The command room had fallen into a heavy silence.
No one was shouting, no one was rushing... but this silence wasn’t calm. It was the kind that forms after a disaster, when minds are still stuck on what just happened moments ago.
Half of the glowing points on the map had gone dark.
Half of their forces.
Lana pressed her hands against the table, her fingers turning white, her breathing uneven.
"Bastards..." her voice was low, but filled with anger.
"In one moment... just one moment..."
Even though they had sent Daniel to eliminate the ones responsible for that attack and had no doubt he would return successfully, the damage wasn’t something they could ignore.
Those they lost were young Awakened who had been trained and supported by Everlight Moon for years. Each of them was an important asset to the guild.
Losing them like this... felt like a thorn stuck deep in her heart. She couldn’t just overlook it.
Daruis stepped forward with a deep frown and looked at his guild leader.
"That’s enough." his voice was rough, though still filled with respect.
"Let us hit them head-on. Right now. We’ll crush everything they have."
"And lose the rest of what we have left." Aron replied without even looking at him.
"Our defense is barely holding as it is."
He wasn’t wrong.
They had already lost half their forces. The remaining half was shaken, their morale broken.
Enemy forces were advancing fast, destroying everything in their path, leaving nothing behind.
The guild’s defensive arrays had taken heavy damage and were barely standing, barely holding the enemy back from reaching the core.
And the main battles hadn’t even started yet... where the advantage clearly belonged to the Goblin Guild.
"So we just sit here and watch?!" Daruis snapped.
"And those bastards aren’t even showing signs of exhaustion or running out of mana. They just keep attacking endlessly like wild beasts."
"How is that even possible? A large portion of our remaining forces are already exhausted. We’ve had to rotate them in waves."
"Meanwhile, the enemy has no such limitation!"
For some reason, the Goblin Guild’s mana just didn’t seem to run out.
"Enough."
Varnos’ voice cut through the room. Calm, but absolute.
Everyone fell silent. He was still staring at the map.
Then... he took a slow breath.
He knew they couldn’t wait any longer. They had to act.
"We need to respond directly to that attack. What Daniel is doing is separate... but we need to do something to restore our soldiers’ morale."
"But we don’t have many options." Elira added.
They didn’t have the upper hand in this war. In fact, it was the opposite. They were at a disadvantage in almost every aspect.
"That’s why I’m listening." Varnos continued.
"If you have ideas, now is the time."
For a few moments, no one spoke. Even Daruis stayed silent.
When it came to operations, even he didn’t know what they could do in this situation.
None of the commanders could step in directly right now. If they did, the war would escalate to its highest level, and they weren’t ready for that yet.
The preparations they had planned still needed time.
"...Maybe we can do something." Elira suddenly said.
Everyone turned to her.
She pointed at the map, highlighting several points.
"An army this large... can’t function this smoothly without support."
"Mana centers... communication... and field command." Serah immediately followed.
"The backbone." Varnos’ eyes narrowed.
"If we hit those..."
He looked at the points Elira had marked.
"Their army collapses." Daruis smiled.
"We won’t reach them with a direct attack. And they definitely have backup systems in place." Varnos shook his head.
A few seconds of silence followed. They all sighed, as if they had hit another dead end.
"But we can use it for two purposes... misdirection, and restoring morale."
He raised his hand, and a screen appeared in the air.
A design. A small... but complex array.
"This..." Elira’s eyes widened.
"...Soul Disruption Core?"
"An incomplete version." Varnos said.
"It was created years ago. Never used."
"What does it do?" Serah stepped closer.
"It disrupts mana." Varnos explained.
"It cuts off talisman connections. Breaks apart coordinated skills."
"It can even cause backfire." he paused for a moment.
"How many do we have?" Daruis’ eyes lit up.
"Three."
"Three targets." Lana took a deep breath.
"We hit three points. Blind their eyes... and at the same time, I’ll take a legion through a portal into the Goblin Guild territory."
She looked at everyone as she explained the plan.
"No mistakes are acceptable."
A few minutes later, the atmosphere in the room had completely changed.
The shock was gone. Only movement remained.
Orders were issued one after another. Teams were selected. Routes were assigned.
In the middle of all this, Lana left the room.
She walked through the guild’s corridors with quick steps and entered another room.
The equipment room.
She stood in front of a set of armor for a few seconds.
Dark. Light, but durable. Lines of mana flowing through it.
She reached out and picked it up, putting it on piece by piece.
When she walked out, she was no longer the same person from minutes ago.
Her gaze had grown colder, she was ready.
The operation began.
Three teams, each carrying a Core, moved through the chaos of the battlefield.
The fighting continued.
Shouts. Explosions. Blood.
But within this hell, shadows were moving.
Silent.
Precise.
One team passed beneath the ruins of a collapsed building. Another slipped through active combat. The third advanced through rear paths opened by Aron.
"Fifty meters to target." Elira’s voice echoed.
"Twenty."
"Ten—"
One of them was almost exposed. A blade passed right next to his face.
But he didn’t stop.
"Position reached."
In the command room, Varnos stood still.
Eyes fixed on the map.
Breaths held.
Then the final command was given.
"Now."
The three Cores activated.
For a moment... nothing happened.
Then an invisible wave spread across the battlefield.
Enemy auras trembled. Multiple talismans shut down.
A half-formed skill exploded, throwing its user backward.
Enemy voices filled the battlefield.
"What—?!"
"My mana—!"
Their entire structure shook.
"Connections are down!" Elira reported, trying to stay composed.
"Their coordination has dropped!"
"Finally." Daruis smiled.
"Attack." Varnos didn’t hesitate. He sent the information to all remaining forces immediately.
The Awakened saw what was happening.
They smiled.
Their morale surged.
And they launched a counterattack.
It was time to take revenge for their fallen brothers and sisters.
This time, Everlight Moon advanced.
The assault forces moved forward like a raging wave.
Enemy defenses broke. Their lines collapsed.
This time, the blood flowed from the other side.
Of course... this wouldn’t last forever.
Sooner or later, the enemy would regain control. Other command points would take over. Everything would return to normal.
But for now... it was enough.
And in the middle of this chaos something else happened.
Deep within the guild, far from the main battlefield, a massive circle lit up.
A portal.
Lana stood in front of it, and behind her, a legion.
Half Fallen. Half elite Awakened. Their auras trembled in silence.
"Now is the best time. The enemy is blind." Serah’s voice echoed through the connection.
Lana stepped forward, her eyes fixed on the portal.
"Everyone ready?" No one answered. There was no need.
A faint smile appeared on her lips and she stepped through.
One by one, the others followed, a few seconds later, they appeared on the other side.
The sky was the same, but the ground... unfamiliar.
In the distance, the structures of the Goblin Guild.
A few guards stared at them in shock.
Lana drew her sword.
Her gaze turned cold.
"Now... it’s our turn."