Chapter Six: The Battle of the "Central Crystal" and the Fall of the 5%
The system announced the imminent attack of the Demon King (Valzar). Ryoma decided to act to cleanse the Central Crystal. With the help of Mira, who cracked the security doors, they infiltrated the heart of the castle, where the massive Central Crystal (the size of a miniature palace) floated, pumping contaminated mana throughout the castle. But they were not alone. In front of the Crystal stood the Demon King (Valzar's lieutenant), a tall man with violet eyes and a body wrapped in S-rank corrupted demonic mana. The Demon King (chuckling maliciously): "Strangers... and the traitorous princess. Did you really think you'd reach the core?" The battle began. Ryoma faced the King head-on. Sia blocked the corrupted mana attacks with her silver sword, and Mira tried to crack the Central Crystal. It was an epic fight. Ryoma used Space Void Steps (with a 3.9% unlocking percentage) to dodge the King's existence-wiping blows. Ryoma (shouting from the cockpit): "Witch! Find the core! I'll take care of the rest!" Activating (Echo of the Void: Explosion) by releasing the 5% constraint. The power was terrifying. Ryoma didn't use a blade; instead, he grasped the corrupted mana with his bare hands, and with a single strike powered by the Void's dominion, he shattered the leader's body into atoms. At the same moment, Mira found the core. With Ryoma's final touch, the central crystal was purified. The system declared success. [System Alert: An additional 2% constraint released. Current percentage: 5.9%.] But, the moment the Demon King vanished, Ryoma saw a thin black thread emerge from his corpse and disappear into space, above the "Mountains of Illusion." Ryoma (to himself, gazing at the thread): "The mystery deepens... The Demon King isn't the ultimate goal. There's something further, something watching us among the stars."