The air crackled with anticipation as a long, gleaming sword sliced through the atmosphere. Tee’s heart sank—Lilith had entered the fray. Now her team faced not only Legion and the bandaged horror, but also Lilith, a leader whose strength eclipsed every Harbinger. Dread washed over her. That battle would end far worse than the last.

  Refusing to give in, Tee tore her gaze from the bandaged foe and followed Lilith’s movements among the pillars. Draped in black, her slender form glided like an enchantress. Each graceful step left behind shattered rock and swirls of dust, her blade’s elongated edge dragging across the ground like a brush of doom.

  Suddenly, the bandaged adversary lunged at Saeda, its spiked arms tearing the air. Saeda raised her sword to block, but the strike launched her through a cascade of collapsing stone.

  A gust brushed Tee’s cheek. Lilith now stood before her, pale gray palm extended. Any concern for the bandaged foe dissolved beneath the greater danger before her.

  A torrent of inky smoke blasted from Lilith’s hand, engulfing Tee before she could draw breath. Agonizing force ripped through her body as she was flung back, crashing through pillar after pillar until she collapsed against the earth, gasping in torment.

  Miko, zipping like a wasp, harried Legion—until a single strike swatted her aside. As she tumbled, Zod stepped forward, eyes narrowed, and thrust his hands outward. The air shuddered. Legion staggered back, halted mid-step by a force unlike any he had faced.

  “Telekinesis?” Legion’s multitude of voices echoed in disbelief. Never before had a mortal resisted the weight of nine million souls.

  Zod braced harder, veins standing out, blood dripping down his forehead. He shoved forward with both hands, every muscle straining to keep Legion back.

  Meanwhile, Kie staggered upright from rubble, face bruised. Lilith’s gaze locked onto him.

  Déjà vu—her hand rose toward him. But unlike last time, he didn’t freeze. He surged forward at impossible speed, rivaling Miko’s swiftness. His sword met her arm—only for her to sidestep in a blur, evading with ease.

  A blade of smoke and steel materialized in her hand. It lashed toward him. He caught it with his own weapon, the two swords shrieking as sparks sprayed. Black smoke licked up Lilith’s weapon, while cracks splintered across his. With a crushing blow, her strike shattered his blade. The force hurled him back through the pillars, stone exploding around him.

  She strode closer, her voice soft but echoing like thunder.

  “The Creators draw near—heralds of endless suffering. Before their hand unmakes the world, we shall end it first. In that bitter end lies salvation. Join us. Join us, and together we will prevent the suffering.”

  Saeda struggled against the bandaged one, swinging her sword in quick, desperate arcs. She struck at its long, sharp arms, ducking under each counterattack as it slashed wildly. Every miss from the creature tore through stone pillars, sending chunks of rubble crashing down while she moved back to avoid being crushed.

  She spun suddenly, turning on her heel, and her blade met its jagged limbs in a burst of sparks. The impact shook her arms and nearly knocked the sword from her grip. The bandaged one hissed and pushed harder, its monstrous strength driving her back until her heels dug into the cracked floor.

  Steel pressed against spiked bone as their weapons locked. The pressure was unrelenting. Saeda’s breath came short, and doubt crept in. Could she really hold that thing off? The thought echoed in her head, threatening to break her focus.

  But the pain in her body—cuts along her arms and back—kept her awake and burning. That pain outshone the fear, forcing her to steady herself. With every heartbeat, the fear dulled, and her resolve grew sharper. She lifted her gaze, locking eyes with the monster.

  They stood frozen in a deadlock, strength straining against strength, will against will, the air itself heavy with the weight of their clash.

  Kie barely registered Lilith’s words before agony struck. Her blade, wreathed in black flame, drove through his abdomen, pinning him to the ground. His scream ripped through the battlefield.

  “Ahhh!”

  The cry shattered Saeda’s focus. The bandaged foe overpowered her stance, hurling her back through the air. Yet even in flight, her grip on her swords did not falter.

  Tee’s body jolted as she tried to rise, her sword gone from her hands. She coughed violently, crimson splattering the ground. Her eyes widened in horror.

