The sound was deafening.
Fire, lightning, wind, water, space cracking, sword slashes, weapons smashing—every kind of Skill imaginable, each the size of at least a small mountain, came crashing down on one spot.
A force so immense that no nuclear strike could compare erupted as dozens of Skills landed at once.
The whole world shook. Chunks of ground were sent flying, energy tearing through the air in all directions. The impact released such intense power that even a single spark could raze an entire street.
And yet, even as the world seemed on the brink of ending, more attacks rained down on that single point.
A massive mechanical armor raised both of its arms, and hundreds of missiles launched from its compartments, thrusters flaring as they homed in on the target they'd been relentlessly bombarding.
But even as if hundreds of nukes had hit it—'it'—there was no sign of cracked space or any visible damage.
Still, the people on the ground and in the sky didn't stop. In fact, their attacks only grew fiercer with time.
Those launching the onslaught wore various forms of protective gear—some medieval, others futuristic. Many wore enchanted items that enhanced their power and protected them from the unknown threat.
Their voices echoed across a world consumed by madness.
The sky was red. No clouds. Only two massive, moon-like red eyes hanging above, staring down.
The entire land radiated desolation, reshaped by the relentless bombardment focused on that one shaking point.
"Keep attacking!" shouted someone, wielding a staff that launched a massive shard of ice toward the target.
"Sh*t! How the hell is it surviving this?!" another person yelled, their voice muffled by explosions—but the Hive Mind Skill linked their thoughts, making communication easy.
"Just focus! We have to break the wall to kill this son of a b*tch!"
"F*cking dimensional walls!"
"MORE FIREPOWER!"
Their voices echoed within one another's minds—chaotic, but united. With coordinated rage, they unleashed even more power, their Mana draining rapidly.
Then, suddenly, the spot they were attacking shimmered strangely. Their Skills passed right through, striking a distant mountain instead.
A massive explosion shook the world again. Dust clouds and multicolored energy surged into the red sky—but none of them looked toward the mushroom cloud.
All eyes remained locked on 'it'.
"It disappeared!"
"Fck, where is it?!*"
There were at least a hundred individuals, each strong enough to destroy a city on their own—yet not a single one could find the thing they'd been fighting.
That's when a loud whirring noise echoed from above, grabbing everyone's attention.
They looked up—and instantly launched their attacks at one particular point in the sky.
"Hurry! It's about to strike! Break the wall!"
"Wait! It's too late!"
They tried—but the thing began to fight back.
The space in front of the 'spot' changed—it distorted and formed the shape of a spear. Then, the space spear descended like heaven's judgment.
They tried to stop it with more Skills and rockets, but no matter what they did, the descent didn't stop.
And just as the spear was about to land on them, a person materialized in front of it. With a wave of his hand, the spear stopped in place, slowly reversing as if time itself were rewinding.
No—the time around the space spear was definitely going backward.
When the people saw this, their eyes lit up.
"The Chosen One has arrived!"
"Now that he's here, we can finally break the wall!"
Their attacks grew fiercer, hope shining in their eyes.
However, their confidence wavered when the Chosen One in the sky failed to completely stop the attack. The spear broke free from the grip of time.
"Master, help me guide them away from the impact," the Chosen One said through the Hive Mind, still trying to reverse time around the spear to give the people below a chance to escape.
"Alright," came a voice amidst the Hive's chaos—and suddenly, everything seemed to calm.
It was the voice of someone experienced. Old, calm, and composed.
At the same moment his words fell, dozens of bubbles materialized, engulfing the people and pulling them away from the point of impact.
The Chosen One in the sky let the space spear descend. Though it seemed slow, it landed instantly—and upon impact, a destruction spanning the size of at least three cities erupted. The ground resembled a black hole, devoid of life or dimension.
Some unfortunate people died—the bubbles hadn't reached them in time.
But no one blamed the Bubble User. They all knew it was unavoidable, even with Skills.
The Bubble User, meanwhile, protected himself with his own bubble as the force blasted him and the others away.
"I'm not fast enough," he muttered as the bubbles landed and popped on the ground.
"Master," a person materialized beside him. "Don't blame yourself. I couldn't stop it. It's my fault."
"We have to retreat. I can't see it like you people who've reached Level 90. My calculations are off," the Bubble User said, a frown on his face. "Can we?"
The Bubble User wore a light blue and silver robe—resembling a magician's outfit, but built for mobility. It enhanced the range and strength of his Skill, allowing him to use his bubble abilities across vast distances, despite his capped Level of 50.
He had the countenance of a middle-aged man—black hair, serious yet calm eyes. A beard and stubble gave him a seasoned look.
"I can't see the future with them around," the Chosen One said, watching as the others continued firing at the spot.
"Then it's better to retreat. These are the only people we have left," the Bubble User replied, raising one hand to form bubbles while tossing a red elixir with the other.
The elixir exploded, tainting the bubbles red.
With a snap of his fingers, the bubbles blurred into motion, instantly appearing on the spot.
They expanded—then erupted into a fiery red explosion.
However, despite the blast, the space at the spot didn't change.
"We can't… we have to stay here," the Chosen One said, as he also unleashed an attack at the spot in the sky using his Time Manipulation Skill.
Still, even though the time around it grew chaotic, the spot remained the same.