The instant the beam struck the bridge, the skill detonated. A singularity formed at the point of impact, a dark, swirling core that devoured everything around it. The bridge groaned under the strain as its surface shattered, chunks of it breaking apart and spiraling into the growing void.
The pull from the singularity mixed with the unstable space of the realm, twisting gravity itself. The chains screamed under the pressure, links snapping one after another in violent bursts. The air bent around us, thick with Essence distortion.
Vaelix roared, his golden armor flaring to full brightness as he dashed backward, retreating from the collapsing center. I didn’t wait to see what he would do next. I leapt back as well, landing hard beside Primus.
I kicked him twice, trying to wake him. His body jerked, and he let out a weak groan as his eyes fluttered open.
"I think you should wake up now," I muttered.
He blinked a few times, confusion flashing across his face before he suddenly jumped to his feet, glancing wildly around.
"Dammit, what happened?" he shouted, panic edging his voice.
"Short version? We’re about to die," I said flatly, tightening my grip on the staff as I scanned the cracking bridge. "Let’s make sure we’re the last ones to go down with it."
Without another word, I started running, feet slamming against the trembling surface.
Primus turned and followed close behind me, his steps uneven but fast. "What the hell happened? Where’s Anjee?"
"Dead," I answered without looking back.
The bridge kept collapsing behind us, the cracks racing across the metal faster than we could run. The entire realm seemed to shudder as if the void itself was chasing us down.
Every link that broke behind us felt like a countdown. I stopped and turned to look.
Primus halted beside me, face twisted with anger. "Those bastards, he was one of them. How could they kill him so easily? What happened?"
"Nothing. I just want to kill some bastards," I said, keeping my voice low. I raised my staff and the Dawn Core fed another burst of energy into my generator core. I pushed the Essence back into the staff. It thrummed in my hands, alive and heavy.
Primus’ eyes followed the staff as it lengthened. "Don’t tell me you plan to—" he began.
"Yes, I do," I answered, cutting him off. I poured more Essence in, forcing the staff to stretch until it became a tower of dark violet metal, humming with weight. The added mass made the chain below my feet complain. A long crack spread under me like a scar.
Across the broken chain, the Ferans were stumbling, running now, their faces raw with panic. Even Vaelix was rushing ahead like crazy already leaving everyone behind but he did drag the Feran princess with himself.
My sight narrowed down to them. I felt nothing but the cold, clear aim of a man who had made a choice. When I knew enough was done, I slammed the tower-staff into the chain with all the strength I had.
BOOM.
The sound hit like thunder. The whole bridge shook under my feet. The crimson links began to snap one after another, cracking louder than I thought possible. I pulled the staff up again, my arms straining under its weight, and swung it down a second time with even more force.
This time, the bridge couldn’t take it. With a deep, tearing groan, the entire structure started to break apart. Links exploded outward, shards of crimson metal rained around us, and the air was filled with deafening noise.
I heard North’s voice shout my name—"Billion!"—mixed with the desperate screams of the Ferans as they lost their footing and fell. The pull from the abyss below grew stronger, pressing on our bodies and making it impossible to fly.
I grabbed Primus before he could fall, forced the staff back to its normal size, and started jumping from one broken chain piece to another as they dropped into the void. The entire bridge was collapsing, and every jump felt like the last one I might make.
Ferans screamed behind us, their voices fading as they disappeared into the darkness below. I looked up toward the ice platform where North and Steve stood. What happened next made my heart skip a beat. Steve jumped. He dived straight toward me.
Right behind him, North followed, leaping off the platform after him.
"You idiots!" I shouted, my voice barely reaching them over the roar of the wind.
I landed hard on a falling chain, steadied myself, and once again stretched out my staff. Steve latched onto it and then north did too. My muscles flexed as I placed the duo on a broken chain piece near us.
"So what’s the plan?" Steve shouted.
For a second, I wanted to punch him. Of all the times to ask that. My plan was simple, survive. This realm was connected to the Executor somehow, and if I died here, what use would I be to that chained monster and that’s why I took the gamble but to think these idiots would jump behind me.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my mind as the fragments of the bridge fell around us like burning meteors. "The plan," I said, glancing back at him, "is to not die... or at least die last."
Steve didn’t look satisfied, but he didn’t argue either. I turned my gaze forward. There were still six Ferans left, each standing on different floating fragments of the broken chain. Only Vaelix wasn’t alone, he carried the unconscious princess with him, holding her as the fragments drifted deeper into the darkness.
"How long are we supposed to keep falling?" North called out.
I looked around us. There was no light, just endless blackness stretching in every direction. The only light came from the faint crimson glow of the shattered chain pieces drifting beside us. The deeper we fell, the dimmer that light became, until even that began to fade.
Suddenly, the force pulling us down vanished. Everything stopped at once. The falling chain pieces froze in midair, floating silently in the endless void.
I steadied myself and extended my perception outward, searching for any source of movement or Essence, but there was nothing. Not a trace of energy, not a flicker of life. It was as if the realm itself had gone still.
I stepped closer to the edge of the fragment I was standing on and looked down into the abyss. For a moment, I felt like I was staring into the end of existence, an emptiness so deep it felt alive. My chest tightened, and I quickly stepped back, letting out a shaky breath.
"What is that?" Primus said, his voice low and uneasy as he pointed to our right.
I turned my head in the direction he was looking. Far off in the distance, small red dots began to appear one by one, glowing faintly against the darkness. They floated in a slow, deliberate pattern, almost like eyes opening in the void.
The red dots in the distance began to grow larger, spreading across the darkness like drops of blood. Then they moved, fast.
From both sides, right and left, long crimson chains shot toward us, slicing through the void like serpents made of molten metal. My Psynapse reacted before my mind did, showing me their structure, their energy. I understood instantly what they were.
"Defend!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the empty space. "Those are parasitic chains! They’ll corrupt your soul if they touch you!"