[06: 05: 38: 20]

…

The moment Cassian and his summon burst into the Nest's core chamber, the very air seemed to change—thickening, tightening, as if the world itself held its breath.

The chamber was colossal, an impossible hollow that stretched so high overhead the ceiling vanished into darkness. The ground beneath them pulsed with veined, living flesh, slick and gleaming, scattered with clusters of glittering Kalrach eggs.

Damn… this is not what I was expecting…

Veins the size of ancient trees crisscrossed the floor, converging toward the nightmarish abomination at the heart of it all.

The Mother of Kalrachs.

She was truly a monstrosity born from nightmares—half of her body was still fused to the floor, half risen; her twisted torso loomed above the battlefield like a grotesque queen. Tentacles, bone-stitched wings, and numerous tendrils extended in every direction.

Cassian's gaze snapped immediately to the source of her remaining strength—the three meteor fragments embedded at her side. Their crystalline surfaces pulsed with sickly light, even as thick cords of tentacles wrapped around them, piercing deep, feeding the Mother with stolen energy.

First the fragments.

Then the core.

And after that... the Boss.

Cassian tightened his grip on «Sindivinity»—but before he could move, an ancient, hate-filled voice tore through his mind like a blade through flesh, almost dropping him to his knees.

[DING! YOU HAVE BEEN HIT BY A [MENTAL TYPE ATTACK]]

« You have [Unwavering Mind] buff. The mental attack successfully countered »

[DING! YOU HAVE BEEN HIT BY A [MENTAL TYPE ATTACK]]

« You have [Unwavering Mind] buff. The mental attack successfully countered »

{You... vile humans... You murdered my kin, my children... and now you dare halt my ascension!}

{You will pay the price for that, insect!}

The voice erupted into a deafening scream, a sound so violent it almost shattered Cassian's focus. Gritting his teeth, he forced the world to narrow—filtering out everything unnecessary. His mind lasered onto a single truth: Fight. Survive.

Beside him, the Behemoth shook gore from its massive frame and roared in defiance, awaiting his command. Despite everything, the creature had taken minimal damage thanks to the mana shield Cassian gave him earlier.

« You have fed 6 Essence points to the summon mana shield spell, Current saturation: LVL 10 Shield 100/100 DMG absorption »

[DING! TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #1: 10/96 | TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #2: 54/96] | CORE ESSENCE WELL: 68/68]

Good. With this behemoth should last in this hellhole, Cassian thought grimly.

I should shield myself, too.

"[Mana Shield]."

[DING! DECK CARD «MANA SHIELD (KNOWLEDGE SPELL)» USED, CONSUMED 5 POINTS OF ESSENCE]

[DING! TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #1: 10/96 | TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #2: 54/96] | CORE ESSENCE WELL: 68/68]

« You have cast [Mana Shield] spell. Gained an LVL 0 Mana Shield (10/10 DMG absorption). »

« You have fed 10 Essence points into the Mana Shield. Current saturation: LVL 10 Shield (100/100 DMG absorption). »

[DING! TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #1: 10/96 | TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #2: 48/96] | CORE ESSENCE WELL: 68/68]

A pale blue shimmer flared around him, thin but strong. It reflected faint glints against the undulating, veined walls of the Nest. Around him, the Kalrach feeders stirred—a writhing tide of nightmare forms.

Holy, there must be hundreds of them. Maybe more… fuuu good thing is these feeders die easily… bad thing is I would have to ration my essence smartly.

Chitinous exoskeletons rasped against one another. Elongated limbs twitched and clicked over the pulsing, living floor. Jagged mandibles snapped hungrily, leaking acidic froth.

The very air vibrated with the crescendo of chittering and screeches. The sound clawed at Cassian's senses—but he gritted his teeth, forcing the rising panic down.

Now's not the time to panic. I can deal with them.

He dove deep into his core well. Essence surged under his skin, sharp and wild.

Drawing a breath, Cassian thrust his hand forward.

"[Gravity Well]!"

Essence screamed out from his palm, and the world twisted.

