The sky still hissed with the scent of scorched ash.
Iden stood atop the north watchtower, wind tugging at his cloak. Below, the ashes of Abyssal Elites were being scraped into collector bins by his Builder skeletons for mana residue extraction.
But his gaze wasn't on the dead.
It was on the lines they had broken — and the ones they had nearly broken.
"We survived," Kael said, approaching. "But not for long if they regroup again."
"That's why we won't wait," Iden replied. "It's time for Phase Two."
He turned toward the heart of Sanctum — where blueprints had already been laid.
"Prepare the Mana Conduit Nexus, finalize the sector partition, and activate all civilian-linked upgrades. Every non-combatant now matters more than ever."
Across the growing village of Sanctum, new titles appeared on the system HUD:
• Defense Sector – Fortifications, Emberfang, Missile Network, MAGLANCE Towers• Trade and Logistics Sector – Relay Hub, Caravan Node, Raid Store Depot• Arcane Sector – Forge, ARCVAULT, Mana Nexus• Civic Sector – Civilian dwellings, Growth Gardens, Education Hall• Governance Sector – Command Hall, Tactical Array, Hero Monument
More importantly—civilians with unlocked second-classes were now connected to these sectors.
Their small bonuses stacked.
Suddenly, the Builders moved faster. The reactors consumed less mana. The Emberfang towers cooled down 12% faster due to "Civilian Affinity - Thermal Regulation".
"Power through the people," Arlen chuckled, walking by with a schematic."We're becoming a real civilization, boss."
The tunnel was narrow and smelled of old roots and gunpowder.
Nyra led with Velrix cloaked in shadow, Rael just behind her, Aetherflare Roc perched on the ceiling.
They'd followed a collapsing mana pulse traced back from one of the intercepted Abyss scouts.
Then they'd found a sealed hatch — beneath it, a world.
"You feel that?" Rael whispered."The wards are old. Earth-native. Not Rift magic."
They emerged in a massive underground cavern lit by glowing fungus and burning torches.
Weapons clicked.
"Identify yourselves!" came a deep voice from above.
A dozen armored men and women surrounded them — some in patchwork leather, others with hybrid-tech plating. Behind them stood a middle-aged woman with a shaved side cut and eyes glowing faintly with resistance mana.
"We're Sanctum operatives," Nyra said calmly. "Fighting the Abyss."
The woman stepped forward.
"Sanctum…" she repeated, surprised."You're the ones who fired that weapon. We saw it from below. Thought the gods returned."
Rael nodded. "We're here for allies."
"You found them," the woman said, lifting her hand."I'm Commander Ilara. Welcome to The Hollow Pact."
Back in Sanctum, Kael walked into Iden's workshop with something in his hand — a crystalline shard, pulsing red.
"You wanted the cores stabilized."
"Is it done?" Iden asked.
Kael grinned. "Better. I split one core into three miniature accelerants. If synchronized, they'll detonate mid-fall like cluster shards."
"And the launcher?"
"Ready."
Iden walked to the center of his war table. A massive schematic of the launcher platform hovered in the air.
He'd named it: Omega Variant.
Payload:• 1x Main Missile• 3x Mini Mana-Shard Warheads• 3x Compressed Tier-3 Mana Cores• Yield: Class-Destruction-Level / Estimated Radius: 5km
"We've tracked Valtross," Iden said to Kael."He's rallied the remainder of his forces 18 kilometers north, consolidating at the Blackroot Basin. They're rebuilding… again."
"So we end it."
"No." Iden's eyes narrowed."We erase it."
Valtross stood before a new rift.
Around him, the remnants of his army slaved to erect barricades and altars, shielding him as he attempted a final summoning.
"I will not fall to bone and bolts," he muttered, hands bloody from his own runes.
But as he lifted the control rod—
Ping.
A faint sound.
He looked up.
A glimmer in the clouds.
Then a whistle.
"No…"
Launched from the hidden tower in Sanctum's outer circle, the Big One – Omega rose like a sun.
It split midair.
Three mini-warheads detached, stabilizing in perfect arcs.
All fell.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—
A trinity of infernos rocked the air, each crater splitting into a spiral of shockwaves.
Then came the final descent.
THUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMM.
The Omega Core detonated.
A dome of red-white light erupted, tearing through mana layers, shields, and every soul caught in its radius.
Valtross screamed.
Then disintegrated.
[World System Announcement]
[GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT]
Candidate "Valtross" has been eliminated.
✦ Cause of Death: Super-Class Mana Weapon (Omega Variant)✦ All Abyssal Forces under his banner have ceased function✦ Blackroot Basin marked as "Glass Zone"
✦ Bonus: Victory Achievement Unlocked for [Iden]✦ +4500 RP | 2x Blueprint Tokens | 1x Mythical Skill Core✦ Alliance Reputation Bonus: Sanctum registered as Tier-2 Proto-Nation
The villagers stood in silence as the red glow faded on the horizon.
Rael returned with Nyra and Commander Ilara at her side.
The underground alliance had joined them.
Builders, soldiers, citizens — all stood to watch the sky burn.
Iden didn't speak.
He only looked toward the blast zone.
"He's gone," Kael said quietly."Really gone."
Iden exhaled.
Then looked forward.
"Then it's time to rebuild. Not just walls."
"We build a world."