Miles away, in Cryptos's Embrace Valley, Leo's eyes snapped open. He was no longer absent-minded, no longer reminiscing. A cold dread, sharp and undeniable, pierced through his usual playful demeanor. The connection to his clone, usually a distant hum, now pulsed with an undeniable, overwhelming urgency. He saw the grotto through his clone's eyes, felt the corrupted pulse of the Heart of Cryptos, and the terrifying pull of the binding – a silent, chilling report of the disaster unfolding.
"Uzaki," he breathed, his voice raw, rising quickly from the armchair. "They're not just trying to capture me. They're trying to bind me... to the Heart."
Uzaki gasped, her previous, lingering worry transforming into stark terror. Her hand flew to her mouth, eyes wide with horror as she truly grasped the words. "Bind you? To what? Leo, what does that mean?" Her mind raced, connecting the dots of the strange tremors, his earlier vagueness, and now this chilling revelation. "Our child... Kazuki... what about him if... if you're bound?" Her voice cracked on the last word.
"Don`t worry so much have you forgotten who your husband is?" Leo said, his voice firm, his gaze already distant,
Leo was already moving, his earlier casualness shed like a discarded cloak. His face, usually so serene, was etched with grim determination. "My clone... it can't hold the connection much longer," he said, his gaze fixed on some unseen point, already preparing. "I have to go.
His eyes, usually filled with amusement, now held a fierce, ancient light. He gave her a quick, intense look, a silent promise, then his lips parted, and he spoke with an authority that echoed deep within the valley itself: "Echo to essence, core reclaims!" His form began to glow with a blinding golden light, rippling outward like a shockwave. Uzaki shielded her eyes, the last thing she saw of him was the fierce resolve on his face.
The world blurred, a sickening lurch in Leo's gut as reality warped around him. One moment, he was in the comfortable warmth at the valley, Uzaki's terrified face a fading image behind his eyelids. The next, a blinding flash of golden light consumed him, the familiar tang of ancient magic and ozone-laced air filling his lungs.
He materialized in the cavern, the air thick with the acrid scent of dissipated demon ichor and the oppressive thrum of corrupted magic. His clone, a fading shimmer of light and fragmented energy, dissolved into nothingness around him. Leo blinked, eyes adjusting instantly to the cavern's dim, moonlit interior. The colossal, multi-faceted crystal pulsed before him, its violet veins now glowing with a malevolent, hungry light, its resonance tearing at the very fabric of his being. This wasn't a distant hum; it was a screaming siren trying to drag him into its depths.
***
Kaelen, sword still drawn, had spun, his eyes wide as he witnessed the instantaneous replacement. "Leo?" he breathed, recognizing the shift in presence, the sheer weight of power that now filled the grotto. This was no projection, no limited manifestation. This was the true Leo.
Leo didn't acknowledge Kaelen directly, his gaze fixed on the Heart of Cryptos. The golden aura, which had flickered weakly around his clone, now burned with a steady, intense brilliance around him, pushing back against the violet taint radiating from the crystal. He felt the binding, a thousand ethereal chains attempting to latch onto his essence, pulling him closer to the corrupted core. The Demons hadn't just sought to bind him; they intended to use him as the final anchor, a living conduit to fully corrupt Cryptos's Heart and tear open the dimensional rift wider than anyone could imagine.
"So this is your grand plan huh!," Leo murmured, no longer playful, but edged with a chilling blend of anger and grim understanding.
He raised a hand, not to attack the crystal, but to push against the invisible, insidious currents attempting to ensnare him. The energy radiating from the crystal intensified, fighting back, its violet tendrils lashing out like unseen whips against his golden aura.
Leo's eyes blazed with a focused, golden intensity, mirroring the fierce aura that now pulsed around him. He didn't just push against the binding; he reached for it, his hands extending towards the corrupting crystal as if grasping invisible threads of reality.
"This core," he murmured, his voice resonating with ancient power, "is not yours to claim."
He began to channel his own aether, not as raw bursts of energy like his clone, but as intricate, golden streams that sought out the violet veins on the crystal's surface. It was a precise, agonizing process. The grotto thrummed, and the very air vibrated as two colossal, opposing magical forces clashed. The crystal shrieked, a high-pitched, grinding sound that seemed to tear at the cavern walls. Violet energy pulsed outward in violent waves, lashing against Leo's golden shield, attempting to overwhelm him, to coil around his limbs and drag him into the pulsing core.
Kaelen braced himself, his longsword humming softly in his grip. Shards of rock dislodged from the ceiling, hissing as they disintegrated on contact with the clashing magical currents. He watched Leo, recognizing the sheer, unimaginable power at play. This wasn't a battle of blades; it was a cosmic struggle for the very essence of Cryptos, and Leo was its champion. Kaelen could only stand as a silent guard, ready to intercept anything physical that might break through the arcane maelstrom.
Leo grunted, sweat beading on his brow despite the golden light. He was forcing the ancient power of Cryptos, that primal life force, to resist the foreign demonic influence. Each golden stream he sent into the crystal wrestled with a violet vein, attempting to unravel the demonic magic thread by agonizing thread. He could feel the Demon King's intent like a physical presence – the hunger to twist this world's heart, to make it a perpetual gateway for his legions, and to permanently shackle Leo as its battery.
