the Beyond.
"You should retreat, find a way to leave the ship, and come back," I heard. This was the voice of the Darkest Sun. Also, Shen Bao, the Blue Sun is requesting that you take one of those ear pieces with you for her to study and all of your notes so far."
"Are you planning on investigating this place?" I asked.
"I have no intentions of doing so, but the Blue Sun wants to," he said.
"That's absurd, you all saw what happened..." Only a fool would do something like that, but for some reason... why am I feeling as if I'm being watched right now?