Henry's group was escorting Veyra through the dim outer corridors of the market.
Her breathing was shaky, but she kept moving.
Veyra (hurried): "There's an old maintenance shaft near the eastern wall. It leads to a bypass tunnel—they don't monitor it as heavily."
Henry nodded once.
Henry: "Good. Lead the way."
Behind them, the sound of synchronized footsteps grew louder.
More disciples—far more than before—were now pursuing them in perfect formation.
Lenny glanced back, his eyes widening.
Lenny: "…They're moving like a single unit."
Emilia dissolved partially into mist, scouting the rear.
Emilia: "They're closing in faster than we can outrun them."
Jack grinned despite the situation, rolling his shoulders.
Jack: "Guess we give them something to trip over, huh?"
As they turned a corner, the first wave of Disciples lunged forward.
Jack immediately stepped into the front line, his dragon scales flaring as he slammed two attackers into the wall.
Ichiro stayed close to Veyra and Lenny, his strikes precise and fast, keeping the path open.
Emilia's mist swirled like a curtain, disorienting the Disciples just long enough to disrupt their coordination.
Henry stayed at the center, calm and focused, striking only when needed—every move aimed to create openings rather than waste time.
The Disciples weren't attacking randomly.
They moved in perfect sync, covering each other's blind spots, cutting off escape routes with calculated precision.
Lenny cursed under his breath.
Lenny: "They're not just chasing—they're herding us."
Henry's gaze flickered forward, already reading the trap forming.
Henry: "…They're trying to funnel us into a dead end."
Then, from the far end of the corridor ahead, a faint gravitational hum resonated.
The air grew heavier, almost pressing on their chests.
Veyra froze, her voice trembling.
Veyra: "…He's coming."
Jack scowled, glancing at Henry.
Jack: "Who's he?"
Emilia's eyes narrowed sharply.
Emilia: "…Ravenous Halo. The guy from the tunnels. He's cutting us off."
Henry scanned the layout quickly—backward was swarming with Disciples, and forward was about to be blocked by Ravenous himself.
They had seconds to decide.
Henry: "We can't outrun him. We break through the side passage. Jack—cover rear. Emilia, smoke in the front. Ichiro, keep her moving."
They turned sharply into a narrow service tunnel just as the gravity field intensified, the first sign of Ravenous Halo's arrival.
Behind them, the Disciples flooded in, relentless.
The service tunnel was tight, cracked from years of disuse, its walls trembling under the weight of gravitational pulses surging from behind.
Suddenly—BOOM.
The tunnel ahead buckled, warped steel and earth cracking open in a ripple of invisible force. A sharp gravitational pulse erupted.
The group sprinted through the dim maintenance shaft, the flickering lights above casting sharp shadows. Behind them, the synchronized footsteps of the Disciples grew louder and more relentless, closing in like a tidal wave.
Then the air shifted.
A heavy hum rolled through the corridor. The walls vibrated faintly.
Henry slowed instinctively.
And from the darkness ahead, Ravenous Halo stepped into view.
His polearm rested lightly in his hand, the blade humming with contained power.
He spoke in his quiet, almost reverent tone.
Ravenous Halo: "You've carried the traitor far enough."
Veyra froze behind Henry, clutching the data shard tightly.
Veyra (whispering): "…No. Not him."
Jack stepped forward, smirking despite the oppressive weight pressing on his shoulders.
Jack: "So the preacher came to do his own dirty work. Fine. Saves us the trouble of finding you later."
Without another word, Ravenous Halo moved.
One moment he was standing still—the next, he was already in front of them, swinging his polearm in a wide arc that ripped the air itself, creating a gravitational shockwave that sent Henry, Jack, and Ichiro sliding back against the wall.
Jack roared, his dragon scales hardening fully as he lunged. His claws met the polearm with a deafening clash, sparks flying.
But Ravenous Halo didn't budge. He twisted his weapon effortlessly, reversing gravity around Jack mid-swing, throwing him sideways into the wall.
Emilia dissolved into mist, flickering behind Ravenous Halo to strike at the implants on his back.
But Ravenous anticipated her. He spun the halo behind his head, creating a localized vortex that sucked her mist inward, forcing her to reform just to avoid being crushed.
Ichiro darted in from the flank, his wind aura cutting a clean path through the gravitational distortion for a brief second. He slashed at Ravenous's side—but Ravenous simply tilted the gravity beneath Ichiro's feet, flipping him upside down mid-strike and slamming him into the ceiling before dropping him back down.
Henry moved last.
He waited for the slight delay after Ravenous' counter to Ichiro—then lunged for the halo ring itself, knowing it was the control focus.
With Shooting Star, he moves behind Ravenous. His fist glows bright blue, and his strike hits true. Sparks flew as the halo flickered for a fraction of a second.
But Ravenous recovered instantly.
Ravenous Halo: "You learn quickly… but not quickly enough."
With a flick of his polearm, he compressed the air around Henry, pinning him in place with crushing gravity before throwing him back several meters.
Jack pulled himself from the wall, snarling.
Jack: "Alright, he is stronger than we thought…"
Emilia stood beside Henry, mist flickering faintly, eyes sharp.
Emilia: "We can't fight him head-on. He's controlling the whole field."
Ichiro steadied his breath, focusing his aura tighter.
Lenny, shielding Veyra, shouting over the chaos.
Lenny: "We can't keep this up! If you're going to take him, do it fast!"
Ravenous Halo advanced calmly, his voice still soft and unnervingly composed despite the chaos.
Ravenous Halo: "The Halo is eternal. You will kneel."
He raised his polearm and slammed it into the ground.
The entire shaft shook violently, gravity waves rippling through the floor and ceiling, cracking the walls.
The group were forced to anchor themselves just to stay upright.
Henry's eyes sharpened.
Henry: "We can't overpower him. We have to disrupt him."
He turned to the others quickly.
Henry: "Jack—keep him busy for a while. Emilia—lock his movement for even a second. Ichiro, I need you to wait for the opening."
They nodded.
Jack charged again, full force, throwing heavy blows to keep Ravenous occupied.
Emilia dissolved into mist, spreading it wide to obscure Ravenous' sight, forcing him to adjust.
Jack's sheer pressure forced Ravenous to pivot slightly. Emilia's mist flickered just enough to obscure his peripheral vision.
In that split second, Ravenous' halo dimmed slightly.
Henry lunged. Ichiro followed.
They struck simultaneously, hitting the halo ring from opposite sides.
The impact disrupted Ravenous' gravitational field for just a moment—long enough to break the crushing weight in the shaft.
Lenny shouted.
Lenny: "Now! Move!"
The group grabbed Veyra and slipped past Ravenous while his field destabilized for that brief moment.
But as they ran, Ravenous' voice echoed behind them—calm, almost amused.
Ravenous Halo: "…You delay the inevitable. The Halo sees you."
The gravity field behind them reset, but they were already pushing through the next corridor.