Inside the gate, the sky continued to fracture.
Thin cracks spread slowly across the violet expanse above the bone desert, pale light leaking through them like pressure escaping from a sealed chamber. Nox watched the widening fractures carefully. That should not be happening yet. In the future he remembered, the sky had remained stable until the guardian died. Now the environment was deteriorating while the creature was still alive.
Another deviation.
Below the cracking sky, the guardian roared. Bone fragments shifted across its body as the partially reconstructed leg dragged through the sand. The violet glow pulsing through its armor had grown stronger.
Lucien stepped forward again. "Focus."
Aurora Covenant adjusted their formation. Garrick reinforced the defensive perimeter, stone surging upward from the sand as skeletal enemies continued clawing their way out of the ground. The barrier held—barely. Mira carefully placed another summoning circle behind Garrick's position. Three spectral wolves burst forward and tackled the nearest skeletons.
"Spacing fixed," she muttered.
Kaida's shadows spread across the battlefield, binding several enemies before they could reach the defensive line. Seris moved between them, golden light stabilizing their stamina as the strain of repeated authority use began to show.
But Lucien remained focused on the guardian. Golden wings flared behind him as he launched forward again. His blade cut across the creature's shoulder. Bone cracked. The guardian roared and swung. Lucien twisted away, landing hard several meters back.
The ground shook again. Another fracture split across the sky above them. Orion glanced upward. "...That's getting worse."
Nox followed the crack spreading overhead. The fracture was widening faster now. Something was pushing against the barrier of this world from the other side. Lucien noticed his expression.
"You see something."
Nox nodded once. "The environment is destabilizing."
Lucien didn't ask how he knew. He simply turned back toward the guardian. "Then we finish this quickly."
__
Outside the Gate
The emergency perimeter stretched across the coastline. Military vehicles, emergency responders, and government officials filled the restricted zone while dozens of reconnaissance drones hovered around the massive gate suspended above the ocean. Their cameras streamed live footage across national broadcasts.
Across South Korea, millions were watching.
On the tactical displays, Aurora Covenant battled the guardian beneath a sky that was visibly breaking apart. Thin fractures spread across the artificial heavens of the gate. Helena studied the projection carefully.
"...Do you really believe it will collapse?"
Elias stood at the front of the command group. For a moment he didn't answer. His gaze remained fixed on the screen. The drones zoomed slightly as Lucien struck the guardian again. Above the battlefield, the fractures widened.
For a brief instant—Elias's eyes flickered with a faint silver glow. A subtle pulse of light. Gone almost immediately. Then he spoke.
"Yes."
Helena watched him. "You're certain."
Elias nodded once. "The guardian is acting as a structural anchor."
Caelum frowned. "So if they kill it..."
"...the gate loses stability," Elias finished.
Silence spread across the command group. On the projection screen, the battlefield shook again as the guardian roared. The cracks in the sky widened further. Helena exhaled slowly.
"With Aurora Covenant still inside."
Elias looked toward the massive gate hanging above the ocean. The wind spilling from the aperture had grown stronger. Unstable. For several seconds he said nothing.
Then he made his decision. "Prepare entry."
Caelum's grin appeared instantly. "Finally."
Helena raised an eyebrow. "You're entering personally?"
Elias stepped forward. "...Someone has to ensure they survive the collapse."
Behind them, the other members of Regulated Order began moving toward the gate. The swirling aperture hummed louder as its unstable energy rippled outward. Inside it—Aurora Covenant continued fighting, unaware that reinforcements were about to arrive.
__
The guardian roared again. Its bone armor pulsed with violet light as it forced itself forward, dragging its partially rebuilt leg across the sand.
Lucien raised his blade. Golden light flared around him. "Again."
Aurora Covenant moved with him. But above them—the fractured sky continued to break.
And the gate itself was beginning to lose control.