Chapter 131: Rumbling

?Louis Ferdinand stood nearby, his hands clasped behind his back as he observed the blue world below. His senses swept across its surface, confirming the total eradication of hostile signatures from location after location.

?Eventually, he nodded. "Efficient as ever."

?His words traveled smoothly through their mental connection.

?The Kraken’s immense eyes shifted toward him.

?’Thank you, my Lord.’

?Louis smiled faintly. He had expected his Champion to handle the task with ease, but the speed with which the Kraken had eliminated every marked assailant was impressive nonetheless.

?For the first time since the crisis began, the situation felt under control.

?Then—

?RUMBLE!

?The planet shuddered.

?Even from the void of space, Louis could perceive the massive disturbance. A wave of force rippled through Planet Roca, causing its upper atmosphere to fluctuate as if an invisible hand had seized the world and shaken it violently.

?His smile vanished.

?Redirecting his senses toward the planet’s interior, he searched for the source of the shockwave.

?There.

?Deep beneath the crust, a terrifying concentration of unstable energy had begun to fluctuate.

?The Worldbreaker Core.

?Louis’s expression darkened. He had known the device was dangerous, but witnessing its energy signature shift so violently was an entirely different matter.

The core’s binary fusion reaction threatened to spiral completely out of control if the containment process was disrupted at the wrong moment.

?And someone was currently attempting to tamper with it.

?Someone who had only recently awakened as a Lord.

?Louis’s gaze sharpened, piercing through the layers of rock toward the hidden facility beneath the surface.

?Cassian...

?The planet trembled again.

?For several seconds, Louis remained silent, his sharp mind racing through every catastrophic outcome.

He trusted Cassian’s judgment, but he also understood that trust alone would not save billions of lives if a Worldbreaker Core detonated.

?His hands slowly tightened into fists behind his back.

’?I hope you know what you’re doing.’

?Far below, in the subterranean facility buried beneath Planet Roca’s crust, Cassian Voss had finally made contact with the Worldbreaker Core.

....

Nyxara severed the last Arachnid’s head with a clean sweep of her scythe before allowing its body to collapse to the floor.

?She glanced at the corpse, confirmed that no other enemies remained, and immediately turned toward the massive vault door at the end of the passage.

Her Lord had already entered the chamber housing the Worldbreaker Core, and she had no intention of remaining outside while he faced whatever dangers awaited him.

?With a surge of mana, she moved through the shadows.

?A moment later, she emerged inside the chamber.

?BOOOOOOM!

?An overwhelming wave of energy slammed into her.

?Nyxara’s eyes widened as the sheer force struck her body, threatening to sweep her off her feet.

Her long violet hair whipped violently behind her, and the edges of her armor dress rattled under the pressure.

Instinctively, she anchored herself to her shadow, sinking its tendrils deep into the floor while raising both arms to shield her eyes.

?’What kind of energy is this?!’

?She struggled to maintain her footing as the chamber trembled around her. The air itself seemed to vibrate, while brilliant streams of energy erupted from the colossal machine dominating the room.

?Then she saw him.

?Cassian stood directly before the Worldbreaker Core, his right hand pressed against its central structure.

His shirt had been torn away, leaving his well-built upper body exposed as torrents of mana poured from his palm and surged into the machine.

?Golden-blond hair whipped across his forehead. His muscles strained beneath the tremendous pressure, and his normally composed expression had tightened into one of intense concentration.

?The Worldbreaker Core was fighting back.

?Its enormous rings rotated with increasing speed, while the machinery surrounding its central column glowed with a violent radiance.

Every pulse released a wave of energy powerful enough to shake the entire underground complex.

?Yet Cassian refused to let go.

?Nyxara narrowed her violet eyes. She wanted to rush forward and help him, but one glance at his expression was enough to stop her.

?Her Lord required absolute concentration. Whatever he was doing, even the slightest interruption could ruin everything.

?Nyxara clenched her fists and remained where she stood, anchoring herself to the shadows as she watched over him.

’?My lord...’

?She said nothing aloud. Instead, she silently prayed that he would succeed.

?Cassian felt as though his entire body were being crushed beneath an invisible mountain.

?Pain radiated through his arm and spread across his shoulders, while the tremendous energy surging from the Worldbreaker Core threatened to tear him away from the machine.

Every second he maintained contact, the pressure intensified.

?Yet he continued pouring mana into the core.

?His [Infinite Mana] blessing ensured that his reserves would never run dry. No matter how much energy he supplied, he could continue replenishing the amount being released without experiencing exhaustion.

?But infinite mana did not mean infinite control.

?That was the problem.

?The Worldbreaker Core’s binary fusion reaction was multiplying its output at an alarming rate.

Cassian had established a counter-reaction by flooding the machine with his mana, forcing the two opposing energy flows into a delicate equilibrium.

?If his mana supply faltered, the core’s energy would overwhelm the counter-reaction.

If he lost control of the balance, the accumulated energy could escape containment.

?And if the reaction reached its final stage before he stabilized it, Planet Roca would cease to exist.

?Cassian gritted his teeth as another wave of energy struck him. His feet slid backward across the metallic floor.

?Immediately, two shadow circles extended from his hand and wrapped around his legs, binding him to the ground.

Their dark surfaces tightened as they anchored him in place, preventing the energy from forcing him away from the machine.

?At the same time, [Knight’s Honor] was active. The skill reinforced his physical capabilities, strengthening his body to withstand the tremendous force battering him from every direction.

Without that additional support, maintaining contact with the Worldbreaker Core would have been considerably more difficult.

?Even so, the strain was immense.

?The complex shook violently. Metal groaned beneath the pressure, and cracks began spreading across sections of the reinforced walls.

Dust poured from the ceiling as the enormous machine released another pulse of energy.

?Then, the entire planet trembled.

?Buildings shook across Planet Roca. Windows shattered, roads fractured, and people stumbled as the ground beneath their feet lurched violently. In some cities, emergency alarms began blaring as the tremors intensified.