The moment Arin stepped forward—
the battlefield exploded.
The underlings moved instantly.
Hundreds of armored figures surged across the fractured crater beneath the floating fragment of Vijaya while distorted energy erupted through the Expanse itself. The broken sky cracked wider overhead as dark storms twisted violently around the floating fragment, reacting to the collision about to begin.
And then—
the first soldier reached him.
Arin moved before it could even strike.
Vijaya flashed through the air in a burst of golden-black light while space itself bent unnaturally around the weapon's path. The armored underling shattered instantly, its body collapsing into distorted fragments before disappearing completely into the broken winds of the Expanse.
But dozens more followed immediately.
The battlefield descended into chaos.
Dark energy tore across the crater while floating ruins overhead collapsed violently from the pressure of the clash. The underlings attacked in endless waves, their movements unnaturally synchronized as though controlled by a single will.
The Entity.
Arin understood it instantly.
These weren't ordinary soldiers.
They were extensions of something larger.
Another blade cut toward him from the left.
Arin twisted sideways before slamming Vijaya downward. Golden force erupted across the fractured ground while the surrounding space distorted violently, tearing apart several enemies instantly.
But the Expanse itself reacted badly.
The moment too much power exploded outward—
reality cracked harder around them.
The battlefield flickered violently.
One second the crater remained beneath them.
The next—
everything shifted.
The soldiers suddenly attacked from different positions entirely while floating debris reversed direction midair. Time itself skipped unnaturally around the battlefield while several enemies disappeared before reappearing behind the group moments later.
Riven immediately shouted,
"WHY IS THE LANDSCAPE CHEATING?"
"Because reality is collapsing!" Kael answered while narrowly avoiding an incoming strike.
"That's not reassuring!"
Selene cut through one of the underlings beside Darin afterward while dark sparks erupted across the distorted ground.
"Less complaining."
Another soldier lunged toward her instantly.
Darin intercepted it before it could reach her, slamming the enemy backward with enough force to crack the surrounding earth apart.
"I think we passed the point where complaining matters!"
Meanwhile deeper within the battlefield—
Arin stopped moving entirely for one brief moment.
The Expanse twisted violently around him now.
The fractured space surrounding the crater destabilized harder every second the fight continued. Entire sections of reality folded inward while black fractures spread across the battlefield like living wounds.
And if that instability reached the fragment directly—
everything here might collapse completely.
Arin's expression sharpened instantly afterward.
Then slowly—
he raised one hand.
The battlefield froze.
Not entirely.
But enough.
Golden energy erupted outward from Arin's body while distorted space surrounding the crater suddenly stopped fluctuating around him. The collapsing fractures slowed violently as invisible pressure expanded outward through the Expanse itself.
The underlings immediately reacted.
Because for the first time since entering the Expanse—
someone was forcing reality itself to obey.
Space manipulation.
The ability born from his life as Aditya.
The power the System feared enough to retreat from once before.
Arin's eyes glowed faintly afterward while invisible force spread outward across the battlefield.
The collapsing space stabilized around the group instantly.
Floating debris froze midair.
Distorted pathways stopped shifting.
The fractured ground solidified beneath them temporarily.
Even the Expanse itself seemed to resist the pressure violently.
But Arin forced it anyway.
The soldiers attacked harder immediately afterward.
Because they understood the danger now too.
One of the armored underlings suddenly appeared directly before him with impossible speed. Its blade carried distorted black energy sharp enough to split fractured space itself.
Arin caught the strike barehanded.
The surrounding air cracked violently from the impact.
The underling froze instantly.
Because Arin's grip didn't merely stop the weapon.
It stopped the space surrounding it.
The soldier tried pulling away—
too late.
Arin's eyes narrowed slightly afterward.
Then space folded.
The enemy's body twisted unnaturally before collapsing inward like crushed paper beneath invisible force.
Gone.
Another ten charged immediately afterward.
Arin disappeared.
Not speed.
Distortion.
Space bent violently around him while he reappeared directly inside the center of the advancing group. Vijaya erupted through the battlefield like celestial lightning afterward.
Golden-black energy exploded outward across the crater.
The underlings shattered apart instantly.
Fragments of distorted armor scattered across stabilized ground while the surrounding battlefield trembled violently beneath the pressure of his attacks.
But there were too many.
Far too many.
More continued emerging endlessly from the fractured edges of reality surrounding the crater itself.
Liora noticed it first while fighting beside Kael and Aira.
"They're coming from the fractures!"
Kael immediately looked upward afterward.
She was right.
The cracks spread throughout the sky weren't merely distortions anymore.
They were gateways.
The underlings were pouring directly out of broken space itself.
Riven slashed through another soldier afterward while breathing heavily.
"Wonderful. Infinite enemies. My favorite."
"We need to close the fractures!" Selene shouted.
"No."
Arin's voice echoed across the battlefield sharply.
Everyone immediately looked toward him again.
Golden energy spiraled violently around him now while stabilized space expanded further outward from his position.
"If I stop stabilizing reality…"
The Expanse cracked violently around them again as if proving his point immediately.
"…this entire battlefield collapses."
Silence hit the group instantly.
They finally understood.
Arin wasn't merely fighting the underlings.
He was holding reality together simultaneously.
And the strain was already becoming visible.
Blood slowly dripped from one side of his hand while distorted pressure continued building around the stabilized battlefield.
The Expanse hated what he was doing.
Because forcing stable space inside the Fractured Expanse directly challenged the laws governing this broken region itself.
Another violent tremor ripped through the battlefield afterward.
The floating fragment pulsed harder overhead.
And suddenly—
something descended from the fractures above.
Everyone froze.
A massive armored figure emerged slowly through the broken sky while dark energy poured endlessly from its body. Unlike the others, this one carried no weapon.
It didn't need one.
The pressure alone surrounding it warped the battlefield beneath its feet before it even landed.
The underlings immediately retreated backward around it.
Even they feared this thing.
Riven stared upward in horror.
"…that's definitely a boss fight."
The enormous figure slowly lowered its head afterward while distorted black energy spiraled across its armor.
Then finally—
it looked directly toward Arin.
"Suryaputra."
The voice shook the battlefield itself.
Vijaya reacted instantly.
The floating fragment pulsed violently overhead while golden-black energy spread harder across Arin's weapon in response.
The giant stepped forward afterward.
And the stabilized battlefield beneath it cracked instantly.
Arin's expression darkened slightly.
Because unlike the others—
this thing was strong enough to resist his control over space itself.
The armored giant slowly raised one hand afterward.
Then the fractures above the battlefield widened further.
Hundreds more underlings descended.
The battle had only just begun.