[DING! RUN CARD «GRAVITY WELL (KNOWLEDGE SPELL)» MODIFIED, CONSUMED 10 POINT OF ESSENCE | CHARGES: 4/10]

[DING! TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #1: 10/96 | TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #2: 38/96] | CORE ESSENCE WELL: 68/68]

[DING! YOU MODIFIED THE SET PARAMETERS OF A RUN CARD, ATTEMPT SUCCESSFUL BUT YOUR CURRENT SKILLS CAN NOT HANDLE THE CONSEQUENCES]

A dense black orb formed ahead of them, a tiny singularity warping the very air. The leading edge of the Kalrach horde was yanked violently off its feet. Bodies collided mid-air, limbs snapping as the force compressed them into grotesque, churning masses.

Let's give them hell behemoth!

Before the creatures could adapt, Cassian was already on the move. He dashed forward, «Sindivinity» pulsing with hunger in his grip. Just behind him, the Behemoth answered with a ground-shaking roar, pounding forward. Its tentacles lashed out, cleaving anything that dared stand before it.

«Sindivinity» pulsing wildly in his grip.

Every heartbeat, every breath, synchronized into one rhythm: Advance. Kill. Advance again.

The two slammed headfirst into the Kalrach horde.

The first creature lunged. Cassian ducked low beneath its snapping jaws, twisting his body fluidly, and slashed upward. «Sindivinity» hummed with satisfaction as the blade severed the monster's jaw clean through, carving into its skull with a wet crunch.

[DING! YOU HAVE KILLED A KALRACH (FEEDER)]

«Soulsteal triggered — 1 HP and 0.6 Essence plundered»

System mute kill notification for the common variants, only show for elites and the Boss.

[DING! AFFIRMATIVE]

«Your Mana Shield has taken 3 points of direct physical damage — current saturation: 97/100»

Another Kalrach came from his right. Cassian twisted sharply, slid beneath its clumsy leap, and drove «Sindivinity» straight up into its gut. The blade pierced through layers of flesh, bone, and carapace with brutal ease. He wrenched it free in a brutal circular motion, ripping the monster's insides outward in a steaming torrent of darkened blood.

«Soulsteal triggered — 1.2 HP and 0.3 Essence plundered»

«Your Mana Shield has taken 1 point of direct physical damage — current saturation: 96/100»

More feeders rushed him from all directions. Cassian let them come.

Using his amped-up stats and the experience bleeding into him from the [A Knight's Squire] card, he weaved through the chaos. He abandoned defense altogether, trusting his mana shield to soak the blows. Every step, every twist of his wrist, brought another death.

«Your Mana Shield has taken 2 points of direct physical damage — current saturation: 92/100»

«Your Mana Shield has taken 2 points of direct physical damage — current saturation: 92/100»

«Your Mana Shield has taken 1 point of direct physical damage — current saturation: 91/100»

Duck. Kill. Dodge. Kill. Strike. Kill again.

«Your Mana Shield has taken 1 point of direct physical damage — current saturation: 90/100»

Cassian moved like a ghost through the horde, guns flashing and his blade dripping with blood. Dozens fell to his relentless assault, their screams lost in the thunder of combat.

Behind him, the Behemoth tore through the swarm like a living siege engine. It smashed Kalrachs aside with its massive limbs, sending bodies flying like broken dolls. A feeder leaped onto its back—only for a tentacle to whip around, seize the creature midair, and rip it clean in half with a sickening snap.

Another cluster tried to swarm it from the side. The Behemoth charged forward with a deafening roar, its shoulder crashing into the mass, reducing half a dozen monsters into a wet spray of shattered chitin and gore.

There are too many of them…

Cassian gritted his teeth, gut-twisting with realization.

That bitch is stalling.

Behemoth! Change of plans. We rush to the BOSS, I'll open the path!

Cassian's boots slammed against the pulsing floor as he thrust his hand downward, drawing deep from his reserves.

"[Fire Wave]!"

