The Rift's silver glare exploded outward, swallowing the entire dome in pulsing waves of white. Metal groaned. Gravity flipped twice. Every alarm died at once, like the station itself forgot how to function.
CDC soldiers retrieved from rift giving all the commands in hands of Alkhaz. (he knew normal or even modrate level genesis wielder won't survive these kind of incidents)
Tojo wiped blood from his lip, eyes locked on the creature floating above the fractured floor.
Ozaru whispered, "Bro… this thing's not fighting. It's testing us."
Nina tightened her grip on her dual-crimson flares. "Then let's show it the wrong lab rats."
The creature tilted its head again, that same stretched, hollow smile on its face.
"—SEEDS OF ABSOLUTE POWER… AWAKENED FAR TOO EARLY—"
Alkhaz didn't wait.
One instant he was beside them.
Next instant—
He was on the creature, fist blazing with golden shockwaves.
The hit detonated the air.
The creature slammed into a collapsed pillar, void cracks spreading across its body like lightning veins.
But instead of breaking—
It dissolved into threads of silver and reformed behind Alkhaz.
Ozaru yelled, "Sensei—!!"
Too late.
A silver blade of null-energy sliced toward Alkhaz's back.
(Alkhaz isn't weak, but if he uses even 10% of his power, the Eclipsera-5 might vanish into vapors so he have to hold back)
Tojo's body moved before his brain.
"GENESIS GALACTA—CRIMSON SHRED!" though both just learnt these attacks in span of 3 days he really did pushed of his limits.
A burst of red tore through the air, intercepting the blow. The crackling crimson arc shattered the creature's strike, creating a shockwave that sent debris floating upward in the zero-G distortion.
The creature observed Tojo.
"—THE DESTRUCTION HOST… IMPURE YET PROMISING—"
Tojo spat, "Shut the hell up! , wierd lookin' glitch-face."
Ozaru stepped forward, his Creation patterns forming geometric designs around his arm. (in lock training nina tought him the importance of creation stone seems he took all the notes)
"You said Ken's 'in-between'. Tell us where."
The creature's face twisted.
"—HE IS WHERE ALL THE LOST ARE—"
"—INSIDE THE VOIDMAZE—"
Nina's eyes widened. "Voidmaze? That's null-space chaos. Even CDC Command avoids it."
Alkhaz finally spoke, voice colder than ever.
"That's not just null-space. That's where Nexarius stores his failed experiments."
The creature spread its arms.
"—THE SURVIVOR OF EQUILIBRIUM WILL NOT LAST LONG—"
That pierced Ozaru like a blade.
Ken.
Trapped.
Dying.
Alone.
Ozaru's fists trembled.
"Tojo. We need to go in."
Tojo nodded. "We're not leaving him."
Alkhaz snapped, "You're not stepping into that Rift. You'll die faster than Ken."
"No," Ozaru said, standing straighter. "We'll survive. Because he would come for us."
That shut everyone up for a moment.
Even Nina looked away, jaw tight.
Alkhaz watched the three of them—really watched them—and something in his expression shifted. A flicker of pride, buried deep under the weight of fear.
But the creature didn't give them time.
Its body cracked open—
Void pouring out like liquid shadow.
Tendrils of null-energy shot across the room.
"BRO MOVE!" Ozaru tackled Tojo aside as a beam sliced through the ground, turning metal into dust.
Nina backflipped, crimson circles bursting behind her.
"Okay, this thing wants us dead now."
"—THE REWRITE BEGINS—" the creature intoned.
Alkhaz stepped forward, aura roaring.
"Kids. Fall back."
"No chance," Tojo said, activating crimson sparks again.
Ozaru summoned a creation shield of fractal light.
Nina spiraled her dual-crimson rings.
Alkhaz muttered, "You're all idiots."
But he didn't push them away this time.
He let them stand by him.
The creature lunged.
Alkhaz blocked its first strike.
Tojo countered the second.
Nina cut through a tendril.
Ozaru created a barrier—
Which cracked instantly.
The creature roared, "—YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF THIS WAR—"
Tojo yelled, "Then make us worthy!"
A massive pulse of silver exploded outward.
Everyone was thrown back.
The dome shattered open—
Eclipsera's outer windows burst, revealing the star-speckled void outside.
Debris floated into the vacuum.
Even air began to leak.
Alkhaz cursed. "It's breaching the station! OZARU—!"
Ozaru already knew.
Creation patterns wrapped around the hole, sealing it temporarily.
