The air over Southhaven thrummed with the frantic energy of a world on the brink. Every Awakened who had breached the Level 100 threshold was on the move, a mass exodus of steel and sorcery converging on Peerless City. Orion had issued a total guild mobilization, but the movement was larger than any single organization. The regional channels were flooded with desperate, self-organized warbands. This wasn’t just another quest; it was a desperate struggle for the survival of the Azure Prime Plane.
If I fall, do not waste time in grief. Sharpen your blades, find your courage, and keep moving.
Simon Cross’s words flickered in the private channel—a rare moment of gravity from a man usually defined by silence. Shortly after, a notification pinged from Zane.
"Ash Valor, the Stellar Pact Enforcement Division is hitting the front lines at Peerless City. I don't know if I’m coming back from this one. If I gear-out and ghost, check the area around the Crimson Haven Orphanage in Southhaven. I’ve got a lead that The Crimson Vow is nesting somewhere nearby."
Zane’s next message came through with a digital snarl. "Goddammit, I really thought I was about to bust this case wide open and make detective. Ash, stay alive. When I get back, we’re going to burn those Crimson Vow trash heaps together."
Ash stared at the name: Crimson Haven Orphanage. He’d spent a decade of his life within those walls. The idea of a cult like The Crimson Vow lurking in his childhood home sent a chill down his spine, but he forced the thought away. There was no room for ghosts right now.
Orion’s handle flashed next. "Ash, stay the hell away from Peerless City. I need you grinding. Hit the levels, as high and as fast as you can. Between you and Caden Marlowe, at least one of you needs to survive this meat grinder."
Ash glanced at Caden, who was checking the edge of his blade nearby. Orion’s request was a tall order. In this economy of war, you either died together or lived long enough to see your names on a Planar Broadcast. If Orion knew Ash was currently hitched to Caden’s wagon—and that they were heading straight for a Void Rift—the guild leader would probably have a stroke.
"Copy that, boss," Ash typed back, his expression grim. "The guild is in good hands. Go give 'em hell."
"I'm a damn Berserker, Ash. To hell with the guild—I'm going to war!"
Orion, the man who spent his days drowning in spreadsheets and logistics, was finally cutting loose. Most of the Skystrider elites were already en route to the siege. Ash wondered how many of those names would be greyed out by dawn. He was no stranger to death, but the scale of this impending slaughter felt different. One man couldn't turn this tide. Azure Prime needed an army of legends, not just a single Evan Valor.
"I hope the Plane holds," Ash muttered, shaking off the dark thoughts. If Peerless City fell, the war wouldn't end—it would just get bloodier.
He closed the chat, but the system notifications continued to scream in the periphery of his vision.
[Battle Update: Allied reinforcements from the White Tiger Bastion have reached Peerless City. Dusk Whitmore is personally holding the Southern Gate.]
[Warning: The Drakewing Guild’s Level 7 headquarters has been overrun. Combat capacity reduced by 90%. Survivors are retreating to the inner walls.]
[Logistics: Global guilds have liquidated all assets. 100 Level 6 Defense Towers have been upgraded in Peerless City.]
[Alert: A Level 280 Fiend has breached the main rampart.]
Then, a gold-tinted banner flared across the sky.
[Planar Broadcast: The Tigren champion, Ivory Sovereign, has achieved the First Kill on The Spectral Alpha. All practitioners: All Stats +10.]
Despite the buff, the news remained grim. Stealth units were infiltrating the city streets, and every time a name in Ash's friend list flickered, his heart skipped a beat.
"Ash, eyes up. It's time."
High above the clouds, Blackwing banked. From the ground, the Level 185 epic mount was nothing more than a speck of dust against the blue. It was a gamble—betting that the Abyssal forces were so focused on the city that they’d leave their back door unguarded. Vera Laine had been right; the only way to win this was to strike where they weren't looking.
Ash had encountered a Void Rift once before, but he’d snuffed it out before it could fully manifest. This was different. Even from ten miles out, the Galeforce Squad could see the wound in the world.