[DING! RUN CARD «FIREWAVE (DESTRUCTION SORCERY)» USED, CONSUMED 4 POINT OF ESSENCE | CHARGES → 7/10]

[DING! TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #1: 14/96 | TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #2: 40/96] | CORE ESSENCE WELL: 68/68]

« You have fed 3 Essence points into the Mana Shield. Current saturation: LVL 10 Shield (100/100 DMG absorption). »

[DING! TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #1: 14/96 | TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #2: 37/96] | CORE ESSENCE WELL: 68/68]

Molten essence ignited beneath his feet, detonating in a massive, searing wave. A twin ring of flames exploded outward, devouring everything in its path. Dozens of Kalrachs shrieked as they ignited, their bodies twisting and blackening into smoldering ash.

The walls of the Nest blistered under the heat, alien tendrils crackling and burning as fire crawled up like hungry tongues, spreading fast.

Through the inferno, Cassian spun midair, bringing «Sindivinity» around in a vicious arc across the face of another Kalrach. The creature stumbled, blinded, and shrieked in agony.

The Behemoth didn't miss a beat.

It barreled forward and stomped down hard, its massive foot crushing the creature into a broken smear of twitching limbs and shattered bone.

«Soulsteal triggered — 1.5 HP and 0.6 Essence plundered»

The feedback from each kill was minor, barely a trickle—but the sheer number of enemies made it worth it. Every drop mattered. Every stolen breath fueled his survival.

Cassian didn't stop. Couldn't afford to. Not until the fragments were shattered. Not until the Mother was dead.

But just as Cassian surged forward again, a searing pain detonated inside his mind. It was like an invisible spike being driven through the center of his skull. His breath ripped out of his lungs in a ragged gasp as his vision blurred. His knees buckled.

The Mother's rage had found him.

{You will not take my children... You will not steal my chance at divinity!}

Her voice wasn't a voice at all—it felt like a thousand stinging ants burrowing through the marrow of his thoughts, twisting and shredding them. His mind was invaded with alien memories: visions of Kalrach's birth, blood rites, parasitic spawn writhing in the flesh. Screaming filled his head—and none of it was his own.

Arhghhhhh

[DING! YOU HAVE BEEN HIT BY A [GREATER MENTAL TYPE ATTACK]]

« You have [Unwavering Mind] buff. The mental attack was successful »

[DING! YOU HAVE BEEN HIT BY A [GREATER MENTAL TYPE ATTACK]]

« You have [Unwavering Mind] buff. The mental attack was successful »

« [Unwavering Mind] buff has resisted the attack to a greater degree — effects minimized »

{This will be your grave… Filthy human, you'll become the foundation for my revenge!}

Cassian gritted his teeth so hard he tasted blood. His body staggered under the onslaught, vision swimming, the world around him tilting wildly.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

He stumbled—and would have fallen if not for the massive shadow that lunged into place between him and a lunging Kalrach.

The Behemoth.

With a furious roar, the summon swung a monstrous claw through the creature, tearing it apart midair and flinging the broken body over the edge of the fleshy chasm.

The Behemoth stood protectively over him, roaring in defiance against the writhing nightmare.

Cassian gasped for breath, sweat pouring down his face. His head felt like it was packed with burning tar. The [Unwavering Mind] blessing had dulled the attacks, and slowed their reach—but not stopped them entirely.

He bit down hard on his tongue, anchoring himself to the pain, forcing his focus back.

"I'm fine… I'm—"

The words choked off in his throat.

Tentacles burst from the floor, tearing upward through the veined flesh. One smashed down, missing him by inches. Another erupted from the wall to his left.

Instinct overrode pain.

Cassian sprang back, using the Behemoth's massive arm like a springboard. He flipped midair, twisting his body. As he descended, he drove «Sindivinity» down into the base of the nearest tentacle.

The blade sank in with a wet, bone-crunching squelch.

A surge of raw vitality flooded into him—stolen from the mother of Kalrach's soul.

