The air no longer felt real.
Every breath was heavier.
Every second… distorted.
Juvy and Maxruell stood side by side.
Not as allies.
Not as enemies.
But as the only ones left who could face it.
The entity didn't move.
It observed.
"Analyzing…"
Juvy's light stabilized around her.
Flowing naturally.
Maxruell's shadows rose—
Unstable, but responsive.
"…We can't hit it directly," Juvy said.
Maxruell nodded slightly.
"…Yeah. It's not reacting like anything else."
A pause.
"…So we change how we fight."
Juvy glanced at him.
"…You thinking what I'm thinking?"
Maxruell smirked faintly.
"…Don't get used to it."
— Strategy Begins —
Juvy moved first.
Light spread across the battlefield.
Not attacking—
Mapping.
A network of light formed.
Touching buildings.
Ground.
Air.
"…It's not stable," she said.
"…Parts of it… don't exist fully."
Maxruell's eyes narrowed.
"…So it's not completely here."
Juvy nodded.
"…Exactly."
The entity reacted.
Its form flickered harder.
"Interference detected…"
Maxruell stepped forward.
"…Then we hit it where it is."
Shadows spread across the ground.
Not attacking—
Searching.
They slipped through cracks.
Through distortions.
Through the warped space.
"…Found something."
Juvy focused instantly.
"…Where?"
Maxruell pointed.
A small area near the entity—
Stable.
Not flickering.
"…That's real."
Juvy's eyes sharpened.
"…Then that's our target."
— First Real Attempt —
They moved together.
Not blindly.
Precisely.
Juvy distracted—
Light constructs formed—
Pulling the entity's attention.
Maxruell moved behind.
Silent.
Focused.
He struck—
Directly at the stable point.
Impact—
This time—
Something changed.
A reaction.
The entity staggered slightly.
"…Error…"
Juvy saw it.
"…It worked!"
Maxruell smirked.
"…Told you."
But then—
The entity's form twisted violently.
The stable point shifted.
Moved.
"Adapting…"
Maxruell's expression changed.
"…Of course you are."
— Escalation —
The entity raised both hands.
Reality bent harder.
The light grid shattered.
Maxruell's shadows were forced back.
A pulse—
Stronger than before.
Juvy barely blocked.
Her barrier cracked again.
Maxruell was thrown across the ground.
"…Damn it—!"
They stood again.
But now—
The battlefield itself was against them.
Gravity shifted.
Space bent.
Nothing was stable.
— The Truth Begins —
The entity stopped.
Looking at them both.
"Fragments…"
Juvy froze.
"…Fragments again…"
Maxruell frowned.
"…What are you talking about?"
The entity stepped forward.
"Source… divided…"
Silence.
Juvy's eyes widened.
"…Divided…?"
The entity's form flickered violently.
"Light… Dark…"
It pointed—
At Juvy.
Then Maxruell.
"Same… origin…"
Silence.
The world seemed to stop.
Juvy's voice dropped.
"…That's not possible."
Maxruell's eyes narrowed.
"…Explain."
The entity tilted its head.
"Incomplete… both…"
A pause.
"Reunite… or be erased…"
The pressure surged again.
Stronger than ever.
Juvy stepped forward.
"…We're not combining."
Maxruell smirked slightly.
"…Yeah. Not happening."
The entity didn't react.
"Then… termination…"
Its power rose.
Reality began collapsing faster.
Juvy's light flared.
Maxruell's shadows surged.
Both of them—
Pushed to their limits again.
But now—
They weren't just fighting to win.
They were fighting—
To prove something.
That they didn't need each other.
Even if the truth said otherwise.