The prison broke into chaos.
Not collapse.
War.
The moment the corrupted anchors moved, the entire realm reacted.
Silver lightning exploded across the fractured sky.
The abyss below surged upward.
The core trembled beneath Dominic and Leila.
And for the first time since entering this world—
There was no room left for negotiation.
The former anchors descended from the sky like falling stars.
Each carried fragments of the prison within them.
Each radiated power that felt disturbingly familiar.
Because they had once stood exactly where Dominic and Leila stood now.
At the center of the balance.
At the heart of the seal.
Marcus looked upward nervously.
"…Can I just point out that every single one of them looks extremely confident?"
The old man's expression darkened.
"They should."
A pause.
"They survived becoming anchors."
The first corrupted anchor landed.
The realm shook.
A crater spread beneath his feet as silver energy rolled outward in violent waves.
His appearance seemed normal.
Human.
Too human.
Short dark hair.
Simple black clothing.
Calm eyes.
That was somehow the most terrifying part.
His gaze settled on Dominic.
"You're new."
Dominic stared back.
"You're dead."
The former anchor smiled faintly.
"Not yet."
The second anchor landed beside him.
Then the third.
Then the fourth.
Each arrival sent another shockwave through the prison.
Each weakened the balance further.
Above them, the stranger watched quietly.
Like a teacher observing students.
Like someone completely certain of the outcome.
Leila stepped beside Dominic.
Silver light flowed around her.
The synchronization reacted immediately.
The prison strengthened around them.
The corrupted anchors noticed.
And their expressions changed.
Not fear.
Recognition.
One of them laughed softly.
"Two anchors."
Another shook her head.
"We never thought the prison would become desperate enough for that."
The abyss roared below.
The second shape beneath the darkness emerged further.
Massive.
Endless.
A mountain-sized silhouette slowly pulling itself upward toward freedom.
Marcus looked down.
Then up.
Then down again.
"…I genuinely don't know which direction is worse anymore."
The Sovereign stepped forward.
Power erupted around him.
The fractured realm brightened instantly.
For a moment, even the corrupted anchors became cautious.
"You will not pass."
The Sovereign's voice echoed through the prison itself.
The stranger above smiled.
"Still pretending you're the jailer."
A pause.
"You're just another prisoner."
The corrupted anchors attacked.
No warning.
No countdown.
No dramatic speech.
They vanished.
Dominic's instincts exploded.
The synchronization screamed through him.
"LEFT!"
Leila moved instantly.
A blade of silver energy erupted beside her.
BOOM!
The collision shattered the ground.
One of the corrupted anchors appeared from nowhere, his strike intercepted at the last possible moment.
The shockwave tore through the realm.
Marcus was thrown backward immediately.
"WHY ARE THEY SO FAST?!"
The battle erupted.
Silver light and shadows exploded outward.
Leila pushed forward.
Dominic moved with her automatically.
The synchronization linked their actions perfectly.
No hesitation.
No confusion.
One movement.
One response.
The attacking anchor frowned.
Then smiled.
"Interesting."
Dominic's fist collided with the former anchor's chest.
The impact detonated the air itself.
The anchor flew backward through multiple floating ruins before recovering.
And then—
He laughed.
Not because he was winning.
Because he enjoyed it.
"Now I understand why the prison chose you."
Below them, the abyss surged upward again.
The massive claw finally tore free from part of the seal.
Reality cracked.
The prison screamed.
The Sovereign reacted instantly.
Silver chains erupted from the realm itself, wrapping around the claw.
The abyss fought back.
The collision between prison and monster shook existence.
Meanwhile, the remaining corrupted anchors advanced.
Slowly.
Confidently.
Like predators.
Leila felt it immediately.
They weren't rushing.
They weren't desperate.
They believed they couldn't lose.
One of them looked directly at her.
"You still think you're protecting worlds."
His expression softened strangely.
Almost pitying.
"We thought the same."
Leila's eyes narrowed.
"You abandoned them."
The former anchor laughed quietly.
"No."
A pause.
"We learned the truth."
Silver energy exploded around him.
The prison itself bent under his command.
Leila's expression changed.
Because she felt it.
He wasn't stealing power.
The prison still recognized him.
The synchronization trembled.
The old man's face paled.
"…That's impossible."
The Sovereign looked grim.
"No."
His gaze fixed on the former anchors.
"They never truly left."
The realization struck everyone simultaneously.
The prison remembered every anchor that had ever served it.
Every sacrifice.
Every connection.
Every piece left behind.
And now—
Those fragments were being used against it.
The stranger above the realm spread his arms slightly.
The fractures widened.
Far beyond them—
Something moved.
Not inside the prison.
Outside it.
A colossal shape drifted through the darkness between worlds.
Then another.
Then dozens.
Marcus stared upward.
His voice came out as a whisper.
"…There are more."
The old man looked horrified.
Because now he understood.
The creatures beneath the prison weren't the only threat.
There were things outside reality too.
Waiting.
Watching.
Gathering.
The stranger's voice echoed across the battlefield.
"The prison was never protecting existence."
A pause.
His eyes settled on Dominic.
"It was protecting existence from learning how small it truly is."
The realm shook violently.
The abyss roared.
The corrupted anchors advanced.
The fractures widened.
And standing in the center of it all—
Dominic suddenly felt something awaken inside the synchronization.
Something ancient.
Something hidden even from the Sovereign.
A final layer of the prison.
Locked.
Waiting.
And now—
Beginning to open.