« Soulsteal triggered — 22 HP and 6 Essence plundered »

The tentacle spasmed violently, shuddered once, and collapsed into a twitching, deflated fleshly heap.

Cassian hit the ground in a tight roll, barely regaining his stance before another feeder barreled into him, catching him off guard.

«Your Mana Shield has taken 3 points of direct physical damage — current saturation: 97/100»

Gritting his teeth, he pushed his essence into another card.

"[Heart Swords!]"

[DING! DECK CARD «HEART SWORDS (KNOWLEDGE SPELL)» USED, CONSUMED 10 POINTS OF ESSENCE | MANIFESTED 5 SWORDS AT (2%) OF MAX STRENGTH EACH]

[DING! TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #1: 20/96 | TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #2: 50/96 | CORE ESSENCE WELL: 68/68]

Five ethereal swords shimmered into existence around him, their broken mirror surfaces reflecting the grotesque faces of the kalrachs swarming him.

Without missing a beat, Cassian snapped his head up, calling the two of the heart swords mentally into direct arcs; one pierced the kalrach head that was on him and the other sword bisected the feeder mid-lunge, its blood painting the wall behind him.

Cassian exhaled hard, blood streaking down his cheek. His hand tightened around the hilt of «Sindivinity», the dagger humming like a heartbeat in his grip.

Cracking his neck with a sharp jerk, he surveyed the battlefield.

The first and second meteor shards pulsed with sickly light, rooted into the Nest's flesh near the Mother of Kalrach's massive right flank. Guarding them was a creature the size of his Behemoth—a Kalrach monstrosity fused with bone blades extending from its arms, serrated and dripping acid.

Above the Mother's hunched left shoulder floated the final meteor shard, thrumming violently with unstable energy. And before it hovered a corrupted Kalrach Priest, murmuring in two dozen voices at once, each whispering curses into the air.

Ohh C'mon mfs, Behemoth, take care of the bladed one!

The Behemoth roared and charged.

Cassian took a step forward—but the world slammed into him like a crashing wave.

Psychic pressure crushed down on him, a wall of agony and visions ripping through his defenses.

Visions he didn't want to see.

Not again! God damnit!

Old blood staining crumbling streets. Lost comrades crying out in their final moments. Dorian's broken face, was lifeless. Mara's cry of pain echoed through the darkness.

A thousand failures, a thousand deaths—and all of them laid at his feet.

« [Unwavering Mind] buff has resisted the attack to a greater degree — effects minimized »

[DING! YOU HAVE BEEN HIT BY A [GREATER MENTAL TYPE ATTACK]]

« You have [Unwavering Mind] buff. The mental attack was still successful »

Cassian's teeth ground together. He staggered forward, fighting through the mire of hallucinations, even as his vision wavered and bile rose in his throat.

No.

A growl rumbled from deep within his chest as he pushed back. Essence flared through him like wildfire, meeting the psychic storm head-on. And then, deep in his soul, his truth unfurled absolute.

Like a burning banner lifted against the void.

[DING! TRUTH: "I'LL BURN THE WORLD IF IT MEANS THAT YOU WILL BURN WITH IT" IS RESONATING]

[DING! "Bound by Ash," "Scorched Oath," and "Immolation Pact" UPGRADED. STATS ENHANCED]

The hallucinations shattered like glass. The static dissolved into a cold, crystalline calm.

Cassian's breathing steadied immediately, every inch of his being sharpened into a lethal edge. The fear, the doubt, the grief—they were there, yes, but they were drowned beneath the roaring tide of his fury and focus.

He raised his eyes, locking onto the Priest who had tried to crush his mind. His blood-slicked lips twisted into a slow, savage smile.

Your turn, you whispering sack of shit.

Cassian's essence roared within him, a tide of molten fury clawing at the edges of his control. Without hesitation, he thrust his arm forward, locking onto the floating Corrupted Priest.

"[Smite!]"

