There are two ways to truly recognize a power far greater than your own.
The first is through pain—when your body is broken, crushed beneath an overwhelming force, leaving no doubt that you stand before something beyond your reach.
The second is through emptiness—when no matter how hard you strain your senses, no presence, no aura, no power registers at all. When the very concept of strength is stolen from your understanding, and the unknown takes its place.
This was the situation Garrick and the 3rd Unit found themselves in the moment she stepped out of the elevator.
There was no blaring surge of energy, no suffocating aura that screamed of dominance. If one were careless, they might mistake her for an ordinary person—just another nameless figure draped in a cloak, her expression hidden behind that eerie, frozen smile.
But Garrick knew.
Deep in his gut, something primal screamed at him. Stronger. She is stronger. A warning ingrained in every warrior's instincts—the kind that meant survival depended on standing still, saying nothing, and praying not to be noticed.
Dr. Ferris fell to his knees the moment the elevator doors sealed behind her. His entire body trembled, not from fear, but from worship.
His hands pressed to the cold, bloodstained floor, his head bowed so low that his forehead nearly touched it. His voice, though shaken with reverence, carried an almost religious fervor.
"Oh, great Ashborne… I am truly not worthy to be in your presence."
Hearing this the whole team froze, an Ashborne, there was truly an Ashborne around, this was the worse possible scenario that they were hoping to avoid.
Dr. Ferris continued as his breath hitched, and yet he forced himself to continue, his words tumbling out in near desperation.
"You, who walk above us, who exist beyond the reach of ordinary men… you have deemed my hands incapable, my resolve insufficient. And so, in your boundless mercy, you have come here personally to correct my failings."
A shudder ran through him as he dared to lift his gaze, but the smile on her mask—unchanging, unreadable, unknowable—made his stomach twist.
"Forgive my shortcomings. Forgive my weakness. I am but an ember flickering in your shadow, incapable of grasping the vastness of your flame."
His fingers curled into fists against the floor, as though to ground himself from the sheer weight of her presence.
"Speak but a word, and I shall obey. Command me, and I shall see it done. Take my life if it pleases you, for even in death, it would be an honor to serve."
Silence.
Dr. Ferris did not move. He did not breathe. He only awaited judgment.
Ferris trembled on his knees, forehead pressed to the cold metal floor as the woman before him tilted her head ever so slightly. Then, a soft, amused voice filled the air, carrying an unsettling warmth beneath its weight.
"Ferris, you know… I really admire you a lot."
The scientist flinched as though the words alone held a physical force.
"If only all Embers were half as useful as you are, then we wouldn't be having so many little inconveniences like this."
Her head lifted, her masked gaze locking onto the 3rd Unit.
The moment her focus shifted, every instinct in their bodies screamed danger.
Without thinking, the entire team moved into defensive stances.
She chuckled.
A slow, knowing laugh that sent a chill down their spines.
"Well, well… the infamous 3rd Unit." She spread her arms as if welcoming them. "You all sure know how to make a mess. How many bases has it been so far?"
She lifted her fingers, lazily pretending to count, before giving up entirely and sighing in mock exasperation.
"Ah—doesn't matter."
CRACK.
She rolled her shoulders, her knuckles popping as she twisted her waist, muscles flexing under her cloak.
Her next words were spoken without urgency. Without care.
"You're all going to die anyway."
Vance acted immediately.
The moment she finished speaking, his sparrow drones erupted from his spatial ring, forming an electrified barrier around her. The energy pulsated, an intricate web of light weaving between the drones, sealing off her movements.
For the first time since stepping out of the elevator—she paused.
Not in fear. Not in shock. But in mild amusement.
Vance's voice was sharp, resolute as he strained every muscle in his body, pouring his essence into the trap. "You might be an Ashborne, maybe even a Rank 4… but you're nothing if you can't use your essence."
His eyes burned with determination.
She giggled.
Not laughed. Giggled. Like a child who had just discovered something entertaining.
"Ah… Vance, right? The one with the toys."
The air grew heavy.
Something shifted.
The metal floor beneath them trembled. The sound was subtle at first—a deep, distant hum vibrating through their bones. Then—
SCREEEEEECH!
A violent shriek ripped through the underground base as jagged metal spikes erupted from the floor at blinding speeds, striking the barrier with inhuman precision.
BZZZT! The drones short-circuited.
The moment before they exploded, she was gone.
A blur. A whisper of movement.
Then—Vance was in her grasp.
Her fingers wrapped effortlessly around his throat, lifting him into the air like a ragdoll.
"NO, VANCE!"
The team roared in unison, bodies snapping into motion.
Dante's sand spiraled violently from his artifact, moving to coil around her arm. Selene's ice guns fragmented, shifting into sniper parts as she reassembled them into a singular, monstrous rifle.
April launched forward, her halberd a streak of fire. Corbin boosted himself with wind, closing the distance.
Garrick's spear was already aimed for her heart.
For a split second—they believed they could reach her.
Then—metal shrieked again.
The air itself seemed to collapse inward as her power surged.
BANG!
A deafening metallic roar ripped through the battlefield.
The sand froze mid-motion, encased in solid iron, sealing the artifact shut.
Selene's sniper rifle twisted violently, the metal in its frame warping as spikes shot through her arms, piercing straight through flesh and bone.
CRASH!
Corbin and April were sent flying, thick metal bands snapping around their ankles, hurling them like ragdolls against the walls. Their bones cracked.
THUNK.
Garrick never reached her.
His spear halted mid-strike—twisting violently—before a thick coil of steel wrapped around his body, yanking him to the ground, pinning him beneath sheer force.
One move.
In one move, she had dismantled the entire 3rd Unit.
All without releasing a single hint of killing intent.
The only sound left was Vance choking, kicking desperately as she held him aloft.
Garrick thrashed violently against his restraints, voice raw with desperation.
"DON'T DO IT! PLEASE! TAKE ME INSTEAD!"
His metal bindings groaned under his struggling.
Vance stopped kicking.
His eyes—once burning with resistance—dimmed.
He turned his head just enough to look at Garrick, a small, tired smile on his face.
"…Boss."
His voice was weak.
"This might be it for me. But I'll… make sure you guys get out of here."
Garrick's heart stopped.
A glow began to form around Vance.
His remaining drones burst from his spatial ring, latching onto the surrounding walls, pulsing brighter and brighter.
A self-destruction protocol.
Kamikaze.
He was sacrificing himself.
"…Vance, no…" Garrick whispered, pure horror in his voice.
But then—the light dimmed.
The glow died.
The drones… fizzled out.
Garrick's eyes widened in horror as he saw why.
Vance's head fell from his shoulders.
A single strip of sharpened metal hovered beside her, dripping crimson.
Vance's lifeless body crumpled to the floor.
Silence.
A silence so deep it rang louder than any scream.
The 3rd Unit froze.
Their minds refused to process what they had just seen.
Then—
She clicked her tongue.
A casual, playful sound.
"…Wait."
Her voice was mocking. Playful.
"Did you all really think I was stupid enough to let him do something like that?"
She tilted her head, smiling behind that wretched mask.
The world came crashing down all at once.
"VANCE!!!"
The scream tore through the base, the sound filled with raw agony.
Garrick roared so loud the very walls trembled.
Selene's sobs were silent, her lips moving, but no sound came out.
April struggled against her restraints, her wrists bleeding as she clawed against the steel bindings.
Dante's teeth ground together so hard they threatened to shatter.
Corbin, for the first time, had no words.
Vance was dead.
And they were still trapped with the monster who killed him.