The wave fell like the end of existence itself.
No one on the battlefield could fully comprehend its size.
It covered the sky.
It swallowed light.
It erased sound.
And it was descending directly toward them.
Juvy stepped forward first.
Her Balance Resonance expanded outward with everything she had left.
Light spread across the shattered battlefield—
Not blinding.
Steady.
Human.
Maxruell stood beside her.
Shadow wings fully extended behind him.
His power no longer felt chaotic.
It felt solid.
Unbreakable.
"…Don't die on me now," he muttered.
Juvy smirked faintly.
"…You first."
— Everyone Joins —
Behind them—
The freed users poured their fragment power into the defense.
Not controlled.
Chosen.
The former Core Fragments stabilized collapsing zones at the edges.
Kael reinforced space itself.
Lina spread Identity Resonance across every surviving person she could reach.
For the first time—
The battlefield truly moved as one.
Then the wave hit.
Reality exploded.
The impact shattered entire sections of Ground Zero instantly.
Void pressure screamed against Balance Resonance.
Juvy nearly collapsed immediately.
Her arms trembled violently.
Maxruell planted himself beside her—
Shadow reinforcing the failing light barrier.
"…Push harder!" he shouted.
— The Source Overwhelms —
But the Source kept descending.
Relentless.
Infinite.
Cracks spread through the barrier.
People behind them screamed.
Reality began tearing apart again.
Even the Vessel started breaking down completely.
"…containment impossible…"
Fragments peeled away from its body.
Lina pushed her resonance further than ever before.
Blood ran from her nose.
Her light flickered violently.
But she kept going.
"…Remember yourselves!"
"…Don't disappear!"
The battlefield stabilized again—
Barely.
The pressure became unbearable.
Juvy's resonance started breaking apart.
The Source's voice echoed directly inside her mind:
"RETURN."
Her knees buckled slightly.
Visions flooded her again.
Peace.
Unity.
The end of suffering.
For one dangerous second—
She almost gave in.
A hand grabbed her shoulder hard.
"…Stay here."
Juvy looked sideways.
Maxruell's eyes were locked forward—
But his grip tightened.
"…You don't get to disappear before I beat you properly someday."
Despite everything—
Juvy laughed weakly.
And the resonance stabilized again.
The Vessel looked between the descending Source—
And Juvy's unstable Balance Resonance.
Then—
For the first time—
It made a decision on its own.
"…new priority accepted…"
The Vessel moved forward.
Past Juvy.
Past Maxruell.
Toward the collapsing wave itself.
Kael's eyes widened.
"…Wait—!"
The Vessel ignored him.
Its entire body began breaking apart into raw fragments.
The Vessel spread its remaining fragments outward—
Directly into the collapsing resonance wave.
Not attacking.
Stabilizing.
Its voice echoed one final time:
"…preservation… preferable…"
Then—
The Vessel shattered completely.
The wave stopped.
Not destroyed.
Paused.
The battlefield froze in shock.
The Source itself hesitated again.
Because the being created to force unity—
Had chosen sacrifice for individuality.
Fragments of the destroyed Vessel drifted through the battlefield like falling stars.
Juvy stared upward silently.
Maxruell lowered his shadow slowly.
Even Lina stopped breathing for a moment.
And deep within the void—
The countless eyes of the Source shifted.
Watching.
Learning.