A low hum passed through the gathered crowd, then quieted as Vale stepped onto the makeshift platform at the front.
He didn’t need to shout. His presence alone silenced everyone. Dressed in his dark armor, the Titan Edge Guild leader didn’t waste time with empty words.
“Today’s threat is different,” Vale said, his voice firm and resonant. “This hive has grown too quickly. It’s no longer a problem to just us awakeners. It’s a danger to all of the humanity.”
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the teams.
“So today, we take it down. Today, we remove the threat to our homes and families.”
The crowed cheered. Some of them chuckled, seeing the short speech, knowing the habit of their guild leader, this was the longest he would speak.
Today, there were six Champion-rank awakened among the teams. Four from Titan Edge. Two from the Sanctum of Masters. Each Champion rank awakener was rare. The fact six of them joined the operation showed how dangerous Metavore Brood was.
Vale’s speech was brief. But it left the teams energized.
Isaac turned and headed toward the Command Team. The others were already gathering under a shaded tent, away from the central formation. As he approached, a man with ash-grey hair and a long coat turned to greet him.
“You must be Isaac,” the man said. “Name’s Renald. I’ll be coordinating long-distance communications. My ability allows the gear to function over long ranges.”
Isaac nodded and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Renald gestured, and someone handed Isaac a small headset. As Isaac placed it over his ear, a faint hum confirmed it was working.
“Once the mission starts,” Renald continued, “you’ll be able to send thoughts directly to anyone wearing one, and they’ll hear it like a clear voice in their mind. Try not to think random things while it’s active.”
Isaac gave a dry smile. “I’ll do my best.”
Another member of the Command Team stepped forward. A woman in a robe laced with silver thread, holding a small white staff. “Roya. I’ll be mapping mana fluctuations inside the hive once it opens.”
Next came the Champion-rank among them. A tall man with silver armor, short black hair, and a heavy aura. “You’re the one with Mana Resonance, right?” he asked.
“I am.”
The man studied him for a moment, then nodded. “A lot depends on your ability today. If you pull it off, infiltration teams will have a much easier time. Make sure to keep your focus.”
Isaac nodded back. “Understood.”
With introductions done, he opened a pouch and pulled out three silver grains.
“I was asked to distribute these. Tier 2 Vitality Grains.”
Several eyebrows raised. Isaac handed them out, one by one. “You’ll feel the effect immediately. They should boost your regeneration and help you manage mana more freely.”
“Didn’t expect these,” one of the mages muttered, turning the grain over in her palm. “These things are hard to get even in the market.”
“They were already paid for,” Isaac said. “Just be sure to make good use of them.”
The Champion-rank gave him a nod of approval. “Well prepared. That’s a good sign.”
Once everyone was briefed, they moved as a unit to the outskirts of Sector 2.
The air grew heavier the closer they got. The ruined buildings here were buried in silence, too clean for a zone that once held active monsters. There were no skittering noises, no low roars. Just the wind brushing past broken concrete.
“Where are the monsters?” someone muttered.
Isaac answered, “Inside the Brood. That’s where everything is hiding now.”
Only Isaac and Vax moved to the front lines. Vax stood a few feet away, his presence as steady as a fortress. Isaac stepped closer to the ground, then crouched and placed his palm on the earth.
His breath drew in slow.
Then he swung his hoe downward, striking the ground.
The reaction was immediate. A pulse of mana exploded from beneath him, spreading outward in every direction like a ripple on a calm lake. The others, standing further back, visibly flinched as the energy washed past them.
“What the hell…” someone whispered.
Another mage gasped, “He’s taking over the entire underground.”
Isaac stayed focused. His Sovereign of Land had activated fully. The entire stretch beneath Sector 2 was now part of his territory temporarily.
Mana started shifting.
Within seconds, it stopped flowing into the ground.
Then, like a reversal of gravity, the mana started rising from the soil, dragged by Isaac’s will. It rushed toward him in a stream, invisible to the eye but impossible to miss for any awakened present.
Inside the hive, the Metavore Brood stirred.
Its tentacles, massive and bone-tipped, twitched violently in the far distance. Then they rose. Five of them, each easily thirty meters long, swaying with aggressive tension.
One of them noticed the two figures near the border and lunged forward.
Isaac didn’t flinch.
Vax stepped up.
With a deep growl, Vax raised his arm and a shield, large enough to block a truck, materialized with a flash. It shone gold and white, runes carved along the edges. The tentacle slammed into it with thunderous force, but the shield didn’t even budge.
“Focus on your task,” Vax said with a grin. “I’ll handle this.”
Isaac didn’t argue. He closed his eyes, raised his left hand, and activated Mana Resonance.
The air itself responded.
A low hum turned into a rushing roar. The mana from the surrounding air vibrated, gathered, and then flowed into a single point above Isaac’s palm. A small blue bead of light formed there, pulsing with a soft glow.
Everyone watching stopped speaking.
“He’s absorbing the mana from the air now.”
“He’s cutting off every source the Brood uses to replenish its power…”
They were shocked by Isaac’s Mana Control. Manipulating this much mana must be burning through his mana pool, and it would be burdensome on his Spirit. Even Champion rank awakeners would find it hard to do what he doing.
Isaac opened his eyes and tapped the headset.
“Stage One is complete,” he said, making everyone gasp in awe, and shock. Despite being able to sense the titanic amount of mana under his control, they couldn’t believe it.
A burst of laughter echoed in his ear. “I can see that! That was awesome!” Celia’s voice crackled through. “Now it’s my turn.”
High above, Celia hovered in the sky. Her clothes fluttered from the fast wings, and eyes burned with ethereal energy. She stretched her arms outward. A moment later, twelve clouds—small, dense, and dark blue — appeared around her.
They began to swell.
In a matter of seconds, they became massive.
And then, with a sharp wave of her hand, the clouds pulsed.
From each one, a giant metal pillar dropped from the sky, descending with increasing speed. The sound of their passage through the air resembled thunder. Wind twisted around them in violent swirls.
On the ground below, the rest of the Bombardment Team moved into position. The mages activated their formations.
“Gravity spell, now!” a voice called out.
Glowing runes flared to life along the cracked pavement. A gravity field burst forth, pulling the falling pillars with even more strength. They screamed through the sky, accelerating faster than natural fall would allow.
Everyone held their breath.
Stage Two had begun.
Isaac watched, his hand still raised and mana still under his command. His job wasn’t over. The Brood was stirring. Already, the tentacles were trying to draw mana again, and failing.
Because he had cut them off.
Because this time, they were prepared.
And because failure wasn’t an option.