Half an hour before Ozymand’s colossal form began to crumble, Cassian landed inside the titan’s hollowed interior, her boots kicking up loose dust. Through the crumbling part created by Jun’de’s explosion, she had managed to jump inside the titan, the living labyrinth stretching endlessly before her. She pressed her hand against the walls. She could feel it. The labyrinth’s pulse.

The entire structure was part of Ozymand itself—formed by the pillars and stones of fallen cities and empires. Most of it was crafted from compacted soil and hardened ground, reshaped into endless twisting corridors. Cassian narrowed her eyes. “I can do something about this.” She thought.

She knelt, pressing her palm against what seemed to be the ground, though she knew it was merely another part of Ozymand’s shifting body. Her Keeper Ring, Earth Shaker, pulsed. Closing her eyes, she concentrated. The labyrinth moved constantly, shifting, adjusting, making it impossible for an ordinary person to navigate. But Cassian wasn’t ordinary. She reached out with her power, feeling the pathways, the flow of earth and stone, the structure’s breathing rhythm. Then, she searched for them—Ellie. Rendy. Lady Audries.

Their auras flared in her mind. She saw them—trapped in a hollowed chamber deep within the labyrinth. Rendy and Audries clutched behind a diamond shield conjured by Ellie, while Ellie fought against two figures. Their forms were similar to Mane and Ande—one bulkier, a walking fortress, the other more feminine and fluid in movement. The fight was brutal. Ellie was holding them off, but she was cornered.

Cassian gritted her teeth. I need to move. Now. The fatigue from the earlier battle had been wiped away by the potion Jun’de gave her. Her body, rejuvenated, pulsed with fresh energy. She sprinted, the ground shifting beneath her feet. She had a location. She had a plan. Ellie wouldn’t have to fight alone for much longer.

She sprinted as fast as she could, dodging collapsing debris and twisting passages. As she neared, the sounds grew sharper—blades clashing, Ellie’s ragged breath, Rendy’s scream. And then, she arrived. At the battlefield’s corner, Ellie lay on the ground, her breath labored. Rendy crouched beside her. Meanwhile Audries, who remained floating in a trance, an ethereal red dragon woven from threads of destiny coiling above her. Two of Ozymand’s Seeds cornered them—one bulkier, the other more feminine—their laughter echoing through the stone corridors.

Cassian didn’t hesitate. She raised her hand—earth surged in response. A massive boulder tore free from the walls, hurtling toward the Seeds. Oz and Zya instinctively dodged, splitting apart. Cassian pressed forward. Stone lances erupted from the ground, spearing toward the duo. She dashed between them, striking with relentless precision, shaping new projectiles as she moved.

Oz countered first, slamming his massive, boulder-like arm toward her. She barely twisted away in time, his blow shattering the stone where she had stood moments before. Using the momentum, she planted her palm on the smoothed floor, polished it instantly, and slid beneath Oz, darting toward Ellie.

"Vice Captain!" she shouted, skidding to Ellie’s side. She pulled out the remaining potion Jun’de had given her. "Drink this." She pressed the vial into Ellie’s trembling hand. "And take these. Jun’de’s orders.”

Ellie gritted her teeth but nodded. She took a desperate sip—the moment the liquid touched her tongue, her strength returned in a rush.

The Seeds didn’t wait. With a thunderous charge, Oz and Zya lunged at them.

——

The air inside the labyrinth was thick with dust and tension. The shifting walls of Ozymand groaned like a slumbering beast, but Cassian and Ellie had no time to focus on the titan’s inner mechanisms—two of its Seeds stood before them, the embodiments of its will, and they had no intention of letting them leave alive.

Oz, the bulkier of the two, flexed his stone-like arms, his movements causing tremors through the ground. His massive form was covered in jagged earthen plates, his mask cracked slightly from its fight with Ellie earlier. Zya, on the other hand, was sleek and lithe, her movements fluid like flowing water.

