Zain had always felt the ebb and flow of dangers around him. Danger, to him, was like the whisper of a cold wind—a bitter, metallic tang that made his skin crawl. The only constant is his life. But nothing could have prepared him for this devastation.
Earth was just a bait. A fat sheep raised to the top of the Integration.
Community Quest: Apex of Integration #I875X1
Party: High Council of Earth
Members Alive: 1427/150000
Objective: As the 1st Party Rank holder of Integration #I875X1, Defend the Fortress of Integration Origin Core.
“Damn…” Zain winced, his voice a hoarse whisper.
He never thought it would come to this. Always believed that there would be some glimmer of hope in the final moments, some miraculous last-minute reprieve. Like in the past. But sitting here, amidst the chaos and destruction, he knew better.
It was all a farce. Every narrow escape, every victory— Merely to fabricate a false sense of security.
Defections began even before the final quest , eroding their strength from within. One quarter of the Council Leaders gone in an instant. It was downhill from then on. And now only 1427
Members Alive: 1421/150000
…1421 of the top players from Earth were left alive. But not for long…
With nothing more to contribute, Zain took stock of his injuries. His right arm was a mangled mess,his armor melded grotesquely with his skin. Though he could wiggle his toes, his legs were a mix of flesh and shattered bone. No movement for me…
Zain Valerius ( Level 567 )
Player Integration #I875X1 Rank: 8th
Alliance: High Council of Earth
Class: Battlemage of Primal Trinity ( A Grade )
Profession: Bloodthirsty Alchemist of Crimson Specter ( S Grade )
Health: [2%]
Mana: [1%]
The last explosion had been intense enough to fuse parts of his armor to his skin, ironically saving his life by cauterizing the worst of the wounds. His Golden Armanium Armor was a twisted fusion of darkness and agony; for once, he was thankful for his severed pain receptors.
He took a ragged breath. Yeah, I’m screwed.
His danger sense whispered at him with a marbled warning about impending death, but with no strength left, Zain dragged himself toward the inner core of the destroyed Fortress.
The landscape around him was a desolation of crumbling walls and smoldering debris. Filled only with the groans of collapsing structures.
The sounds of the fortress groaning under its own destruction filled the silence between his ragged breaths.
Charred banners, emblazoned with the insignia of their battalion, hung limply from what remained of the ceiling. The air was thick with the acrid smell of burning flesh and molten metal, a sickening testament to the brutality of the battle.
He was the only survivor of the Batallion situated here after fucking Adrian turned traitor. The name twisted like a knife in his mind. Adrian had been more than a comrade; he had been a brother in arms, someone Zain trusted with his life. And now, that trust lay in ruins alongside the fortress. Why did you betray us?
Mangled flesh and blood was all that was left of them. With a final, grueling effort, he collapsed against the wall. His eyes blurred, and for a moment, there was only darkness.
Agh—what the–
Suddenly, the sounds of fighting erupted in front of him. The clash of swords, the hum of skills, and the shouts of men filled the air. A last stand. His heart sank.
He blinked, trying to clear his vision. When his sight returned, he almost wished it hadn’t.
He could see them now, a ragged line of soldiers, holding their ground against overwhelming odds.
The Earthers fell one by one, their cries mingling with the clash of steel and the roar of explosions.
In the heart of this chaos, Astrid Marlow was burning her lifespan to fight an even battle against three Marshals of the armies. Her movements are a blur of deadly precision, every strike aimed to kill. Not that it helped much.
"Hold the line!" Astrid's voice boomed over the cacophony, echoing through the makeshift formation they had erected around the Integration #I875X1 Origin Core. Her armor, tarnished and scarred from countless battles, glinted under the sporadic flashes of fighting.
Just when he thought he had seen it all, his danger sense exploded as a chill that pierced his very soul. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before, a primal fear that gripped him with icy claws. His eyes snapped open, his breath coming in shallow, frantic gasps.
"Astrid! On your left!" he shouted, barely able to make his voice heard over the din of battle.
