Within the lit lab, Seraphina, V?rher, Rück, and Merkmal worked meticulously, their focus set on finalizing the battle plan. The Director and Kara, however, remained fast asleep, undisturbed by the tension in the air.

  As they strategized, a faint tremor rippled through the ground. At first, it was barely noticeable—except to Merkmal. His heightened senses picked up the disturbance long before it reached them. Then, with a sudden, forceful quake, the entire lab seemed to shift. The others finally felt it.

  V?rher was the first to break the silence. “Did you feel that? I’d wager that’s exactly where he’s going to appear.”

  Merkmal hesitated, arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the ground. He knew better than to make assumptions, but something about this disturbance unsettled him.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure,” Merkmal interjected, tapping a finger against the table. “But this isn’t just ordinary…. Something else is stirring—something strong enough to shake more than just the Earth.” He straightened, his tone sharpening as He continued, “As I was saying, V?rher, Rück, and I will take center stage. We’ll make the grand display, drawing his attention so he doesn’t suspect the real threat. That’s when the three of you strike from a distance. We need to get through the armor first.”

  He paused, exhaling. “The tungsten alone won’t hold against him indefinitely. The real problem is the armor’s unique properties. If he’s managed to master them—if he’s truly in control—killing him will be near impossible.” His gaze darkened. “I called it Fortitude when I created it.”

  Rück leaned back, arms folded. “Do you really think this plan will work?”

  Merkmal’s expression remained unreadable. “Honestly? I have no idea. We don’t even know who this guy really is or how he’ll react. Ideally, we retrieve the armor without spilling any blood… but based on what I sensed when I first met him?” His eyes narrowed. “I doubt he’ll give us that chance.”

  Before anyone could respond, a sudden, overwhelming aura crashed over the planet. It was unlike the tremors from earlier—this was something else entirely, something suffocating. A pressure that weighed worse from the creature they fought long ago that tried to consume the Earth.

  V?rher immediately turned to the others as Seraphina brought up a digital map, pinpointing the exact source of the disturbance. A red marker pulsed ominously on the display.

  “The fields,” she murmured, “where Italy used to be.”

  There was no time to waste. Both Rück and Seraphina grabbed onto Merkmal as his Rewrite activated, distorting the space around them. With a single press, they vanished—teleporting instantly to the battlefield. Moments later, V?rher, Kara, and The Director followed suit, each taking their positions around the rolling hills and open plains.

  From a distance, Seraphina watched the armored figure standing alone in the field, his gaze fixed on the endless sky. The breeze swept through, rustling the tall grass around him, making it seem as though the very earth moved with his presence. He stood motionless, as if simply resting, unaffected by the tension rippling through the air.

  Merkmal, V?rher, and Rück advanced toward him, walking in unison. Their movements were measured, purposeful. They knew who he was. They knew what he was capable of.

  Without turning, the figure finally spoke, his voice calm yet heavy with conviction.

  “You know, the funny thing about fate… It tells me I shouldn’t.” A pause. His fingers curled slightly. “And yet, I can’t just stand by and deny them justice for their suffering.”

  Merkmal’s expression remained unreadable as he stepped forward. “I believe you have something of mine, Ehrek.”

  At that, the figure turned.

  Ehrek loomed over them, a towering seven feet, his dark blackness staring back from the holes of the helmet studying each of them with an eerie calmness. He didn’t need to say it. His presence alone was enough to remind them of what he had told Merkmal before.

  In that instant, the battle erupted.

  From three directions—two in front, one from behind—long-range attacks launched toward him in perfect synchronization. A spear crackling with pink and black energy carved through the air, its wielder, Kara, appearing behind him in a flash, eyes burning with an intense pink glow.

  Without hesitation, Ehrek turned—so fast it was nearly imperceptible—and caught the spear’s tip just as it would have struck. The crackling energy hissed violently in his grasp, but he held firm.

  The second attack—a high-powered arrow—ripped through the air toward his head. Without missing a beat, he caught it effortlessly in his other hand.

  Then, from a distance, The Director’s red energy beam tore through the sky, a concentrated blast of raw power aimed directly at him.

  Ehrek’s armor flared to life, glowing in pulsing hues of purple and orange. The beam struck him full force, his entire form briefly engulfed in the brilliant purple glow. Yet, as the light faded, he remained standing, unfazed.

  His voice was calm, almost disappointed. “Honestly, I expected more.” His fingers tightened around the arrow, and with a sharp crack, he shattered it effortlessly. His gaze flicked toward Kara. “Oh well. Just another Conduit to add to my collection.”

