The air inside the Core grew heavier… as if the space itself were suffocating from the energy that had escaped.
Lloyd stood silently, his head slightly tilted, his glowing eye fixed on the heart in the center. The energy that had surged through it moments before… now swirled around it, as if it had lost control and was now following his command.
The white entity moved cautiously, no longer attacking directly. It was clear that it sensed the real danger now… not from the Core, but from Lloyd himself.
In a quiet, strange voice, Lloyd said,
"All this… was just missing a consciousness to control it."
Then he slowly raised his hand… and suddenly one of the giant rings around the heart stopped, as if it had received a direct command. The sound inside the facility disappeared for a moment, then returned with even greater intensity.
But..
Lloyd suddenly pressed his head.
His expression changed, and the smile vanished for a few seconds. His voice returned to normal, broken:
"No… still… it's not me…"
The energy around him fluctuated unsteadily, oscillating between intense heat and deadly cold. Clearly, the struggle within him was still raging.
The white entity seized the moment. It formed a massive ice spear and shot at Lloyd with incredible speed, aiming directly at his heart.
But before it reached him
Lloyd vanished.
In an instant, it reappeared behind him, faster than before. Without even looking up, it reached out… and the spear froze in mid-air, then shattered into icy dust.
"I told you…" he muttered, "…you can't stop me."
But again, his hand trembled. The marks on his arm flared chaotically, as if resisting the new reality.
Outside, Riorno and Mizuno were struggling against the colossal monster blocking their entry. The blows grew more violent, but their focus began to waver under the terrifying energy emanating from within. "This pressure…is unbearable!" Mizuno said, dodging an attack.
"Lloyd is in danger…we have to get to him before he loses control completely!" Riorno replied, firing a concentrated shot.
Back inside
Lloyd dropped to one knee, breathing heavily. Half his face was normal…the other half wore that strange smile that flickered on and off.
The dark voice inside him whispered again, "Leave it to me…and we'll finish this."
Lloyd clenched his fist so hard blood oozed from his hand.
"Shut up…I'm the one who decides."
The heart in the center pounded again, as if reacting to the struggle. Energy began to gather again…but this time unsteadily, more dangerously than before.
The white entity retreated further. For the first time, it seemed to be contemplating escape.
But Lloyd slowly raised his head and looked directly at it.
"…Where do you think you're going?" he said calmly, but with a clear threat in his voice.
Then he stood, despite his exhaustion, despite the struggle… and began walking toward him.
With every step he took… the ground cracked beneath him.
And at that moment
The Core door shook violently from the outside…
Riorno and Mazuno arrived…
The black light emanating from the Core was extraordinary; it was so intense it seemed to engulf the light itself. The air around it began to twist as if the space could no longer bear its presence. Lloyd struggled to his feet, but this time his eyes returned to normal. Exhaustion was evident, but his consciousness was fully restored. He wiped the blood from his mouth and said in a low voice, "What is this...?"
Riorno stood directly beside him. The flames around him had stabilized but were even more intense than before. Mizuno was on the other side, injured but ready. Without a word, the three of them understood one thing: this was more dangerous than anything they had experienced before.
Suddenly, the fissure in the Core widened further, and from within, a new entity began to form. At first, it had no clear shape, just a mass of dense black energy. But gradually, features began to emerge: a head, long arms, and a massive body covered in a layer of energy that constantly moved like a living fluid.
A deep voice erupted from it, shaking the entire space: "You... are not part of the equation."
Mizuno smiled despite the pressure. "Clearly, we've entered the wrong phase."
Lloyd clenched his fist. The marks on his arm began to glow again, but this time under his control. "No… we're the ones who changed the game," he said.
The entity moved suddenly, without warning, with terrifying speed. It appeared directly above them and slammed into the ground. The explosion sent them scattering. The ground shattered, and energy spread in all directions. Riorno dodged with difficulty and countered with a direct fire attack, but the flames were extinguished before they reached him, as if they had been wiped out.
"Absorbing energy!" Mizuno yelled, rushing forward from the side. His claws struck hard, but this time even the physical blow had no noticeable effect, only a slight ripple on its surface.
Lloyd appeared from behind, gathering concentrated energy in his hand and striking directly at its core. This time, there was an effect… the entity took a step back.
A brief moment of silence.
Then… he smiled.
"Adaptation… has begun."
Riorno gritted his teeth. "We have to hurry before it fully adapts!"
The three of them attacked together, a coordinated assault. Mizuno restricted movement from below, Riorno applied fire pressure from above, and Lloyd struck the central points. For a few seconds, the entity actually began to retreat.
But then, suddenly,
the energy around it exploded in a circular motion.
BOOOOOOM!
The three of them were propelled backward with tremendous force, slamming into the walls. The Core began to crumble, the loops stopped, the pipes exploded, and the energy became completely unstable.
The entity stood in the center, its size growing larger, its voice heavier: "Now… you're approaching the required level."
Lloyd stood with difficulty, his breathing heavy, but his eyes steady. Then he said calmly, "So… all of this was a test?"
The entity replied: "You… are the keys."
Mizuno laughed: "Honestly, I didn't want to be a key to anything."
Riorno raised his hand, the fire blazing with unprecedented intensity, and said: "Like it or not… we have to finish it."
Lloyd looked at them for a moment, then smiled faintly: "One plan… we hit him with everything at the same time."
A second of silence.
Then they shook their heads.
And they set off again… this time without turning back.