The path did not welcome them.
It tolerated them.
Barely.
With every step deeper into the realm, the space around Dominic and the others reacted more aggressively, as if their presence was no longer something that could be ignored.
The ground beneath them no longer simply shifted.
It resisted.
Marcus noticed it first when his foot sank slightly into what looked like solid surface before snapping back into place.
"…Yeah, I'm officially done with this place," he muttered, pulling his leg free. "It's like it's trying to decide if we're allowed to stand on it or not."
The old man's gaze remained forward, but his voice carried a quiet tension.
"It's not deciding."
A pause.
"It's rejecting."
Dominic didn't slow down.
"Then it needs to try harder."
His voice was calm, but something about it had changed again. It carried weight now—like the world couldn't easily push against it anymore.
But even so—
The resistance increased.
The air thickened, pressing against their bodies, making movement heavier, slower. The farther they went, the more it felt like they were walking against an invisible current.
One of the Alpha Killers stumbled slightly, catching himself before falling.
"…It's getting harder to move."
Marcus exhaled.
"Harder? I feel like I'm dragging a mountain."
Dominic stopped.
Not because he was forced to.
Because he felt something.
A shift.
Different from the last.
Sharper.
Focused.
"They're not just watching anymore," he said quietly.
"They're acting."
The space ahead distorted.
Not violently like before.
Not suddenly.
But deliberately.
As if something was being allowed through.
Marcus squinted.
"…Okay, I really don't like that."
From the distortion, shapes began to form.
Not one.
Not two.
Multiple.
Figures emerged, each one more defined than the chaotic entities they had faced earlier, but less refined than the Hunter.
They stood in a loose formation, their forms flickering slightly, as if they existed between states.
Marcus counted quickly.
"…Five."
A pause.
"…Why is it never just one?"
The Alpha Killers stepped forward instinctively, forming a defensive line.
But the old man's voice cut through immediately.
"Careful."
They didn't attack.
Not yet.
The figures observed.
Then one stepped forward.
Its presence pressed outward, heavier than the others.
You continue to disrupt the balance.
The voice echoed through all of them this time, not just Dominic.
Marcus winced.
"…Yeah, I liked it better when only he could hear them."
Dominic stepped forward.
"We're not here for balance."
A pause.
"We're here for her."
The figure tilted its head slightly.
The anchor is not yours to reclaim.
Dominic's eyes darkened.
"She was never yours to take."
For a moment—
Nothing moved.
Then—
Everything did.
The five entities attacked at once.
Not chaotic.
Not reckless.
Coordinated.
Marcus barely reacted in time, throwing himself aside as one strike tore through the space where he had been standing.
"…OKAY—THIS IS BAD!"
The Alpha Killers engaged immediately, moving as one, their coordination sharp—but unlike before, their attacks didn't pass through completely.
They connected.
Partially.
Marcus noticed it.
"…Wait—we can hit them now?!"
The old man nodded.
"They're closer to our state."
But that didn't make it easier.
It made it worse.
Because these enemies adapted faster.
One of the Alpha Killers struck clean—
Only for the entity to shift and counter instantly, landing a blow that sent him sliding back across the unstable ground.
Dominic moved.
Faster than before.
More precise.
His presence now aligned enough that the entities reacted to him differently.
Not ignoring him.
Targeting him.
Two of them broke formation, focusing entirely on him.
He met them head-on.
The clash was immediate and violent, but controlled.
Each strike calculated.
Each movement efficient.
But unlike the Hunter—
These didn't wait.
They overwhelmed.
From multiple angles.
Marcus cursed, dodging another strike.
"…Yeah, I take it back—I liked the Hunter better!"
Dominic adjusted quickly.
His movements sharpened again, adapting to multiple opponents, shifting his position to avoid being surrounded.
But even he couldn't ignore it.
The pressure was increasing.
Not just from the enemies—
From the world itself.
It was pushing back harder now.
Trying to correct the imbalance they created by moving deeper.
Far away, at the core, Leila felt it instantly.
The balance shook.
Not violently—
But enough.
Her connection to the gate trembled as the resistance from the world surged.
"…They're fighting him."
The Sovereign stood beside her, unmoving.
"Yes."
Leila's hands clenched.
"You're letting this happen."
"I am observing."
"That's not the same thing."
"No," he said calmly.
"It is more important."
Her eyes narrowed.
"If he dies—"
"He will not," the Sovereign interrupted.
A pause.
"Not yet."
Back on the battlefield, Dominic broke through one of the entities' defenses, striking clean and forcing it back.
But another replaced it instantly.
They weren't trying to win.
They were trying to stop him from moving forward.
And that's when he understood.
"They're stalling."
Marcus ducked under another attack.
"…Stalling for WHAT?!"
Dominic's gaze lifted slightly.
Toward something deeper.
Something stronger.
"…Something worse."
The world pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
And the pressure spiked.
The entities didn't retreat.
Didn't hesitate.
They pressed harder.
Because time—
Was no longer on their side.
And whatever was coming next—
Was far more dangerous than anything they had faced so far.