Biocores: The Legendary Weapon Designer-Chapter 104: Shurima.

A few hours in, they reached the crest of a hill.

And there it was—Shurima. The kingdom revealed itself like a forgotten dream. Towering stone statues rose from the heart of the jungle, draped in moss and tangled vines. Trees had grown atop their shoulders, with rope bridges connecting wooden temples like threads of fate. Waterfalls cascaded from the cliffs into glowing rivers that pulsed with life. Hidden paths wound through the forest below, where silent warriors moved like shadows. Stone faces carved into the mountains watched over it all, timeless and unblinking.

This was Shurima—the sanctuary of Titans.

The only sanctuary in the entire Shoxa region. While other monarchs ruled lands rich in multiple biocore sanctuaries, Shoxa had only one. And yet, that one was enough. Its ruler was the Skull Crusher Monarch—a living symbol of raw strength and merciless will.

In contrast, the Stines region was led by the Stormbreaker Monarch, and the Aspar region by the Ironheart Monarch. Though noble bloodlines across the land descended from ancient families, the Shoxa region was different. It was a matriarchy. The Brimes bloodline, like most of Shoxa, followed the rule of powerful women.

Men were respected, but often kept close to home—more protected than protectors. The women? They were like living myths. Amazons of flesh and blood. Fast, fierce, and unyielding. They marched into battle, conquered what needed conquering, and stood guard over what mattered most.

They didn’t seek expansion or dominance. They fought to protect, to preserve. Shurima thrived in balance with the land, growing strong without breaking nature’s rhythm. For that reason, Shoxa ranked first as the safest region in the world.

But safety didn’t mean softness. Shoxa was fiercely territorial, and wary of outsiders. They rarely involved themselves in foreign wars—but their presence was always felt. Even without lifting a blade beyond their borders, they earned a seat at every major table.

A quiet kingdom. A fierce monarchy. And a power that needed no introduction.

--

"How do you want to proceed? They have a strong aversion to outsiders. Knocking on the front door isn’t an option," Althea said, arms crossed.

"Infiltration’s out too," Nioh replied. "They’ve got titanium-reinforced walls and top-of-the-line security. We’d be caught before we even got close."

"So what then? Do we just turn back?" Althea argued. "This is his home. His family won’t mistreat him."

Nioh shook his head. "I don’t like it. Something feels off. I need to see him with my own eyes. Besides... our team needs its star striker."

"Then you better think of something fast—before we get spotted."

Nioh exhaled sharply, then reached into his jacket and pulled out a small metallic cylinder. Without another word, he tossed it into the air.

Althea’s eyes widened. "Wait, what are you—?"

The beacon hovered for a moment, then burst into a glowing streak that shot into the night sky, exploding outward with a silent pulse. The signal spread like ripples across the stars—inaudible, invisible to most.

But not to them.

Althea ducked. "Have you lost your mind?! We’re supposed to be laying low, and you just lit up the sky like it’s the Fourth Sun Festival?!"

"We need to buy time. Run!" Nioh barked.

The two members of the Fangs bolted into the jungle, shadows melting into shadows. Just seconds after their escape, a metallic spear slammed into the earth where the beacon had hovered. A flash of light followed.

From the darkness, five women appeared without a sound—clad in tactical armor laced with tribal markings and inked skin that told stories of war.

Their leader, a fierce woman with dark skin and silver braids, stepped forward. She sniffed the air like a beast tracking prey.

"They’re young. A boy and a girl," she growled in a thick local accent. "If they won’t come quietly—take them down."

The youngest of the guards narrowed her eyes at the beacon’s remnants. "This signal’s... strange. Despite the wide spread, it’s pinging a very specific vessel. I’ve never seen tech like this before. It might be a scout signal—for an invasion."

She turned to the general. "We should keep them alive. For questioning."

The older woman nodded. "Understood."

"Yes, General!"

The squad scattered. Their feet sank silently into the earth—like ghosts fading into the wild, hot on the trail.

They leapt through the forest like seasoned veterans, swinging from branch to branch along what felt like pre-established routes. But it only took thirty minutes before the inevitable happened.

They were surrounded.

Nioh and Althea instantly pressed their backs together, entering a defensive stance.

Three female warriors emerged from the shadows, spears drawn, eyes cold and precise.

Althea’s hands morphed into sharp, glistening blades—ready for combat.

"Don’t move," Nioh warned quietly. One wrong twitch and things would spiral.

