The narrow alleys twisted like veins through the dying city. Smoke choked the horizon, and old minarets pierced through it like solemn fingers raised to heaven. Below, the group moved with silent intensity.
Arjun led. His senses were sharper now—not just from training, but from something deeper. The Veerbhadra bond coiled around him like spiritual armor.
Beside him, Meher loaded her Vyom-Lance."We're close," she muttered, peering through thermal lenses. "Something's moving beneath the stone."
Arjun raised a hand, halting them.
Suddenly, a screech tore through the silence. Ravagers—mutated beasts of gnashing teeth and bone-like armor—crawled from drainage tunnels. Three at first, then six. Then dozens.
Tapan whistled. "We've got a nest."
System Alert: Ravager Cluster Detected – Tier II.5Sub-Quest Activated: Cleanse the Gate
"Engage," Arjun growled.
Varun's Ashthorn Bracers shimmered blood-red. He ducked low, rolled, and fired two micro-charges between columns. A precise detonation—focused, surgical.
But more important—adaptive.
Evolution Triggered: Ashthorn Bracers – Level II Unlocked– New Mode: Flash Net (launches a web of explosive threads)– Reflex-Based Fuse System added (charges now detonate based on user's breathing rhythm)
The new feature pulsed under his skin. He grinned. "Oh, this is going to be fun."
He launched forward—planting bombs mid-leap, vaulting across shrapnel trails, triggering them by inhale-hold-release.
One Ravager's leg exploded before it could lunge. Another burst into red mist from a full-body tripwire.
Dhani stood in the middle of a collapsing alley, her Glacier Thread coiled like a serpent. Ravagers swarmed from rooftops.
She raised her staff, breathing in—channeling.
Mist surged outward.
Ice snapped into place along the chain. She swept it wide like a whip—freezing one Ravager mid-pounce, then crushing it against a wall.
Then something changed.
Weapon Alert: Glacier Thread – Evolution Triggered– Level II: Polar Memory Form Unlocked– Thread can now 'remember' an elemental state for 30 seconds– Gains passive defense layer: Cold Armor (+10% physical resistance)
The chain glowed faint blue, responding not just to will—but to emotion. Fear. Anger. Focus.
And Dhani had found all three.
A loud buzzing filled the air as Tapan raised his Swarm Core.
The drones zipped out in a circular pattern—two of them taking hits and going dark almost instantly.
"Dammit," he hissed.
He slammed a module into the core. Sparks flew. Then—
System Alert: Core Stress Reached – Adaptive Protocol Triggered– Swarm Core v2.0 Installed– Max Drones: Increased from 5 to 8– Drone Mode: Medic, Hunter, and Recon enabled
Three new drones sprang from his kit. Sleeker. Faster.
"Let's see who's watching now."
One darted to the mosque perimeter. Two began air-to-ground sweeps, marking enemy movements in real-time.
The mosque loomed in the distance now, its dome blackened from past fires but still untouched by collapse. A divine aura pulsed faintly across the air.
But something blocked the main gates.
A Ravager—not beast, but brute. Standing 10 feet tall. Covered in molten bronze skin, its bones jutting like sacrificial blades.
Unique Ravager Encountered: "The Bronze Warden" – Tier III+
It roared, and flames erupted from its back.
Arjun clenched his jaw. "Form up. This one doesn't fall easy."