Chapter 24: The Sinking City
Floor 4 was a realm of impossible physics and deep, terrifying blue. They emerged onto a floating, inverted cityscape—the Sinking City. Entire skyscrapers of marble and coral hung upside down beneath them, suspended above a swirling, infinite abyss. The sky above was the crushing pressure of the deep sea, and the air was thick with mist and the smell of ozone and salt.
The true threat was the water. Massive, chaotic waves of dark, polluted seawater pulsed through the inverted structures, driven by a corrupted elemental force. This was the domain of Poseidon, God of the Seas, currently under assault by the chaotic power of Nyx, the Outer God of Night and Void.
"The entire floor is the Hydrostatic Core of the Tower," Aiden stated, his voice ringing with urgency. His Chronos power detected hundreds of spatial and temporal anomalies within the shifting water. "Nyx's corruption is attempting to shatter the core's integrity, destabilizing all floors below. We have no time."
A massive, bronze altar stood at the center of the inverted platform. It was carved with ancient symbols of the sea—tridents and stylized waves. Rin immediately recognized the purpose.
"The relic must be placed here," Rin confirmed, moving forward. He placed the primordial coral—the Heart of the Abyss—into a depression on the altar.
The coral pulsed violently, sucking in the corrupted hydrostatic energy. The dark water swirling around the towers immediately cleared, turning a beautiful, stable azure. The massive, chaotic waves subsided, and the air cleared.
The Tower was momentarily saved.
But the stabilization was the alarm bell. A deep, seismic roar echoed from the abyss below, and the sky turned a crushing, absolute black.
"Nyx's counterattack!" Wei yelled, his emerald Qi flaring around him in a defensive stance.
From the now-stable azure water, masses of formless black vapor erupted, coalescing into terrifying, amorphous shapes—the Void Hounds of Nyx. They were entities of pure chaos, without physical bodies, designed to shatter the stability of both Chronos and Qi.
One of the Void Hounds lunged directly at Aiden, its amorphous claws aiming for his eyes.
"Defense!" Aiden commanded, his voice sharp. He didn't use Chronos; he couldn't risk the energy paradox.
Rin, however, moved before the command was fully processed. The Tether of Silence transmitted the intent of danger, not the emotion. Rin unleashed a furious wave of the Rending Gale, creating a vortex of pure kinetic energy that slammed into the Void Hound.
The Hound shrieked, but the kinetic force barely displaced its vaporous form. The Rending Gale was a hammer, and the enemy was smoke.
"It's not working!" Rin yelled, his teeth gritted.
"We must synchronize, Rin!" Aiden shouted, the admission of need a raw, tactical order. "The pure Gale is insufficient! You must accelerate the Void Hounds' kinetic decay! I will supply the temporal anchor! Now!"
The ultimate, forbidden command was given. They had to merge their powers in the heat of combat for the first time.