"But for now… who's that guy?" Cass asked while pointing toward Treq.
"Ah, that's Treqzx0. Most people just call him Treq," Led answered. "He's one of the elite players stationed in this region and…"
Before Led could finish—
"Crimson! Old friend, how've you been?" Treq said warmly while walking toward Crimson Warden.
Crimson Warden gave a rare smile.
"Still alive, somehow."
"And yes," Led added, "he used to be part of Crimson's old raid party back during the SkyRealm days."
"Those were simpler times," Treq laughed softly.
Then he gestured toward the massive castle behind him.
"Come. Let's head inside first. You're guests here, after all. Make yourselves comfortable."
The group began walking through the grand halls of Rukenia Castle.
Crixz stayed beside Treq while Imperial soldiers escorted the visitors from behind.
The inside of the castle looked ancient despite the Empire's renovations.
Old stone walls mixed with advanced machinery.
Steam pipes ran along the ceilings while glowing blue energy crystals lit the corridors.
It truly looked like a fortress reborn into a military headquarters.
"So," Crimson Warden spoke while looking around, "did Rukenia change much?"
"Not really," Treq answered. "We added a few more automated farms and upgraded the containment systems, but overall it's still the same."
As they continued deeper into the castle, Cass quietly observed everything around her.
Unlike Aetherion, which felt modern and organized—
Rukenia felt heavy.
Like a giant machine built for war.
Eventually, Treq stopped in front of a large metal door.
"We're here."
The guards opened the doors as the group entered the meeting room.
The soldiers remained outside.
Inside, several players were already waiting.
Some wore Imperial military uniforms.
Others wore silver-and-white armor decorated with the Empire's crest.
One man immediately stood out.
Silver-black hair.
Sharp eyes.
Heavy armor without a helmet.
The atmosphere around him alone made the room feel smaller.
"Ah… you finally arrived," the man said calmly.
"Commander TyrVoss," Crimson Warden greeted before bowing slightly.
Led and Cass quickly followed.
"We have arrived as ordered, Commander."
TyrVoss nodded.
"Good. Then we can begin."
Everyone took their seats around the long table.
The atmosphere immediately became serious.
TyrVoss leaned back slightly.
"I heard you visited the Kostra Legion," he said. "How did the negotiations go?"
"We reached an agreement," Crimson Warden answered. "They agreed to assist the Empire."
"Hm. Good."
"They're likely already preparing their forces."
"Excellent," TyrVoss muttered.
Led then handed several document files across the table.
TyrVoss flipped through the pages silently.
"So this is the official report regarding the factory incident…"
He read aloud mockingly.
"'Factory Accident Causes Structural Collapse.'"
The commander slowly raised his eyes.
"…And caused a monster outbreak attack inside your capital?"
Silence filled the room.
Then Treq spoke.
"That's obviously not the whole story."
He placed one elbow on the table.
"Ryze, the Starlink Sniper…"
"The Resistance invasion…"
"The Void Portal…"
"And SK's disappearance."
"What exactly happened in Aetherion?"
"This is the first major incident the Empire has suffered in years."
Crimson Warden answered calmly.
"Yes."
The room grew quiet as the real details were finally explained.
The Void portal destabilization.
The invasion.
Ryze's escape.
The appearance of the Void entity.
And most importantly—
The Empire's true objective.
Crixz frowned slightly while listening.
"So the Empire's priority was never truly Ryze?" she asked.
Commander TyrVoss folded his hands together.
"Correct."
"She was only the visible target."
"There was… someone else within that group."
"Someone the public cannot know about."
The room fell silent again.
Even Treq looked interested now.
The topic eventually shifted toward SK.
According to the official Empire statement, SK's disappearance was merely a strategic operation to avoid suspicion.
But internally—
Everyone knew the truth was far more complicated.
"She changed after spending time in the Void," TyrVoss stated coldly.
"Exposure to the Resistance likely affected her judgment."
Crimson Warden nodded.
"Yes, Commander."
But Crixz looked unconvinced.
"…Personally, I don't believe it."
Everyone looked at her.
"SK the Reaper is ruthless," she continued. "She's loyal to the Empire. I can't imagine her betraying us."
Cass immediately scoffed.
"Maybe she was weak from the start."
Crixz's eyes narrowed instantly.
"Oh? Starting another fight?"
"Because I'll gladly accept."
"You two," Treq sighed tiredly. "Behave yourselves. We're in the middle of a meeting."
Cass clicked her tongue while crossing her arms.
Meanwhile, Crimson Warden quietly leaned toward Treq.
"To think mentioning SK alone makes her this upset…"
Treq chuckled softly.
"She idolizes SK."
"What?"
"SK often visited Rukenia to escort shipments and classified goods. Crixz admired her for years."
"…Ah," Crimson muttered. "That explains it."
Then Crixz suddenly spoke again.
"If you don't mind me asking, Sir Crimson…"
"What exactly are the details involving Ryze the Starlink Sniper?"
Cass smirked immediately.
"Oh? Interested in Ryze?"
"Or interested in her bounty?"
Crixz ignored the teasing.
"I simply refuse to believe some low-ranking Resistance soldier managed to corrupt SK the Reaper."
Crimson Warden glanced at Led.
Led silently pulled out another document before sliding several copy onto the table.
"Here are the older case files regarding Ryze."
Treq and Crizx both opened the folder.
"Several years ago, the world of Countless Star quietly entered the New World."
"Unlike SkyRealm, Countless Star operates under a completely different system."
"A magic-based game world with extremely powerful abilities."
