The corruption was physical here.
Black mist. Thick enough to cut. Jayden's eye struggled to see through it.
[CORRUPTION DENSITY: 94%]
[VISIBILITY: 47 METERS]
"Stay close." His voice cut through the silence. "S ranks hunt in this."
Marcus raised his shield. Elena's ice formed automatically. Defense mode.
Something moved ahead. Massive.
Jayden's eye locked on.
[ANALYZING...]
[CORRUPTED STONE TITAN S RANK]
[SPEED: 67.3 UNITS. DURABILITY: MOUNTAIN CLASS]
"Mountain class?" Marcus read the data. "What does that mean?"
"It can tank hits that would level mountains." Jayden drew his blade. Black lightning sparked. "We "
Kane's voice crackled through essence communication. "Wait. Before you engage."
"What?"
"There's something about Kaelos you need to know." Static. "The essence density there is catastrophic. Your power will be halved."
The team froze.
"Halved?" Elena's voice was ice. "We spent two weeks "
"Becoming Apex. I know. On Kaelos, you'll fight at Warlord level." Kane's tone was grim. "Essence fluctuation from demons creates interference. Your stats drop 50% the moment you arrive."
Jayden's mind raced. 179 speed became 89. 159 attack became 79.
Back to pre vault levels.
"Then what was the point?" Zain demanded.
"Because Kaelos demons are stronger. Much stronger." Kane paused. "That Titan you're facing? Mountain class durability. Here, you can crack it. On Kaelos, mountains are reinforced tenfold by ambient essence. You couldn't scratch one."
"So we're fucked," Marcus said flatly.
"No. You adapt." Kane's voice hardened. "Fight the Titan. Learn to kill something with mountain durability using Warlord level power. That's the real training."
The communication cut.
The Titan stepped into view. Thirty feet tall. Stone body crackling with corruption.
"Well." Marcus manifested his shield. "Shit."
Jayden's eye analyzed.
[VICTORY PROBABILITY: 34%]
[RECOMMENDATION: EXPLOIT JOINTS. DURABILITY WEAKEST AT ARTICULATION POINTS.]
"Joints. Target the joints." Jayden Shadow Stepped left. "Marcus, get its attention. Elena, freeze the knees. Zain, strike when it's immobilized."
They moved.
Marcus charged. Shield up. The Titan's fist came down.
Impact cratered the ground. Marcus held. Barely.
"CAN'T HOLD LONG!"
Elena's ice spread. Covered both knees. Solid.
The Titan tried to move. Couldn't. Roared.
"NOW!"
Zain's Rift Gauntlets struck. Space cut. The frozen knee shattered.
The Titan fell.
Jayden appeared above it. Void Mantle flowing. Black Lightning Tier 4 charged.
Blade down. Through the eye socket. Into the brain.
Lightning erupted inside. The Titan convulsed.
Dissolved.
[S RANK CORRUPTED STONE TITAN ELIMINATED]
[CORE ACQUIRED: 1/10]
They stood. Breathing hard.
"If that's halved power..." Cinna stared at the crater. "What are we fighting on Kaelos?"
"Things worse than that." Jayden pocketed the core. "But now we know. We can't rely on raw power. We use tactics."
"Tactics against demons that heal from decapitation?" Elena asked.
"We cut them into pieces too small to heal." Jayden started walking. "Next target."
Three days. Nine more S ranks.
Each fight harder. Each victory narrower.
[CORES ACQUIRED: 10/10]
They returned to Haven. Exhausted. Bloodied.
Kane inspected the cores. Nodded. "You're ready. As ready as you'll get."
"When?" Jayden asked.
"Four weeks. Then the portal opens. Stable enough to cross."
Four weeks.
Jayden's eye calculated. The growth they'd need. The preparation.
[KAELOS SURVIVAL PROBABILITY WITH CURRENT POWER: 23%]
Not enough.
"We keep training." He looked at his team. "Every day. Four more weeks. We find every edge we can."
They trained.
Week three. Combat drills against Kane. He held back but still dominated.
"You're thinking like Ashenfell fighters! On Kaelos, everything is reinforced. Mountains don't break. Buildings don't collapse. Your big attacks won't matter!"
Week four. Essence control. Precision over power.
Week five. Team combinations. 99% synergy pushed to 100%.
Week six. Final preparations.
Jayden stood at the Abyssal Zone edge. Staring into darkness.
His stats glowed.
[SPEED: 179 UNITS (89 ON KAELOS)]
[ATTACK: 159 UNITS (79 ON KAELOS)]
[BLACK LIGHTNING: TIER 4]
[TEAM SYNERGY: 100%]
He thought about Kaelos. The demons. Ash.
Halved power. Reinforced world. Higher threats.
His eye pulsed.
[KAELOS SURVIVAL FIRST WEEK: 34%]
[WITH TEAM: 52%]
[FINDING THE PURIFIERS: 67%]
Coin flip odds. Again.
But they'd survived worse.
"Tomorrow." Elena appeared beside him. "The portal opens."
"Yeah."
"Scared?"
"Terrified."
"Good. Means you're smart." She turned to leave. "Get some sleep. Long war ahead."
Jayden stayed. Watching darkness.
Tomorrow they'd leave Ashenfell. Leave the wasteland that had forged them.
Enter a world where their power meant half as much.
Where mountains couldn't be broken.
Where demons were gods.
His black lightning crackled. Tier 4. Erasure class.
Cut to 50% effectiveness on arrival.
Doesn't matter. We adapt. Like always.
He turned. Walked back to Haven.
Tomorrow, war.
Tonight, rest.