The golden nebula above New Astora didn't just flicker after the Speculator's death; it bled. A jagged, ink-black tear appeared where the thirteenth eye had been, and from that void, a cold, suffocating pressure descended. It wasn't the heavy weight of gold or the clinical light of the UPG. It was the feeling of a vacuum—a spiritual and digital "Negative Space."
Kaelen stood over the fading embers of the Speculator's throne, his chest heaving. His Level 42 aura was a vibrant violet, but the edges were fraying. The "Hyper-Inflation" gambit had cost him more than just mana; it had strained his very connection to the World-Core.
[STATUS: NULL-SOVEREIGN]
[LEVEL: 42]
[HP: 310/450]
[MP: 105/750 (CRITICAL)]
[DEBILITY: LOGIC-FATIGUE (50% REGEN PENALTY)]
"One down," Kyra wheezed, pushing herself up from the silver grass. Her tactical suit was still sparking from the golden crystallization. "But the sky... it feels like it's hollow."