[DING! RUN CARD «SMITE (CREATION INCANTATION)» USED, CONSUMED 5 POINTS OF ESSENCE]

[DING! TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #1: 15/96 | TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #2: 50/96 | CORE ESSENCE WELL: 68/68]

A golden bolt lanced from the heavens, tearing through the thick, noxious air. It slammed into the Corrupted Priest with a force that split the world in two.

The creature screeched—truly screeched—its translucent body convulsing violently before disintegrating into motes of blackened energy, evaporating into the Nest's corrupted air.

[DING! YOU HAVE KILLED AN ELITE KALRACH (CORRUPTED PRIEST)]

Cassian didn't waste the precious gap he'd created.

He dropped to one knee, planting his feet firmly into the quivering flesh of the chamber floor. His finger pointed forward, the energy already coiling around his arm as he tapped into his inner reserves.

"[Piercing Light!]"

[DING! DECK CARD «PIERCING LIGHT (KNOWLEDGE SPELL)» USED, CONSUMED 10 POINTS OF ESSENCE]

[DING! TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #1: 15/96 | TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #2: 40/96 | CORE ESSENCE WELL: 68/68]

The world seemed to pause for a single heartbeat.

Then, with a crack of rupturing reality, a blinding lance of pure white light shot from his fingertips. The beam tore across the battlefield, burning a hole through the dense, choking air.

It struck the nearest meteor fragment dead center.

There was a pregnant moment of silence—before the fragment exploded outward in a violent pulse of radiant energy, scattering shards like broken stars across the battlefield.

[DING! ONE METEOR FRAGMENT DESTROYED. TWO FRAGMENTS REMAINING.]

A tremor raced through the Nest.

{Noooooo!… Children kill him!!! now….}

The Mother twitched violently, her half-fused form spasming in a grotesque contortion of rage. One of her many mouths opened in a silent scream, the stitched faces across her body stretching and splitting at the seams.

Across the vast chamber, the consequences of her agony began to unfold—eggs ruptured and split open in rapid succession. Kalrachs poured forth, abominations stitched together from countless broken bodies. Some had three heads and six limbs; others dragged bloated, twitching tumors behind them like rotting anchors.

"God damn it. The more we hurt her, the more monsters she spawns... I need a fucking nuke to end this once and for all." Cassian rose from his crouch, breathing hard, the mana shield around him shimmering weakly under the strain. His eyes burned—not from exhaustion, but from pure focus.

The sting of constant mental attacks prickled at the edges of his mind—needles against his consciousness. Bearable, for now. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his glove, his gaze snapping toward the two remaining meteor fragments.

Already, he could see the Behemoth locked in brutal combat with the Bladed Kalrach.

The ground trembled beneath their battle. Every strike cracked the veined floor, sending shockwaves through the living nest. Crimson aura flared around the Behemoth, colliding violently with the monstrous opponent's sickly bone-white energy.

Fuuu~

I need to help Behemoth... can't have him dying now.

Cassian's body moved before thought. Pouring essence into his legs, he became a blur—dodging, weaving between lunging monstrosities, ignoring snapping jaws and clawed limbs. Nothing mattered except the second meteor fragment, still pulsing violently, still anchored by thick, writhing cords to Mother of Kalrach's twisted flesh.

His summon and the bladed elite clashed with terrifying force, bone scythes flashing in brutal arcs. Despite its size, the Bladed Kalrach moved with inhuman speed, spinning and slicing through the air with devastating precision.

The Behemoth countered with pure brute strength, fists reinforced with bone slamming forward in savage, uncompromising blows. Every time the Bladed Kalrach's scythe carved the air, a retaliatory smash or a lash of black tentacle followed, forcing the monster back, inch by inch.

Cassian twisted his wrist mid-sprint, reaching deep into his core. The [Gravity Well] card flared to life—but he didn't cast it normally this time.

"[Gravity Well!]"