She pivoted, her blade intercepting a descending blow meant to cleave her in two. Her eyes met his for a brief second, and in them, he saw a spark of gratitude.
But there was no time for relief. His danger sense had nothing to do with her, yet it still informed him about the attack on her.
A sudden movement caught his eye. From the corner of his vision, he saw a figure approaching the core, moving with stealth and purpose that set off alarm bells in his mind. Not again…
Selene, was one of Astrid's closest confidantes. Her raven-black hair flowed behind her, and her eyes, usually so warm, now glinted with an unsettling determination with a sneer.
Selene? Zain’s mind raced, struggling to comprehend the situation. She had always been a steadfast ally, but now, her demeanor was one of cold malice. The realization struck him with a new wave of horror: betrayal was becoming a sickeningly familiar theme.
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"Selene, what are you—" His words were cut short as she plunged the dagger into Astrid's back, the blade piercing through his armor with a sickening crunch.
"Selene!" Astrid's eyes widened in shock as the voice cut through the chaos, filled with fury and disbelief.
As the battlefield fell into a haunting silence, the clamor of war fading into nothing more than a distant echo, Selene, her figure draped in shadows, stood over the crumbling form of the commander as her body turned black.
She lunged at Astrid again, and he knew no one could reach her in time. His heart pounded in his chest, and his legs felt like lead.
In a devastating display of power, the strikes run straight. Astrid staggers, a fatal wound across her chest. "Why?"
"Does it matter? Just look how your precious Earth crumbles, as you have," Selena sneered, her gaze piercing through the chaos of the battlefield that had now fallen eerily silent.
Astrid fell to her knees, and he saw the light fading from her eyes. With her last ounce of strength, Astrid pulled the Earth Origin Core from her chest, its blue glow pulsating weakly.
Their eyes met, and he saw the pain of betrayal overwhelming her. At that moment, there was an understanding. They both knew they wouldn’t make it out alive. But the core – the heart of their Universe power – could not fall into enemy hands.
“Astrid, what are you doing?” he whispered, though he knew the answer.
She threw the core towards him. Time seemed to slow as it arced through the air.
Quest Change Detected
Leader Astrid Marlow designates Zain Valerius as the next Leader of the High Council of Earth.
Members Alive: 971/150000
As Zain caught the Earth Core, the battlefield underwent a horrifying transformation. Half of the army, once allies clad in the familiar colors of Earth's forces, suddenly flashed with a blinding light.
When the light faded, their armor had changed to the sinister black and red of the enemy.
The constant betrayal was not just personal but had infected their ranks, turning friend against friend in an instant.
Members Alive: 351/150000
The ground itself seemed to groan under the weight of treachery, as those who had once fought side by side now faced each other with blades drawn, the field turning rapidly into a grotesque tableau of massacre.
A shimmering sphere of ethereal blue energy, pulsed in Zain's grasp. The essence of Earth's remaining power, capable of upgrading someone into a Starlord.
Earth's Origin Core
Health Regeneration increased by 5000 times.
Mana Regeneration Increased by 10000 times.
Astrid nodded, her expression filled with madness. "Break it, Zain," she gasps, her voice barely audible over the battle. "Hell with those bastards…"
Zain's heart pounded in his chest as he turned to look at her. The craziness in her eyes mirrored the chaos around them. He hesitated, feeling the weight of the decision pressing down on him.
Suddenly, Selena's blade flashed. Time seemed to slow as he watched in horror.
Astrid's head tumbled through the air, her lifeless eyes still locked on him.
Shi–
Selena approached, a sinister grin spreading across her face.
Zain's stomach churned with anger.
She raised her hand, and from her fingertips sprung chains of dark energy, glowing with the power as a barricade sprung around him.
"Stay, little dog," she mocked, her voice dripping with contempt. "Watch your world crumble from your knees."
Zain's mind raced. Remembering the last words, he realized Astrid wanted him to destroy the Integration Core. But breaking the Core is easier said than done. Even with the hatred of the whole planet fueling him, the task seemed impossible.
