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The corrupted entity roared again.
The sound shook the entire central district of Velthorne as black-red energy spread through the streets like a plague.
Fragments across the city pulsed violently in response.
And one by one—
People began screaming.
A nearby fragment holder collapsed to their knees.
Dark mana burst from their body instantly.
"…It's spreading too fast!" Dianara shouted.
The corrupted creature standing before the central tower raised multiple distorted arms toward the sky.
The fragments embedded throughout its body glowed unnaturally.
Astra's expression hardened.
"…Its synchronization evolved beyond instability."
Lior looked pale.
"…You mean it's intelligent now?"
"…Yes."
That answer made the situation infinitely worse.
The Battle Begins
Church knights charged from multiple directions.
Magic circles lit across rooftops.
Archers fired enchanted bolts toward the entity.
None of it mattered.
The creature released a pulse of black-red energy—
And several attacks simply vanished before reaching it.
Erased.
Eleanor narrowed her eyes.
"…Distortion field."
The corrupted entity suddenly moved.
BOOM.
An entire street exploded as one of its massive arms slammed downward.
Several knights were launched through nearby buildings instantly.
"FORMATION!"
Eleanor shouted.
Golden barriers expanded throughout the district while Church forces regrouped desperately.
But even then—
The corrupted entity continued advancing.
Slow.
Massive.
Unstoppable.
Resonance Response
Izumi stepped forward instinctively.
The resonance between the seven activated immediately.
Mira appeared beside him.
"…You got a plan?"
"…Not yet."
"…Fantastic."
Seraphina unsheathed her blade fully.
Silver mana spread across the street around her feet.
Ravian glanced toward Astra.
"…Weakness?"
Astra watched the creature carefully.
"…Its core fragment."
Dianara immediately understood.
"…Destroy the central synchronization point…"
"…And the corruption collapses."
Lior looked at the monster again nervously.
"…That sounds easier than it looks."
It absolutely wasn't.
The Corrupted Speak
Suddenly—
The creature stopped moving.
All its glowing eyes turned toward Izumi simultaneously.
Then—
It spoke.
Not clearly.
Broken.
Distorted.
"…Primary…"
Everyone froze.
The creature's voice sounded layered.
Like multiple people speaking at once.
"…Help…"
"…Hurts…"
"…Hungry…"
Mira's smirk disappeared completely.
"…Yeah. I officially hate this."
The resonance inside Izumi pulsed painfully.
Because beneath the corruption—
There were still traces of the original person inside.
Suffering.
The entity suddenly screamed violently.
Dark tendrils exploded outward across the district.
"MOVE!" Ravian shouted.
The group scattered instantly.
Several tendrils pierced directly through buildings while smaller corrupted creatures emerged from the spreading black-red mana.
The city was becoming infected.
Synchronization Combat Evolution
A corrupted beast lunged toward Lior—
But before it reached him—
Mira's dagger pierced through its skull instantly.
At the exact same moment—
Seraphina intercepted another creature behind Mira without needing communication.
Dianara's barriers appeared precisely where Ravian moved.
Izumi sensed incoming attacks before they happened.
The synchronization was evolving again.
Rapidly.
Even Eleanor noticed now.
"…Their coordination…"
Astra's gaze darkened slightly.
"…The resonance is accelerating under combat pressure."
That should have been impossible.
Yet it was happening.
The fragments above the battlefield glowed brighter.
Responding to the battle itself.
The Core Appears
The corrupted entity roared again.
This time—
Its chest split open slightly.
And inside—
A massive distorted fragment became visible.
Cracked.
Broken.
Overflowing with unstable resonance energy.
Dianara immediately pointed toward it.
"…There!"
But before anyone could move—
The creature suddenly released another pulse.
BOOM.
The entire district shook violently.
Nearby fragment holders screamed across the city as corruption spread further.
Astra's expression changed instantly.
Concern.
"…No…"
Izumi looked toward her sharply.
"…What?"
Astra stared at the glowing fragment core.
"…It's trying to evolve again."
Silence.
Lior stepped backward slowly.
"…You're saying that thing can become WORSE?"
The corrupted entity slowly smiled.
Then dozens of fragments across Velthorne began glowing simultaneously.
Answering its call.
Final Scene
The storm above the city spiraled violently as black-red lightning flashed through the sky.
The corrupted entity raised its arms.
And throughout Velthorne—
More people began transforming.
Screams echoed endlessly now.
The Fragment War had crossed another line.
This was no longer isolated corruption.
It was becoming an outbreak.
Izumi tightened his grip on his blade as the resonance marks across the seven glowed brighter than ever before.
And deep inside the synchronization—
He felt something terrifying.
The resonance itself was excited.
The city was falling apart.
Black-red mana spread across Velthorne like an infection as more fragment holders lost control throughout the districts.
Screams echoed endlessly through the storm.
Fires burned across the skyline.
And in the center of it all—
The corrupted entity continued evolving.
Its distorted body expanded further as unstable fragments floated around it like orbiting stars.
