The Core Chamber trembled with power.
West tightened his grip on the pipe—half-shattered now, edges jagged and sparking. His boots scraped against the metal floor as he moved forward again.
Across the chamber, Rhys stood tall.
Silver armor fully activated.
Pulse-conduits along his arms glowed blood-red.
His two blade-arms hung like wings of light, humming with lethal energy.
No more words.
No more illusions.
Only battle.
West moved first.
His feet slammed down. One step. Two.
The broken pipe swung in a wide arc.
Rhys caught it effortlessly—one blade snapping the weapon aside like glass.
West didn't slow.
He stepped inside the strike zone, bare fist swinging toward Rhys's jaw.
Impact.
For a split second, Rhys's head jerked back.
Not enough to break him.
But enough to mark the first real hit.
Aria followed immediately.
Her pulse blade glowed white-hot now—so bright it left afterimages.
She struck low, aiming for Rhys's left knee joint.
Rhys reacted fast—spinning, blade-arms sweeping in a defensive X-pattern.
Sparks sprayed across the chamber.
Steel met pulse-steel.
The air burned.
West grunted as one of Rhys's counterstrikes grazed his ribs.
Pain lanced through his side. Warm blood spread beneath his vest.
But he didn't stop moving.
Aria slid across the floor beside him—perfect synch.
For every blow Rhys threw, they met it together.
One high.
One low.
Always moving.
Never alone.
Behind them, Lem's voice crackled over comms:
"Feedback loop almost ready! I can give you a two-second system lag! That's all!"
West clenched his jaw.
"Do it."
The next exchange was brutal.
Rhys's blade-arms moved like lightning—slashing down, spinning wide, aiming for killing strikes.
West ducked a horizontal sweep.
Aria bent backward, pulse blade slicing up to intercept.
The clash sent a shockwave through the entire chamber.
Metal panels on the walls buckled outward.
Sigma fighters watched from the edges—helpless now. Their rifles useless against Core armor.
But they didn't run.
They watched.
Because this wasn't their fight anymore.
It was West.
And Aria.
Then:
"NOW!" Lem shouted.
The lights flickered.
For two seconds—Rhys froze mid-strike.
A visible pulse glitch ran through his armor.
Aria didn't wait.
She moved like a falling star—pure momentum.
Her palm struck Rhys's chest once. Twice. Three times.
Each hit left a crack.
Tiny fractures spreading outward.
Rhys's voice distorted:
"You… really…"
"Think this… is enough?"
His systems rebooted.
Blades rising again.
West caught Aria's shoulder.
"Step back."
She did.
Together they retreated five meters—breathing hard.
West wiped blood from his mouth.
Aria's pulse lines now flickered between blue and red—unstable.
Her breathing was fast, controlled only by will.
"I… have one more thing," she said.
Her voice was rough but steady.
West raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah?"
Aria extended her hand toward him.
"I can tether fully."
West blinked.
"We've already—"
"This time's different," she said. "I don't hold back. Full sync."
For a second, neither moved.
Then West grabbed her hand.
Their fingers locked.
PULSE TETHER: FULL SYNC INITIATED
NEURAL LIMITS: OFFLINECORE LINK STABILITY: 89%RISK OF MEMORY BLEED: ACCEPTED
It hit like electricity.
West saw through Aria's eyes.
Aria felt West's heartbeat.
Two bodies.
One rhythm.
Their vision overlapped.
Every motion.
Every step.
Perfect unity.
Rhys stepped forward again.
His voice carried a final command:
"Submit."
West and Aria didn't answer.
They moved.
Together.
One step. Two. Forward.
No hesitation.
West struck high—fist glowing with shared pulse energy.
Aria struck low—pulse blade cutting through air like white fire.
Rhys raised his arms to block.
The dual strike hit in perfect sync.
The Core Chamber shook as Rhys's armor cracked.
Not a small crack.
A full rupture.
Red light burst outward from his chest plate—spreading like a spiderweb.
Rhys staggered for the first time.
West stepped in again, driving his knee into Rhys's stomach.
Aria followed, her pulse blade stabbing forward.
Together:
Brother and sister.
One signal.
One final pulse.
The chamber lit up in pure white.
And Rhys fell.