The leader did not descend slowly.
He fell like weight itself.
The Seventh Rift widened, and from it emerged a being greater than all the Draculian—vast wings, blazing crimson eyes, and an aura that bent the air around him.
Before he touched the ground—
he roared.
And the army moved.
The Draculian surged as one, like a single pulse.
"Hold the line!" Marley shouted.
The impact was brutal.
Marley pushed her barrier forward as waves of force crashed against it.
"They will not pass!"
Behind her, Lenore raised her power beyond its limits.
Her light constructs expanded into a vast lattice, reinforcing the barrier.
"I'll keep it standing!"
On the battlefield—
Lexia never stopped.
She became a series of flashes, striking and weaving relentlessly.
This time, her blows left lasting damage—wounds no longer healed easily.
"Come on!" she shouted, drawing them toward her.
Maximilian stepped forward.
Once.
Twice.
Then vanished.
He appeared at the heart of the largest cluster, his strike falling like judgment, tearing through their ranks and opening a path.
"We need this path."
Shadow moved with the moment.
He slipped through darkness, cutting through their connections.
Every time they tried to regroup—
he was already there.
"Scatter…" he whispered.
"Right! Above!" Zack shouted.
Enemy movements became clear to him, like a map laid bare.
"Two seconds—group strike!"
Marley reinforced her barrier.
"Brace!"
The wave hit—
and shattered.
Above—
The Dimensional Union ships entered deep engagement.
"Lock target—synchronized fire!"
Focused beams struck wings, crippling movement and forcing more to the ground.
But the leader—
did not move.
He watched.
Alfred spoke calmly:
"He is their center."
He lowered his hand—
A crushing field descended, attempting to restrain him.
The ground sank beneath him—
but he did not bend.
He spread his wings and broke part of the pressure.
"He can be broken."
"Open a path," Violet said.
Her chains ignited.
This time, they did not only bind rifts—
they reached for the leader.
Maximilian understood first.
"Lexia—left."
"On it."
She carved a path.
Marley expanded the defense.
Lenore amplified the flow.
Shadow disrupted the leader.
"Now!" Zack shouted.
Violet released her chains.
They surged forward, wrapping around the leader, binding him—
for a moment.
One moment—
but it was enough.
Sid raised his hand.
"All units—on my mark!"
Energy circles ignited.
The ships locked coordinates.
Alfred increased the pressure.
Maximilian leapt high.
Raised his weapon.
"End it."
Lexia struck first, opening a weakness.
Shadow appeared within it, stabilizing the core.
Then—
the strike fell.
Maximilian's blow, synchronized with the fleet, Alfred's pressure, and Violet's chains—
converged into one point.
An explosion—
without sound.
A void.
Then—
the leader broke.
Shattered.
The army faltered—
then collapsed.
The Draculian lost coordination.
Fell one by one.
Silence returned.
Slowly.
Heavily.
The ships ceased fire.
The Seventh Rift shrank—
and closed.
Violet lowered her hands.
The chains vanished.
She fell to one knee.
Marley approached.
"It's over."
Lenore sat down, exhausted.
"Barely… but it's over."
Lexia wiped her blade.
"That was worth it."
Shadow appeared.
"Temporary."
Alfred looked at the sky.
"Great victories are never final."
Maximilian said quietly:
"But it's enough… for now."
Zack smiled, tired.
"We survived."
Violet looked up.
The sky was calm.
For the first time—
no rifts.
no darkness.
She closed her eyes—
and surrendered—
to a brief moment of rest.