Edrin's blade sank into the opening—
Not smoothly.
Not cleanly.
But deep enough.
He felt it.
Not metal.
Not armor.
Something beneath—
Something resisting.
"…I hit something!" he shouted.
"Don't pull back!" Lyra yelled.
"I wasn't planning to!"
The armored figure reacted instantly.
Not with precision—
Not with control—
But with raw force.
It roared—
A violent, grinding sound—
And its entire body jerked.
Edrin was nearly thrown off.
"…Okay, it didn't like that!"
"Good!" Ronan shouted, slamming his weapon into the same cracked area.
Kael followed—
Precise—
Driving his blade alongside Edrin's—
Forcing the fracture wider.
Lyra's magic surged—
Not dispersing—
Not weakening—
But drilling into the exposed core.
The glow inside flickered violently.
The crack spread.
Faster now.
Edrin gritted his teeth.
"…It's pushing back!"
The resistance increased—
The blade trembled in his hands—
Like the core itself was trying to reject him.
"…It doesn't want to break!"
"Then don't let it choose!" Kael said sharply.
Edrin blinked.
"…Right."
A breath.
"…Right."
He tightened his grip.
Not steady.
Not perfect.
But stubborn.
"…You don't get to decide that," he muttered.
The armored figure swung wildly—
Trying to dislodge them—
Ronan took the hit—
Barely blocking—
Sliding back with a grimace.
"Still hurts!" he shouted.
Lyra reinforced them—
Magic holding the figure in place—
Even as it struggled violently.
Edrin pushed forward.
Just a little more.
The blade sank deeper.
The core cracked.
A sharp, ringing sound echoed—
Different from before—
Sharper.
Final.
Edrin's eyes widened.
"…That's new."
"Yes," Lyra said. "That's it!"
The figure staggered—
Its movements slowing—
Not because it chose to—
But because it had to.
The cracks spread across its entire body—
From the chest—
To the arms—
To the legs—
Light spilling out from every fracture.
Edrin swallowed.
"…We're actually breaking it."
"Yes," Kael said.
Edrin nodded.
"…Okay."
A breath.
"…Let's finish this."
The figure made one last movement—
Not an attack—
Not a defense—
A surge.
Everything it had—
All its strength—
All its force—
Exploding outward.
Edrin's grip slipped—
Just slightly—
"…No—!"
Ronan lunged—
Grabbing his arm—
Holding him in place.
"Don't let go!" Ronan shouted.
"I'm trying!"
Kael drove his blade deeper—
Locking the crack open—
Lyra unleashed everything—
Magic pouring into the core—
Holding it together—
Just long enough.
Edrin clenched his teeth.
"…I'm not strong enough for this!"
"Yes, you are," Lyra said.
"No, I'm not!"
Kael's voice cut in.
"You don't need to be."
Edrin froze for a fraction of a second.
"…What?"
Ronan grinned through the strain.
"You just need to not stop."
Edrin blinked.
Then laughed weakly.
"…That's a terrible requirement."
"Too late!" Ronan shouted.
Edrin took a breath.
Shaky.
Uneven.
Real.
"…Fine."
He tightened his grip again.
"…I won't stop."
The core pulsed—
Violently—
Cracks racing across its surface—
The glow becoming unstable—
Breaking—
Splintering—
Edrin raised his blade—
Just slightly—
Then drove it down—
With everything he had.
Not perfect.
Not strong.
But enough.
The core shattered.
A sharp, echoing crack rang out—
Louder than anything before—
Then—
Silence.
The armored figure froze.
Completely.
The light inside it fractured—
Shattered—
And burst outward.
The armor collapsed—
Falling apart piece by piece—
Crashing to the ground—
Empty.
Gone.
The pressure vanished.
The sky above shifted—
The cracks stabilizing slightly—
The wind returned.
Edrin fell to his knees.
"…Okay," he said, breathing hard.
"…That was worse than the last one."
Ronan laughed, dropping beside him.
"Yeah," he said. "That was fun."
"That was not fun!"
Lyra smiled softly, stepping closer.
"You did it."
Edrin shook his head.
"…We did it."
Kael nodded once.
"Yes."
Edrin looked at his hands.
Still shaking.
Still imperfect.
Still his.
"…I didn't run," he said.
"No," Lyra replied.
Edrin smiled faintly.
"…I'm starting to notice a pattern."
Ronan grinned. "Careful. You might understand it."
Edrin immediately frowned.
"…Let's not go that far."
The plain stretched ahead.
Still endless.
Still broken.
But different now.
The sky remained fractured—
But no longer collapsing.
Edrin exhaled slowly.
"…So."
A pause.
"…What was that thing?"
Lyra's expression turned serious.
"…Not an Invader."
Kael looked at the broken armor.
"…Something else."
Edrin swallowed.
"…That's not reassuring."
Ronan stood up, stretching.
"Does it matter? We beat it."
Edrin shook his head.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
"…Because something sent it."
Silence.
They all looked at the sky.
At the cracks.
At what might still be watching.
Edrin sighed.
"…New arc really isn't pulling punches."
Ronan laughed.
"Would you want it to?"
Edrin thought for a moment.
"…Yes."
Then sighed again.
"…But I guess it wouldn't be my story if it did."
He stood up slowly.
Still tired.
Still shaking.
Still moving forward.
"…Alright," he said.
A breath.
"…Let's see what comes next."
And this time—
The world didn't feel like it was testing him.
It felt like it was breaking.