From the treeline, the leader stepped forward—stern, intimidating, with a presence that demanded attention. Beside her, the youngest of the warriors held up a fire-ore-powered lantern, casting flickering light across their faces.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in Shoxan territory?" the leader asked, her tone like sharpened stone.

Nioh scanned the warriors, then spoke calmly. "I’m from the Citadel. I request an audience with Akron."

"How dare you call His Majesty by name!" the younger warrior snapped.

The leader raised her voice. "We have a non-invasion treaty with the other regions. Unauthorized entry is considered an act of war. Leave now. The prince will not be receiving you."

Nioh raised a brow. "And how would you know that... if you never passed my message?"

"I won’t say it again. Leave. Or I will act." She slammed the bottom of her spear into the dirt. A shockwave rippled through the ground.

But at that moment, Nioh sensed it—harmonic fluctuations coming from deeper within the forest. He grinned.

"What makes you think I was asking?"

A pulse of raw power surged through him as he initiated a partial metamorphosis. His body was engulfed in black armor-like exoskeleton, trimmed with glowing gold lines. A sleek, jagged helmet formed around his head. The air around him grew heavy, oppressive.

From his back, the umbrella strapped in tightly suddenly unfurled—launching thousands of metallic needles into the air, casting a net of death above them.

Lightning arced around him, giving him the appearance of a wrathful god descending from the heavens.

"I am Nioh, Conqueror-in-Training at the Citadel," he declared, his voice thunderous. "Take me to your king."

The leader twitched at the sight, lips parting slightly—then she burst into laughter.

"Kill them!" she barked, snapping her hand forward.

But Nioh was already ahead.

He threw up a sonic barrier, shielding both himself and Althea as the spears came flying in.

Then, with a roar, he unleashed a Banshee Wail—a sonic scream so fierce it sent the warriors stumbling, covering their ears as the forest trembled around them.

In that narrow window of opportunity, Nioh and Althea broke the encirclement and bolted toward the denser forest, weaving between trees like shadows.

But the leader wasn’t easily deceived.

With a sharp clap of her hands, the earth trembled—and a massive stone wall erupted from the ground, slamming into place and blocking their retreat path.

Nioh and Althea didn’t flinch.

Instead of shrinking back, they pivoted, launching a coordinated assault with instinctive, tactical precision.

A storm of metallic needles descended from the sky like lightning strikes, while Althea raised her hands and unleashed a flurry of plasma bullets.

The battlefield was chaos—needles rained with deadly elegance, weaving through bodies with supernatural precision. Nioh avoided vital spots deliberately, aiming to disable, not kill.

But the enemy didn’t share his mercy.

The leader vanished mid-charge and reappeared in front of Althea in a blink—headbutting her with brutal force, silencing her barrage in an instant.

Nioh, in response, encased the youngest warrior in a cage of hovering needles, but she broke free with a sharp burst of aura. Their eyes met for a split second.

In that glance, both sides reached a silent agreement: this wouldn’t be a war. This would be a duel.

They vanished again, fists clashing mid-air as energy rippled outward with every impact.

It didn’t take long for Nioh to find himself at a disadvantage. The leader’s physical strength, technique, and element control were overwhelming. But he wasn’t fighting to win—he was fighting to stall.

"You’re trying to delay for time," she said, her voice a low growl. Her arms turned to stone, each punch now backed with earthen might.

The next hit sent Nioh flying, crashing through a tree trunk with a sickening crack.

Althea, still reeling from the earlier blow, staggered toward him.

"You’ve exhausted your cards," the leader sneered, raising her spear. "Now die."

She hurled it.

Althea’s eyes widened in panic.

But Nioh—grinning through the blood on his lips—knew he’d won the bet.

A flaming sword cleaved down from the sky, striking the earth and creating a wall of fire that swallowed the incoming spear. At the same moment, frost spread like a ripple across the battlefield, freezing the very ground.

A massive military ship appeared above the canopy, its engines roaring like thunder.

Two figures descended from its hull.

One was a middle-aged man, his sword ablaze in golden flame. The other, a younger man with an icy aura and bracers of frozen crystal, stood calm and unshaken.

They landed between Nioh and the enemy forces.

The older man spoke, his voice commanding. "One more move—and I will consider it a declaration of war against the Daywith Fiefdom."

Silence fell.

From behind them, Nioh stepped forward, the needles swirling above him before reforming neatly into the umbrella on his back.

"I am Nioh Glev," he said, his voice calm but absolute. "Son of the Absolute Monarch."

His gaze locked with the leader’s.

"I want to see your Monarch."