Leo grunted, sweat beading on his brow despite the golden light. He was forcing the ancient power of Cryptos, that primal life force, to resist the foreign demonic influence. Each golden stream he sent into the crystal wrestled with a violet vein, attempting to unravel the demonic magic thread by agonizing thread. He could feel the Demon King's intent like a physical presence – the hunger to twist this world's heart, to make it a perpetual gateway for his legions, and to permanently shackle Leo as its battery.
With a final, guttural roar that vibrated through the very bedrock, Leo thrust his hands forward, a massive wave of pure golden light erupting from his form. It slammed into the crystal, not violently, but with the irresistible force of a tide. The black, violet veins began to recede, crackling and shrinking back into the crystal's depths. The grotto stopped shaking. The air cleared. The malevolent thrumming diminished, replaced by a softer, more rhythmic hum, the natural pulse of Cryptos's Heart.
The multi-faceted crystal, though still bearing faint, spiderweb cracks, now pulsed with a pure, unblemished moonlight radiance, its internal light restored. Leo staggered back, breathing heavily, his golden aura receding. He had pushed himself to the limit.
"You did it," Kaelen said, sheathing his sword, relief evident in his voice. "The binding... it's broken?"
Leo stared at the now purified crystal, a grim satisfaction on his face, but his eyes still held a lingering shadow. "Temporarily," he corrected, his voice raspy. "The ritual is severed, for now. But the core itself has been... imprinted. And they know how to find it. This was just the beginning of their true invasion, Kaelen. They won't stop until they claim it, or until they claim me."
He looked at Kaelen, his exhaustion palpable, but his resolve harder than ever. "We need to get word to the King. And then... we need to prepare for the real fight."
***
Back in the heart of Umbra, the elegant market district had become a swirling vortex of pandemonium. Buildings crumbled, their facades gouged by monstrous claws. The air shrieked with the panicked cries of citizens and the guttural roars of low-level demons – the 'decoys' that served as the vanguard of the invasion.
Kazuki moved like a tempest, his 'Aether Weave Re-alignment' spells carving brilliant, emerald arcs through the throngs of creatures. He wasn't just fighting; he was herding, his magic strategically tearing open escape routes for the fleeing populace. With each desperate thrust of his power, he felt the city's magical weave fraying, the very air thick with foreign, discordant energy.
Rin, meanwhile, was a whirlwind of exasperated commands, pushing citizens, directing guards, her smaller 'Weave' spells manifesting as forceful shoves against bottlenecks in the evacuation. She fought alongside Kazuki, using her limited but effective magic to shore up defenses and keep the flow of people moving.
"This is madness!" Rin yelled over the din, shoving a cowering merchant towards a carriage. "They're not even trying to advance methodically! They're just... swarming!"
Kazuki, severing another hulking beast with a powerful spell, felt a cold knot of understanding tighten in his stomach. Rin was right. These demons weren't about organized conquest. They were a chaotic, destructive tide meant to drown Umbra in panic, to keep its defenders occupied, to wear them down. Decoys. Leo's projection had warned them, and now the pattern was undeniable. Their true target must be elsewhere..
The King, a grim, determined figure even amidst the chaos, stood on a makeshift command post near the main gate, directing the flow of evacuation. His voice, amplified by a simple Weave spell, cut through the noise, a beacon of calm amidst the storm. Hoshino and Ren were already at the evacuation site, undoubtedly using their skills to organize and protect the departing citizens. Uzaki was nowhere in sight, her own heart a desperate plea for Leo's safety, but his concern for his son was overshadowed by the immediate, overwhelming need to save his people.
The market square groaned under the unending assault. The sheer number of demons was relentless, an oppressive wave threatening to overwhelm them. Just as Kazuki braced himself for another surge, a shadow fell over the panicked square, far deeper than any storm cloud. The very air around them shifted, growing heavy and cold. The low-level demons, previously mindless in their rampage, whimpered, their eyes darting towards the sky.
From a swirling rift of pure violet energy that ripped open directly above the city, a towering, grotesque figure descended. Its form was less crude than the decoys, its obsidian skin gleaming with an unnatural sheen, wicked blades fused to its forearms, and a hunger in its multi-faceted eyes that spoke of true, sentient malice. This was no decoy. This was a Harbinger, a true general of Zargoth's forces. It landed with a bone-jarring impact, shattering cobblestones and sending a shockwave that threw defenders off their feet. With a roar that shook the very foundations of Umbra, it swung its barbed arm, cleaving a merchant stall in two and sending guards flying.
Despair flickered in the eyes of the defenders. Kazuki felt a surge of fear for the first time since the invasion began. This was a force they were not equipped to handle.
Just as the Harbinger raised its other arm for a sweeping attack, a blinding, golden column of light tore through the very rift it had created, slamming down into the center of the market square. The impact wasn't destructive, but intensely pure. Demons within the light's radius recoiled, shrieking as if burned, their forms beginning to dissolve.
And from the heart of that radiant pillar, Leo emerged, his golden aura blazing, his expression fierce and unwavering. Beside him, Kaelen landed with the quiet grace of a predator, his longsword already glinting in the light. Leo's gaze swept over the chaos, landing on the Harbinger, then on Kazuki and Rin, acknowledging their desperate stand.
"Looks like the party truly started without us," Leo said, his voice carrying effortlessly over the din, resonating with a power that pushed back the despair. He lifted a hand towards the Harbinger, the golden light around him intensifying. "Alright, you oversized nuisance. You picked the wrong city for your grand entrance."
The Harbinger roared, its malformed features contorted in rage, sensing the raw challenge. But for the first time, a flicker of something akin to fear crossed its eyes.