[DING! RUN CARD «GRAVITY WELL (KNOWLEDGE SPELL)» MODIFIED, CONSUMED 10 POINTS OF ESSENCE | CHARGES: 4/10]

[DING! TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #1: 15/96 | TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #2: 35/96 | CORE ESSENCE WELL: 68/68]

[DING! YOU MODIFIED THE SET PARAMETERS OF A RUN CARD, ATTEMPT SUCCESSFUL BUT YOUR CURRENT SKILLS CAN NOT HANDLE THE CONSEQUENCES]

«You have slightly strained yourself. HP -50»

«HP → 1004/1174»

A compact, violently dense sphere of warped gravity crackled into existence—precisely at the Bladed Kalrach's ankle joint.

It wasn't enough to kill the elite. But it was enough to crush and destroy that limb.

The monster shrieked, stumbling awkwardly as its footing faltered—and in that instant, the Behemoth roared, slamming its full weight forward. Both arms drove into the Bladed Kalrach's midsection with a bone-shattering CRACK, sending the monstrosity sprawling against the flesh-riddled wall.

Now!

Seeing a clear line of sight to the meteor fragment, Cassian locked onto it. "[Piercing Light!]"

[DING! DECK CARD «PIERCING LIGHT (KNOWLEDGE SPELL)» USED, CONSUMED 10 POINTS OF ESSENCE]

[DING! TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #1: 15/96 | TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #2: 40/96 | CORE ESSENCE WELL: 68/68]

Another lance of blinding, condensed energy erupted from his outstretched hand. The beam tore through the air and struck the second meteor fragment dead center.

There was a heartbeat of resistance—then a deafening CRACK.

The fragment shattered, detonating outward in a starburst of shrapnel and light, sending nearby Kalrachs shrieking into convulsions.

[DING! SECOND METEOR FRAGMENT DESTROYED. ONE FRAGMENT REMAINS]

The chamber reeled as another violent tremor tore through the Nest.

{Noooo! Stop Him!! My childern killl himm!}

The Mother of Kalrachs twisted in her fleshy throne, the fury rolling off her in waves. She shrieked again, and a fresh eruption of eggs exploded across the chamber walls—birthing more horrors, twitching and keening as they slithered free of their corrupted wombs.

Cassian skidded to a halt, his heart hammering against his ribs.

Only one left... then the final core.

Above him, the last meteor fragment pulsed ominously, embedded near the Mother's left shoulder, veined tendrils anchoring it to her monstrous mass.

And no one to guard it now… seems like whatever failsafe Dr. Elira has used not only halted the monster's ascension but also damaged her.

Cassian could hear it, feel it, in the way her mind lashed out incoherently now, a far cry from the cold precision she once displayed when she possessed that Kalrach elite.

Lost herself in rage... Good for me.

But getting up there… that would be hell.

Cassian tapped into his essence into the [Heart Sword] card, willing it into existence—not five small swords this time, but one massive blade of pure light. Twenty feet long, dense, vibrating with unstable, crackling energy.

Three more smaller heart swords floated around him, primed and ready.

[DING! DECK CARD «HEART SWORDS (KNOWLEDGE SPELL)» USED, CONSUMED 10 POINTS OF ESSENCE | MANIFESTED 1 SWORD AT (10%) OF MAX STRENGTH]

[DING! TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #1: 5/96 | TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #2: 35/96 | CORE ESSENCE WELL: 68/68]

Well, now, I have my own flying sword.

The massive sword shimmered in the fetid air. Cassian inhaled, then leaped onto the platform of light, rocketing upwards.

Above, the Mother of Kalrach howled—a raw, ear-shattering sound that vibrated through his bones. Blood trickled from his ears, but Cassian gritted his teeth and focused, vision narrowing to a tunnel of pure will.

The Heart Sword vibrated beneath him, pulsing with desperate energy.

Now.

Cassian jumped midway using his smaller swords as a platform. He was above the main body of the boss monster, the Mother of kalrach.

Time slowed down and he could feel her gaze, but it ignored him and focused on the heart sword traveling towards the last fragment.

Massive fleshy tentacles erupted from her sides, amalgamated Kalrach beasts fused together, all bounding upward to intercept the Heart Sword.

Behemoth, be ready.

