The tunnel shook like a living thing, the roar of the creatures reverberating through the crystal walls. Jack’s heart pounded, but his hands were steady. The dragon dagger blazed, its emerald fire flaring brighter than before—almost alive. The circle of predators tightened, smilodons low to the ground, red-eyed hunters stalking in unison.They lunged.Jack moved like a thunderbolt. His body became a streak of green light, his blade a flash of lightning that carved through the darkness. He spun—one, two, three cuts—five aliens collapsed in seconds, dissolving into blue sparks.Ryan’s jaw dropped. “Five—five at once—did you see that?!”Jackson gasped, camera shaking in his trembling hands. “He’s… he’s faster than I can record.”Matilda pressed a hand over her mouth, tears brimming. “Dad…”Sarah’s voice cracked, raw with fear and awe. “Jack—please, come back—don’t push any further!”Outside, Jack landed lightly, breath misting in the chill Martian air. “Stay in the DragonGP!” he barked,

As the aliens disappeared into the shadows, Jack thought it was over. He exhaled once, a ragged breath frosting in the cold Martian air. But the air changed again—sharper, heavier—before he could even lower the Dragon Dagger.Two shapes peeled out of the black, massive and silent. Their crimson eyes ignited like twin suns. Unlike the others, these weren’t hunters or smilodons. These were alien warriors—armored in obsidian plates, talons glinting like forged steel.Jack’s pulse spiked. Of course… it’s never that easy.Inside the hanging DragonGP, Ryan’s voice cracked. “Jack—behind you!”Jack spun just as the first warrior lunged. Its claw met his blade in a burst of emerald and scarlet light. The impact rattled his bones, driving him a step backward. The second warrior swooped from the side, its tail whipping like a scythe—Jack barely ducked. Sparks sprayed from the crystal wall.“Dad!” Matilda’s scream pierced the comm.Jack gritted his teeth, forcing calm into his voice. “Stay in the

The Martian cavern trembled with every impact. Shards of crystal rained from the fractured ceiling as Jack Parker and the colossal red-eyed alien locked blades and claws in a storm of emerald and crimson light. The Dragon Dagger pulsed with fierce life, each beat echoing Jack’s own faltering heart. His HUD flickered, warning indicators flashing across his cracked visor like fireflies trapped in a storm.A thunderous growl split the air—a second monster burst from the shadows: a smilodon-shaped alien, its fangs gleaming like molten steel, muscles rolling under obsidian hide. The two predators flanked Jack, moving with predatory intelligence, their movements synchronized like seasoned hunters.“Two of you now?” Jack muttered hoarsely, tasting iron as blood pooled in his mouth. His visor spider-webbed with fresh cracks. “Fine. Let’s dance.”The smilodon alien lunged first, claws raking low. Jack pivoted sideways, slashing across its flank. Sparks flared, but the blade barely carved a glo

The cavern trembled as the giant aliens prowled closer, their obsidian claws ticking against the crystal like a grim countdown. Dust drifted from the fractured ceiling, whispering down over Jack Parker’s still body and Ryan’s broken form. The Dragon Dagger’s fading emerald light pulsed weakly—like a heartbeat on the edge of stopping.Sarah’s breath fogged the DragonGP’s viewport. “Come on, Jack… come on…”Matilda pressed her palms to the glass, her voice small but steady. “Daddy’s strong. He promised.”Emily swallowed hard, forcing the ship to inch forward—just enough to draw attention without cracking the cavern floor. But the predators’ glowing eyes stayed fixed on the fallen men.Inside Jack’s mind, darkness folded over him like a closing fist. Then—a flicker of green light.He was standing—or maybe floating—on a vast plain of stars. Mars was nowhere. The DragonGP was gone. Instead, endless constellations swirled in silent majesty, and a warm wind that wasn’t a wind brushed his fac

Dust and sparks swirled in a storm of emerald lightning and alien screeches. Through the haze, the three predators advanced again—unyielding, unstoppable.They didn’t give up.The red-eyed champion prowled forward first, obsidian plates shifting with a sound like grinding metal. Its slit pupils glimmered like hot coals in the dark. The Smilodon-beast followed close, limping on three legs but snarling, fangs dripping with acid saliva. The serrated one circled wide, its bladed arms dragging sparks from the crystal floor. Even wounded, they were predators born of steel and nightmare—they didn’t bleed easily, and they didn’t feel fear.Jack straightened, planting his boots on the fractured ground. His spacesuit hissed with every movement, the leaking oxygen tank venting wisps of white vapor. The Dragon Dagger thrummed in his hand like a living heart, lightning crawling up his arms.Sarah’s voice crackled through the comm. “Jack—your tank—”“I know.” His voice was ragged but steady. “Doesn