The attack came on a Thursday.
Alex was in the middle of a training session when the alarm sounded—a harsh, piercing wail that echoed through Sanctuary's corridors.
"PURIST FORCES DETECTED!"
[DIRECTION: EASTERN PERIMETER]
[ESTIMATED NUMBERS: 200+]
[FIGHTER LEVELS: 10-35]
[THREAT LEVEL: HIGH]
He ran toward the breach.
The eastern wall had been breached—literally torn open by some kind of explosive. Through the gap poured dozens of Purist fighters, their white armor gleaming in the afternoon sun.
"At last," their leader shouted, "the abominations will be purged!"
Alex drew Shadowblade. It was 2 PM—hours from his midnight power.
But he wasn't helpless.
[LEVEL 28 COMBAT CAPABILITIES: ACTIVE]
He charged into the fray.
The Purists were better equipped than before. Their armor gleamed with enchantments, their weapons hummed with energy, and their coordination suggested military training.
But they were still fanatics fighting for a cause they didn't understand.
Alex cut through the first wave with brutal efficiency. Shadowblade sang in his grip, each strike precise and lethal. Around him, other Sanctuary fighters engaged the invaders—Derek's militia, the Sovereigns, even the glitched survivors who'd chosen to fight.
"Sara! Light!"
The Dawn Sovereign raised her hands, and brilliant illumination flooded the battlefield. The Purists, who'd been using the smoke for cover, were suddenly exposed.
"Thomas! Flank!"
The Shadow Sovereign materialized behind the enemy lines, cutting down support fighters before they could react.
"Elena! Counter their enchants!"
The System Conduit closed her eyes, reaching into the architecture that powered the Purist weapons. One by one, the enchantments flickered and died.
The battle turned.
But the Purists weren't finished.
"Bring forward the artifact!" their leader screamed.
From the rear, a group of fighters emerged carrying something large—a crystalline structure that pulsed with anti-anomaly energy. It was like the Champion's crystal, but larger. More powerful.
"ACTIVATING ANOMALY SUPPRESSION FIELD!"
A wave of energy washed over the battlefield.
Alex felt his connection to the System waver. His strength didn't disappear, but it dimmed—the sovereign authority that had become part of his existence suddenly... muted.
[EFFECT: ANOMALY SUPPRESSION]
[SOVEREIGN AUTHORITY: REDUCED BY 60%]
[RECOMMENDATION: DESTROY SUPPRESSION ARTIFACT]
The Purists surged forward with renewed vigor.
"NOW we fight on equal terms!" their leader crowed.
Alex gritted his teeth and met them head-on.
Even reduced, he was still Level 28. Still experienced. Still determined. His blade found gaps in their armor, his tactics exploited openings in their formation. But the suppression field was taking its toll.
"Alex!" Maya's voice cut through the chaos. "The artifact! It's the source!"
"I know!"
"It's guarded by elites! Level 35s!"
"Then I'll have to be careful."
He fought his way toward the artifact, cutting through Purist fighters with growing desperation. The suppression was weakening him, making every movement harder.
[HEALTH: 67%]
[STAMINA: 54%]
[SOVEREIGN AUTHORITY: 23%]
He wasn't going to make it.
Then Kira appeared.
The girl moved like lightning, her unstable existence making her impossible to track. One moment she was beside him, the next she was phasing through enemy lines, her body flickering between realities.
"Kira! Stay back!"
But she was already at the artifact.
"NUMBERS!" she screamed. "I CAN SEE THE NUMBERS!"
She reached out with both hands and touched the suppression crystal.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the artifact exploded.
Not with force—with information. The crystal's structure unraveled, its anti-anomaly programming scattered into meaningless data. The suppression field collapsed.
[ANOMALY SUPPRESSION: TERMINATED]
[SOVEREIGN AUTHORITY: RESTORED]
Kira stood at the center of the destruction, her body flickering wildly. The numbers in her eyes were spinning faster than ever.
"I saw it," she whispered. "The code. The structure. I took it apart."
Then she collapsed.
Alex caught her before she hit the ground.
"Maya!"
The healer was there in seconds, her hands glowing with restorative energy.
"She's alive. Barely. Her System connection is..." Maya shook her head. "I've never seen anything like this. She absorbed the artifact's data. Processed it. Destroyed it."
"Will she recover?"
"I don't know. But she saved us."
The remaining Purists fled. Their artifact was destroyed, their advantage gone, their leader cut down in the final charge.
Sanctuary had survived.
But the cost was high.
Seven defenders dead. Twice that number wounded. And Kira...
Kira lay unconscious, her System more unstable than ever.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[ANOMALY EVOLUTION DETECTED: KIRA]
[STATUS: CRITICAL]
[POTENTIAL: EXPANDING]
[RECOMMENDATION: STABILIZE IMMEDIATELY]
Alex carried her to the medical bay personally.
Whatever was happening to her, he wouldn't let her face it alone.