Nina stabilized the pressure with crimson bursts.
Tojo stabilized Ozaru's formation.
The creature paused as if analyzing their teamwork.
"—THIS IS WHY THE KING FAVORED YOU, CHILD OF KAEL—"
It pointed at Ozaru.
Ozaru froze. "My grandpa… served Nexarius?"
"—SERVE IS A SOFT WORD—"
Alkhaz's voice sliced through the air.
"Don't listen to it. Nexarius twists truths."
But the creature continued:
"—ZARION KAEL WAS HIS RIGHT HAND—"
"—UNTIL HE BETRAYED THE CROWN AND HID THE CREATION LINE—"
Ozaru's breathing turned uneven.
Tojo gripped his shoulder.
"Bro. Focus. We save Ken first. Your grandpa later."
Ozaru nodded shakily.
The creature raised its arms.
The Rift behind it tore wider—
Silver wind ripping through the dome.
"—THE VOIDMAZE OPENS—"
Alkhaz flash-stepped in front of them.
"This is where it ends."
The creature tilted its head.
"—NO—" it said.
"—THIS IS WHERE IT BEGINS—"
And then—
For the first time—
It attacked seriously.
The dome turned into a blur.
Alkhaz and the creature collided so fast reality distorted around them.
Tojo could barely track it—just flashes:
Golden sparks
Silver cracks
Space bending
Null shredding
Air freezing
Gravity pulsing
Metal melting
Ozaru shouted, "Sensei's losing ground!"
Alkhaz was powerful—
But this thing wasn't alive in the normal sense.
It wasn't tiring.
It wasn't slowing.
It wasn't breaking.
Nina yelled, "We need to join him or he'll die!"
Tojo nodded.
"Then let's end this together."
Alkhaz shouted without turning, "DON'T—"
Too late.
All three launched forward.
Tojo went in first with a crimson burst punch.
Nina followed with a cross-slash of twin crimson arcs.
Ozaru's creation patterns shot binding chains of light.
The creature reacted instantly.
It warped—
Split into afterimages—
Appeared behind them—
"—WRONG MOVE—"
It extended a finger.
A beam shot toward Tojo's chest.
Ozaru screamed, "TOJO—!!"
The beam stopped.
Frozen mid-air.
Because Alkhaz grabbed it with his bare hand.
His golden aura exploded like a sun going supernova.
"Touch them again," Alkhaz whispered,
"and I erase you."
The creature's smile faded.
Then—
A sound tore through the dome.
Not a scream.
Not a roar.
A chime.
Like someone tapping glass from the other side of reality.
Everyone turned.
The Rift was glowing brighter—
Shaking—
Pulsing—
As if something inside was trying to claw its way out.
Tojo's breath hitched. "Ken…?"
Ozaru whispered, "Bro… someone's forcing the Rift from within."
The creature spun toward the Rift.
"—IMPOSSIBLE—"
Alkhaz lowered his hand slowly.
"Tojo. Ozaru. Nina."
They looked at him.
"Your friend isn't dead."
The Rift burst open—
A shockwave blasting through the dome—
Blue light firing out like lightning spears.
Tojo shielded his eyes.
Ozaru stumbled.
Nina gasped.
Because a silhouette stepped out of the void.
Floating.
Glowing.
Bleeding blue aura.
Ken.
But not the same Ken.
His eyes glowed cerulean.
His hair flowed with static.
His Equilibrium Stone pulsed like a living star inside his chest.
He wasn't falling.
He wasn't weak.
He was… changed.
Ken looked at them.
Then at the creature.
And his voice was layered.
Balanced.
Split between two tones.
"Step away from Them."
The creature stepped back—for the first time afraid.
Alkhaz whispered, "AZURE… awakened form…"
Tojo grinned like a man who just saw his dead SENSEI walk in.
"KEN, YOU ABSOLUTE MONSTER—!!"
Ken raised a hand.
Space folded behind him—
A clean, stable fold.
Not Riftfall.
Not nullspace.
Pure AZURE GENESIS PULSE.
Ken's aura surged.
"Let's finish this."
The creature screamed—
The Rift destabilized—
Nullspace collided with realspace—
And the station shook like the universe was snapping in half.
The war didn't begin in chapter 20.
Or 50.
Or 100.
It began now.
Chapter 9.
With Ken standing reborn.
With the Rift shattering open.
With Nexarius watching.
And with five young warriors—
Destruction.
Creation.
Crimson.
Equilibrium.
Azure.—
standing side by side for the first time.
Against the end of everything.