  Before she could react, Ehrek drove his knee into her stomach, the sheer force sending her hurtling backward. The impact was enough to carve a crater into the ground as she crashed.

  But he wasn’t done.

  With a practiced motion, he flipped her own spear in his hand, the crackling energy still surging violently. Then, without hesitation, he hurled it toward her fallen form. The moment it struck, a massive explosion ripped through the field, shaking the earth beneath them.

  Smoke and debris clouded the air.

  Suddenly, Rück’s fist shot forward, aimed straight for Ehrek’s head at blinding speed—faster than light itself. The instant it made contact, Ehrek’s armor flared a brilliant orange, absorbing the impact, but the sheer force still sent him hurtling into the air.

  A wormhole tore open behind him. In a flash, he vanished—only to reappear moments later, skidding violently across the ground, the sheer weight of his body tearing apart the earth beneath him. Dust and debris exploded outward as he ground to a halt.

  V?rher wasted no time. A crimson slash materialized in the air, cutting toward Ehrek in a vicious arc. Before it could reach him, another wormhole formed just behind the armored figure. Without hesitation, he reached in and pulled out a longsword, its edge gleaming as he swung in a precise motion. The blade sliced clean through the energy slash—an instant later, the severed attack detonated in a fiery explosion.

  But the assault wasn’t over. A blazing red fireball followed immediately behind the slash, roaring toward him. It slammed against his armor with a deafening impact, forcing it to glow a deep purple as it absorbed the attack.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Then, from the dust and smoke, Kara emerged.

  She lunged, spear in hand, its crackling energy flaring wildly. Ehrek reacted instantly, shifting his weight backward just in time to avoid her first swing. But she didn’t stop. With a sharp pivot, she raised her spear high, the crackling energy intensifying before she hurled it at him—point blank.

  The moment it struck, Ehrek’s armor flared brilliantly. The glowing purple barrier surrounding him splintered, fractures spreading across its surface before it shattered completely. The spear detonated on impact, engulfing him in another violent explosion.

  Before the smoke could settle, another Royal blue wave of energy surged toward him. Ehrek’s sword pulsed with a deep purple glow as he met the attack with a precise parry, redirecting it into the ground. The resulting impact sent a powerful shockwave outward, rattling the battlefield.

  Then, Rück struck again.

  Moving with relentless precision, he aimed for the weak points in Ehrek’s armor, his fists flying in rapid succession. Ehrek’s armor flared bright orange, reacting to each impact. But this time, he was faster.

  Before Rück’s fists could land, Ehrek intercepted them—perfectly blocking every strike. The force of the blocks sent a powerful vibration coursing through Rück’s body, momentarily disrupting his momentum.

  In that fleeting moment, another wormhole formed. Ehrek reached in with his free hand and withdrew something unexpected—a banner.

  Without hesitation, he swung it in a single, brutal arc. The heavy fabric and iron bar struck Rück square in the chest with shocking force, sending him flying backward. As Rück tumbled through the air, Ehrek glanced down at the banner for a brief second, almost as if confused by its presence.

  For a brief moment, Ehrek was caught off guard, his gaze flicking down at the banner in his hand. That hesitation was all Kara needed. She appeared behind him in an instant, spear crackling with energy as she lunged for a decisive strike.

  But Ehrek reacted just in time.

  A wormhole opened beneath him, swallowing his form. A second later, another wormhole tore open in the sky, and he reappeared above her. The banner was gone—but in his free hand, space itself twisted.

  A jagged, spacial-warped spike erupted from the ground beneath Kara’s feet. She barely managed to evade, twisting her body mid-air to avoid the deadly protrusion.

  Ehrek landed with force, sending a ripple through the ground. The moment his feet touched the earth, glowing orange orbs flickered into existence around him—each one pulsing with raw energy. Before he could react, they detonated in unison, engulfing him in a chain of violent explosions.

  But he was ready.

  As the flames and concussive force erupted around him, his armor flared a brilliant purple. His barrier ignited just in time, absorbing the blasts as the ground beneath him cracked and splintered.

  Then, before the dust could settle, another high-powered shot cut through the air. Seraphina’s energy blast screamed toward him, aiming to capitalize on the moment.

  Ehrek’s gaze snapped toward her. With a single, precise motion, he swung his longsword, slicing through the projectile. The sheer force of the impact sent him skidding back—only for him to push off the ground an instant later, surging straight toward Seraphina.

  She barely had time to react. As his blade arced toward her, she ducked just in time, feeling the air ripple as the edge of the sword narrowly missed her.

  Then, suddenly—she wasn’t alone.

