Two weeks passed.
The best minds and most ancient archives had been consulted.
Reina, Ryu, Mina, and three surviving 7th Stage Mobs gathered in the sealed chamber deep within Fleedorb's capital—where the engraving from that false "God" was still being studied.
And then, the truth was found.
> "It's not a date," whispered High Mage Telvion, tracing the numbers again with energy-sensitive ink. "'9-18'—if reversed, if reinterpreted—it's a countdown."
A chill swept across the room.
> "A vessel counter," Reina realized aloud.
> "Exactly," Telvion nodded grimly. "Ryu is the vessel. In… five years, give or take… his body and power will be sacrificed—used to bring that being back into this world."
Everyone looked at Ryu.
He stood still. Silent.
Then: "How do we stop it?"
The answer came like a sword to the heart.
> "Destroy the vessel," Telvion said softly. "Or destroy its foundation. If we sever the root of his mob cultivation, the vessel shatters. The sacrifice fails."
Mina clenched her fists. Reina's face turned pale.
> "But that means… his entire power, everything he built, would be lost."
> "Yes," Telvion said. "He would fall from the 7th Stage… to nothing."
---
The Final Decision
That evening, Ryu and Reina stood alone on a clifftop overlooking the quiet lands of Fleedorb.
The stars were dim that night, and even the moon seemed to mourn.
> "I've made my decision," Ryu said, eyes fixed on the horizon. "You have to destroy it. My foundation. If that thing returns, the entire world will burn."
> "You're asking me to cripple you," Reina whispered, her voice shaking. "To take away your soul. Everything you are."
> "I trust you," he replied.
Reina closed her eyes, the tears already falling.
> "Are you sure?"
> "Yes."
---
The Shattering
They stood in a sacred chamber, shielded with the strongest barrier arrays available.
Ryu knelt in the center.
Reina approached him slowly, her hands trembling. Her heart screamed in defiance, but her mind knew—it had to be done.
She placed her palm on Ryu's chest, directly over where the false heart once throbbed.
> "I'm sorry," she whispered.
She poured her energy into him—delicate but precise—searching for the core of his cultivation foundation.
Then, with a sudden surge of internal disruption, she shattered it.
Ryu convulsed.
His body arched, the energy within him spiraling violently, losing form, collapsing into chaos.
He screamed—but only once—then fell limp.
The room dimmed.
The energy vanished.
---
The Aftermath
Reina fell to her knees beside him, sobbing uncontrollably.
> "Why… why did it have to be you…?"
Mina arrived moments later and held both of them, tears flooding her cheeks.
Ryu was alive.
But now...
He was no longer a 7th Stage Mob.
No longer even a 1st Stage.
He had returned… to nothing.
---
To be continued..