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Chapter 12 - The Race to the Vault

The immediate threat of Grandmaster Kaito's investigation had been neutralized, but the information he uncovered—that Akira was attempting to shatter Kenji's Original Suppression Protocol—was a catastrophic game-changer. The Cursed Assembly wasn't after a magical artifact; they were after Kenji's contained power.

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Strategic Shift

Kenji didn't waste a second on reflection. He grabbed the remaining file fragments of the Suppression Protocol from the shattered chest, sealing them into his Dimensional Sheath alongside Kage.

"Kaito," Kenji commanded, his voice sharp and cold. "You created this mess by digging up the past. Now you fix it. Get back to your tower and use your Chronal Tracing to predict Akira's next move. Where is he going, and when is he using the concentrated Mana?"

Kaito, recovering from the temporal shock, nodded solemnly. "The logical next step is the IAB Vault. They need the Blade of Union to permanently fuse their powers and stabilize the shattering charge. I will find the window."

Kenji turned to Ren. "We have to beat Akira to the Vault. But we can't just fight. We have to defend the Protocol."

Ren, having seen the terrifying potential of the Dark Magic, was focused. "Akira will assume we're running defense on the Vault. He'll hit it with a surgical strike, using Nyx's Covert Portal Manipulation to bypass the outer defenses and Finn's Sensory Nullification to blind surveillance."

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Deployment: The Hybrid Solution

Kenji led Ren and Sora back through the IAB complex, moving with a controlled intensity that was even more unnerving than his old laziness.

"The Vault's primary defense is Grandmaster Rina's Aetherial Shields," Kenji explained. "Rina can stop fire, water, and kinetic blasts, but she's useless against spatial distortion. We have to cover her blind spot."

Kenji assigned their roles, relying entirely on their Jujutsu Hybrid specialties:

1. Sora: The Anti-Portal Net. "Sora, your Concussion Webs are chaotic, high-volume energy. You will blanket the space directly outside the Vault walls with a massive, continuous web, augmented for Vibrational Density. This isn't for fighting. It's an anti-portal tripwire. If Nyx attempts to tear space for a covert jump, the massive, chaotic energy of your web will immediately destabilize her Warp Jujutsu, collapsing the entrance before she materializes."

2. Ren: The Protocol Defense. "Ren, your job is the most dangerous. You will position yourself inside the Vault. You will be our counter-measure for the Shattering Charge. If Akira manages to deploy the highly concentrated Mana he purified from the victims, you must use your Snap Cast Neutralization to instantly and surgically dissolve the Mana structure of that charge. You have zero margin for error. If you fail, the Dark Magic breaks free."

Kenji paused, looking at them both. "I will be the final line. I have to protect both of you, without resorting to the Dark Magic again."

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Interception

They reached the Vault sector, where Grandmaster Rina was already deploying her defense. Massive, shimmering blue Aetherial Shields—Rina's trademark—enveloped the corridor, turning it into an impenetrable fortress against energy attacks.

Sora didn't hesitate. She began channeling her massive Mana output. The air outside the shields filled with the high-frequency hum of pure force, and a wide, shimmering lattice of interwoven Concussion Webs materialized, spanning the entire hallway. It was a messy, vibrating chaos, beautiful in its lethal inefficiency—a perfect counter to Nyx's surgical Warp Jujutsu.

Ren moved with quiet determination, slipping past Rina's shield into the Vault interior. His perfect Mana Compaction was focused, ready to deploy the instantaneous Nullification Snap necessary to save Kenji's containment.

Just then, Kaito's voice cut through Kenji's comms, strained and urgent. "Kenji! They are moving! Nyx is initiating the Warp sequence now. And Akira is carrying the charge. They are not hitting the walls; they are hitting the ceiling—the least defended access point! NOW!"

A violent, ripping sound tore through the air directly above them. The space around the ceiling of the vault twisted, and a faint, shimmering, high-speed portal began to open—the signature of Nyx's Covert Portal Manipulation. Kenji launched himself upward, his Mana Efficiency pushing his body to its absolute physical limit, racing the portal to the ceiling. The final showdown for the Dark Magic had begun.

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