The sky shifted at exactly midnight.
Not violently.
Not dramatically.
But decisively.
The three markers brightened simultaneously.
West.
East.
Center.
Then the system voice echoed across the entire district.
The city fell silent.
No panic.
No chaos.
Only realization.
Chen Wei looked at Zhao Ren.
"This is forced."
"Yes."
One minute.
No running.
No hiding.
No defensive positioning.
Zhao Ren's Threat Detection expanded sharply.
The third marker signature intensified.
Han Qian's signature sharpened as well.
All three being pulled toward the same focal point.
He opened his panel briefly.
Grave Sovereign – 54 / 100Stat Compression – ReadyResidual Extraction – Active
Everything stable.
Everything prepared.
The sky above the bridge fractured softly.
Not like the earlier Core Node.
Larger.
Wider.
A circular distortion forming above the river's center.
Thirty seconds.
Chen Wei spoke calmly.
"No interference possible?"
"No."
This was individual selection.
Faction strength would not matter here.
Ten seconds.
Zhao Ren stood still.
No wasted motion.
No display.
Just alignment.
The world flashed white.
When vision returned
He was no longer on the bridge.
The river was gone.
The city skyline distant.
He stood on a circular stone platform suspended in open air.
No walls.
No barricades.
Just vast sky in every direction.
Two other platforms hovered across from his.
On one
Han Qian.
Calm.
Observing.
On the other
The third marker survivor.
Tall.
Composed.
Level reading fluctuating.
Between 4 and 5.
System identified him automatically.
Not elimination.
Control.
Strategic endurance.
The platforms began drifting slowly toward one another.
Distance closing.
Han Qian looked at Zhao Ren first.
Then at Arin Vale.
No hostility.
Only evaluation.
Arin Vale smiled faintly.
"So this is how the region decides hierarchy."
Zhao Ren remained silent.
Words wasted focus.
The platforms connected at the edges.
Now forming a triangular field.
Twenty minutes.
Three apex survivors.
No external interference.
No faction support.
Only timing.
The countdown began.
19:59.
Han Qian shifted slightly.
Arin adjusted stance.
Zhao Ren's Threat Detection flared.
Not aggression yet.
Anticipation.
This was not a chaotic battle.
It was controlled measurement.
Who moved first.
Who conserved energy.
Who misjudged range.
The platforms stabilized.
Wind moved lightly across the open sky.
And for the first time since the Trial began
The top three stood face to face.