The moment the Vessel opposed the Source—
Reality reacted violently.
— Rejection —
The massive eye above Ground Zero narrowed slightly.
Not emotionally.
Instinctively.
Like the universe itself had detected an error.
The pressure intensified again.
Cracks spread across the battlefield.
Entire sections of the city vanished into the void.
No debris.
No sound.
Just erased.
— Temporary Alliance —
Juvy stared at the Vessel.
Still trying to process it.
"…You're helping us?"
The Vessel didn't look at her.
"…continued existence remains preferable to null return…"
Maxruell laughed once.
"…That's the closest thing to teamwork we're getting."
— Kael's Warning —
Kael stepped forward quickly.
"…Listen carefully."
Everyone turned toward him.
"…The Source isn't attacking physically."
He pointed upward.
"…It's reclaiming resonance."
Juvy frowned.
"…Meaning?"
Kael answered quietly.
"…It's pulling every fragment back into itself."
"…If the pull reaches critical level…"
"…None of us will remain separate beings."
Silence followed.
— Lina Understands —
Lina looked at her own trembling hands.
"…So we don't die…"
"…We disappear."
Kael nodded slowly.
"…Exactly."
— The Battlefield Organizes —
For the first time since the war began—
Everyone moved with one purpose.
Not divided.
United.
Freed users stabilized the collapsing zones.
The former Core Fragments guarded the battlefield edges.
Lina expanded her resonance field—
Keeping people anchored to themselves.
And at the center—
Juvy.
Maxruell.
The Vessel.
The three strongest fragment carriers.
— Combined Strategy —
Juvy looked upward.
"…Can we even hit it?"
Kael hesitated.
"…Probably not directly."
Maxruell groaned.
"…Great strategy."
Then Kael continued:
"…But the connection point can be disrupted."
He pointed toward the crack in reality.
"…That opening."
— The Plan —
The crack above acted like a gateway.
A resonance channel between the world—
And the awakened Source beyond it.
If they destabilized it—
The Source's pull would weaken.
"…That's our target," Juvy said.
The Vessel finally spoke again.
"…success probability remains low…"
Maxruell smirked.
"…Still better than getting absorbed."
— Assault Begins —
The three moved simultaneously.
Juvy's light surged upward.
Maxruell's shadow followed—
Condensed into a spear-like form.
The Vessel raised both hands—
Fragments orbiting around it at impossible speed.
— The Eye Responds —
The eye widened.
The pull intensified instantly.
Juvy nearly lost control.
Maxruell's shadow began tearing apart.
Even the Vessel cracked further.
— Lina Holds Them Together —
Behind them—
Lina expanded her resonance field further than ever before.
Light spread across the battlefield—
Touching everyone.
"…Stay yourselves…" she whispered.
The pull weakened slightly.
Enough.
— First Combined Strike —
Juvy launched first.
A concentrated beam of light struck the crack directly.
Maxruell's shadow spear followed—
Piercing into the fractured space.
Then—
The Vessel attacked.
Its fragments compressed into a singular pulse—
And slammed into the gateway.
— Impact —
Reality exploded outward.
The crack destabilized briefly.
The Eye Beyond shifted for the first time.
A reaction.
— Consequence —
But then—
The backlash came.
The Source pulled harder than before.
Everyone screamed simultaneously.
Fragments tearing at their bodies.
Memories destabilizing.
Identity slipping.
Juvy saw flashes—
Not hers.
Everyone's.
Maxruell dropped to one knee.
"…Damn… this thing…"
Even the Vessel staggered violently.
The crack above trembled.
Unstable.
Damaged.
But not broken.
And within the Eye Beyond—
Something else moved.
Something larger.
Kael's expression changed completely.
"…No…"
Juvy looked toward him.
"…What now?"
Kael whispered:
"…That wasn't the Source looking at us…"
The battlefield fell silent.
"…That was only one part of it."