The cracked sky did not collapse immediately.
It hung.
Split open.
Like a wound forced to stay open.
From that fissure.
Energy poured down endlessly.
But it was not just energy.
Forms.
Consciousness.
New figures began to emerge one by one.
They did not fall.
They… descended with control.
Each step they took made the ground tremble slightly. Not wild. Not chaotic. But full of measured pressure.
Ragnar lifted his chin.
His eyes blazed.
"Greater numbers."
He grinned.
"More fun."
Kael let out a long breath.
"More troublesome."
Orion did not take his eyes off the sky.
"More organized."
Aurelia remained silent.
But inside.
She felt everything.
Those beings were not connected to the main network.
But they were connected to each other.
In a different way.
Stiffer.
More precise.
Like parts of the same system.
The first figure they had faced earlier stepped back slightly.
Making way.
Not retreating because it was defeated.
But because its role had changed.
"You have seen a part."
It said.
Its voice remained cold.
"Now see the whole."
Aurelia stepped forward.
One step.
But it was enough to make the light around her expand.
Holding back the pressure that began to rise.
"This is not the whole."
She replied calmly.
"This is only the beginning."
The figure did not argue.
But its aura rose.
As a response.
And in an instant.
The other beings began to move.
Not all at once.
But coordinated.
Two of them headed straight for Ragnar.
Three others spread out.
One to Kael.
One to Orion.
And one more.
Still heading for Aurelia.
Ragnar burst out laughing loudly.
"Good!"
He leaped forward.
Without waiting.
The first collision happened in a second.
An explosion of energy shook the ground.
But it did not spread wildly.
All pressure was contained within a small area.
Ragnar attacked relentlessly.
Raw power.
But now more focused.
No longer just destroying.
But forcing his opponents to move.
But his foes.
Did not retreat.
Did not panic.
Their movements were efficient.
Parrying.
Diverting.
Looking for openings.
"He's learning…" Ragnar muttered.
Meanwhile.
Kael faced his opponent in a different way.
He did not attack immediately.
He moved in circles.
Observing.
Analyzing patterns.
And when his opponent attacked.
He did not block.
He shifted direction.
Letting the attack pass through space he had altered beforehand.
The attack lost its target.
And for a moment.
His opponent lost balance.
"Readable."
Kael whispered.
Orion.
Remained in place.
But the space around him changed drastically.
Gravity increased.
The direction of pressure shifted.
His opponent moved.
But every step felt heavier.
Slower.
Orion did not attack.
But he controlled the space.
And that was enough to hold them back.
Meanwhile.
Aurelia faced one figure directly.
Different from the first.
This one was smaller.
But its aura was sharper.
It did not wait.
It attacked first.
Its movements were fast.
Precise.
Aurelia did not only defend.
She stepped aside.
Letting the attack pass.
And in the same motion.
Her light flowed.
Touching the space around her opponent.
Not its body.
But… its system.
The opponent reacted immediately.
Its fragments moved quickly.
Trying to close the gap.
But Aurelia had already read it.
She did not chase.
She expanded.
Creating pressure from all directions.
Not to destroy.
But to force change.
"Why do you hold back?"
The figure asked.
Its attacks did not stop.
But its voice remained steady.
Aurelia looked at it.
"Because I do not want to destroy."
She answered.
The figure paused for a moment.
Only a moment.
But enough.
"That is weakness."
It said.
Aurelia shook her head.
"That is choice."
And in one movement.
Her light changed.
Deeper.
Wider.
She did not only defend.
She began… to push.
But not with force.
But with imposed balance.
The opponent was immediately pushed back.
Not because it was defeated.
But because its system was disrupted.
For the first time.
It lost its rhythm.
Aurelia saw the opening.
But she did not attack.
She stopped.
Making way.
And that.
Made her opponent hesitate.
Only for an instant.
But enough to make a difference.
On the other side.
Ragnar laughed even louder.
His two opponents began to be pushed back.
Not because they were weak.
But because Ragnar gave no time to breathe.
His attacks came one after another.
But now.
Not random.
Every strike had direction.
Every movement had purpose.
"More exciting than before!"
He shouted.
Kael began to speed up his rhythm.
He no longer only evaded.
He started to attack.
But in a different way.
He attacked the pattern.
Not the body.
And slowly.
His opponent began to lose its perfect form.
Orion remained steady.
But the pressure around him increased.
His opponent began to crack.
Not shatter.
But… pressed down.
And in the middle of it all.
The sky kept opening.
More descended.
More came.
Aurelia looked up.
And she knew.
This would not stop.
Not anytime soon.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
Connecting herself to the network.
Still stable.
But starting to be pressed.
If this continued.
The balance would waver.
She opened her eyes.
Her gaze changed.
More serious.
More… profound.
"We cannot only defend."
She said.
