"Run."
Cael's final command echoed through the collapsing underground cathedral like the last order of a dying world.
Then time returned.
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
The frozen destruction exploded back into motion instantly.
Massive sections of Sector Seven collapsed at once while unstable crimson energy tore violently through the underground structure. The Harvester scout shattered the remaining restraints surrounding its body, black distortion erupting across the chamber as reality itself cracked apart around the creature.
And Cael—
Still stood in the center of it all.
Ayan's instincts screamed.
Because now he understood exactly what the first anomaly intended to do.
Destroy the Core.
Destroy the network.
Destroy himself.
Aelira moved first.
She grabbed Ayan's arm instantly as the cathedral ceiling began collapsing above them.
"We have to move!"
Ayan looked toward Cael sharply.
"…What about him?!"
Cael smiled faintly.
Tired.
Peaceful.
"…There was never another ending for me."
The Harvester scout suddenly attacked.
Its humanoid body blurred through black distortion directly toward Cael while white eyes glowed brighter across its shifting armor.
"…Core elimination denied."
Cael slowly raised one hand.
The entire underground cathedral trembled violently.
Crimson light exploded throughout Sector Seven as countless synchronization cables tore free from the collapsing walls before wrapping around the Harvester scout from every direction.
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
The creature slammed into the ruined cathedral floor hard enough to split the chamber apart.
But even restrained—
It adapted.
Black distortion spread rapidly across the cables consuming them one by one while the Harvester forced itself upward against the network's restraints.
Aelira's expression darkened immediately.
"…It's breaking free too fast."
Cael's crimson eyes remained fixed on the creature.
"…I know."
The underground structure shook harder.
Massive fractures spread across the Core itself now, unstable crimson energy leaking continuously from Cael's body as though the entire network was unraveling through him directly.
Ayan clenched his fists tightly.
Because despite everything—
Cael still looked human.
Lonely.
Exhausted.
Someone who carried humanity's survival alone for far too long.
The synchronized individuals throughout the cathedral had stopped running now.
They stood silently among the collapsing ruins staring toward Cael.
Some afraid.
Some grieving.
Some simply empty.
The synchronized woman slowly stepped forward through the destruction.
"…Primary Source…"
Her voice trembled faintly.
"…If the Core collapses…"
Cael answered quietly.
"…The network dies with me."
Silence crushed the cathedral.
Ayan immediately looked around.
At the synchronized people.
At the unstable chambers.
At the endless crimson structures spread beneath the world.
Everything connected to the network would disappear.
The synchronized woman lowered her head slowly.
"…Then this is the end of Sector Seven."
Cael closed his eyes briefly.
"…Yes."
The Harvester scout suddenly tore free from the remaining restraints.
CRAAAAAAAAASH.
Black distortion exploded across the cathedral as the creature launched upward again, its humanoid form shifting violently while reality cracked around its movements.
This time—
Aelira intercepted it.
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
Crimson light and black distortion collided once more in the center of the collapsing chamber while shockwaves tore through the underground structure hard enough to collapse entire sections of Sector Seven instantly.
Ayan stared.
Because now—
Aelira wasn't holding back at all.
Crimson symbols spread endlessly through the air surrounding her while destructive energy bent around her body like living fire. Every movement distorted the underground cathedral itself.
And for the first time—
The Harvester scout was struggling.
Its black armor cracked repeatedly beneath her attacks while several white eyes burst apart completely.
But still—
It adapted.
The creature's body shifted continuously between impacts, evolving new armor layers and distortions faster with every second.
Aelira landed heavily across the shattered floor breathing harder now.
The Harvester stood opposite her silently.
Damaged.
But evolving.
Always evolving.
"…Resistance remains temporary."
Aelira wiped blood from her mouth slowly.
Then smiled coldly.
"…You're annoying."
The underground cathedral suddenly shook harder than ever before.
Then—
A deep sound echoed beneath Sector Seven.
Not an explosion.
A heartbeat.
Ayan's chest tightened instantly.
Because the sound came from below the Core.
Something beneath the facility itself was reacting.
Cael immediately noticed too.
His expression darkened sharply.
"…No…"
The synchronized woman's face lost all color.
"…The lower seal…"
Ayan frowned sharply.
"…What lower seal?"
Silence followed.
Then Cael answered quietly.
"…Sector Seven wasn't built only to study synchronization."
Cold spread slowly through Ayan's chest.
"…Then what else is down there?"
Another heartbeat echoed through the collapsing facility.
Louder this time.
The Harvester scout stopped moving completely.
Its white eyes focused downward toward the depths beneath Sector Seven.
Then—
For the first time—
The creature showed hesitation.
Real hesitation.
Cael looked toward Ayan immediately.
"…You need to leave now."
Ayan's instincts sharpened dangerously.
Because suddenly—
Even Cael sounded afraid.
The underground cathedral cracked violently again as black fractures spread upward from the depths below the facility itself.
And from somewhere beneath the Core—
Something began waking up.
Not the network.
Not the Harvesters.
Something older.
The synchronized individuals throughout the cathedral immediately panicked.
Several began retreating desperately toward the outer corridors while others simply froze in terror.
The synchronized woman whispered faintly.
"…It's not supposed to awaken…"
The Harvester scout slowly stepped backward.
"…Void-class entity detected."
Ayan's heartbeat slowed.
Void-class.
That term alone felt wrong.
Cael's expression hardened completely now.
"…So the Harvesters finally pushed reality too far."
The underground structure trembled violently.
CRAAAAAAAAAAAAACK.
A massive black fracture tore directly through the cathedral floor.
And from the darkness beneath—
Something looked back.
Ayan froze instantly.
Because for one impossible second—
He saw an eye.
Gigantic.
Completely black.
Watching the entire cathedral from the abyss below.
The moment it opened—
Every crimson light throughout Sector Seven died instantly.
Darkness swallowed the underground world whole.
And then—
Everything screamed.