  Two glowing figures materialized beside her. One pulsed with a vibrant green aura, the other with a deep, dark blue. Both bore an uncanny resemblance to Merkmal.

  Ehrek wasted no time. He swung his sword again, this time at the projections. The two figures met his strike, blocking his attacks with perfect synchronization.

  Before he could break through, V?rher appeared behind him, activating Persistence—his movements accelerating as he circled around Ehrek in an instant. Then, in perfect unison, the three warriors—V?rher and the two Merkmal projections—attacked at once.

  Ehrek was fast, but they were faster. His footwork lagged behind them, forcing him to rely entirely on his blade. His movements, while incredibly precise, barely kept him from getting overwhelmed.

  Then, something shifted.

  His armor pulsed. Subtly at first—but then more noticeably. His movements quickened ever so slightly.

  The balance was changing.

  V?rher gritted his teeth, refusing to let up. He pressed harder, his strikes relentless, cutting through the gaps in Ehrek’s defenses. One by one, the Merkmal projections shattered under the force of battle, leaving V?rher alone against the armored titan.

  He activated Tenacity—his fist igniting with a brilliant red glow. This was his moment. He clenched his jaw and launched his strike, aiming for a devastating blow—

  And then, it happened. Ehrek’s expression changed.

  Before V?rher could react, Ehrek’s hand shot out like lightning, seizing his arm in an unbreakable grip. A second later—snap.

  V?rher barely had time to register what had happened before a wave of searing pain exploded through his body. His arm—broken effortlessly, as though it were nothing.

  Ehrek didn’t stop there.

  With terrifying ease, he lifted V?rher’s entire body into the air—like a ragdoll—and hurled him aside with immense force. The impact sent V?rher crashing into the earth, skidding violently across the battlefield.

  And in that same instant, Ehrek launched himself forward once more, his longsword gleaming as he tore across the ground.

  A crater formed beneath his feet from the sheer force of his movement.

  Seraphina barely had time to react before the blade cleaved straight through her.

  As Ehrek pulled his sword free from Seraphina’s body, blood steaming against the cold metal, a sudden shift in energy crackled through the air.

  Merkmal appeared before him in an instant, his hollow skull flaring to life. Piercing royal-blue eyes burned with intensity, locking onto Ehrek’s own gaze for a fraction of a second.

  And then—they vanished. A heartbeat later, Ehrek felt it. A sharp, searing pain.

  They reappeared, and his eyes dropped to his torso—where a glowing royal-blue longsword was impaled clean through his armor, bypassing both the orange and purple barriers meant to protect him.

  Confusion flickered across his face. He turned his gaze upward, expecting to see Merkmal—

  But instead, standing before him was someone else. A human version of Merkmal. One he had seen before. The figure smirked, their voice eerily calm.

  "You weren’t fast enough, Ehrek." The moment the words left its lips, reality snapped back into place.

  They reappeared on the battlefield, and in an instant, jagged royal-blue spikes erupted from the ground, surrounding Ehrek in an unbreakable formation. Then, without warning, they all launched forward, converging on him from every direction.

  His armor reacted instinctively. The glowing purple barrier flared to life, absorbing the impact as the spikes embedded themselves into the energy field, flickering ominously.

  Before Ehrek could recover, two figures moved in unison.

  V?rher and Rück.

  They surged toward him, their attacks synchronized, their intent lethal. V?rher’s once-shattered arm now seemed miraculously repaired, his strength unwavering. Together, they swung at Ehrek in perfect coordination.

  Ehrek’s instincts kicked in. His hands moved faster than his longsword ever could, and he dropped his weapon without hesitation. His fists met theirs in a relentless clash, each strike sending shockwaves through the air.

  Blow after blow landed against Ehrek, but something shifted.

  The space around him warped. His weight increased exponentially, yet he didn’t slow. Instead, he moved faster. More precise. More dangerous.

  One hit. That was all it would take.

  Ehrek’s eyes narrowed. Then, with a single, explosive movement, he retaliated.

  His fist grazed Rück first—just enough to knock him off balance. In that same instant, he pivoted sharply, adjusting his angle mid-motion. The back of his armored hand connected squarely with Rück’s skull.

  The impact was brutal.

  Rück’s body went limp before he even hit the ground, unconscious before he could process what had happened.

  And then—more red beams rained down from Ehrek’s side, cutting through the air like streaks of lightning.

  Ehrek’s gaze flicked toward V?rher, but before V?rher could make his next move, two wormholes tore open beneath them.

  Without warning, they were both swallowed into the abyss, vanishing from sight—

  Leaving the battlefield behind.