"Attention all citizens of the Foundry Citadel!" Standard-bearer Vex's voice boomed across the territory, magically amplified to cut through the din of destruction. "Retreat immediately to the base of the volcano! Channel your energy into the defensive ward! We stand together against this apocalypse, or we fall together!"

Even as Vex orchestrated the defense, the orbital bombardment continued its relentless assault. Meteors of hellfire hammered the earth, churning the landscape into a cauldron of molten rock and ash.

Slaughter? Destruction? Despair?

These words felt too small, too clinical for what the Foundry Citadel was enduring.

This was the annihilation will of an Abyssal Ruler. Julius didn't just want Orion dead; he wanted to scour Orion's territory from the face of the Abyss, to erase every living thing that dared breathe under his banner.

"Deputy Commander, Brother... this situation is getting a little too hot, even for us," Leonidas shouted, eyeing the cracks forming in the sky. "We need to bail. If we wait until the ward's Divine Power runs dry, we're toast!"

Leonidas loved to posture. He lived for the drama. But trying to out-flex an Abyssal Ruler in his own domain? That wasn't bravery; that was suicide.

Edward remained silent. Orion said nothing.

They were waiting.

Before this operation began, the Deputy Commander had briefed Orion. He had already spoken to the Commander.

And the Commander's orders were simple: Go ahead. Do what needs to be done.

CRACK-BOOM!

A bolt of lightning, thick as a skyscraper, slammed into the shield. The Deputy Commander's barrier groaned under the strain, flickering dangerously.

At that exact moment, reality tore open.

A massive chain, pitch-black and radiating ancient cold, shot out from the Void. It pierced straight through the gigantic Demon face dominating the sky.

A voice—unfamiliar, dark, and utterly domineering—resonated through the entire Sixth Layer. It was low, arrogant, and undeniably powerful.

"Julius. Accept my challenge. I've taken a liking to the Sixth Layer."

As the last syllable faded, the colossal Demon face in the sky shattered and vanished. The only thing left was that mysterious black chain, suspended in the Void like a scar across the heavens.

The apocalypse paused.

The wind died. The lightning ceased. The rain of fire halted mid-air and dissolved.

"That... doesn't sound like the Commander," Leonidas muttered, bewildered.

He was certain the Commander would intervene at the critical moment. But that voice? That energy? It wasn't him.

"That is not the Commander," Edward confirmed, gazing up at the Void with a knowing look.

"Then who the hell is it?"

Three days earlier. Champions Alliance. Skysplitter Peak.

Commander Thresh stood at the edge of the cliff, hands clasped behind his back. Not far away, his disciple, Caelus, was diligently practicing a single, monotonous sword stroke, sweat dripping from his brow.

Suddenly, Thresh raised a hand and swiped at the air.

Space tore open, revealing a six-foot-long fissure. Through the rift, a dark silhouette appeared—a figure wrapped entirely in chains, radiating an aura of eerie mystery.

"Old friend. It's rare for you to reach out to me first," the Shadow said. Upon seeing Thresh, the oppressive aura vanished instantly, replaced by a warm, familiar tone.

"Kaidric, I heard you were looking to acquire an Abyssal Ruler title," Thresh said casually, ignoring Caelus, whose attention had drifted to the newcomer. "I think the Sixth Layer is nice this time of year. What do you think?"

"An Abyssal Ruler? The Sixth Layer?" Kaidric paused, then chuckled, a dry, rattling sound. "Heh heh... my friend, which blind fool had the misfortune of offending you?"

Kaidric's plan to hunt an Abyssal Ruler was just a vague idea he'd tossed around in his inner circle—a way to build up his reserves. But if Thresh was serving one up on a platter, Kaidric was more than happy to take out the trash.

"Hey, old timer," Kaidric said, looking past Thresh. "That little guy practicing the blade... is that your disciple?"

Kaidric had skipped past Thresh's question, which, in their language, meant "Yes." He accepted the job. Now, he was interested in the boy.

"Yes. Just took him in. He's got a long way to go before he's ready to leave the nest," Thresh replied.

Kaidric was one of Thresh's few true confidants. He didn't hide the relationship.

"I have high hopes for him," Kaidric mused. "When he's ready, bring him to my clan's Proving Grounds. Let him spar with the brats in my family. Competition makes them grow faster."

It was an invitation, and a heavy one.

The Proving Grounds of the Death-Soul Race were legendary. Clearing them granted immense benefits, but entry was strictly controlled. To be invited meant Kaidric considered them family.

"Sooner or later," Thresh nodded. "But right now? He's not even close to qualified."

Thresh welcomed the idea. Factions didn't bond through treaties; they bonded through people. Through generations of shared struggle and friendship.

"What about that other little guy? The one who occupied a body from my race in the Crucible of the Gods? Did he die?" Kaidric asked.

Thresh shook his head and glanced back at Caelus, who looked confused.

"He is currently in the Sixth Layer."

"Eh? The Sixth Layer?" Kaidric paused, connecting the dots. "Wait... don't tell me..."

"Interesting. Very interesting," Kaidric laughed, the chains around him rattling. "A being of his level daring to provoke an Abyssal Ruler already? I like his guts."

"Heh heh heh... I'm going to go pay him a visit right now."

In a blink, the shadow vanished into the rift. Thresh waved his hand, sealing the tear as if nothing had happened.

"Master, was that your friend?" Caelus asked, lowering his sword.

"Yes."

"Who was the 'little guy' he mentioned? Is he another disciple of yours? Is he strong?"

To Caelus, "little guy" implied a peer—someone his age.

Thresh lifted an eyelid, glancing at his student.

"The 'little guy' he was talking about... is your father."

Caelus choked on his next breath.

His daddy, Orion? That monster who punched above his weight class against Demigods?

"When you are roughly as strong as your father was when he entered the Crucible of the Gods, I will take you to the Death-Soul Race's Proving Grounds," Thresh said calmly.

"In that place, geniuses are as common as grass. You can grab a handful of 'invincible' young masters with one scoop. If you can stand out there... I will give you a gift."

Thresh knew his disciple well. Caelus was born embracing the world—two souls in one body, with terrifying potential.

But Orion hadn't truly ascended to Demigod yet. Once Orion broke through, the bloodline resonance would trigger, and Caelus's potential would spike again.

That was why Thresh was keeping Caelus suppressed at the Legendary level. He wasn't just shoring up Caelus's foundation; he was waiting for that bloodline feedback from Orion.

Caelus was smart. He knew his Master and his father saw the path ahead far more clearly than he did.

He didn't argue. He gripped his sword tighter. His job was simple: do exactly what his Master said. Do it perfectly. And then do it better.

That was the only way forward. Grind the foundation. Sharpen the will.

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