The Citadel stood in eerie silence, the chaos of the battle having died down for a moment. Jin Long's pulse raced as he surveyed the battlefield. The Void Heralds were far from defeated, but their advance had been slowed. Each of them had fought with everything they had, pushing their limits and tapping into powers they hadn't fully understood until now.
Yet, the real challenge was far from over. The words of Zhan Wuhen and the rift in the sky echoed in Jin Long's mind. The Void had not merely come to conquer—it had come to unravel everything.
Jin Long felt the Genesis Core's power pulsating within him, like a beating heart, alive and ever-present. It was as though the very energy of the universe was flowing through him, its raw potential infinite. But he also felt its burden—the awareness that the core was far more than just a weapon. It was a key to something much darker, something older than the worlds themselves.
"Jin Long," Yue Lan said, her voice breaking through his thoughts. She stood beside him, her face pale but determined, her eyes scanning the horizon. "We can't hold out forever. The Void will keep coming. We need a plan."
He nodded, the weight of their situation heavy in his chest. The Heralds were just a fraction of what the Void was capable of. The true danger lay in what had come before them and what was yet to come—the true purpose of the Genesis Core.
"The rift," Jin Long said quietly, as realization dawned on him. "It's not just an opening. It's a beacon."
Yue Lan's brows furrowed. "A beacon for what?"
"A beacon for the rest of the Void. Zhan Wuhen… He's only the beginning. The rift is a signal—calling them, drawing them closer." Jin Long's hand tightened around the Echoblade. "We need to destroy the rift. If we don't, the entire world will fall to the Void's influence."
His words hung in the air, the weight of them sinking in.
---
Far in the distance, the rift pulsed again. The Citadel trembled as the swirling darkness expanded, growing larger with each passing second. A deep, guttural sound echoed through the Citadel—an ominous warning that something even more powerful than the Heralds was coming.
Yue Lan glanced at Jin Long, a flicker of concern in her eyes. "How do we close it? We don't even know what's on the other side. What if—"
"We don't have a choice," Jin Long interrupted, his voice resolute. "We fight. We push back, or everything will be lost."
His eyes met Yue Lan's, and for a brief moment, they shared a silent understanding. They had been through countless battles together, each one shaping them into the warriors they were now. But this battle was different. This was a battle against the very fabric of existence.
Suddenly, a voice boomed across the Citadel, rich and commanding, filled with an otherworldly resonance.
"You think you can stop me?" The voice echoed from the rift itself. It was deep, resonant, and full of malice. It wasn't Zhan Wuhen anymore. This was something more ancient. "I am Nyxara, the Black Dawn. You will bow before me."
The sky above them twisted and crackled, and from the rift emerged a shadow so vast it seemed to swallow the very light of the Citadel. Nyxara's form was like a storm of living darkness, a massive entity whose mere presence bent the laws of nature. Her eyes glowed with the intensity of a thousand collapsing stars, and her aura suffocated the air.
"Jin Long, Yue Lan," she continued, her voice a mixture of amusement and contempt, "You are the last remnants of a forgotten world. It is only fitting that you should perish here, before the Void swallows all."
Jin Long gripped the Echoblade tighter, his heart pounding in his chest. This was it—the final confrontation. He could feel the power of the Genesis Core within him, its energy growing more volatile by the second.
"I won't let you destroy everything," Jin Long shouted, his voice filled with defiance.
Nyxara's laugh was like the sound of a thousand broken worlds crashing together. "You think you can oppose me, child? You are nothing. A pawn in the grand scheme of things. You cannot stop what is inevitable."
The ground beneath them shook violently, and Nyxara surged forward, her dark energy cracking the air like thunder. Jin Long didn't hesitate. With a roar, he charged forward, the Echoblade glowing with the power of the Genesis Core.
But as he closed the distance, Nyxara raised her hand, and a wave of black energy erupted, sending him flying backward. He crashed into the ground, the wind knocked from his lungs.
"Jin Long!" Yue Lan shouted, rushing to his side. "Are you alright?"
He nodded, struggling to his feet. The power of the rift was overwhelming. Nyxara wasn't just a threat—she was the embodiment of everything the Void had been working toward. And now, she was here to finish what had started.
"We need to fight back. We need to strike at the heart of the rift," Jin Long said, his voice strained but determined. "If we don't destroy it now, there won't be anything left to save."
Yue Lan nodded, her gaze unwavering. "Then let's end this."