Cassian exhaled sharply and extended his trembling hand upward. He drained all of his essence well, pouring everything he had into one final move. His body quaked under the strain.

"[Heart Sword]," he whispered.

[DING! DECK CARD «HEART SWORDS (KNOWLEDGE SPELL)» USED, CONSUMED 100 POINT OF ESSENCE | MANIFESTED 1 SWORD AT (100%) OF MAX STRENGTH]

[DING! TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #1: 10/96 | TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #2: 1/96] | CORE ESSENCE WELL: 0/68]

The feedback almost made him vomit. His vision doubled, blood leaking from his nose—but he held on, feeling the reality around him shudder.

Above, piercing through the endless darkness, a titanic sword of pure light shimmered into existence—so large it nearly scraped the Nest's unseen ceiling. It stayed there waiting.

Grinning through bloodied teeth, Cassian fell down on the Mother of Kalrach's writhing flesh, gripping Sindivinity tight in his palm. With a savage roar, he drove the dagger into her hide just as the first Heart Sword pierced through the fragment.

[DING! FINAL METEOR FRAGMENT DESTROYED]

[DING! ALL HOPES FOR THE MOTHER OF KALRACH ASCENSION HAVE BEEN DESTROYED]

[DING! THE MOTHER OF KALRACH HAS LOST CONNECTION WITH THE METEOR FRAGMENTS. THE MONSTER IS SIGNIFICANTLY WEAKENED]

The ground convulsed violently. The ceiling trembled, veins recoiling like severed nerves.

{Nooooooo!!}

The Mother of Kalrach screamed—a sound so raw, so filled with rage and despair, that flesh peeled from the walls and Kalrach spawn collapsed, writhing.

Cassian, still clinging to her body, stabbed again and again with Sindivinity, feeling the artifact pulse as it drained HP and essence with every plunge.

«Soulsteal triggered. 33 HP and 11 Essence plundered»

«Soulsteal triggered. 3 HP and 2 Essence plundered»

«Soulsteal triggered. 7 HP and 3 Essence plundered»

.

.

.

His arms shook. His vision blurred. His body begged him to stop.

But he was grinning like a madman.

"Not sure if you meant my grave or yours!" Cassian snarled.

{You Filth!!!!! You will die}

The Mother convulsed one last time—and then a titanic blast of force threw him like a ragdoll. He slammed into the ground, rolling hard, dust and gore spraying around him.

For a moment, he lay there, staring up at the pulsing ceiling.

Pain lanced through his ribs. His muscles screamed. Every breath rattled like broken glass.

But he was still alive and all the preparation was done.

And when he staggered upright, the battlefield groaned beneath his boots. Around him, the horror was visible: Kalrach bodies twitching and burning, half-formed monsters crawling toward death.

And in the center of it all, the Mother of Kalrach slumped low, broken, yet still horribly alive.

But now—her core was exposed.

It throbbed beneath folds of ruined flesh and twitching nerves, a grotesque, crystalline organ fused into her mutated body. A cancer. A parasitic godheart.

He staggered forward, blood dripping from his palms, and slapped a hand onto the Behemoth's flank. His faithful summon turned, yellow-slitted eyes flashing in recognition.

"Cover me, buddy," Cassian rasped, wiping blood from his mouth. "Hold nothing back. We're almost done."

The Behemoth answered with a roar—a soul-deep bellow that made even the surrounding amalgamations freeze for a breath.

Cassian dipped into his essence well, dragging up every scrap of strength he had left. He felt the lingering connection with the Heart Sword still suspended somewhere above the nest ceiling. His fingers trembled as he summoned it down. A distant crack echoed overhead. Then another.

The ceiling above fractured, veins snapping like taut wires as reality itself seemed to split. With one final, booming rupture, a massive sword of light—easily fifty feet long—pierced through, crashing down from heaven like a judgment.

The strain was enormous. Blood poured freely from Cassian's nose. His vision swam. But he held on, willing the sword to hover, poised like a vengeful star above the Mother's broken body.

Gritting his teeth, he slammed essence into another card.