Ellie stood up, her energy replenished, her will unwavering. She channeled her power once again, her ring flaring back to life as her body became encased in gleaming diamond armor. With a flick of her finger, a diamond spear began to form, its razor-sharp tip shimmering in the dim light. Cassian planted her feet firmly, feeling the vibrations of the terrain beneath her, her Earth Shaker ring pulsing in response, ready to unleash its might.

Cassian took a deep breath, steadying herself as she watched Ellie rise to her feet, energy surging through her once more. "Vice Captain Ellie, can you still fight?" she asked, her voice firm yet filled with confidence in her comrade. Cassian asked, shifting her stance, ready to move at any moment.

Ellie closed her eyes momentarily before opening them again with a sharp gaze, her violet eyes more determined than before. "Diamonds don’t crack under pressure." She adjusted her stance, ready for battle.

Zya tilted her head, “Such spirit. You shine like a diamond, little Valkyrie, but even diamonds crack.”

“Then try me.” Ellie lunged first, flashing forward with blinding speed. Zya twisted away, her movements like a dancer’s, barely missing the razor edge of Ellie’s strike. But Oz came barreling in, his enormous fist hurtling toward Ellie.

Cassian reacted instantly—the ground beneath Ellie shot upward, creating a stone wall that absorbed the brunt of the impact. Cracks spiderwebbed across the surface before the wall shattered, but Ellie had already repositioned, her spear slashing in a wide arc toward Oz’s exposed flank.

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The weapon met resistance—Oz’s stone-like hide was absurdly tough, but Ellie’s Diamond Valkyrie ring shimmered, and her spear cut through like sharpened glass. Oz roared in pain, stumbling back, but before Ellie could capitalize, Zya struck.

A wave of prismatic shards erupted from Zya’s hands, refracting into countless projectiles, each one sharp enough to slice flesh. Ellie threw up her diamond barrier, the protective energy shimmering around her just in time to deflect the onslaught. Still, the force pushed her back, boots skidding against the stone floor.

Cassian wasn’t idle. She slammed her hands against the ground—earth convulsed beneath Zya, jagged spikes launching upward. Zya leapt into the air, dodging with unnatural grace, but Cassian anticipated it. A pillar of stone erupted from the ceiling, crashing downward in an attempt to crush her. Zya twisted mid-air, narrowly avoiding the impact, but Cassian was already on the move.

She molded the battlefield itself.

Pillars, spikes, walls—Cassian manipulated them with expert precision, forcing Zya into a relentless dance of evasion. But Zya was fast, too fast, weaving between the attacks with an almost effortless grace.

Oz, now enraged, slammed both fists into the ground. The labyrinth quaked violently, sending Ellie and Cassian stumbling. Ellie gritted her teeth, then activated her ring fully.

The Diamond Valkyrie took form.

A translucent suit of crystalline armor enveloped Ellie, her spear pulsing with raw power. With a single step, she vanished—a streak of white light slicing toward Oz.

Oz barely had time to react. Ellie’s spear carved across his chest, deep fissures forming in his hardened exterior. He swung at her wildly, but she was too fast, her movements a blur of diamond light. Each strike chipped away at his defenses, pushing him further back.

Cassian, meanwhile, focused on Zya. She had figured out the woman’s rhythm. The way she moved, the way she dodged—there was a pattern.

Then she saw it.

A fraction of a second where Zya committed to her movement.

Cassian acted. The earth beneath Zya collapsed—a sudden pit swallowing her whole. Before she could react, Cassian sealed the opening, trapping her in solid rock.

Ellie, still pressing her assault on Oz, saw the moment and took advantage.

“Cassian, get ready!” Ellie vaulted into the air, her spear glowing with diamond brilliance. She twisted mid-flight, aiming directly at Oz’s exposed back. Cassian raised both hands, and the ground launched Ellie forward with an explosive force.

Oz turned—too late.

Ellie’s spear pierced through his head, shattering the gemstone embedded in his forehead. The titan seed let out a guttural cry, his form crumbling into debris. His mask clattered to the ground, split in half.