Every pulse from its core spread corruption resonance deeper into the city.
"We can't let it keep growing!" Lior shouted.
"No kidding," Mira snapped while slicing through another corrupted creature.
The resonance between the seven pulsed violently again.
Not unstable.
Hungry.
Astra noticed immediately.
"…The synchronization is reacting to the corrupted resonance."
Dianara's expression darkened.
"…That's bad."
"…Very."
The Resonance Hunger
Izumi suddenly felt it too.
A strange instinct buried deep inside the connection.
Consume.
Synchronize.
Evolve.
His breathing slowed slightly.
The glowing resonance mark across his arm brightened unnaturally.
"…Izumi?"
Seraphina's voice pulled him back instantly.
He blinked.
The feeling disappeared.
But only partially.
Astra looked at him carefully.
"…Don't listen to the resonance."
"…What does that even mean?"
"…The system desires completion."
Silence.
Mira frowned.
"…You say things in the creepiest way possible."
Before Astra could respond—
The corrupted entity attacked again.
Multiple massive tendrils erupted toward the group simultaneously.
This time—
The synchronization activated instantly.
Effortlessly.
Izumi already knew where everyone would move.
Not through thought.
Instinct.
Mira vanished into shadows before the tendrils reached her.
Seraphina intercepted the left flank instantly.
Ravian reinforced Dianara's barrier before impact.
Lior amplified the resonance flow naturally.
The seven moved as one.
Even Eleanor stared briefly.
"…Impossible…"
Counterattack
"Now!" Ravian shouted.
Dianara unleashed layered magic circles across the battlefield.
Gravity spells slammed downward onto the corrupted entity, slowing its movement.
At the same moment—
Mira burst upward through shadows directly toward the exposed core fragment.
Blood-shadow energy exploded around her daggers.
The corrupted entity reacted instantly.
Too fast.
A massive distorted arm slammed toward her.
But Izumi intercepted it midair.
CLANG.
His blade trembled violently under the impact.
The creature's glowing eyes locked onto him.
"…Primary…"
Its voice sounded clearer now.
More stable.
That was somehow worse.
Mira grinned sharply.
"…Thanks."
Then both daggers struck the exposed core fragment.
BOOM.
The entity screamed violently.
The entire district shook.
Cracks spread across the corrupted core.
"It worked!" Lior shouted.
But Astra's expression immediately darkened.
"…No."
The cracks began healing instantly.
Faster than before.
"…It adapted."
Evolution
The corrupted entity roared.
And suddenly—
All the floating fragments around the city began moving.
Toward it.
Dianara's eyes widened in horror.
"…It's absorbing nearby fragments!"
Dozens of glowing shards flew through the storm-covered sky toward the central entity.
Some ripped directly out of corrupted holders across the city.
Others emerged from hidden locations underground.
The creature's body expanded further.
More distorted arms formed.
More glowing eyes opened.
The pressure flooding Velthorne became monstrous.
Even Church knights began retreating now.
Eleanor gripped her spear tightly.
"…At this rate…"
"…The entire city becomes a resonance nest."
Astra finished quietly.
Lior looked terrified.
"…A what?!"
"…A city fully consumed by corruption resonance."
Silence.
Mira slowly lowered one dagger.
"…That sounds world-ending."
"…It is."
Izumi's Decision
The resonance pulsed violently again.
Stronger than ever.
Izumi could feel everyone clearly now.
Fear.
Pain.
Exhaustion.
Determination.
And beneath it all—
Trust.
He looked toward the corrupted entity.
Then toward the terrified civilians still trapped throughout the city.
"…Astra."
She looked toward him immediately.
"…If the resonance wants completion…"
"…then we force it our way."
Astra's crimson eyes widened slightly.
Dianara immediately understood.
"…Wait—you can't mean—"
"Partial synchronization combat release."
Izumi answered.
Ravian's expression darkened instantly.
"…That's too dangerous."
"We're already out of safe options."
Silence followed.
Because he was right.
The entity continued growing.
The city continued collapsing.
And more people were dying every minute.
Mira sighed dramatically.
"…I hate when the reckless plans make sense."
Seraphina stepped beside Izumi without hesitation.
"…I'll follow."
Lior swallowed hard.
"…I'm definitely going to regret this…"
Dianara closed her eyes briefly.
Then nodded slowly.
Ravian cursed under his breath.
"…All of you are insane."
Astra looked at Izumi quietly.
Then—
Very faintly—
She smiled.
"…Good."
Final Scene
The seven resonance holders stepped forward together.
Their fragments rose into the storm-covered sky once more.
The synchronization marks across their bodies ignited brilliantly.
The corrupted entity roared violently in response.
Almost threatened.
And throughout Velthorne—
Every fragment pulsed simultaneously.
The storm above split apart as resonance energy flooded the battlefield.
For the first time—
The city witnessed the true power of synchronized resonance.
And hidden from the shadows of a distant rooftop—
Raijin Amanojaku watched silently.
Smiling.
"…Yes…"
Black lightning crackled softly around him.
"…Evolve further."