[Spatial Lock – Zone Cast]
A dome of warped reality snapped up around him.
The falling shards struck the dome—flickered—and vanished before impact.
[Starfall Cage Neutralized – 10% mana drain]
Lucian coughed. "Cael—status?"
[Combat Efficiency: 81%. Recommend limiting Fold Steps. Local space is thinning.]
"Got it."
The Warden raised its arms again. Its cloak unfurled—revealing dozens of floating symbols spinning in circles around its core.
Each one pulsed with light.
Lucian recognized the flow.
"That’s a summon."
The sky opened again.
Two figures dropped from above—hunched, jagged shadows wielding twin blades of crystallized starlight.
[Summons Detected: Voidbind Knights – Tier C+]
Lucian charged one before it hit the ground. His blade met the starlight weapon with a clang that shook the air.
The knight didn’t stagger.
Lucian grit his teeth, pushed forward, and triggered [Temporal Slow] on just the knight’s limbs.
It twitched.
He ducked under a slash and sent a Spatial Collapse directly into its chest.
The knight cracked—then burst.
One down.
The second knight rushed him from the side. Lucian spun—
Too slow.
The blade caught his ribs—sent him flying into the wall of a hovering ruin.
Blood ran down his side.
[Warning: Damage 42% – Internal bruising detected]
Lucian wiped his lip.
"Still not enough."
He forced himself up—vision swimming—then threw his hand out.
[Dimensional Claw – Overdrive]
The claw this time tore through space itself—leaving a hole in the air that dragged the second knight into it. A moment later, it reappeared above him—shredded in half, ejected from the collapsed rift.
Lucian stood, swaying slightly.
Then the real threat came.
The Warden floated forward.
Its mask cracked, revealing a single violet eye beneath. The runes spun faster now. A low hum vibrated the dungeon.
[Final Phase Triggered: Starcore Rebirth]
Lucian blinked.
"Oh, come on—"
The Warden plunged a hand into its own chest—ripped out a star-shaped core—and crushed it.
Everything exploded.
The sky, the ruins, the ground.
Lucian was flung off his platform as golden-purple fire roared around him. Chunks of stone fell like meteors. Spatial rifts opened and closed in random patterns.
Time jittered.
The world was breaking.
He slammed into a broken pillar—coughing up blood. One eye nearly swollen shut.
He whispered through grit teeth, "Cael... I need something."
The system pulsed.
[Accessing Skill Core: Dimensional Claw – Mutation Triggered]
[New Skill Unlocked: Dimensional Rift Drive]
Lucian’s aura flared.