Chapter 195: Save Your Mana

Amber stopped three feet in front of him, catching her breath with a hand on her hip. "We thought we lost you when that wave hit. That blast threw us at least two miles away."

"Are either of you hurt?" Evren asked, looking them over with a quick scan.

"Just minor scratches," Amber replied, rolling her shoulders. "Zephyra took out three flyers that tried to ambush us, and my wings handled the rest. We’re both at full fighting strength."

"Did you see Silas Drake or any of the other guild masters?" Evren asked, looking past them into the swirling purple fog.

Zephyra shook her head. "No, Master. The mana wave split everyone up across different floating islands. The comms on our wrist-pads don’t work in here at all, and the military relays are jammed."

Evren raised his left arm and checked the screen on his tactical pad.

The red emergency numbers in the corner were still ticking down.

Forty-four minutes left before the cocoon hatched.

"I saw golden flares about three miles to the west," Evren said, pointing into the distance. "Drake and Solar Crown are still alive and fighting, but going backward to regroup with them will cost us at least thirty minutes."

"We don’t have that kind of time," Amber agreed. "If that monster comes out of the shell, nobody in the city survives anyway. We have to hit it before it hatches."

"Right," Evren said, nodding. "We stick to the probe’s marked path and head straight for the center. Stay sharp."

Evren turned and led them off the bridge onto a narrow rock ridge.

The terrain here was rougher than the first sector. Tall, jagged purple crystals jutted from the black stone on both sides of the path, glowing with a dull violet light.

The air grew hotter with every step, smelling faintly of burnt ozone and sulfur. A low, rhythmic bass vibration thumped through the ground, vibrating right through the soles of their boots.

Every few seconds, small pebbles and loose gravel along the path would float an inch off the stone, hovering weightlessly before dropping back down.

As they walked, Amber pointed down to the left, where a dark, steep ravine dropped into the thick fog.

"Evren, this high path is too exposed," she said in a light and casual tone. "Flying beasts will spot us up here from miles away. That lower ravine over there looks a lot safer. We should take it instead."

Evren stopped mid-stride and tapped the screen on his wrist-pad.

The green navigation vector traced by the military probe stayed firmly on top of the high ridge. The dark ravine below dropped down into unmapped void fog, leading toward a cluster of fractured spatial cracks.

"The military probe mapped the ridge, not the gorge," Evren said, looking over his shoulder at her. "Going down into an unmapped ravine could add twenty minutes or drop us into a dead end. We don’t have time to gamble."

Amber gave a quick shrug and offered a light, pleasant smile. "Right, of course. I just thought it might save us some stamina. Let’s stick to your route."

Evren nodded and kept moving, but a small thought stuck in the back of his mind.

Amber was an aerial combatant with high-rank wings. She always preferred the high ground and open air, where she could maneuver freely. Suggesting they crawl through a dark, cramped ditch was strange for her.

Fifty yards ahead, the path narrowed between two towering crystal spires.

Two four-legged void beasts stepped out from behind the crystals, baring rows of black, jagged teeth. Behind them, a third winged prowler clung to the rock wall, hissing violently as its red eyes locked onto the group.

Evren gripped the hilt of the Frost-Bane Cleaver, preparing to step forward and blast the pack.

Before his boots could leave the stone, Zephyra stepped smoothly in front of him, placing a hand on his forearm.

"Save your mana, Master," Zephyra said softly. "You need every bit of your strength for the cocoon. Let Amber and me deal with these scouts."

Evren glanced down at her hand against his jacket, then nodded. "All right. Make it fast."

Amber and Zephyra moved forward together.

Amber drew her right dragon saber, while Zephyra flicked a black dagger into her palm. They closed the distance with the three beasts, engaging them in close quarters.

The fight was over in less than ten seconds.

Amber severed the winged flyer’s neck with a clean horizontal slash, while Zephyra drove her daggers through the skulls of the two four-legged beasts.

All three creatures burst into black smoke and gray ash, leaving their cores clattering against the stone.

Evren stood watch from ten paces back, his brow slightly furrowed.

The kills were fast and efficient, but something about their movement felt deeply unnatural.

Zephyra’s footwork lacked her usual effortless fluidity. Her steps were rigid, landing with measured intervals. And Amber swung her saber like someone practicing pre-set kata forms in front of a mirror, showing none of her usual aggressive, fluid flair.

Worse, neither of them said a word to each other during the clash.

Normally, Amber and Zephyra shared quick, instinctive callouts, coordinating their angles with sharp banter. Here, they fought in dead, mechanical silence.

Evren focused inward, checking the telepathic soul-bond in his chest.

The connection was there, but it felt completely flat. Usually, their bond was warm and full of life, letting him feel their pulse, their excitement, and their emotions. Right now, it felt like staring at an unlit bulb.

’Maybe the heavy mana pressure in the rift is dampening the link,’ Evren thought, shaking his head. ’Different rifts have bizarre atmospheric rules.’

They continued forward, reaching a tall, natural stone archway that framed the entrance to the central abyss.

Beyond the arch, the purple fog cleared, revealing a terrifying view.

Floating right in the middle of a massive cavern was the giant black-and-purple cocoon. It was hundreds of feet tall, beating steadily like a massive heart, surrounded by glowing violet veins that pulled energy straight from the void.

The pressure coming off the entity was suffocating, weighing on Evren’s chest like a ton of solid iron.

"That’s the Level 100 monster," Evren said, staring at the pulsating shell. "We have to hit the core with everything we’ve got before that timer runs out, or the capital is gone."

Amber stepped up beside his left arm, looking out at the giant cocoon with a relaxed, pleasant smile on her face.

She let out a small, careless laugh.

"Honestly, Evren, if that thing is too strong, why bother fighting it?" Amber said smoothly. "We should just turn around and let it destroy the capital. As long as the three of us get out, who cares about the rest of the city?"

Beside her, Zephyra nodded along, sounding completely calm and unbothered.

"Yes, Master," Zephyra said, folding her hands in front of her cloak. "Let Walter and the others die holding the gate. They’re just useless dead weight anyway."

Evren stopped dead in his tracks.

The air around him turned completely cold.

Amber Sterling would never say that. She had bled to defend the city and fought with her life to protect innocent people alongside her father’s legacy.

And Zephyra would never call Walter useless dead weight. She had watched Evren pour millions of dollars and rare medicine into saving Walter’s men, and she respected every drop of blood they shed for the defense.

Evren turned his head slowly to look at them.

Both women were looking right at him with warm, pleasant smiles.

But their eyes didn’t blink. They were wide, glassy, and completely dead.

Evren pulled the Frost-Bane Cleaver in one blindingly fast, clean motion. Blue lightning cracked across the steel blade, buzzing in the quiet air.

He stepped back, pointing the razor-sharp tip of the cleaver straight at their chests as he asked. "Who are you?"