"And most importantly…"
"Their world is safe."
Crixz tilted her head slightly.
"Safe?"
"In SkyRealm," Led explained, "danger zones range from Yellow to Red Zones."
"But in Countless Star, zones range from Green to Blue."
"Meaning the possibility of dying is incredibly low."
"No deadly mobs."
"No large-scale raids."
"Minimal violence."
"It's practically a peaceful world."
Treq crossed his arms.
"That explains why we rarely see Cross Players from Countless Star."
"Exactly."
"But what about Ryze?" Crixz asked.
Led flipped another page.
"According to old reports, Ryze first appeared around three years ago alongside Resistance soldiers."
"So we assume she joined the Resistance around that time."
"We analyzed records from Countless Star's top players."
"She wasn't among them."
"What makes her interesting is her fighting style."
"She specializes in using a rifle."
"A weapon type that doesn't even exist in Countless Star."
The room became quiet.
"But why leave Countless Star?" Treq questioned.
"If that world is truly safe… why leave at all?"
Led shook his head slightly.
"We still don't know."
"There are only two possibilities."
"Either she was sent away by Countless Star's higher authorities…"
"Or she left on her own."
"By choice?" Crixz asked.
"What would make someone abandon the safest world in existence?"
"No answer yet," Led admitted.
He continued flipping through the reports.
"In most encounters, Ryze operated with Resistance squads."
"Supply raids."
"Recon missions."
"Sabotage operations."
"The last confirmed record before her capture…"
Led paused.
"…was the train raid."
"The Void Incident," Crixz muttered.
"Yes."
"At the time, both Ryze and SK were presumed dead after falling into the Void."
"But later…"
"We detected signals."
"Alive."
"That was when Commander Frostbyte ordered the Void expedition."
"And eventually…"
"They found SK."
"Ryze."
"And Blaze."
The room became silent after hearing that name.
Blaze.
Even now, the name carried unease.
TyrVoss finally broke the silence.
"Enough of the side topics."
"Let's move to the main matter."
His eyes turned toward Crimson Warden.
"You brought it here… correct?"
"Yes," Crimson answered calmly.
"As ordered by Commander Frostbyte."
Everyone rose from their seats.
Commander TyrVoss then looked toward Treq.
"I'll leave the rest to you."
"I have other matters to attend to."
"As you wish, Commander."
TyrVoss left the room alongside several elite Imperial soldiers.
The remaining group walked through the lower sections of Rukenia.
Unlike the upper castle—
This area was alive with machinery.
Massive automated systems pumped materials through giant pipes.
Steam burst from engines.
Mechanical workers transported harvested monster resources nonstop.
"We've doubled the efficiency of every automated farm in Rukenia," Treq explained proudly.
"Boss farming."
"Mob harvesting."
"NPC labor systems."
"Everything now operates faster than ever."
Cass stared at the massive industrial systems with interest.
"This place feels less like a city…"
"And more like a giant factory."
"That's because it is," Treq answered.
Eventually—
The group returned to the airship dock.
Several soldiers were struggling to move a giant iron container reinforced with chains and glowing locks.
"Keep it steady!" one soldier yelled.
The moment the container moved—
A terrifying aura spread across the area.
Several soldiers visibly trembled.
Even Crixz instinctively reached for her sword.
Treq narrowed his eyes slightly.
"So… that's it?"
Crimson Warden nodded.
"Yes."
"The Void Anomaly."
The massive container shook slightly.
Through the reinforced glass—
A figure could be seen inside.
Humanoid.
Dark armor.
A body resembling Blaze.
But distorted.
Broken.
Its form glitched constantly with static and fragmented pixels.
Like a corrupted existence struggling to remain stable.
Crixz stared at it in visible shock.
"…What is that thing?"
"That," Crimson answered coldly, "is what we call a Void Monster."
"It infiltrated the portal during the incident."
"And somehow ended up here."
Led continued.
"It possesses power equal to a raid boss."
"It can fight multiple elite players simultaneously."
"It took nearly all our firepower—plus reinforcements from the Northern District—just to contain it."
Treq stared silently at the creature.
"So does it have a name?"
"Or are we seriously calling it 'Void Monster' forever?"
"The Grand Master officially designated it as—"
"Calamity Echo."
The air grew heavier after hearing the name.
Crixz looked toward Treq.
"So what exactly are we supposed to do with that thing?"
Treq answered immediately.
"The same thing the Empire always does."
"Contain it."
"…And find a way to benefit from it."
"Good answer," Crimson Warden said approvingly.
Inside the container—
The creature slowly turned its head.
Its hollow, glitched eyes locked directly onto Crixz.
Her entire body froze for a moment.
That pressure…
It felt identical to standing before a World Boss.
Treq noticed immediately.
"Wait…"
"Are you actually scared of it?"
"Of course not," Crixz snapped irritably. "I'm just not feeling well today."
Still—
She quietly stepped back.
The others remained calm, believing the creature was fully secured.
Locked away.
Trapped.
Unable to escape.
But inside the container—
Calamity Echo continued staring silently.
Watching.
Learning.
Waiting.
Hello guys, Nirron here — the author of Endgame Re:Drive.
I'll be making a small change to the story's timeline. Instead of the Great Collapse happening only 5 years ago, I'll be changing it to around 10–15 years ago.
This change will help improve the world-building and make the history of the world feel more believable, especially with how much the factions, kingdoms, and players have already developed.
I felt like 5 years was simply too short for everything that has happened in the story.
Thank you all for reading and supporting the story so far. I hope you continue to enjoy Endgame Re:Drive!