Except with forbidd… A dreadful thought crossed his mind. Even on the edge of death, he hesitated because of how awful it was. Akin to inviting a wolf into the house.
The Crimson Spector has a forbidden history of trying to decipher a Primeval Legacy related to Soul. Primeval Legacy of a Monstrosity.
The price would be high, but after losing his friends, he felt he had nothing to be proud of. And it wouldn't be him bearing the brunt of it—
He didn’t care if he died anymore. The people who killed his parents were already dead, and with the massacre here, the people he cared about were already dead.
The only thing he desired was one final act of defiance before his last breath, to repay the traitorous betrayal.
Zain grinned through the blood, imagining their reaction.
[HP: 27%]
[MP: 87%]
The last defending formation activated around the Integration Core. He bit back the urge to vomit precious blood and fought to stay conscious as he teetered forward. Ignoring the last vestige of fighting, he focused on perfecting the blood diagrams on the marble floor. Burning his lifeblood to etch the ancient symbols.
By the time the new circle was completed, no one was left in the Alliance to fight.
Members Alive: 1/150000
"Open the formation, dog. Surrender now, and I'll make it quick." Selene shouted, but Zain completely ignored her. Half his lifespan was already gone. His body was aging rapidly from the loss.
He could hear the angry shouts outside, and their enchanted weapons pounding on the formation, chipping away at them bit by bit. But that did not faze him.
He couldn’t be bothered to dodge; all his mental focus was on getting this right. Breaking the core meant the end of everything they’d fought for. But letting it fall into the hands of the traitors? Not if he had a chance.
Such pettiness…
He no longer needed to fear them, as even if they broke in, it was already too late to stop him. With great satisfaction, he wiped his bloodied finger and looked at his handiwork. His preparations were finally complete.
With great difficulty, he slowly sat on the ground inside a complex circle that he had just drawn with his lifeblood.
Now, only the last step was left. His Alchemist class had a skill called [Fusion X Grade], used to fuse his blood in highly dense mana materials to control them better.
Like an Essence Core, though he’d never even tried on this scale. And it was different from his regular use of the skill, where every part of the process was perfectly measured. This was just pure destruction. And Fusion, with everything he had left, inviting the monster. A Blood Sacrifice.
Selena laughed as he cut his hands on the sharp edges of the armor he wore. “How pitiful… are you still trying to–”
Zain didn't respond; he just slugged the thing with [Fusion].
There was no fear, sadness, or relief as his health faded. He only felt the familiar gnawing sensation, slowly consuming him from within.
He was extremely exhausted, but he knew he would never wake up again if he slept now. Although The breaths he was taking now were his last, his bright eyes were fixed on the blood diagram.
The symbols glowed as an energy vortex began to form with him at its center. It slowly grew more significant as the world around him hummed in pain.
On the sky above the battlefield, a different vortex suddenly appeared, rotating in the opposite direction, filling the air with dense, lethal energy as a primeval aura permeated through the air.
The attackers outside had to retreat a few steps despite their high levels. The defensive formation shattered into tiny crystals.
“Forgive me,” he murmured, to her, their comrades, and the planet.
Selena saw what he was about to do, and her eyes widened in horror. She charged at Zain, but it was too late.
Crack—
Skill [Fusion] successful!
Integration Core has partially fused with player Zain Valerius and ##%#%??$#$$##
[WARNING]
[Integration #I875X1 Experiencing Outside Intrusion]
[Requesting Authorization for Patching]
…
[Authorization Granted]
[Completion: 1%]
[Error: Authority Insufficient]
…
[CRITICAL ERROR. ASPECT OF INTEGRATION IS DESTABILIZING]
[PATCHING… FAILED]
[FATAL SYSTEM ERROR]
[BREACH DETECTED]
[ACTIVATING ANTI INTRUSION SHIELDS]
[INITIATING INTEGRATION RESET]