The barrier groaned.
A dull vibration spread throughout the sanctuary as another series of impacts rippled across its transparent surface. Every collision drained another portion of its strength before the shimmering dome barely managed to restore itself.
BOOOM!
A corrupted beast slammed against it.
BOOOM!
Another followed immediately.
The assault no longer came in waves.
It had become constant.
The sky remained filled with screeching corrupted birds, while the ground outside the sanctuary crawled with twisted creatures that refused to retreat no matter how many of them fell.
Limbo stood silently near the barrier.
His breathing had become noticeably heavier.
Area Scan remained active, stretching across the battlefield, yet unlike before...
Everything had become blurred.
The countless movements, corrupted signatures, and strange fluctuations overlapped each other until distinguishing one from another became nearly impossible.
His silver eyes slowly narrowed.
"No..."
"Something is wrong."
"I'm receiving information..."
"But I can't separate it anymore."
The battlefield had become too chaotic.
Too many corrupted creatures.
Too many signals.
Too much interference.
Area Scan wasn't failing.
It was reaching its limit.
His gaze swept across the endless horde one more time.
The only conclusion he could draw remained unchanged.
They weren't attacking randomly.
They were searching for something.
But...
What?
His thoughts suddenly drifted toward another place.
Naval Village.
The burning buildings.
The corrupted creatures.
The desperate escape.
The strange behaviour they had displayed there.
"...This..."
He muttered almost unconsciously.
"It's the same."
Adri turned slightly.
"The same?"
Limbo nodded slowly.
"They attacked Naval Village..."
"...almost the same way."
"They weren't simply killing."
"They were looking for something."
His eyes slowly moved toward the sanctuary behind him.
Toward the small figure standing quietly behind Adri.
Mora.
His thoughts stopped there.
"Could it be..."
"No."
"Am I just overthinking?"
"Or..."
"Is she really connected?"
He couldn't answer.
Not yet.
There wasn't enough proof.
Only suspicion.
Nothing more.
Another violent impact echoed across the sanctuary.
BOOOOM!!
The System suddenly appeared before his eyes.
"Barrier Breakdown: Unavoidable"
A second line quietly followed.
"Barrier Integrity: 70%"
Limbo stared at the notification for several long seconds.
Seventy percent.
That number alone explained everything.
The barrier wasn't winning.
It was losing.
Slowly.
Inevitably.
The realization settled heavily inside his chest.
Behind him, Mora unconsciously took another small step backward.
Her tiny hands clutched Adri's sleeve tightly.
Unlike yesterday...
She no longer cried.
She simply watched.
The fear inside her eyes was enough.
Adri remained standing before the child.
Her posture hadn't changed since the siege began.
Straight.
Calm.
Steady.
Almost as though she had already experienced similar situations countless times before.
She wasn't fearless.
She simply refused to let fear control her.
Limbo quietly observed both of them.
Then looked back toward the barrier.
His thoughts began assembling the situation piece by piece.
"If we continue like this..."
"The barrier will collapse."
"Not now..."
"But soon."
Another thought followed immediately.
"And once it breaks..."
His eyes shifted toward Mora again.
"We'll have to protect her..."
"While fighting."
He slowly closed his eyes.
That...
Was the worst possible battlefield.
Every movement would become restricted.
Every attack would require hesitation.
Every mistake...
Would reach the people standing behind him.
No.
That couldn't happen.
Not while another option still existed.
A slow breath escaped his lips.
He opened his eyes once more.
The hesitation inside them had disappeared.
Without saying a word...
He began walking.
Step...
Step...
Step...
Until he stood only a few meters away from the barrier.
Adri quietly followed him.
She stopped beside him, her gaze remaining fixed upon the endless corruption outside.
"So..."
She spoke calmly.
"You've made your decision."
Limbo nodded.
"If we continue defending..."
"...the barrier breaks."
"If the barrier breaks..."
"...the battle reaches us."
He pointed toward the sanctuary behind them.
"Mora loses the protection of the barrier."
"And we'll be forced to fight while protecting her."
His voice remained calm.
Almost emotionless.
Yet every word carried undeniable logic.
"I'd rather..."
He looked beyond the barrier.
"...take the battlefield outside..."
"...while we still have something protecting her."
Silence followed.
Adri didn't answer immediately.
She simply looked at Limbo for several moments.
Then...
A faint smile appeared.
"You've thought this through."
Limbo scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I had to."
"I don't see another option."
Adri slowly nodded.
"...Neither do I."
Another deafening impact shook the sanctuary.
BOOOOM!!
The barrier trembled violently.
A thin crack briefly appeared before slowly repairing itself.
Limbo stared at it.
"...It's time."
Adri folded her arms.
"So..."
"What now?"
Limbo quietly stretched his shoulders.
His fingers instinctively flexed once.
Twice.
Then...
A strange sentence escaped his mouth.
"...Now..."
He looked toward the endless army waiting beyond the barrier.
"...it's..."
A small smile unknowingly appeared on his face.
"...Debug time."
Silence.
Adri blinked.
"...Debug?"
Limbo froze.
"...Huh?"
"You just said 'Debug.'"
He scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"...Did I?"
"I..."
"...actually don't know where that came from."
He honestly looked just as confused as Adri.
"It just..."
"...came out."
For a brief moment...
Even amidst the overwhelming battlefield...
A tiny smile escaped Adri.
"...You're a strange child."
Limbo laughed awkwardly.
"...I've been told that before."
The moment ended almost instantly.
Far beyond the corrupted army...
Hidden among the countless creatures...
Traka slowly lifted one finger.
His crimson eyes never left Limbo.
A nearby subordinate immediately lowered his head.
"My Lord?"
Traka's smile deepened.
"The next wave."
He spoke quietly.
"This time..."
"...send the stronger ones."