But before they could celebrate, the sealed rock exploded outward—Zya emerged, completely unscathed. Fueled by vengeance of her fallen kin, her eyes turned toward Audries, who was still floating in her trance. Without wasting a second, Zya leaped forward.

Nearby, Rendy, knowing he wasn’t a frontline fighter but still capable of sacred arts, quickly spread his hands wide, his fingers crackling with energy. His voice rang out in defiance:

"I will not allow you to touch Lady Audries! By the heavens' decree, let judgment strike!” Glowing runes formed in the air around him as he chanted. "Sanctus Voltaris! Lightning Judicium!” Electric spheres surged from his hands, blasting toward Zya.

She evaded effortlessly, weaving through the attacks with deadly grace. Closing the distance, she kicked the entranced Audries downward, sending her crashing into the stone floor. The ethereal dragon above her flickered, then vanished into the ring.

Audries lay motionless on the ground. Without hesitation, Zya tore the Ring of Kismet from her finger.

Ellie and Cassian rushed forward to stop her, but Zya was too fast. She brought the ring to her lips and swallowed it whole, a sinister smirk forming on her lips.

She threw her head back and let out a thunderous roar—the very labyrinth trembled, walls shifting erratically.

Outside, Ande heard the call. Mid-battle with Jun’de, he suddenly stopped, a knowing grin forming on his face. “Mission accomplished,” he muttered. His gaze locked onto Jun’de. “Today, you might take my brothers, but we will be reborn. And we will come for you.”

With that, he vanished into the ground, leaving Jun’de standing amidst the battlefield.

——

Jun’de stood alone with his cracked ring, staring at the towering colossal titan whose back had begun to crumble. His mind was uneasy. What did Ande mean by ‘mission accomplished’? And why was the titan falling apart? The two didn’t add up. Something wasn’t over yet.

He looked upward, trying to channel the power of his ring, but he couldn’t even summon half of its strength. A sharp, stinging sensation ran through his hand. Dusty Dancer’s fractures pulsed with a faint energy, unstable, struggling to contain its power. He clenched his fist, frustration bubbling within him.

Meanwhile, inside Ozymand, Ellie and Cassian stood firm in front of Zya. Behind them, Rendy rushed to Lady Audries, immediately beginning triage. She was bleeding from her ring finger, but she was still alive. He quickly pressed a cloth against her wound, his hands steady despite the urgency.

“Stay with me, Lady Audries,” he muttered. His palms glowed faintly as he activated his medical art, stabilizing her breathing, slowing the bleeding. “Damn it... Just hold on.”

Ellie tightened her grip on her spear and glared at Zya with sharp, unwavering eyes. She raised her weapon. “I’ll make you regret hurting Lady Audries,” she growled.

Zya, however, barely acknowledged Ellie’s threat. Her dulled eyes were locked onto the ring on her palm—the very one she had just spit out from her mouth. It contained the power of Moraitus, the key to the sealed titan. Her lips curled into a small, victorious smirk.

“This is not the end yet, Elysian,” she murmured.

Her fingers brushed the blue gem embedded in her forehead. The labyrinth trembled violently. The walls pulsated like a living thing, reacting to her touch. The entire chamber shuddered as if waking from slumber.

From the ground beside her, a dark shape emerged—Ande. He had lost one of his limbs from his earlier battle, but his eyes burned with the same ruthless determination. He turned to Zya and let out a low, raspy chuckle.

“Mission accomplished,” he grinned, his voice ragged but triumphant. “Now let’s get rid of these Elysians.” The two pressed their foreheads together, and their bodies pulsed erratically with surging energy. A deep hum resonated through the labyrinth.

Outside, Ozymand’s colossal body began to glow—its blue gemstones pulsing in rhythm with the two seeds. The light intensified, illuminating the ruins with an eerie glow.

Jun’de’s eyes widened as he saw the energy surge through the titan’s form. The fractured Dusty Dancer vibrated weakly in his grip, unable to harness the full extent of its wind. His breath quickened.

“This is bad,” he muttered. His jaw tightened as a wave of realization hit him like a storm wind.

His fingers curled into a trembling fist. “This is really bad.”