Her voice reached the others.
Ragnar laughed.
"Finally you say that."
Kael nodded.
"We must cut off the source."
Orion looked at the sky.
"That fissure."
Aurelia nodded.
"Yes."
She stepped forward.
The light on her body grew stronger.
Brighter than before.
More powerful.
Wider.
And this time.
She did not only defend.
She prepared to… attack.
Because now.
It was no longer about maintaining balance.
But preserving it.
From something trying to replace it.
And this war.
Had only just begun.
Aurelia's steps were no longer hesitant.
The light on her body grew slowly, not exploding but rising like a pulse growing deeper. She looked at the fissure in the cracked sky—not just a hole, but a gate that kept widening.
Every passing second.
More descended.
More pressure entered this world.
"I will clear the way."
Aurelia's voice was calm but firm.
Ragnar grinned immediately.
"Finally."
Kael glanced toward the sky.
"Don't take too long. We can't hold this forever."
Orion nodded slowly.
"We will hold them back."
Aurelia did not reply.
She was already moving.
Her steps were not fast, but in the blink of an eye.
She shot upward.
Not jumping.
But as if space itself carried her.
The ground below grew distant.
The battle below continued.
Ragnar fought two at once.
Kael began to press his opponent with increasingly complex patterns.
Orion held his ground, ensuring none slipped past.
And above.
Aurelia approached the fissure.
Closer.
More intense.
The pressure coming from there was far greater than she had felt before.
This was not just a gate.
This… was the source.
She stopped a few meters below the crack.
The light around her reacted immediately.
Trembling.
As if refusing to approach.
Aurelia narrowed her eyes.
"So this is the core…"
She raised her hand.
Gold-white light gathered in her palm.
But she did not release it immediately.
She felt it first.
Analyzed.
Understood.
And the more she felt.
The clearer it became.
This was not just one source.
But another network.
Connected to this place.
If she attacked aimlessly.
She could trigger something even bigger.
Aurelia took a deep breath.
She could not be reckless.
Below.
Ragnar began to be pushed back slightly.
Not defeated.
But numbers were starting to take their toll.
"Hurry up!" he shouted.
Kael began to frown.
The pattern he faced started to change.
Adapting.
Learning.
"This is not good…"
Orion remained silent.
But the pressure around him increased.
He began to hold back more.
Aurelia opened her eyes.
Her focus sharpened again.
She raised both hands.
The light around her expanded.
Not attacking.
But… merging.
With the space around the fissure.
She did not fight it.
She entered.
Her consciousness pierced the fissure.
And in an instant.
She saw it.
Not one point.
But many.
Other nodes.
Connected.
Forming a new network.
Stiffer.
More structured.
But also… more fragile in some parts.
Aurelia narrowed her eyes.
"This is not perfect…"
She murmured.
"It is forced."
She found the point.
One central node.
Not large.
But controlling the flow.
If it was disrupted.
The entire system would waver.
She could not destroy it directly.
If too forceful.
Everything could collapse uncontrollably.
Aurelia opened her eyes.
Back to the outside world.
The light in her hands changed.
No longer large.
But more focused.
Sharper.
She pointed her hands at the fissure.
But not to destroy.
To… disrupt.
"Just a little…"
She whispered.
And in one movement.
The light shot forward.
Entered the fissure.
Did not explode.
But pierced through.
Straight to the central node.
Reaction came immediately.
The sky trembled.
The fissure pulsed violently.
The energy descending from above.
Stopped for a moment.
Below.
All the beings stopped.
Only a second.
But enough.
Ragnar took advantage immediately.
He struck his opponents with full force.
One of them was thrown far away.
Kael sped up his rhythm.
His opponent's pattern was disrupted.
He immediately cut off its path.
Orion pressed harder.
Gravity around him increased drastically.
His opponent could no longer move freely.
Aurelia held her position.
The light in her hands remained connected.
But.
Backlash came.
From inside the fissure.
Stronger.
Deeper.
Something there began to respond.
Not an ordinary being.
But… the core of the system.
"So you are there…"
The voice emerged.
Heavier than before.
More… conscious.
Aurelia did not reply.
But her light grew stronger.
She would not retreat.
The fissure began to change.
Not closing.
But… reacting.
More energy gathered inside it.
As if preparing for something bigger.
Below.
Ragnar looked up.
He felt the change.
His smile widened.
"It seems…"
He said softly.
"…the boss is starting to wake up."
Kael sighed.
"Good. Let's get this over with quickly."
Orion looked at the sky.
His gaze was more serious than ever.
"This is not the end…"
He said.
"…this is the next phase."
Aurelia stayed in place.
The light around her kept pressing.
Holding back.
Disrupting.
But she knew.
This was only the beginning.
Because something inside the fissure.
Had started to move.
And when it came out.
This battle would change completely.