The shift to Rank B brought immediate, transformative power, but it also delivered a chilling sense of isolation. Archelius, now Level 50 and radiating an overwhelming silver-blue aura, felt the profound distance between himself and his loyal squad, who struggled to process the seismic leap in his status.
His first action was the final, immediate upgrade using the Leviathan Lord's Arch-God Core.
[War God's Vestment (Rank B) Synthesis: Requires 1 Ultimate Divine Grade Core, 3 Triton Alloy, 1 Legendary Crystalline Data Weave. Success: 100%.]
The Vestment transformed, becoming seamless, organic, and incredibly powerful, integrating the Rank C++ gear into a single, flowing suit of B-Rank armor.
[War God's Vestment (Rank B) Acquired. Defense +150. Reduces Core Power damage taken by 80%. Passive: Environmental Immunity (Full).]
The Environmental Immunity passive meant Archelius was now impervious to external environmental damage pressure, temperature extremes, or corrosive atmosphere. He was functionally untouchable by anything below Rank B.
While Archelius focused on optimizing his gear, he sensed the emotional toll the escalating war was taking on his team. Raji and Theodore maintained their combat readiness, but Lisa and Bethany, the core of the support, were exhausted.
He found Lisa resting near the nexus core, not sleeping, but staring blankly at the swirling energy. Lisa, the most sensitive and empathic of the group, bore the emotional weight of their journey.
"You should be resting, Lisa," Archelius said, his voice softer than the Rank B armor suggested.
Lisa looked up, her eyes wide, then quickly looked away, intimidated by his new Rank B presence.
"It's hard, War God," Lisa whispered. "Every time you ascend, the light is blinding. We are safer, but you... you get further away. You fought Level 200, alone. We just watched the nexus."
Archelius knelt, the gesture a deliberate attempt to breach the Rank B barrier. "Your role is the most critical. You track the energy, you anticipate the threats. My ascent is only possible because you ensure my focus remains absolute."
Lisa finally met his gaze. "I know, but... every Dominance Kill you make, it's closer to an end we can't share. When this war is over, what happens to the Core Zeros? What happens to us?"
The question hung heavy in the air. Archelius had never considered a post-System future.
"I have secured your survival. That is the System's directive," Archelius replied, avoiding the emotional depth.
Lisa gently placed her hand on the cold, metallic surface of his knee armor. "You saved us from a slow death. Now, you risk a fast one. We just want... we want you to have something beyond the System, Archelius."
He felt a genuine, unfamiliar warmth at her touch. For the first time, he saw her not as a subordinate, but as a person who genuinely cared for the failed Core Zero beneath the armor.
The moment of vulnerability was brutally shattered.
[Warning: Proximal Threat Detected. Entity Classification: Rank B Assassin. Identity: Unknown.]
A ripple of black energy appeared at the edge of the Citadel. A figure, cloaked entirely in obsidian armor, materialized silently a Shadow Blade Assassin (Level 180). The assassin was not focused on Archelius, but on the exposed nexus core, where Lisa and Bethany were positioned.
"Rank B! They were waiting for the Level 200 Dominance Kill!" Archelius roared. "Raji! Theodore! Intercept!"
The Level 180 Assassin was blindingly fast, a pure Rank B threat. It bypassed Theodore and Raji, who were still adjusting to their new Rank D skills. The assassin's obsidian blade, wreathed in dark energy, aimed for the nexus core, which would instantly destabilize the Citadel.
Lisa and Bethany, reacting on pure instinct, activated their Focus Lock (Rank D) and hurled themselves in front of the core.
The assassin's blade changed trajectory, abandoning the core for the simpler target: the two support specialists.
Archelius activated the Warp Function (Major), using the unlimited range to blink across the chamber instantly, interposing himself between the blade and the girls.
CLANG!
The impact of the Rank B blade against his Rank B Vestment was colossal, forcing Archelius back, but his armor held.
"You won't touch the core!" Archelius yelled, immediately unleashing a War God's Strike (Rank B) a 7x multiplier attack into the assassin's chest.
The assassin staggered, but the Level 180 armor absorbed the blow.
The assassin, realizing Archelius was too strong, didn't press the attack. Instead, it activated a hidden device on its wrist—a spatial destabilizer, aimed at destroying the structural integrity of the entire Citadel.
"If I can't kill you, I will destroy your base!" the assassin hissed, its voice metallic and cold.
The stabilizer began charging, creating a dark, imploding sphere of energy.
Raji and Theodore rushed the assassin, but their Rank D physical attacks were meaningless against the Level 180 armor.
Lisa, however, saw the weakness. The massive concentration of power needed for the stabilizer created a reverse ripple in the nexus energy a blind spot the assassin's Rank B shielding ignored.
Lisa, driven by the desire to save Archelius and the future, ran forward. She didn't use her tracking skill or her focus lock. She performed a suicidal, physical block against the assassin's arm, slamming her body against the charging device.
K-SHATTER!
The device overloaded, unable to handle the organic interference. The resulting explosion was localized but devastating, a pure spatial tear.
The blast consumed Lisa entirely. Her small body vanished in a flash of implosion energy, leaving nothing but a lingering scent of ozone.
[Subordinate Lisa (Level 5) Terminated. Cause: Rank B Spatial Implosion.]
The assassin, momentarily stunned by the loss of its device, seized the opportunity and warped away, its mission failed, but its objective to inflict a devastating psychological blow achieved.
Silence descended upon the Citadel. The Level 180 assassin was gone. The threat was over. But Lisa was not there.
Theodore collapsed to his knees, burying his head in the metallic floor. Raji stared at the spot where Lisa had stood, her hands trembling. Bethany let out a silent, wrenching sob, unable to activate her psychic resistance against the pure, raw grief.
Archelius stood over the empty space, his Rank B armor unharmed, his health full, his Core Power stable. He was Level 50, a god among mortals, yet he felt the most profound failure of his existence.
He had promised survival. He had failed.
The System, cold and relentless, registered the loss: [Subordinate slot 3/4: Empty.]
Archelius knelt, picking up a small, charred piece of Lisa's clothing the only remnant. He looked at the vast, global map, the Level 150 and Level 200 signatures suddenly seeming meaningless.
He had ascended to Rank B, but he had paid the price of his humanity.
He looked at Bethany, Raji, and Theodore, their faces etched with horror and loss.
"We stop the war," Archelius stated, his voice a low, terrifying growl. "We use the Rank B power to end this global conflict immediately. No more materials. No more preparation. We warp to the Northern Continent now."
He turned the War God's Edge (Rank C), now ready to be upgraded to Rank B, into the hilt. He would synthesize the final armor piece and then commence the true war a war of absolute vengeance.
"The Technocracy is next," Archelius commanded, his silver-blue aura flaring with cold, determined rage. "We will show them the true meaning of the War God."