"How is this possible? How did it come to this?" Sky was still grappling with the reality of Arachne's death in his arms. The mission had failed, bringing the specter of a death penalty closer. He wondered about his fate - was this where he would meet his end? Could he ever find his way back to the real world?

His thoughts swirled, all centering on the girl nestled in his arms. Sky opened the faceplate of his helmet, silently gazing at Arachne's face. He recalled a phrase he heard in the real world, which said that tragedy is when something precious is brutally shattered right before one's eyes. Now, he felt the deep truth of that statement.

For 17 years, the girl in his arms had peacefully accepted her fate, striving to live. She was gentle, empathetic, and always mindful not to trouble others. She resembled a resilient bud, enduring storms, silently awaiting its moment to bloom.

But in a cruel twist of fate, just as she began to reveal her beauty, her life was tragically cut short. A mix of emotions - sadness, anger, and defiance - began to smolder within him.

Meanwhile, Raimondo's cries of agony echoed again. Shaking, with blood seeping from his armor, he writhed in pain. As his armor plates fell off, revealing cracked skin, his veins bulged, threatening to burst.

Overwhelmed by pain, Raimondo collapsed, shrinking back to his original size. His body's bone spurs retracted, and the armored skin shed off.

The Swarm Master, initially stunned, then burst into ecstatic laughter. "You're breaking down, kid!" he taunted. Genetic collapse, a terrifying fate for mutants, genetically enhanced warriors, or even higher-level awakeners, inevitably leads to death.

With a sinister grin, the Swarm Master cautiously approached the fallen Raimondo, surrounded by his ant guards. He commanded his mutant ants to impale Raimondo's collarbones, lifting his body for a closer inspection.

After a meticulous observation, the Swarm Overlord, certain that Raimondo no longer posed any threat, swiftly grabbed Raimondo by the neck, lifting him off the ground. He approached Sky, his face contorting into a twisted, sickly sneer. "It appears this man is of great importance to you," he mocked.

Barely able to open his eyes, Raimondo looked at his brother and managed a sad, self-mocking smile. "Sky, I'm sorry. I've failed in protecting you all." Before Sky could utter a word, he saw a chilling sight - a sharp hand brutally impaling Raimondo's chest. Blood erupted, staining Sky's face and clothes in crimson.

The raspy laughter of the Swarm Overlord resonated through the air, his sadistic delight palpable. "The despair etched on your faces, you pitiful ants, always amuses me." Behind him, a horde of monstrous giant ants inched closer, while the enormous mutant beetle, having recovered, loomed ominously, its head adorned with a fearsome halberd.

The malevolence of the mutant swarm engulfed the space before Sky. His mind was a blank slate, interrupted only by a sound like glass shattering, emanating from deep within his soul. It was as though chains binding him had been shattered, unleashing an infinite fury from the depths of his soul.

Sky's vision began to distort and warp, his consciousness fluctuating unpredictably. Time seemed to decelerate, blurring the lines between reality and illusion. He stood at the nexus of two worlds – one moment in stark reality, the next in a monochrome void.

In this dichromatic world, he observed numerous enigmatic lights, reminiscent of stars, drifting gently across the space.

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Initially, Sky was unaware of what these lights signified, until one brushed against him, passing through like a spectral image.

That brief contact sparked a sudden realization in Sky: this light was Emily's departing soul, recently perished in battle nearby.

A fading spirit, it was the last remnant of Emily in this world, destined to be gradually erased by time's passage. In that fleeting moment, Sky felt a surge of emotions embedded in Emily's soul, a transient encounter that vividly conveyed her final moments of defiance and deep-seated hatred towards her adversary.

Sky once again focused on the lives around him, noting both the gene warriors still clinging to life and the even more numerous mutated monsters.

In his black and white vision, their forms were mere silhouettes, each centered by a luminous orb, more vivid and solid.

These orbs danced like vibrant flames, embodying the flames of the soul.

The size and hue of each flame were distinct; mighty beings bore soul flames as brilliant as lighthouses, while the weaker ones emitted only dim sparks.

Sky experienced an unprecedented sensation, feeling the unique aura of every life and the quiver of each soul.

He then concentrated his attention on the Swarm Overlord and his legion.

In his eyes, the Overlord's soul flame emitted a dark green glow, casting countless specks of light that formed threads, linking the many smaller pale green flames surrounding him.

Each pale green flame signified a servant, each corresponding to a mutated giant ant, with the largest flame uniquely representing the mutated beetle.

Yet, to Sky, all these soul lights, big or small, radiated profound hostility, their existence brimming with threats and animosity.

Rage intensified within Sky, as he felt an unprecedented power coursing through him. Instinctively, he opened his mouth, emitting a silent, soul-shattering roar.

Soundless, yet it struck directly at the soul. This roar resonated like a massive bomb affecting a kilometer radius, shaking the entire battlefield, unleashing a hurricane-like spiritual shockwave.

In his monochromatic vision, this spiritual hurricane swept away every malicious soul flame.

The giant ants' soul flames extinguished, unable to withstand the tempest, like candles in a storm. Even the beetle's flame, though resilient, eventually scattered, dissolving into countless light points in the wind.

Only the Overlord's flame withstood the onslaught, but it had shrunk from the size of a fist to a mere candle flame, bearing significant damage.

Sky's vision returned to normal. Before him lay the carcasses of the mutated ants, and the still Overlord, frozen in the act of slaying Raimondo, now lifeless, his eyes empty.

Sky gently placed Arachne, whom he had cradled all along, on the ground, then stood and walked toward his lifeless brother, Raimondo. He slowly extracted the Overlord's hand still embedded in his chest.

Raimondo's lifeless body slumped into Sky's arms. Holding his brother with one arm, Sky grasped the Overlord's throat with the other, slowly tightening his grip.

With a sharp crack, the Overlord's throat was crushed. Letting go, the tyrant's body fell limply to the ground.

Sky laid his brother's body beside Arachne, aligning them side by side. He knelt solemnly beside them, closing his eyes, enveloped in silence, as if waiting for an unseen presence.

Time silently slipped away, its passage indiscernible, until Sky felt an internal nudge and opened his eyes.

The world around him instantly became a frozen tableau at that precise moment, as the system's voice resonated within Sky's consciousness:

"As a result of the confirmed deaths of two allies, the third mutant awakener involved in the siege has vacated the battlefield. Consequently, the siege unit has abandoned its strategy, marking the end of this battle and the initiation of task settlement."

Sky exhaled softly, speaking to himself: "Whatever is destined to happen, will happen."

The system's voice continued in his mind: "Target entity Arachne confirmed deceased, mission failu......"

The word 'failure' was abruptly cut off, as the system's voice faltered, then fell silent.

Sky's eyebrows furrowed slightly; this scenario struck a familiar chord.

After an extended pause, the system's voice once more emerged:

"Player Sky Rebel's unique talent - Bond, has been activated, recalculating mission settlement." Then, it returned to silence.

At that moment, an ethereal light emanated from Arachne's body in front of Sky. This light, seemingly drawn to him, quickly left her body and integrated into Sky's being.

Simultaneously, a slender strand of luminous dots emerged from Raimondo, connecting from his body to Sky's, as if magnetically attracted.

The system's voice then announced: "Congratulations to the player for securing the rare soul guardian - Weaver Arachne. Binding procedure initiated and now finalized. You can inspect her attributes and functionalities upon your return to Aethercross World.

Please be aware, you have now forged an irrevocable soul bond with your soul guardian, henceforth sharing both soul and life with the Weaver Arachne."

As Sky listened to the system's proclamation, his previously dim eyes began to radiate with newfound luminosity.