The first Aberration hit the front line like a living boulder.
It towered over even Eren — six arms ending in hooked claws, a twisted face screaming without sound.
Eren roared back, swinging his great axe in a wide arc.
The blow shattered the creature's shoulder — but it kept coming, relentless.
From the ruins around them, dozens more Aberrations poured in, howling and tearing through the broken stones.
The corrupted mana in the air made it hard to breathe, harder still to think.
But Kaelen moved.
He had to move.
The battlefield became madness.
Eren and Damon locked down the front lines, bodies bruised and bleeding but unyielding.
Mira loosed arrows faster than thought, each bolt finding a weak point or eye.
Lyra called gale-force winds to scatter the smaller beasts.
Selina wove healing magic desperately, hands glowing bright even as her mana burned low.
And at the center of it all —
Kaelen fought like a rising storm.
He blinked from Aberration to Aberration, Sovereignblade Astryn carving arcs of silver light through corrupted flesh.
Arcane Step. Blink Shot. Sovereign's Combo Strike.
Again and again.
But there were too many.
Even Kaelen couldn't kill fast enough.
He felt a claw rake across his ribs, tearing through his armor.
Blood poured freely down his side.
Pain flared — blinding, staggering.
For a moment, he stumbled.
An Aberration reared up over him, claws raised high.
Too slow.
Too hurt.
Too late.
But fate is a fickle thing.
The cracked-crown sigil on Kaelen's chest flared with furious light.
And in that instant, the System screamed:
[Emergency Awakening: Sovereignblade Astryn Resonance!]
[New Ability: Sovereign's Aegis Unlocked.]
[Passive Effect: Sovereign's Heartbeat — Survival beyond mortal limits.]
Silver light exploded outward.
The Aberration's claws struck an invisible barrier an inch from Kaelen's throat — shattering like glass against steel.
Kaelen rose slowly, blood dripping from his mouth, Sovereignblade now burning not with mana — but with essence.
The ancient essence of kings who refused to kneel.
The Aberrations hesitated.
Predators they were — but even beasts knew when they faced something greater.
Kaelen's eyes burned like twin silver suns.
He raised his blade high and roared:
"NO MORE FALLING."
"NO MORE CHAINS."
"WE. ARE. SOVEREIGN."
The Pathbreakers rallied to his cry.
Eren broke an Aberration's skull with a swing so hard it cracked the ground.
Damon locked three beasts down with his shield, refusing to yield an inch.
Mira and Lyra launched coordinated strikes — arrows guided by wind, piercing corrupted hearts.
Selina pushed herself beyond her limits, overcharging her healing spells, keeping her comrades on their feet when they should have fallen.
They fought not as scattered survivors now.
They fought as a Guild.
As a family.
Hours Later — When the Dust Settled
The ruins were soaked in blood, but none of it was Kaelen's team.
Broken Aberration corpses littered the battlefield.
Defeated rogue students crawled away in terror, refusing to meet Kaelen's eyes.
Only the Pathbreakers stood tall.
Exhausted.
Bleeding.
Victorious.
System Chime:
[Hidden Guild Challenge: Completed.]
[Rewards Granted: Sovereignblade Astryn Evolution Path Unlocked.]
[Guild Level: Initiate Tier Reached.]
[Pathbreaker Core Roster Established.]
Kaelen fell to one knee, gasping for air, but smiling fiercely.
They had survived.
Not just survived — they had won.
Against all odds.
Against everything.
Far Across the World — At the Black Moon Citadel
A massive black spire loomed over a wasteland of bones and ash.
Inside, robed figures knelt before a monstrous throne, where a man — cloaked in living shadows — rested one hand on the head of a chained dragon.
His voice was soft, but it made the walls tremble:
"A Sovereign rises… too soon."
"Accelerate the awakening of the Fallen One."
"Let the stars themselves weep before we are done."
The Black Moon Guild moved in earnest now.
And the world would soon understand:
This was no longer about tournaments or titles.
This was a war for the soul of the world.