Midway through the fight, the Harpist played a descending scale—and Leon collapsed, hands over his ears, blood leaking from his nose.
Memory Dive Triggered.
The music forced him to relive every traumatic battle he'd ever fought.
Xa'Roj's phantom blade impaling his shoulder.
Kragg's hammer crunching his ribs.
The Sovereign Mirror reflecting his doubts.
His own scream echoed in his skull as the harp shrieked in a dissonant crescendo.
But as the agony reached its peak—Leon remembered.
He was the conductor now.
He focused his Shell Pulse inward—using Karmic Loop to redirect the resonance back at its source.
The platform trembled. The cathedral cracked. The Harpist staggered, threads fluttering.
Leon rose, bloodied but defiant.
"Beautiful song," he rasped. "But I like to improvise."
Leon raised his staff.
From within him surged three colors:
Aether Blood: Sharp and quick, slicing the dissonance.
Destruction Core: Breaking the rhythm at its peak.
