Chapter 297: Going All-Out, Demolishing Willheim’s Magnus Opus And Everythig Else!

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Despite how much damage Aetherion had received, Willheim’s voice remained serene. "Magnificent. Data collection at ninety-four percent. Final phase authorized. Aetherion, my child, it is time to show them the power of technology."

The machine’s remaining systems went into overdrive almost immediately. Nano-armor flowed upward across the damaged frame, sacrificing entire limbs and broken segments to reinforce the central core. The broken drill retracted with a series of sharp mechanical clicks and reformed into a single massive cannon-barrel lined with rotating rings of psionic crystal. The sound of clenching and clicking metal echoed everywhere as Riven took a step forward, gasping for air. His entire body was already at its limits too, every one of his muscles screamed in pain from the earlier exchange of blows.

Gravity wells within the machine, which had previously helped it float seamlessly, inverted and focused with sudden intensity. They created a localized temporal dilation field that slowed everything inside its range, except the machine itself. This temporal dilation was caused by the rapid alteration of gravitational forces within the surroundings. Because, as professor Willheim had proved, Gravity does indeed affect Time, and can even warp it!

TRUUUM!

"Ugh?!"

Riven gasped as he realized he had become a hundred times heavier. The sudden increase in weight slammed him into the floor in agony. His bones cracked under the pressure, his flesh tore in several places, and his heart felt like it was about to burst from the strain. Blood filled his mouth as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

"W-What the— Uuuggh...!"

The optical slit within the machine, made of white glass and previously glowing with white light, split into three parallel lines that now glowed with purple light. Willheim was no longer merely piloting from a distance. The Genesis-BRAIN was fully interfacing, lending a fraction of its vast processing power as it obeyed Willheim’s orders once he caught up to what the creature was doing and realized it was trying to escape.

"This next output," Willheim said almost gently, "will be sufficient to reduce an S-rank or above monster to ash. Do try to survive, Riven. I wouldn’t want to discover the perfect specimen I’ve thought is the culmination of my hard work cannot even survive this..."

The cannon charged with a rising, multi-tonal whine that made the air itself feel like it was somehow crystalizing around them. Particles of dust and debris froze in place for brief moments before shattering. Vladimir, still partially pinned by residual gravity, snarled and forced himself upright even as his bones cracked further and his flesh was torn open by the pressure. Blood ran down his arms, but he refused to stay down, pushing against the invisible force with everything he had left.

"Riven, stand the fuck up! FIGHT!!!"

"..."

Riven’s body felt heavy, almost crushed under the sudden pressure. He forced his legs to move, slowly pushing himself upright. Noir’s shadows wrapped tightly around his limbs, muscles, and bones, locking into place like living braces. The wolf shared the strain, taking part of the weight so Riven could stay on his feet.

"Thank you... Noir!"

Riven closed his eyes for a moment. The blinding violet light from Aetherion’s massive combined cannon filled the entire cavern. The air itself vibrated from the gathering power. An attack of that size would not only kill him if it landed cleanly—it would also tear through the dungeon’s foundations. The whole cavern system would collapse, the territory would be lost, and everything he had fought for here would disappear in one explosion.

Running was not an option either. The cannon’s beam would cover too wide an area. He would be hit long before he could open a path into his spirit realm. And Riven was not the kind of man who walked away from what he had decided to finish. No matter what stood in his way, he stayed until the end.

He kept his eyes closed as the cannon continued to charge. The ground under his boots shook harder with every second. In less than ten seconds the shot would fire.

"In less than ten seconds you’re done for!" Willheim’s voice rang out across the battlefield. "Can you stop me when gravity around us has been increased by a hundred times?! Before you even make it here, you’ll die!"

Riven clenched his teeth. Willheim was right. If he used Explosive Mad Charge under this much gravity, the sudden speed boost would tear his body apart. His bones and muscles would not hold. He would explode into pieces before he ever reached the enemy.

He needed a different answer. Skills, talents, and system abilities would not be enough this time. He had to go deeper, back to what existed inside every cell of his body.

Psionic energy rose first, the power of the mind. Right after it came ki, the raw force of the body. The two energies moved through him at the same time, one clear and sharp, the other heavy and solid.

What if...?

What if he combined them?

That thought crossed his mind as the pink energy began to compress with the golden energy. Both forces came from completely different dimensions. One emerged from another dimension entirely, while the other rose from the body itself. One represented the immaterial, the other was a product of the material and living world.

And yet, using the technique he had learned from that wise frog, he realized something. He realized something wonderful.

FLASH!

The two energies collided into a sphere of glowing light, condensing more and more until it looked ready to explode, like a small supernova.

It was unstable. He could only hold it for a few seconds at best, but maybe that would be enough.

Every drop of internal energy, mana, spirit, psionic force, dragon blood, and alien vitality was pulled inward. It compressed past the pinhead stage into something even smaller, something that bent the light around his clenched fist.

Then the Aetherion fired its massive gravity cannon.

A column of absolute annihilation—psionic force mixed with decayed mana and focused gravity—roared straight toward him.

Vladimir suddenly stepped to his side. He placed a hand on Riven’s shoulder and thrust his draconic palm forward, opening all five fingers as he gathered his own energy.

Ignias herself manifested at the same moment from both Riven and Vladimir. Willheim’s eyes widened for a second, clearly shocked by what he was seeing.

"An Ancient Dragon...?"

Ignias poured all her power through Vladimir. The two of them roared together and pushed forward, shoulder to shoulder.

"I fucking hate you more than anything," Vladimir said, his long red hair whipping in the wind as he looked at Riven. "But just for now, let’s work together, you damn bastard."

Riven smiled and closed his eyes. "Thank you, friend!"

"...Friend?!" Vladimir stared at him for a moment, then shook his head and roared.

Willheim’s eyes widened as the force of his incredible machine was met by the power of two rivals that refused to yield no matter what. The Aetherion’s gravitational cannon had been firing at full capacity, the beam thick enough to crush entire buildings, yet the opposing force pushed back with equal ferocity. Sparks and distorted space rippled outward where the two powers collided, the air itself vibrating from the pressure.

Dragon Divinity compressed with Riven’s own ultimate attack, turning into a roaring beam of blue and red color, coiling together into a roaring dragon of all colors. The combined energy twisted and expanded as it advanced, pulling in loose debris and leftover mana from the reactor floor. Riven felt the strain in his arms and chest as he poured everything he had left into the attack, Vladimir’s power linking with his own through the shared connection of their abilities.

"R A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A H H H H H H H H H H H H H !!!"

Their roar broke through the sound barrier and everything else. The shockwave cracked the remaining support pillars and sent loose plates of metal flying across the chamber. The entire remains of the Mana Reactor blew up into pieces and disappeared in a chain of secondary explosions. Genesis-Brain panicked, putting all of its psionic power into the beam, but it couldn’t do more than that. The artificial intelligence’s calculations kept failing as the opposing force continued to advance, its systems overheating from the effort.

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