The echo of the first shattered link still rang through the chamber.
The shadows had felt it.
Everyone had felt it.
The vibration spread through the gigantic pillars, crossed the black floor, and climbed the ancient walls while dark energy leaked from the broken chains like living smoke. The Zaraqnil's arachnid legs trembled harder and harder, pulling against the remaining restraints with violent force that made the metal groan as if it were about to split apart.
But there was no time to look.
Because the shadows kept coming.
And now they came in absurd numbers.
Alexius surged forward once more.
The primordial sword erupted into golden fire the instant it cut through the first wave of shadow Orcal. Light flooded an entire side of the chamber, burning dozens of creatures at once. The impact opened a flash so intense that even the shadows clinging to the walls seemed to recoil instinctively.
The primordial spirit watched silently now.
Eyes open.
Attentive.
Every time Alexius moved the blade, the inscriptions along its surface glowed brighter, spreading luminous lines across the metal while the flames spiraled violently around him.
And for the first time since the disaster had begun—
It felt like they were winning.
Alexius cut through another creature.
The shadow Orcal did not even finish its movement before being completely consumed by the flames. Fire spread through the shadow's body as though it were burning something far too combustible to survive.
Another rushed from the right.
Alexius turned.
The sword carved a colossal arc of fire through the air like a solar eruption.
Three shadows vanished.
Five.
Eight.
The smaller spiders began fleeing from the illuminated areas, climbing toward the darkest parts of the ceiling while waves of heat distorted the air around the battlefield.
— Keep pushing! — Shirō shouted.
Ayame unleashed electricity along the flanks of the formation, taking advantage of the openings Alexius created to keep the creatures from surrounding them again. Lightning illuminated parts of the chamber in violent flashes, tearing through smaller shadows and destroying several before they could close in.
Mia maintained constant bursts of compressed wind to push back the densest swarms while simultaneously trying to keep Kazuko from collapsing.
Because he was getting worse.
Much worse.
The dark lines had spread completely across his neck now, descending over his collarbone and pulsing beneath the skin like living roots. Black smoke escaped from his body in greater amounts, partially wrapping around his left arm while his breathing became increasingly unstable.
Kazuko tried to advance against one of the shadows.
His body failed halfway through the movement.
He dropped to one knee.
The shadows around him stopped.
All of them.
For a moment, none advanced.
They only watched.
As if recognizing something growing inside him.
— Kazuko! — Mia shouted.
He lifted his head with difficulty.
His eyes trembled.
But he still gripped his weapon tightly.
— I'm… fine…
A lie.
Everyone knew it.
But nobody could stop.
Another chain shattered.
CRAAACK.
Dark energy exploded from the Zaraqnil's rear right leg in a violent wave that swept through the entire chamber. The nearby shadows immediately trembled, as though her mere presence was beginning to suffocate even them.
Alexius glanced back briefly.
And saw it.
The chains were failing far too quickly.
— Don't let her break free! — Kidero shouted.
But it was already too late to stop.
The shadows increased again.
Now they emerged by the dozens, sliding from the dark cracks spreading across the chamber's structure as though the space itself were unraveling. Shadow Orcal advanced in full groups while the smaller spiders covered the floor in a living mass of darkness.
Alexius charged alone into the main line.
The sword's flames intensified again.
The heat explosions began cracking sections of the ground.
Every strike produced enormous flashes.
Every movement annihilated creatures completely.
For a few seconds—
He looked unstoppable.
The primordial blade roared alongside the flames, spreading golden fire in violent waves that forced the shadows farther and farther back.
Even Kidero stared silently.
Because now it was clear.
That sword truly was an artifact from another age.
Another link shattered.
CRAAACK.
Then another.
CRAAACK.
The Zaraqnil's rear legs began moving freely.
Slowly at first.
Heavy.
Gigantic.
Dark energy coursed through the black exoskeleton in increasingly violent pulses while strands of her white hair began floating through the air as though the environment itself were warping around her presence.
The shadows started retreating from her.
Out of fear.
Arthur noticed first.
Even the creatures of darkness were avoiding getting too close to her now.
— Alexius-sensei! — Ayame shouted.
Too late.
The final link shattered.
The sound was colossal.
The chains exploded simultaneously, scattering black fragments across the entire chamber while an overwhelming wave of dark energy burst through the environment like a storm released after centuries of restraint.
The Zaraqnil rose completely.
Gigantic.
Her arachnid legs crushed the ground the moment they touched the chamber floor, opening deep fractures through the black stone. Her female torso arched backward while white hair cascaded down over a body now partially engulfed by dark energy surging uncontrollably through every part of her.
And then—
She screamed.
The sound pierced everything.
It did not feel like a scream alone.
It felt like pain.
Hatred.
Despair.
Rage.
All at once.
The pressure was so immense that even the shadows convulsed violently around her. Some of the smaller creatures simply vanished, unable to withstand the wave of energy released by the Zaraqnil.
Alexius' flames faltered.
Only for an instant.
But it was enough.
The Zaraqnil moved one of her legs.
Far too fast.
Alexius reacted immediately, raising the primordial sword at the exact moment of impact.
And then—
BOOOOM.
The explosion tore through the entire chamber.
The golden flames were crushed on impact.
The arachnid leg collided against the blade with monstrous force, producing a shockwave so violent that the surrounding pillars cracked instantly.
Alexius was launched away.
His body tore through the air at high speed before slamming into one of the chamber's side structures with a brutal crash.
The primordial sword nearly escaped his grasp.
The flames diminished drastically.
The silence that followed lasted less than a second.
Because the Zaraqnil advanced.
And the true disaster began.
She crossed the battlefield crushing the floor beneath her gigantic legs while the remaining shadows fled from her path. One swing of her arm destroyed part of a side pillar. Another strike hurled two shadow creatures away like dust.
Shirō tried intercepting from the left.
Her leg struck the ground before he could reach her.
The shockwave launched him violently backward.
Ayame released electricity directly into the Zaraqnil's torso.
The lightning exploded across the dark energy—
And disappeared.
Consumed.
Mia created a barrier of wind to stop the fragments of stone launched by the destruction tearing through the chamber.
Kazuko tried to rise again.
But the shadow inside him reacted violently.
Black smoke burst partially from his chest, making his entire body convulse.
Arthur advanced.
His dimensional blue blade cut across one of the Zaraqnil's smaller legs—
And for the first time since the battle began—
She looked directly at him.
The creature's eyes were distorted by pain.
But there was awareness inside them.
And that made everything worse.
The Zaraqnil charged.
Arthur barely managed to raise his sword before one of her legs slammed into the ground in front of him.
BOOOOM.
The shockwave launched him violently backward.
His body tore through the air before crashing against the floor and sliding several meters across the shattered stone of the chamber.
His breathing failed.
His vision spun.
And then he saw them.
Mia.
Ayame.
The Zaraqnil had raised two arachnid legs above them.
One aimed at Mia.
The other at Ayame.
They stood on opposite sides.
No time.
No distance enough.
Arthur tried to stand.
His body responded too late.
Desperation pierced through his chest like a blade.
Because he understood immediately.
He could not reach both of them.
And for the first time since the battle had begun—
Arthur was terrified he would have to choose who to save.