"[Gravity Well!]" he barked.

[DING! RUN CARD «GRAVITY WELL (KNOWLEDGE SPELL)» USED, CONSUMED 2 POINTS OF ESSENCE | CHARGES: 3/10]

[DING! TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #1: 22/96 | TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #2: 10/96 | CORE ESSENCE WELL: 3/68]

Space shrieked as a dense gravitational sphere formed directly above the Heart Sword.

The blade quivered—then plummeted downward, pulled with monstrous, unnatural force.

Cassian wasn't finished.

He clenched his fists until blood seeped from under his nails, gathered the last threads of his will, and extended two fingers toward the exposed core.

"[Piercing Light!]"

[DING! DECK CARD «PIERCING LIGHT (KNOWLEDGE SPELL)» USED, CONSUMED 10 POINTS OF ESSENCE]

[DING! TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #1: 22/96 | TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #2: 0/96 | CORE ESSENCE WELL: 3/68]

A spear of searing light lanced forward, cutting a blinding line toward the target.

One fucking more…

"[Smite!]"

[DING! RUN CARD «SMITE (CREATION INCANTATION)» USED, CONSUMED 5 POINTS OF ESSENCE]

[DING! TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #1: 17/96 | TEMPORARY ESSENCE RESERVOIR #2: 0/96 | CORE ESSENCE WELL: 3/68]

A second pulse of divine, golden lightning crackled into existence, summoned from the writhing clouds overhead.

It howled downward, trailing wrath and judgment.

All three attacks—

The Heart Sword.

The Piercing Light.

The Divine Smite.

—collided into a single point.

The Heart Sword smashed into the Mother's exposed chest, cleaving deep into the rotten core of her being.

The [Piercing Light] punched through the newly torn wound, widening it with surgical precision.

And then the [Smite] detonated against her body like the wrath of a vengeful god, electrifying flesh, bone, and the corrupt crystal simultaneously.

For a heartbeat—The world froze.

The Mother spasmed violently. Her many faces twisted into expressions of pain, horror, and rage. Her shrieks hit a deafening crescendo—one so powerful it cracked walls, peeled flesh from the Nest's interior, and sent amalgamations into spasmodic fits.

BOOM

A shockwave of corrupted essence erupted outward, flattening everything in its path. Cassian was launched backward like a broken doll, tumbling, rolling, and skidding across the meat-slicked ground.

He landed hard, coughing blood, but alive.

Barely.

Cassian staggered to his knees, his body screaming in protest. His stomach convulsed, and he vomited blood onto the scorched floor.

Beside him, the Behemoth limped forward, bleeding heavily, one limb mangled and severed—but still standing.

Cassian wiped blood from his mouth, blinking rapidly to clear his vision—only to freeze when a pained voice pierced his mind.

{You... filthy human... you destroyed everything... I'll kill you.}

His gaze snapped upward.

The Mother of Kalrachs had changed.

No longer a towering mass of flesh and bone, she now stood in a grotesque, smaller humanlike form—a twisted imitation, her body horrifyingly distorted, veins pulsing black under translucent skin, dozens of mouths whispering curses across her form.

And she was charging straight at him.

Cassian instinctively reached for his weapon—but before he could act, shrill alarms screamed through his half-broken comm device.

Not from the system. From his stopwatch.

The detonation timer.

Ohh fuck…

Cassian's battered face cracked into a bloodied, feral grin. He raised a trembling middle finger toward the charging abomination.

"Burn in hell, you ugly bitch," he rasped.

The next instant, the world ended. The facility detonated with the full fury of a nuclear bomb.

A blinding flash.

A soundless scream.

A wave of death.

Cassian barely managed to erect a weakened mana shield before the blast consumed him. The explosion ripped through the Nest, vaporizing everything in its path.

His vision darkened.

He caught one final glimpse of the Behemoth moving between him and the blast—and then there was nothing.

Only darkness.

[DING! CONGRATULATIONS HIDDEN SCENARIO COMPLETED]

...

END OF ACT I

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