Altopereh did not hesitate.
The moment Amnesia emerged from the rupture in space, its massive frame casting a shadow over the broken Hound, Youri moved.
There was no warning.
No declaration.
Only action.
The gray aura around Altopereh flared violently as it surged forward, its plasma blade extending into a colossal edge of annihilation. The distance between it and Amnesia collapsed in an instant, space itself folding under the sheer force of its acceleration.
On Amnesia's bridge, alarms screamed.
"Impact trajectory confirmed!" one operator shouted, hands trembling over the console. "We can't evade at that speed!"
Dellor's expression hardened, his voice cutting through the chaos with sharp authority. "Shields to maximum output. Redirect all non-essential systems—NOW!"
The ship responded immediately.
Crimson veins along its hull pulsed brighter as its defensive systems surged to life. A layered barrier formed around the vessel—dense, reactive, designed to absorb catastrophic force.
It wouldn't be enough.
Altopereh struck.
The blade collided with the shield in a blinding explosion of gray and red energy. The impact sent a shockwave rippling across the battlefield, distorting space and scattering debris in all directions. The shield held—
For a second.
Then cracked.
Fractures spread like shattered glass across the barrier as Altopereh pushed deeper, its blade grinding against the resistance, carving into the very field meant to stop it.
Inside the ship, the entire structure groaned.
"Structural stress exceeding limits!" another voice shouted. "We're going to lose the outer layer!"
Dellor clenched his jaw. "Return fire! All batteries—focus on the unit!"
The ship answered with fury.
Massive cannons along Amnesia's hull ignited simultaneously, unleashing a barrage of concentrated energy beams and plasma bursts. The void lit up as dozens of weapons converged on Altopereh, striking its armor, detonating across its frame in rapid succession.
For a moment—
It disappeared inside the storm.
But then—
It stepped through it.
Altopereh emerged from the barrage, scorched, undamaged unstoppable. Its armor smoked, fragments drifting away from its frame, yet its core burned brighter than ever. The blade remained steady, unwavering.
Youri's eyes didn't shift.
"Move," he muttered.
And Altopereh obeyed.
It vanished again—then reappeared above Amnesia, driving downward with a crushing strike. The impact tore through the weakened shield completely this time, the blade biting into the ship's outer hull. Metal screamed as the cut carved across its surface, splitting armor and exposing internal structures beneath.
"Decks seven through twelve breached!" came the panicked report. "We're losing containment!"
Dellor slammed his fist against the console. "Get the Hound inside—NOW!"
Below, recovery systems activated. Mechanical arms extended from the ship's underbelly, locking onto the crippled Hound and dragging it inward through the hangar bay. Larsen's unit hung lifeless, its once terrifying form reduced to a shattered shell.
Serin stood frozen, watching through the viewport as the Hound disappeared into the ship.
"Larsen…" she whispered.
But there was no time.
"Emergency jump!" Dellor ordered. "We're pulling back to Seron—prepare for warp!"
"Coordinates locked!"
"Drive unstable—"
"I don't care! Execute it!"
The ship trembled violently as its engines flared beyond safe limits. Space behind it began to distort, forming the familiar ripple of a warp transition.
But Altopereh was still there.
And it wasn't letting go.
Youri saw the warp forming.
And instead of retreating—
He advanced.
Altopereh surged forward, closing the gap just as Amnesia began to slip into the distortion. Its massive hand shot out—
And grabbed the ship.
For a moment, everything froze.
A god unit—
Holding a warship mid-warp.
The fabric of space twisted violently around them, unstable, collapsing inward as the transition struggled to complete.
Then—
They vanished together.
Seron.
The skies burned.
The battle above the planet had already reached its peak—Terrian fleets clashing with the remnants of the Progressive Union's forces, explosions lighting up the atmosphere like artificial stars.
And then—
Reality tore open.
Amnesia burst into orbit above Seron, its hull torn, engines failing, systems flickering. The ship struggled to stabilize, barely maintaining altitude as it emerged from the warped transition.
But it wasn't alone.
Altopereh came with it.
Still holding on.
Still relentless.
The sight alone sent shockwaves through both sides of the battlefield.
On the surface—
Trevor Mosioh saw it.
He stood near the colossal cannon installation, its massive structure towering over the rocky terrain. Engineers and soldiers scrambled around him, trying to stabilize systems, shouting over the chaos.
But Trevor didn't hear them.
His eyes were locked on the sky.
On that shape.
On that presence.
Altopereh.
And in that instant—
He remembered.
Youri.
The man he had mocked.
The man he had underestimated.
The man who had looked at him once with eyes that promised death.
Trevor's legs trembled.
"…No…"
His voice broke.
"…He's here…"
Above, Altopereh released the ship.
Amnesia fell back, engines barely catching as it drifted away, retreating toward the far side of the battlefield. It had taken too much damage. It could not fight anymore.
Youri didn't follow.
Instead—
He turned.
Toward the planet.
Toward the source.
Altopereh rose higher into the sky, its massive form silhouetted against the burning atmosphere of Seron. Its systems shifted, internal structures realigning as a new weapon began to form.
The anti-matter cannon.
Below, General Vartellis's voice cut through the comms.
"Duke! We have an opening! The perimeter is collapsing—you have a clear shot!"
Youri looked down.
The base.
The cannon.
The people.
Everything.
Then he spoke.
Cold.
Final.
"…You can have the remaining minutes."
He didn't wait for a response.
Altopereh surged upward, breaking through the upper atmosphere and returning to open space. Its systems locked into position as the anti-matter cannon fully deployed, energy gathering at its core.
The void grew quiet.
Time slowed.
Inside the cockpit, Youri closed his eyes.
And once again—
He found himself in the abyss.
Endless water stretched in all directions, silent, infinite. The weight of it pressed against him—not crushing, but consuming.
Altopereh moved beneath the surface.
A massive shape, circling.
Watching.
Then it spoke.
Its voice was deeper than before.
Ancient.
Satisfied.
"Now… the power I promised you…"
The water around them began to glow faintly, energy gathering, pulsing through the abyss like a living heartbeat.
"It has been dormant within me… waiting…"
It rose.
Slowly.
Its massive form breaking through the surface, towering over Youri.
"I saved it… for someone worthy."
Youri looked up at it.
And smiled.
"But I give it to you."
The energy intensified, the abyss trembling as power beyond comprehension surged through Altopereh's core.
Then—
A pause.
A warning.
"Know this… once you fire…"
The water stilled.
"…we may not return."
Silence followed.
Youri's smile didn't fade.
"…That sounds like the perfect way to perish."
Above—
The cannon reached full charge.
Reality began to distort around its tip, space bending inward as anti-matter condensed into a single, catastrophic point of existence.
The AI voice echoed calmly through the cockpit.
"Final charge complete."
"Firing sequence initiated."
"Three…"
"Two…"
"One…"
Youri opened his eyes.
And pulled the trigger.
The shot—
Was not a beam.
It was an event.
A tear in existence itself.
The anti-matter discharge erupted forward, not traveling through space—but erasing it. Everything in its path collapsed instantly, matter and energy reduced to nothing as the void screamed under the strain.
It struck Seron.
And the planet—
Ceased to exist.
No explosion.
No fragments.
Just absence.
The shockwave expanded outward, consuming everything in its radius—ships, debris, signals—erased in a growing sphere of nothingness.
The Orion region trembled.
And then—
Silence.
Absolute.
Total.