The moment Tartarusios awakened, the entire sunken city trembled.
Ancient mechanisms buried beneath endless layers of stone groaned back to life one after another. Deep beneath Atlantis, colossal engines that had remained silent for countless ages erupted with a thunderous roar. Crimson dust burst from the cracks of the city streets as glowing streams of pale energy surged through veins carved into the ancient structures.
The dead city was waking up.
Inside the control chamber of Tartarusios, Youri staggered back as dozens of dormant consoles ignited around him. Symbols written in ancient Sacrosian script flashed across towering panels, bathing the room in waves of pale gold and deep crimson light.
The chamber itself was enormous.
A vast circular hall stretched beneath a domed ceiling lined with moving mechanisms and suspended rings of metal that slowly rotated overhead. In front of them stood a gigantic transparent viewing panel that overlooked the entirety of Atlantis. From there, Youri could see the battle unfolding outside.
And it was absolute chaos.
Almesis roared.
The sound alone shook the city.
The skeletal ruler of Tartarus spread its massive wings wide as endless pressure erupted from its body. The ground beneath Atlantis cracked apart instantly as infinite gravitational force pulled entire structures upward toward it.
Buildings collapsed inward.
Stone towers folded like paper.
Entire streets ripped from the earth and floated toward Almesis as though reality itself was being dragged into its grasp.
Yet before the destruction could reach Tartarusios—
Gaisen intercepted.
The colossal dragon slammed into Almesis from the side with hurricane-force momentum, its massive wings unleashing a catastrophic burst of compressed wind that detonated across the city.
The impact forced Almesis backward through three gigantic towers.
Stone exploded into the sky.
For the first time since appearing, Almesis actually slid across the ground.
Its hollow jaws slowly widened into a grin.
"So another one still dares to stand before me…"
High above Atlantis, Gaisen roared back.
The dragon had regenerated much of its body, though scars still covered portions of its dark scales. Massive currents of wind spiraled around it violently, forming gigantic cyclones that tore through the skies of Tartarus.
But even injured—
Gaisen still radiated overwhelming power.
Meanwhile, standing directly opposite Almesis was Altopereh.
Not the Orbiton.
Not the restrained vessel.
Its true form.
The black antimatter creature hovered above the shattered city like a living abyss. Endless darkness leaked from its body, swallowing light itself. Its massive frame shifted unnaturally, portions of it dissolving into void-like smoke before reforming again.
And unlike Gaisen—
Altopereh was smiling.
"You finally found an opponent worth looking at," it echoed through the skies.
Almesis laughed.
The sound was monstrous.
"You still speak proudly after being chained by mortals?"
Altopereh's grin widened.
"And you still speak proudly after letting those same mortals walk into your home and steal your world."
For the first time—
Almesis stopped smiling.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The pressure became unbearable.
Even inside Tartarusios, Youri felt his chest tighten violently.
Lea immediately grabbed one of the ancient control panels to steady herself.
"He's angry…" she whispered.
Outside—
The fight exploded.
Almesis vanished.
Not moved.
Vanished.
The city imploded beneath its acceleration as infinite mass distorted the surrounding space. A shockwave erupted across Atlantis before Almesis suddenly appeared directly in front of Altopereh.
Its claw descended.
And reality tore open.
The attack did not simply slash through space—it ignored it entirely.
The Eternal Echo.
The wound existed before impact.
Altopereh's chest suddenly split apart even before the claw fully connected.
Dark antimatter erupted outward reveling the orbiton inside.
Yet Altopereh laughed.
Its body dissolved instantly into black particles before reforming behind Almesis.
"You're predictable."
A gigantic antimatter blade formed instantly in Altopereh's hand.
The black blade carved across Almesis' side, splitting apart portions of its skeletal armor and sending dark fragments flying across Atlantis.
Almesis retaliated immediately.
Its halo-like domain expanded.
Everything around it began collapsing inward.
Entire mountains from distant parts of the desert ripped free from the horizon and hurtled toward the battlefield.
The gravitational pull became catastrophic.
Even Gaisen struggled to remain airborne as the dragon unleashed colossal storms to counter the force. Hurricane currents spiraled around its body, clashing directly against Almesis' gravity field.
The skies shattered.
Tornadoes collided with gravitational distortions.
Lightning erupted everywhere.
Below, Tartarusios shook violently.
Youri grabbed the controls as alarms began flashing across the chamber.
"We need to power the navigation systems now!" Lea shouted.
"How!?"
Lea rushed across the room, activating ancient mechanisms one after another.
"These ships weren't made like modern vessels! Tartarusios responds directly to energy circulation from the city itself!"
The walls suddenly illuminated.
Gigantic rings beneath Atlantis began rotating.
Far below the city—
Ancient reactors awakened.
Outside, Altopereh lunged forward again.
This time its shoulders opened apart.
Dozens of crimson laser arrays emerged instantly.
A catastrophic barrage erupted across Atlantis.
Beams of antimatter energy tore through the city and struck Almesis head-on, detonating across its skeletal body in explosions large enough to erase entire mountain ranges.
Yet when the smoke cleared—
Almesis was still standing.
The ruler laughed again.
Then it moved its hand.
And suddenly—
Everything stopped.
The lasers froze midair.
The debris stopped moving.
Even the storms themselves halted unnaturally.
Almesis slowly closed its claw—
And all the halted attacks reversed direction simultaneously.
Altopereh's own barrage came screaming back toward it.
The explosions engulfed half of Atlantis.
Dark firestorms consumed entire districts.
Even Gaisen was forced to retreat upward to avoid the devastation.
Inside Tartarusios, Youri watched in horror.
"That thing…"
Lea stared silently at the battlefield.
"You can't fight Almesis like a normal enemy…"
Outside, Altopereh emerged from the explosions.
Damaged.
But still smiling.
Dark antimatter dripped from portions of its body as it stared directly at Almesis.
"Good," it growled.
"Finally something entertaining."
Almesis lunged again.
This time Gaisen intercepted alongside Altopereh.
The dragon unleashed a concentrated storm blast directly into Almesis' face while Altopereh attacked from below with dual antimatter plasma blades.
The three domain rulers collided head-on.
The impact split Atlantis apart.
Entire districts collapsed into the abyss beneath the city as storms, gravity, and antimatter consumed everything around them.
Gaisen's winds sliced through skyscraper-sized structures like paper.
Almesis crushed entire sections of the city merely by stepping forward.
Altopereh carved black scars through reality itself.
The battle escalated beyond anything Youri had ever witnessed.
Then—
Altopereh found an opening.
Gaisen wrapped Almesis in colossal wind currents, restricting its movement for only a fraction of a second.
But for beings like them—
A fraction was enough.
Altopereh appeared directly above Almesis.
Its antimatter blade expanded massively.
The darkness around the weapon distorted violently.
Then it swung downward with everything it had.
One of Almesis' massive horn spires was severed instantly.
The blackened horn crashed through Atlantis below like a falling mountain.
For the first time—
Almesis screamed.
The sound shook all of Tartarus.
The crimson skies cracked with violent distortions as endless pressure exploded outward from the ruler's body.
Its grin disappeared completely.
And what replaced it—
Was fury.
"You…"
The entire city began collapsing inward.
Infinite gravitational force erupted in every direction simultaneously. Buildings folded into singularities. Streets twisted apart. Even Tartarusios groaned under the pressure.
Inside the control room, warning lights flashed wildly.
Lea's eyes widened.
"The ship's core is reacting!"
Youri turned toward the central chamber.
At the heart of Tartarusios—
Something ancient was awakening.