It was a monolithic gateway, miles wide, tearing the sky asunder. One side anchored in Azure Prime, the other bleeding into a realm of shifting shadows and ancient malice. It looked less like a portal and more like a jagged tear in reality.
"If we break the gate, the rift collapses," Ash said, his HUD locking onto the structure. His stomach dropped when the scan finished. "Two billion HP. We can't whittle that down. We need a Death Strike proc, or we're just knocking on a mountain with a pebble."
The sheer presence of the gate radiated a primal terror. "Grant," Ash shouted over the wind, "get us to the core. Full speed. We drop right on top of it."
Grant Fang gripped the reins, his knuckles white. "Man, something’s wrong. Blackwing is shaking."
The phantom summon had no soul, no fear, yet its form flickered with a violent tremor. The spiritual pressure in the air was thick enough to choke on.
"It’s just a debuff," Ash grunted. "Push through it. [Spirit Ward]!"
The golden light of the skill washed over the squad, steadying their nerves. Blackwing tucked its wings and dived, a feathered meteor screaming toward the heart of the abyss.
"Movement below!" Caden shouted. "Elite mobs, Level 250 plus. I count ten BOSS signatures. These are pure Abyss Creatures. This rift is a direct vein to the Abyssal Realm."
"We’re going to be made in three... two... now! Ash, fire!"
The moment the gate entered his range, Ash unleashed a hail of arrows.
[-1,430,000]
[-1,460,000]
The numbers were the highest Ash had ever seen since his Awakening, but against a two-billion-point pool that regenerated instantly, it was like throwing sand at a fortress.
"Puny mortals... you dare strike at the Voidgate?"
A voice like grinding tectonic plates shook the air. An Abyssal Warlord, previously no larger than a man, began to swell. In seconds, he towered two hundred meters high, a titan of obsidian armor and violet fire, standing directly in their path.
The Warlord didn't even use a skill. He simply swept his spear through the air. A shockwave of pure malice slammed into the squad, instantly shearing 200,000 HP from everyone’s bars.
[Abyssal Sentinel: LV250 (BOSS). HP: 160,000,000. ATK: 250,000. DEF: 130,000.]
"A Sentinel? That's just a guard dog?" Ash hissed.
The Sentinel’s eyes flared crimson, firing twin beams of light that carved through the squad’s defenses, chunking another few hundred thousand health.
"Shit, he’s hitting too hard!" Grant yelled, struggling to keep the formation steady despite their defensive buffs.
"Ash, take the shot! I'm going in!" Caden Marlowe didn't wait for a reply. He vaulted off Blackwing's back, vanishing into a blur of motion as he plummeted toward the giant.
Ash didn't hesitate. " [Skybreaker Arrow]!"
Silver streaks of light tore through the sky, trailing sonic booms. The arrows hammered into the Sentinel with the force of falling stars. The giant’s health bar began to plummet in jagged chunks. A blinding flash erupted as Caden connected at the base of the neck, and the mountain-sized guardian disintegrated into ash.
[Caden Marlowe has slain an Abyssal Sentinel. All Guild Members: All Stats +10.]
A pillar of gold light enveloped Ash. Level up. Several other squad members shimmered with the same glow. A Level 250 BOSS, deleted in seconds.
"That Skybreaker skill is terrifying," Ash breathed, his mana pool bottoming out before his regeneration kicked in.
"There's another one! He's yours!" Caden’s voice echoed from below as he hit the ground running.
"On it! Guys, I need mana—now!"
Ash slammed a high-grade potion and unleashed a nine-fold Skybreaker volley. He burnt through his entire pool, then another potion, until the second giant fell.
[You have slain an Abyssal Sentinel. Kill Count +1. War Merit +1. EXP +620,000. Gold +250,000. Guild Contribution +1,250,000. Strength +1.]
The "+1 Strength" felt almost insulting after that much effort, but the global buff made up for it.