The subordinate disappeared without another word.
At that exact moment—
A familiar notification flashed before Limbo's eyes.
"Danger Level Increased"
His expression immediately changed.
The notification remained for only a second.
Yet...
It was enough.
Limbo slowly looked toward Adri.
"They're changing."
Adri frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"The next group..."
His silver eyes sharpened.
"...is stronger than the last."
The battlefield...
Was about to enter its next phase.
The atmosphere changed.
It wasn't merely because the System had warned him.
He could feel it.
The pressure beyond the barrier had become noticeably heavier, as though the corruption itself had thickened. Even the creatures that had been recklessly throwing themselves against the sanctuary suddenly slowed their assault.
They moved aside.
Making room.
Limbo's eyes narrowed.
"...They're coming."
Far within the corrupted ranks, several larger silhouettes stepped forward.
Unlike the previous wave, these creatures retained a rough humanoid shape. Their bodies were wrapped in hardened black scales, thick muscles bulging beneath corrupted flesh. Some carried broken blades fused into their arms, while others dragged enormous claws that carved deep grooves through the blackened ground.
Their presence alone eclipsed the smaller creatures.
The corrupted beasts instinctively moved out of their path.
"They're different..." Mora whispered, her voice trembling.
Adri's expression hardened.
"Yes."
"They're no longer sending expendable creatures."
Her gaze never left the approaching monsters.
"They've begun using their fighters."
Limbo slowly exhaled.
"So the notification wasn't wrong..."
His fingers instinctively tightened.
The Beta Fragments vibrated faintly once more, but unlike before, he ignored them.
Right now...
His focus belonged entirely to the battlefield.
Beyond the barrier, Traka quietly observed the exchange.
His faint smile never disappeared.
"Let's see..."
"...how long your reasoning keeps you alive."
He casually lowered his raised finger.
The signal was enough.
ROOOOAAARRRR!!
The larger corrupted creatures charged.
Unlike the previous wave, they didn't rush mindlessly.
They spread apart while advancing, leaving enough distance between one another to prevent a single attack from hitting all of them at once.
Limbo noticed immediately.
"...Formation."
Adri looked toward him.
"You noticed?"
"They're learning."
"No..."
He corrected himself almost instantly.
"They already know."
"They're changing tactics."
He took one final glance toward the barrier.
Toward Mora.
Toward Adri.
The barrier still stood.
Damaged.
But standing.
That alone was enough.
Without another word...
Limbo stepped forward.
The transparent barrier rippled gently as he approached it.
Adri quietly watched him.
"You really intend to go outside."
Limbo smiled faintly.
"If I fight from inside..."
"...they'll keep attacking the barrier."
He slowly raised his right hand.
"If I fight outside..."
"...their attention shifts to me."
He looked back only once.
"The barrier survives longer."
"And you can focus entirely on protecting Mora."
Adri didn't stop him.
Because she knew...
He was right.
The barrier wasn't a weapon.
It was time.
Every second it remained standing increased their chances.
Limbo placed one hand upon the shimmering surface.
The transparent barrier reacted, opening just enough for a single person to pass before immediately beginning to close again.
A cold gust of corrupted air struck his face the moment he stepped beyond the sanctuary.
The smell was overwhelming.
Rotting leaves.
Stagnant water.
Decay.
It was as though the forest itself had died long ago.
Behind him, the barrier sealed once more.
For the first time since entering the sanctuary...
Limbo stood alone.
Outside.
Facing the corruption.
Hundreds of crimson eyes immediately shifted toward him.
The charging creatures slowed.
Even Traka seemed mildly surprised.
"...Interesting."
"He came out himself."
Limbo ignored every gaze fixed upon him.
Instead...
He calmly raised his right hand.
Mana gathered around his fingertips.
Tiny arcs of lightning crackled through the air.
Not wildly.
Controlled.
Compressed.
One after another...
Dozens of small spheres of condensed lightning formed around him.
Then dozens became hundreds.
The surrounding air vibrated.
Blue sparks danced across the ground beneath his feet.
Several corrupted creatures instinctively hesitated.
Even they sensed the growing danger.
Behind the barrier, Mora's eyes widened.
"So many..."
She had never seen Limbo gather this much mana before.
Even Adri looked genuinely surprised.
"...He was holding back..."
She whispered unconsciously.
Limbo slowly pointed toward the charging army.
His expression remained calm.
No anger.
No fear.
Only concentration.
"...Lightning Bullet Barrage."
The world exploded.
BOOOOM!!
Hundreds of compressed lightning bullets shot forward simultaneously, tearing through the battlefield like a torrential storm.
Blue streaks crossed the air faster than the eye could follow.
One pierced the skull of a corrupted wolf.
Another shattered the chest of a humanoid creature.
Several more exploded among the crawling beasts, sending black blood and broken limbs flying in every direction.
The front line collapsed almost instantly.
Explosion after explosion echoed throughout the forest.
Smoke.
Dust.
Lightning.
The battlefield disappeared beneath the overwhelming barrage.
Even the ground itself had been torn apart.
Silence followed.
Only the crackling sound of fading electricity remained.
Behind the barrier...
Mora stood speechless.
Her frightened expression had completely vanished, replaced by pure astonishment.
"...Amazing..."
Adri slowly smiled.
Not because the attack was powerful.
But because she finally understood something.
"...Now I see..."
She quietly folded her arms.
"...why that brat entrusted this to you."
Far beyond the smoke...
Traka continued watching.
The faint smile on his face remained exactly the same.
No panic.
No surprise.
Only amusement.
Like a lion watching a young deer desperately fight against a pack of wolves.
It was entertaining.
It was unexpected.
But...
In his eyes...
The outcome had yet to change.
"...Show me..."
He murmured softly.
"...how much further you can go."