'Nine.'

It was time.

'Shadow Summon. Shadow Assimilation.'

I activated both skills as fast as I could.

I didn't feel any strain on my mind, which meant I had no idea whether the skills actually triggered.

The blackout erased all sensation.

It felt like walking in a pitch-black room without even knowing if there was ground under my feet.

I moved my hands carefully and grabbed the place where the Disguise Skin should've fallen after my Shadow Summon got destroyed.

Then I activated the perk from my Tailor Class: Quick Mend.

It was a clean, simple repair skill.

It should fix the damaged Disguise Skin from the beheading, at least enough to keep the disguise stable.

After that, I pushed mana into the Disguise Skin and let it latch onto my body like usual.

Still nothing. No feeling at all.

'Ten.'

Light slammed back into the world.

Air returned. Weight returned. Sound returned.

I looked down at my hands, then around the forest.

'I'm alive.'

A quiet breath slipped out of me.

Before I could process more, Yuna's voice reached me. "Lord of Shadows, don't worry. Your Disguise Skin isn't damaged anymore. You were moving perfectly during the blackout."

I blinked once.

She had seen everything even inside the blackout.

Inwardly, I smiled at the irony.

If I could hear her voice during the blackout, everything would have been much simpler.

Saint Maverick stood from his kneeling position. "You had a method to survive the blackout?"

"Yes." I nodded once.

Before he could ask more, my pirate crew rushed over with loud voices.

"Aye, Captain must've like a ghost through the darkness!" the gunner said with a grin.

"Not even the gods could take his head!" one of the sword-wielders added.

"Our captain's a demon in disguise, I tell ye!" the cannon crew shouted together.

I raised a hand to quiet them. "Alright, that's enough. We're tight on time. We need to move to the torii gates and destroy them."

Saint Maverick nodded firmly. The others agreed without hesitation.

We started running.

As we moved, I noticed the change in our surroundings.

The entire domain had fallen silent.

No wind.

No rustling leaves.

No insects.

No distant footsteps from the lurking shadows.

Nothing.

It was as if the domain had frozen in place.

This must have been the effect of destabilization.

Something that should never happen in this domain happened: everyone kneeling during the blackout.

The Cursed Spirit Blackout Priest was struggling to process it.

Good.

We had to reach the gates before it recovered.

We reached the torii gates in less than a minute. They stood tall, bright red, and undamaged.

Saint Maverick raised his voice. "Everyone attack with everything you have. We must break even one pillar."

Everyone moved at once.

The cannon crew swung their portable spirit-cannon into position and fired a dense burst of spiritual shells.

I raised my Desert Eagle, aimed at the left pillar, and fired multiple rounds fused with Positive Energy.

The gunner crewman unloaded his modified rifle, the bullets rattling loudly.

The two sword-wielders rushed forward and swung their blades with full force, sending arcs of steel-aligned energy against the wood.

The large Exorcist from New Order stomped once.

Shadow needles erupted from the ground, stabbing at the gates.

The smaller Exorcist threw a talisman. It ignited instantly and shot forward like a burning arrow.

All attacks slammed into the torii.

A loud impact echoed.

Smoke and dust shot into the air.

But when the dust cleared…

The torii gates stood perfectly still.

There was not even a scratch.

My chest tightened.

We were running out of time.

The destabilization wouldn't last long.

And once the domain stabilized, the God above us would start using those massive hammers again.

A few more swings, and the hammer could crush the entire area before the next blackout.

If the hammer fell before we escaped… there would be nothing left of us.

"We need more power," Saint Maverick said, already stepping forward.

Judy—a floating round automaton with a metal sheen—hovered beside him. Her single blue eye glowed.

Saint Maverick spoke clearly. "Requesting permission to remove First Limiter."

Judy's eye flashed. "Analyzing situation. Permissible. First Limiter removed."

A soft click echoed from his body. Blue light traced through small circuits under the surface of his synthetic skin.

He didn't stop.

"Requesting permission to remove Second Limiter."

"Warning," Judy said. "Second Limiter removal may cause strain. Proceed?"

"Proceed."

"Permission granted. Second Limiter removed."

Another crack of energy pulsed across his body. His metallic frames creaked under the sudden increase of output.

He took a breath, then spoke again.

"Requesting permission to remove Third Limiter."

Judy hesitated a full second this time. "Third Limiter removal is considered extreme. Confirm intention."

"Confirmed," Saint Maverick said without looking away from the torii.

"Very well. Permission granted. Third Limiter removed."

This time, the energy spike was strong enough that the ground trembled.

Steam burst from the joints in his arms. The circuits under his skin glowed like thin lightning bolts.

But he still wasn't done.

He lifted his hand toward the sky. "Activating Hypercore."

Judy's voice turned sharp. "Warning. Hypercore activation will exceed safe output. You may suffer irreversible damage."

"I know."

"Hypercore activation authorized."

His torso opened slightly as a round core lit up inside him. The light was blinding, bright white with streaks of violet, like compressed plasma.

The temperature around us rose instantly.

The energy radiating off from him was so high that his own body was melting due to it.

Even my pirate crew stepped back.

Saint Maverick grabbed the handle of his sword.

The blade unfolded with mechanical segments locking into place, forming a longer, heavier weapon.

He pointed it at the torii.

"Void-Shearing Sword."

That was all he said.

Then he swung.

The swing didn't make a normal sound.

It tore the air.

A wave of compressed force exploded forward. It looked like a slice of empty space rushing toward the gates. The ground split open behind him from the recoil.

The impact was instant.

BOOM.

A massive explosion erupted around the torii gates. Dust shot straight into the air like a rising pillar.

Everyone shielded their faces.

The shockwave nearly knocked the smaller Exorcist off his feet.

The crewmates grabbed onto trees to stay upright.

I squinted through the dust, trying to see if the gates were cracked or even chipped.

The dust slowly cleared.

The torii gates stood exactly where they were.

Untouched.

Unaffected.

Unmoved.

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