[Planar Broadcast: Caden Marlowe has slain an Abyssal Dreadworm. All Stats +10.]
[Planar Broadcast: Caden Marlowe has slain The Voidwing Empress. All Stats +10.]
By the time Nina and Cole hit the ground, Caden was already a whirlwind of destruction, reaping BOSS-tier souls like wheat. The man was a monster when he was fully buffed.
"Landing now! Defensive positions!" Ash commanded. "Clear a landing zone with arrow rain! We need eight consecutive volleys to thin the Elites!"
Arrows hissed down like silver sleet.
"Watch out for thorns, Captain! Some of these mobs have damage reflect!" Lyra yelled.
"You're telling me now?!"
Ash winced as the backlash of his own power spiked his health bar, but with the healers pumping him full of light and his own massive HP pool, he tanked through it. As Blackwing touched down, a massive fireball, ten meters wide, slammed into the squad.
The explosion scattered them like ten-pins. Ash burned a [Blink] just before hitting the dirt, narrowly avoiding a broken neck.
"Form up! [Ward's Bulwark]!"
"Summon the skeletons! We need bodies to soak the damage!"
Another fireball screamed toward them. "Hold the line!" Grant roared.
[-260,000]
The squad was getting hammered from every direction. Dozens of high-level skills converged on their position. If not for the tide of Undying Skeletons acting as meat shields, the Galeforce Squad would have been wiped in the first minute.
"Ash! That Infernal Pyrelord in the sky—kill it!"
"Level 230? You're kidding me," Ash growled, notching seven arrows at once. "Give me mana! [Skybreaker Septet]! Die!"
Another kill broadcast lit up the sky. Ash didn't even check the loot; he was already scanning for the next threat.
[Nina Fang has slain a Voidwing Harvester. All Stats +10.]
Once their defensive shell was set, the squad became an impenetrable bunker. The skeletons, each boasting over a million strength, held the perimeter while the healers worked themselves into a frenzy. Even Level 200 Elites couldn't crack the nut.
"Captain, forget the mobs! Focus the Voidgate!" Caden shouted over the din. "If we stay here too long, something from the deep Abyss is going to step through that door."
Ash nodded, though his inner gamer was crying. The sheer density of Elite mobs here was an experience goldmine. But the mission came first.
As the Galeforce Squad systematically dismantled the rift’s leadership, the Skystrider Guild chat was losing its collective mind. Every time a Sentinel fell, the entire guild got a stat boost. Most members were confused, but Orion knew exactly what was happening.
Ash’s private message folder exploded.
"ARE YOU INSANE?" Orion’s voice practically screamed in text. "Why the hell are you with Caden Marlowe? If he wants to commit suicide, let him do it alone! Don't throw away my elite squad with him!"
"Ash, I don't care if you and Caden die, but you are the future of this guild! You think you can take an Abyss Rift? You're an Archer, for god's sake! Hide in the back and poke things! You aren't a damn Berserker!"
"Twenty Level 180 elites... gone. I thought you were the level-headed one, Ash. You're all just bunch of adrenaline junkies!"
Ash winced. Orion was really letting him have it. The stress of being a Guild Master during a planar invasion had clearly snapped his filter.
"Boss, calm down," Ash typed back. "If you’ve got a problem, take it up with Caden. I'm just following orders from the powerhouse."
"I'D BARK AT HIM IF I WEREN'T SO DAMN SCARED OF HIM!" Orion replied. "An Abyss Rift isn't a dungeon, Ash. If you can clear that thing, I'll take your damn last name. Get out of there. I don't have anyone left to send to rescue you!"
"Trust us, Orion."
"Trust is for people who aren't about to get eaten by demons!"
Just as the message sent, a chime echoed in Ash’s ears.
[Ding! You have triggered Death Strike.]
Ten minutes of sustained fire. Over seven thousand arrows spent. Finally, the proc hit.
[Planar Broadcast: Caden Marlowe’s team has successfully neutralized Void Rift #367. For their exceptional service, all members of Azure Prime: All Stats +20.]
