A silence swept through the dimensions.
Across infinite timelines, a ripple spread—Ruel had awoken, and with him, the ancient pact among the Architects was broken. Arin stood amid the fading energies of the Pillar of Return, his breathing ragged, soul bruised from Ruel's test.
Archive's tone was sharper than ever. "The war has begun. The moment you absorbed Ruel's fragment, the Architect Triumvirate sensed it."
Astra's eyes blazed with new resolve. "Let them come. We're not the same as before."
> System Update: Architect Intervention Protocols Activated. Sovereign Rank Threat Classification: Tier Zero.
Far above, space cracked like glass. From its breach descended a towering figure shrouded in veils of starlight—Solmivar, the Crowned Architect of Continuance, and first of the Triumvirate.
"You were given a gift, Arin," he said, voice echoing across time. "You chose to awaken a traitor. For that, I now pass judgment."
But Arin wasn't defenseless anymore. Channeling Temporal Divinity, he broke free of the Architect's gravity field.
"You don't get to decide what's sacred anymore."
They clashed.
Time reversed. Universes blinked. Star-systems paused mid-collapse.
---
The Shattering
The battle wasn't just physical. Solmivar wove logic-loops—curses that erased events before they could happen. But Arin countered by altering timeline perception: making it so the logic that defined his defeat was never observed.
Each strike cost years. Each defense tore through futures.
In the end, Arin channeled Ruel's final echo:
"Bind light into shadow— Let Sovereign Flame eclipse the Crown."
Solmivar staggered.
The false crown on his head—representing his dominion over systems—shattered.
> Crown of Continuance: Destroyed. New Trait Acquired: Echo-Breaker. Dimensional Authority Expanded.
The Architect fell back into the void, his essence retreating—but not vanquished.
Archive whispered, "He's not dead. Just broken. They all are, now."
Astra nodded. "Which means they'll return stronger—and angrier."
Arin clenched his fist, gazing at the infinite horizon.
"We break every crown. And then we decide what rises in their place."