  A guttural growl froze her. A shadow loomed. Four towering black pillars shifted in eerie unison, like the legs of some beast. Above them, a swirling mass of smoke churned—then parted, revealing a barbed tail lashing above the gaping maw of a creature rushing toward her, teeth gnashing, its roar tearing the air and rattling her bones.

  She forced herself up and ran, her gaze flicking for an instant toward the mountain peak’s hidden secrets. Darting into the pillars, her mind raced. The beast thundered after her, shattering stone, claws scraping closer.

  At the mountainside’s edge, she leapt, planting a foot against a pillar to vault higher. Her flip carried her over the monster’s snapping jaws as they clamped onto stone instead. But midair, the tail whipped toward her.

  She summoned a sword. The strike shattered it. The impact sent her crashing through stone, narrowly slipping past the bandaged adversary’s reaching strike.

  The earth quaked as the beast turned, charging again. Tee rose, summoning a sword in each hand, strands of white hair falling into her eyes. She ignored them.

  The beast split its snout into four grotesque parts. Its scream split the sky, spittle spraying.

  Tee stomped, the ground fracturing beneath her, and whirled. Her blades spun in a deadly circle, slicing air like a living storm. The monster collided with her strike, its body torn by the spinning edges.

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  Black smoke burst apart. Silence fell. Tee landed, breath ragged, burns searing her arms, crimson streaking her skin. The beast was gone. She gasped, trembling but alive.

  Zod held Legion’s body in place with the crushing grip of his telekinesis. Miko rose again, seizing the chance. She darted in, blade flashing—but it shattered uselessly against the back of Legion’s neck. Her eyes widened in shock.

  Legion’s hood dipped. The force restraining him weakened. He gave a deep, thundering chuckle. Yet before he could advance, Miko blurred into motion, striking again and again. Her blades splintered one after another. Desperate thoughts churned—perhaps inside his hood lay the weakness. But how could she land such a strike?

  Kie lay immobilized, black flaming blades skewering him into the earth, agony locking every movement.

  Lilith stooped to his level, her long black hair veiling her face in shadow. Her voice slipped through the darkness, calm and precise, like a predator savoring the moment.

  “The Creators forged the Alpha Seal—the source of Ether in this world. They will come for it, as they always do. And when they arrive.” Her lips curved slightly. “they will bring millennia of torture. Millennia of enslavement. Millennia of suffering beyond imagining. Every world they touch bends to them. Every life is broken. And ours… ours will be no different.”

  She leaned closer, the shadow of her hair flicking like smoke. “But Severin has shown us a way. One clean strike. One final act. The world can end before they arrive, and no one suffers under their hand. No Sentinel, no life. Nothing left for them to ruin.”

  Her eyes glinted through the black veil. “You could fight it… cling to your duty, your bonds. Or you could see clearly. Stand with us. Join us in mercy through annihilation. There is wisdom in the destruction you fear.”

  Her words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating.

  Kie gasped, chest heaving, pain blurring his thoughts. Even through the agony, the idea of destroying the world—his world—made no sense.

  Across the field, Zod still strained, forcing Legion back with telekinesis. Miko pressed the assault, her blades shattering as fast as she conjured them. Desperation pushed her to think again of his hood. Could she pierce it?

  Zod fell to his knees, and the force holding Legion back vanished. Miko never got the chance to carry out her plan. Legion’s thick fingers wrapped around her neck, halting her in an instant. With a brutal shove, he threw her like a doll into Zod, and the two of them crashed to the ground.

  Tee only had time to notice that the gloves on her hands were still intact. She gripped her sword handles tighter, bracing herself.

  Growls rumbled. Two more beasts charged. She tended to repeat her strategy—when Saeda, flung through the air, passed them. Her swords sliced clean through their necks. Smoke consumed their bodies as their heads fell away.

  Saeda hit the ground hard, struggling to rise. Tee rushed to her—but Legion materialized between them, towering and terrible.

  Tee abandoned one sword, gripping the other with both hands. Their blades clashed in a thunderous X. Sparks showered. Through his hood, she glimpsed burning eyes.

  Legion bore down, forcing her to her knees. She dug her boots into the earth, spikes anchoring her. She would not yield.

  But his other hand shot forward, striking her shoulder near the neck. The blow landed like a brick wall. Her scream tore out, body buckling. Her sword slipped from her grasp. She coughed blood, shoulder searing with agony.

