Ethan focused on the tracker, the holographic schematics swirling before his eyes. He recalled his father's notes, his theories on inverting dimensional energy flows. It was a complex and dangerous concept, but it might be their only hope to sever the Cellucas' connection to the dying world's life force.
"Ziak," Ethan said, his voice low but firm. "You and Kiaz need to create a diversion. Draw the Cellucas away from the nexus point. Give me time."
Ziak nodded grimly. "Be careful, Ethan. That inverted energy is volatile."
With Kiaz, still weakened but resolute, supporting him, Ziak moved swiftly, unleashing a barrage of emerald energy blasts at the Cellucas guarding the perimeter of the nexus point. The grotesque aliens, momentarily surprised by the attack, turned their attention towards the immediate threat.
Ethan, meanwhile, moved stealthily towards the central structure, the inverted energy radiating from it making the air feel heavy and oppressive. He could feel the planet's fading life force being drawn into the nexus, a mournful thrumming that resonated deep within him.
He raised the tracker, its blue light a stark contrast to the sickly red glow of the corrupted nexus. He focused his will, attempting to manipulate the flow of dimensional energy, to introduce a counter-frequency that would disrupt the inversion.
The holographic display on the tracker showed complex equations, energy pathways twisting in on themselves. Ethan struggled to understand the principles at play, relying on instinct and the fragmented knowledge gleaned from his father's research.
He began to emit a focused beam of the tracker's stable blue energy, not at the nexus itself, but at the points where the planet's life force seemed to be flowing into it – conduits of twisted energy that snaked across the ruined ground.
The inverted energy reacted violently to the stable frequency, the conduits flickering and spasming. The mournful thrumming intensified, accompanied by sharp cracks of displaced energy. The Cellucas around Ziak and Kiaz shrieked, momentarily disoriented by the fluctuations.
The massive Cellucas overseeing the draining process turned its attention towards Ethan, its red eyes burning with fury. It lunged towards him, its mutated claws crackling with inverted energy.
Ethan knew he couldn't fight it directly while trying to disrupt the energy flow. He had to rely on Ziak and Kiaz to keep it at bay.
"Ziak! Now!" Ethan yelled, his voice strained with concentration.
Ziak and Kiaz unleashed a coordinated assault, their energy blasts converging on the massive Cellucas. The inverted energy surrounding it offered some resistance, but their combined firepower began to overwhelm it.
Focusing all his will, Ethan amplified the tracker's stabilizing frequency, targeting the main conduit of the planet's life force flowing into the nexus. With a final surge of blue energy, he severed the connection.
The mournful thrumming abruptly ceased. The sickly red glow of the corrupted nexus flickered and died. The flow of the dying world's energy into the void had been stopped. The sacrifice had been averted, at least for now. But the massive Cellucas leader, enraged and weakened, still stood between them and the surviving inhabitants.