"No!" Lin Mo grabbed her arm. The corruption field radiated pure entropic decay.
"The fragments recognize me, Ge," Yu said, her voice calm. "The Bloom… the healing… I'm not just a Catalyst. I'm an Anchor. I stabilize the instability." She touched his ring. "I can walk through that field. I can touch the core."
[ANALYSIS: CATALYST/ANCHOR THEORY - PROBABILITY 82.3%]
[RISK: CATALYST OVERLOAD (FATAL)]
Silas adjusted his optics. "Her biology might resonate with the core, temporarily neutralizing the corruption field around her. A brief window."
Wu Gen met Yu's gaze. He saw the same stubborn resolve as her brother. "Do it."
Yu took a breath. Her entire body began to glow, not gold, but a pure, blinding white. She walked towards the Void Reactor.
The corruption field parted around her like a toxic sea before a lighthouse. The core pulsed violently, tendrils lashing out, but recoiling from her light.
[CORRUPTION FIELD NEUTRALIZATION: 3-METER RADIUS]
[YU BIOMANTIC SIGNATURE: CRITICAL OVERLOAD]
She reached the core. Placed her hands on its seething surface.
[SYNTHESIS INITIATED]
The final fragment tore free. The reactor core destabilized instantly. Alarms blared across the dead ship.
[VOID SEED INTEGRITY: 100%]
[WARNING: THE CONSUMER'S AWARENESS FOCUSING]
Yu collapsed. The corruption field surged back.
Lin Mo dove through the closing gap, grabbing Yu as the core imploded behind them. Wu Gen's Void Cut opened a path back to the Dawn's Edge.
They escaped as the Solar Queen vanished into a micro-singularity.
On the bridge, Lin Mo cradled Yu. She was alive, but cold. Unnaturally still. Her Catalyst glow was gone.
[YU STATUS: CATALYST BIOLOGY DORMANT. LIFE SIGNS STABLE. VOID SEED CONNECTION: SEVERED?]
Silas scanned her. "The overload… it burned out her connection. She's stable. Human. Normal."
[VOID SEED (100%): STABILIZED. AWAITING COMMAND.]
[TOMB-01: ACTIVATING. ALL SYSTEMS ONLINE.]
[MESSAGE DETECTED (SOURCE: UNKNOWN/ELDER?): "THE CAGE IS OPEN. THE CONSUMER AWAITS ITS KEY."]
Lin Mo looked at the completed ring, then at his sister's peaceful face. He had ultimate power. And he'd never felt more vulnerable.
The final battle wasn't ahead. It was now. Tomb-01 was coming. And the universe held its breath.