They fell through a vortex of obsidian shards and cascading runes, the shattered floor of the Conclave opening into a void that howled like a dying god.
Valerian twisted mid-air, summoning Umbra back to his side with a sharp mental pulse. Lira flared her aura to slow her descent, her body glowing faintly as she landed in a crouch on a fractured platform of black steel.
Valerian landed with a roll, immediately drawing his blade. Umbra emerged beside him, blades in both hands, eyes narrowed at the flickering light around them.
The chamber they had fallen into was impossibly vast—no walls, no ceiling, only floating segments of stone and metal hovering in an endless void. Above, the broken mask of the Seventh Councilor loomed, his body now wreathed in a spiral of corrupted flame and dark lightning.
> [Field Boss: First Ascendant of the Deep Court – "The Broken Mask"]
HP: 100%
Phase One Initiated.
With a gesture, he hurled a spear of red-black flame toward them.
"Scatter!" Valerian roared.
The lance struck the platform, erupting into a miniature supernova. Lira was thrown backward. Valerian's left arm was scorched, his system flaring alerts.
> [Warning: Armor Integrity Dropping. Left Gauntlet at 47%.]
[Suggestion: Evade Instead of Tanking.]
Umbra vanished into mist and reappeared behind the Ascendant's head, slashing downward with twin crescent blades.
The strike landed—but the result was horrifying.
The Broken Mask's head turned fully around—unnaturally, grotesquely—and he caught Umbra by the throat.
"You strike like a shadow," the Ascendant hissed, "but your soul is still tethered to that boy."
He hurled Umbra into a floating slab of stone. The shadow warrior struck with bone-cracking force and fell limp.
Valerian grit his teeth. His rage boiled—but he forced himself to think, to adapt.
"Lira! Go left! Flank him from the gravity shell!"
She nodded, already vaulting across the fragmented platforms. Her agility was unmatched, and even in this chaos, she moved like a spark through ash.
Valerian muttered, "System. Engage Blood Sigil Overlay."
> [Confirm: Activating Blood Sigil Overlay will consume 30% current health. Proceed?]
[Y/N]
"Y."
A burning seal spread across his right arm—crimson, pulsing with runes that shimmered with ancient Blackthorn glyphs. Pain lanced through him, but with it came power.
His speed doubled. His senses flared open. And he could feel the rhythm of the enemy now—the echo of magic beneath the madness.
He launched toward the Broken Mask like a bullet, his blade glowing violet-black.
Their blades met in a flash of light. Sparks flew. The Ascendant smiled behind his cracked mask.
"You awaken quickly. Almost too quickly."
"I'm done with your riddles," Valerian spat.
Their weapons clashed again—steel against corrupted soulsteel. But this time, Valerian pushed harder, weaving his strikes with system enhancements and Blood Sigil bursts. He struck low, then feinted high, drawing a flicker of surprise from the Ascendant.
> [Successful Hit – Phase One Shield Integrity: 91%]
A fireball slammed down between them, hurled by Lira from the far end. The Ascendant turned—but Valerian had already vanished, blinking behind him in a teleport burst.
The sword plunged into the Ascendant's back.
> [Critical Strike – Shield Integrity 64%]
The Broken Mask screamed, spinning around with unnatural speed. His hand shot forward—catching Valerian's neck in a crushing grip.
Then he spoke.
"Open your mind. See what you truly are."
Images flooded Valerian's vision—Alex standing before a mirror, slicing runes into his own chest, whispering to the System, "Fragment me. Make me new. Let the version that wins be the one that deserves it."
Valerian gasped—his mind cracking under the pressure.
But Lira was faster.
She stabbed the Ascendant in the thigh with a twin-edged dagger inscribed with holy runes. The spell triggered on impact, releasing a concussive burst of light.
The Broken Mask shrieked and reeled back.
Valerian dropped, coughing, gasping for air.
> [Mental Corruption Averted. Synaptic Load Stabilized.]
[New Memory Fragment Unlocked: Origin Split.]
"Valerian!" Lira dropped beside him. "You good?"
He looked up, eyes blazing with understanding—and fury.
"I saw it. The moment he broke me. The moment I became… this."
"Then end him."
Valerian rose to his feet. Blood dripped from his lips.
"System—Overdrive Mode. Unlock Advanced Bond Channeling. Feed Arkanthros through me."
> [Warning: This will reduce Wyrm Control by 50%. Proceed?]
[Y/N]
"Do it."
A roar erupted in the sky above.
The wyrm surged down through the broken ceiling, black flame trailing from its wings. It let out a roar that shook the entire chamber—and then its energy flowed into Valerian.
His armor turned black and violet, wings of spectral fire emerging from his back. His eyes glowed, not just with mana, but with purpose.
The Broken Mask paused—for the first time, uncertain.
"This is not possible."
Valerian leveled his sword, now glowing like a dying star.
"I'm not a version of Alex. I'm the answer to him."
He lunged.
They clashed mid-air—a storm of black fire and corrupted lightning. The chamber became a battleground of myth.
Umbra stirred again, wounded but alive. Lira rejoined the fight, coordinating her spells with pinpoint precision.
Every strike chipped away at the Ascendant.
> [Boss Health: 48%… 31%… 18%…]
Then, finally—
Valerian plunged his blade through the mask's center. A blinding explosion followed.
The Broken Mask let out one final word as he dissolved into flame:
"Too late…"
> [Boss Defeated – First Ascendant of the Deep Court]
[Level Up – Valerian: Level 38 → 41]
[Umbra: Level 32 → 35]
[Lira: Level 34 → 36]
[Arkanthros Bond: 11%]
The light faded.
They stood in the hollow wreckage of the chamber, breathing hard. Around them, the ruins of the Deep Court pulsed with dying energy.
Valerian looked to the horizon where the gate had once been sealed.
It was cracked.
Just slightly.
Lira stepped up beside him, sweat on her brow.
"That wasn't the end, was it?"
"No," he said, voice low. "That was just the first lock."