The shockwave hadn't faded.
Cracks spread across the floor beneath Kael's feet.
Dust drifted through the air.
Silence filled the chamber.
The Devourer stared at him.
Motionless.
Watching.
For the first time since its arrival—
It wasn't smiling.
Kael took a slow breath.
Energy crackled around his body.
His heart pounded.
Not from fear.
From anticipation.
"I hit it."
The realization felt unreal.
After everything they had witnessed...
After watching hosts fall one after another...
He had actually forced it back.
Then Aetherion spoke.
"Do not celebrate."
Kael frowned.
"What?"
"Danger level increasing."
The Devourer moved.
Not fast.
Not yet.
It simply took a single step forward.
The pressure inside the room doubled instantly.
Several hosts collapsed.
Others struggled to breathe.
Kael felt it too.
His legs trembled.
"What is this?"
The answer came from the stranger.
"That's its true presence."
The Devourer raised a hand.
Darkness gathered around its fingers.
Not energy.
Not smoke.
Darkness itself.
The shadows in the room began flowing toward it.
Walls darkened.
Lights dimmed.
The facility groaned.
As though reality itself was bending.
Then—
The creature vanished.
Kael's eyes widened.
Gone.
No warning.
No movement.
Gone.
"Aetherion!"
"Behind—"
Too late.Something slammed into Kael's back.
BOOM.
Pain exploded through his body.
The floor shattered beneath him.
He crashed through concrete and metal before skidding to a stop.
Blood filled his mouth.
His vision blurred.
Everything hurt.
The Devourer hadn't even used a technique.
Just a strike.
One strike.
And it had nearly broken him.
"Host injuries severe."
Kael forced himself up.
His arms trembled.
His ribs screamed in protest.
Across the room, the Devourer stood exactly where he'd been thrown from.
Calm.
Untouched.
As if nothing had happened.
As if Kael wasn't even worth the effort.
Anger burned inside him.
"I'm not done."
The creature tilted its head.
Almost curious.
Kael charged.
Lightning erupted from his body.
Blue energy flooded the chamber.
He punched.
The Devourer caught it.
Again.
Effortlessly.
"No..."
Kael pushed harder.
More energy.
More power.
More force.
Nothing.
The creature didn't move.
Not an inch.
Then it spoke.
Its voice echoed through the room.
"Too weak."
The words struck harder than any attack.
Before Kael could react—
The Devourer grabbed his throat.
His feet left the ground.
The room spun.
He couldn't breathe.
Couldn't move.
Couldn't fight.
The creature stared directly into his eyes.
And for the first time—
Kael saw something there.
Not hatred.
Not hunger.
Recognition.
"You carry the Last Core."
Kael froze.
The Last Core?
The Devourer's grip tightened.
"Aetherion."
The name echoed through the chamber.
Every host went still.
Even the stranger's expression changed.
The creature's voice lowered.
"Then you must die."
Dark energy erupted from its hand.
Kael felt death approaching.
Closer.
Closer.
Then—
Something inside the Core awakened.
A pulse exploded from Kael's chest.
The entire facility shook.
The Devourer staggered backward.
For the first time—
It looked shocked.
And deep within the burning light of Aetherion...
Something ancient opened its eyes.