"Wait, Ash, when did you make me the team leader?" Caden’s voice crackled over the comms.
"I don't need the fame, Caden. You take the heat."
"Fine by me. I’ll be the lightning rod for the kids."
[Guild Broadcast: All members receive +100 to all stats.]
[System: You have completed the War Mission. War Merit +6,000. Level Up!]
The gold light of a level-up washed over the entire squad. The rewards were staggering.
"Holy shit, 1,000 War Merit in one go?" Grant yelled.
"I only got 800! What gives?"
"Quit complaining about the merit and clear the stragglers! We have another rift to hit!" Ash commanded.
The ground was littered with the corpses of Elites. In the outside world, these were rare spawns; here, they were carpet. Clearing them out would likely net the squad another level. As Ash worked, he sent a cheeky message to Orion: “Orion, you there?”
[System: Your friend has blocked your messages.]
"Classic," Ash chuckled.
The loot was raining down. Epic-Tier gear, Shadowsteel plates, Bronze-Tier accessories—it was too much to even sort. Ash just hit 'Random Distribute' and kept firing.
[Planar Broadcast: Caden Marlowe has achieved the First Kill on an Abyssal Stalker. All Stats +10.]
Caden was on a tear. He had personally claimed fourteen BOSS kills in thirty minutes.
"Where the hell are you, Caden?" Ash asked.
"Chasing a Nightmaw Predator! I just soloed his XP bar—I'm Level 207 now!"
The speed of it was hallucinatory.
"Get back here! We’re moving to the next rift. It’s a hundred miles out, similar level range."
"I'm coming," Caden replied, his voice buzzing with adrenaline. "I just equipped a full set of Level 200 gear. I’ve cracked the top 100 on the War Merit Leaderboard. Next rift, I’m one-shotting a Sentinel. Just watch me."
"Hate to break it to you, Boss," Grant piped up, "but we’ve been sitting in the top ten for a while now."
There was a long silence on Caden’s end. "Wait... your ranks are higher than mine?"
"We've got deep pockets, Caden," Ash said with a grin. "I'm already working on my third Epic-Tier phantom summon."
"I was going to share this loot with you guys," Caden grumbled, "but now? Forget it. You're all too rich for your own good."
"What's your base output now, Caden?" Ash asked, turning serious.
"Just broke a million."
Ash whistled. An A-rank veteran’s foundation was no joke. Caden’s raw combat power was likely approaching that of a Level 240 player. Combined with his innate talent, he was easily one of the deadliest men on the planet.
As they flew toward the next objective, Ash checked the news. Peerless City was still a bloodbath. Two more guild territories had fallen. Four players from the global Top 100 had been confirmed dead. The mood in the squad soured instantly.
Then, a broadcast cut through the gloom. It didn't sound like a system alert; it sounded like a victory fanfare.
[Planar Broadcast: Evan Valor’s team has cleared the Level 27 Dungeon. For this monumental achievement, all members of Azure Prime: All Stats +20.]
The Galeforce Squad erupted in cheers. Across the entire plane, the morale of humanity surged.
"He’s back," Ash whispered. "He took the strongest team into the deep dungeon and he made it out."
Evan Valor was the North Star of Azure Prime. Whenever the world seemed ready to crumble, he appeared to hold it together. He’d cleared a Level 27 dungeon in half a day—a feat that had taken two days just months ago. The monsters thought they could siege the city while he was gone; they were about to find out how wrong they were.
Caden Marlowe let out a boisterous laugh. "Well, if that bastard is out, Peerless City might just survive. I've seen him fight—he’s a freak of nature. I bet he’s sitting on five million bonus stat points by now."
"You're trash-talking a legend, Caden," Ash joked.
"I'm jealous! I can call him a bastard all I want, it's not like he can hear me from here." Caden gripped his sword, his eyes glowing with renewed fire. "Alright, next rift. I want my name on that Planar Broadcast again. Let's move!"