  Her trembling hand clutched the wound. Tears blurred her vision. Her mouth opened, but no sound came.

  Then his blade pierced her hand, pinning it to the ground. She convulsed as the steel drove deep into earth, trapping her.

  Legion’s boots crushed the pebbles before her face. Another sword formed in his hand, black smoke coiling around it. His countless voices rumbled like rusted engines, chilling in their unison.

  “Death is release from suffering. Beg, and perhaps we shall grant you mercy.”

  Legion’s thunderous voices reverberated through the air, striking terror into the core of Tee’s being. Every muscle in her battered body throbbed with relentless pain. For a fleeting moment, Tetra’s visage flashed before her eyes—a haunting premonition of the fate awaiting her. Tee was unprepared for the torment of tearing her own hand free, and the thought alone sent shivers down her spine. How she wished she could slip into the world of a game, press exit, and escape that ordeal.

  The cacophony of Legion’s countless voices shook her deeper still.

  “We know of your pain. Resist death if you will, but agony will consume you, and you will regret ever existing.”

  Deep inside, Tee carried remorse for being born a victim of the Xenogene. But Legion’s words only hardened her defiance. Blood streamed from her wounded hand, pooling beneath her—a vivid reminder of the violence done to her. She refused to look at it, fixing her eyes instead on the gleaming tip of a second sword materializing near Legion’s heavy boot.

  Her hatred for him swelled. She drew on that hatred, diving deep into her well of pain. Anticipation sharpened the agony like the sting of a needle before it pierces the flesh. Yet there was one truth Legion could never grasp—Tee’s refusal to yield.

  “No begging?” Legion sneered. “Very well. Then brace yourself for greater suffering.”

  He raised his sword high. Its gleaming edge traced a line across her trapped arm, just above the elbow. His intent was clear—he would sever the limb unless she acted. Either path meant pain, but one was more devastating than the other.

  As the blade arced down, Tee clenched her teeth and summoned everything she had left. With a swift, desperate pull, she yanked her hand toward herself.

  The steel sliced through her palm, ripping flesh and bursting between her index and middle finger like a blazing beam. Blood sprayed in a crimson arc across her face, a grotesque crown to her agony.

  She rolled to the side as Legion’s sword crashed into the earth, the strike unleashing a gust of force that hurled her backward. Her spine slammed against the base of a towering pillar, pain erupting through her body in a white-hot surge. Stunned, she lay on her side, breath ragged.

  The pillar held, but her momentum broke. From the ground, she saw Legion’s legs advancing, framed by the dark billows of his robe. His relentless steps made her eyes widen with both defiance and fear.

  He would not stop until she begged for death. But she had resolved never to grant him that satisfaction. There had to be a reason she was enduring that nightmare. If she was truly the planet’s chosen Sentinel, gifted with unimaginable power as she had been told—then was the time to prove it.

  “Come closer, freak,” she hissed under her breath, forcing herself upright. She kept her mangled hand clenched, thumb tucked into her palm, careful not to summon a sword by accident. No matter how many blows he struck, she would not kneel.

  With her one good hand, she conjured a blade and stood her ground, defiance etched across her face.

  Kie writhed in pain, the sun beating down on him, while Lilith stooped close to his face, still waiting for a response. He decided he would give her one. With all his strength, he pulled an arm free from the ground, yanking the long swords embedded in it loose, then summoned a blade, aiming for Lilith’s head.

  But she was too fast. In an instant, she transformed into black smoke, slipping past the attack. At a safe distance, she hissed at him, shaping another long sword from the smoke to drive it inside him.

  In the distance, the lingering black smoke dissipated from the air, revealing Saeda on her knees after a grueling battle against several colossal beasts. Long scrapes adorned her arms and legs, peering through tears in her tattered clothing. Her once neatly arranged black curly hair now resembled an untamed wilderness.

  Blood trickled down the side of Tee's face, her senses heightened, yet a nagging feeling of forgetting something persisted. Saeda rose to her feet, facing Lilith, serving as a stark reminder to Tee of the impending confrontation. However, before she could take another blink, Lilith delivered a devastating blow to Saeda, her fist tearing through her back and leaving Tee frozen in terror at the harrowing sight.