Ashspire loomed in the distance like a skeletal monolith—black towers jutting from molten rock, shrouded in ash storms and constant red lightning. It was more than a fortress; it was a wound in the world, seething with rage and fire. The last fire node thrummed beneath it like a beating heart—Lucien's last anchor for the Core Collapse Protocol.
Inside Hollowshade's war chamber, Hikaru stared at the pulsing red beacon on the map.
"That node is the linchpin," he said, voice steady. "We take Ashspire, and Lucien loses everything."
Illya, arms crossed, traced the fault lines displayed by the System's seismic scanner. "We can't hit it head-on. The volcano beneath is unstable. If we trigger it wrong, the entire region could collapse—even without Lucien's final move."
Kora smirked. "So we go in soft. Infiltration. Sabotage. Then send in the hammer."
Hikaru nodded. "Exactly. I'll lead the infiltration team."
Both Illya and Kora blinked.
"You?" Illya asked. "You're the commander."
"I'm also the only one who's seen the node up close during the first Emberpath raid. And I've unlocked something... specific."
He swiped his interface open:
System Upgrade Acquired: Shadowmarch Protocol
Effect: Allows temporary traversal through enemy structures undetected (Duration: 2 Minutes / Cooldown: 30 minutes)
Requirements: Stealth Level 4, Unique Leadership Trait – "Tactician of the Rift"
Three hours later, the infiltration team gathered at the foot of the scorched canyon leading to Ashspire.
Alongside Hikaru were:
Nia, a ghostblade rogue from the Eastern Cliffs, with a skill tree focused on silence and trap detection.Rourke, a heavy-armored lancer with Earthbind abilities—perfect for stabilizing the brittle ground during the ascent.Tama, a wind-caller mage whose movement spells could suppress sound and shift thermal air currents, masking their heat signatures.
The team moved like shadows beneath a sky lit by infernal lightning. Ash fell like snow. Every step crackled beneath boots, even with spells dampening noise.
Inside, Ashspire buzzed with activity. Pyre Sentries—six-legged constructs of obsidian and magma—patrolled in slow, swaying arcs. Above, firebound wyverns flapped in tight circles. Lucien had turned this fortress into a crucible.
System Notice: Stealth Window – 02:00
Shadowmarch Engaged
"Go," Hikaru whispered.
They moved as one.
Nia neutralized traps with silent flicks of her daggers. Rourke created footholds in molten cliffsides. Tama used whirlwinds to carry them over crevasses. Hikaru, using Shadowmarch, phased through locked gates and shut off alarm runes from inside.
They reached the Infernal Conduit—the chamber housing the fire node. It floated like a sun fragment, chained by runes and guarded by three Pyreborn Sentinels.
System Notice: Shadowmarch Deactivated
Cooldown Initiated
"Ready the spike," Hikaru ordered.
Tama handed him a crystal javelin laced with Illya's Emberlock pulse.
Item: Emberlock Spike v2.3
Effect: Triggers node destabilization and suppresses hostile attunement
Charge: 98%
"Now!" he shouted.
Rourke leapt in first, drawing the Sentinels' aggro. His armor turned molten red from their strikes, but he held.
Nia and Tama provided cover, dodging fire blasts and flicking ice shards and illusions to disrupt targeting.
Hikaru sprinted through the mayhem, dodging fire arcs and leaping over a collapsing platform. He planted the spike into the node's core.
System Alert: Node Destabilization Initiated
Emberlock Spike Active (v2.3)
Countdown: 03:00
"We have to hold for three minutes," he growled.
The chamber trembled.
Far above, in Ashspire's war room, Lucien felt the tremor.
System Warning: Final Node Integrity: 65%
Source: External Emberlock Pulse
"They found it," he hissed.
Theron watched the screen, pale. "You said no one could breach Ashspire."
"I also said no one would adapt to a Rift eruption. I was wrong. He learns."
Lucien opened a private link.
Deploy Elite Guard: Magma Wraiths
Destination: Infernal Conduit
ETA: 90 seconds
"Stall them," he growled. "I'll prepare the ritual for forced reinforcement."
The node chamber turned into chaos.
Magma Wraiths surged in—red-armored elites with twin inferno blades, immune to fire and resistant to ice.
Rourke took a deep wound to his side. Nia flanked and blinded one with a smokebomb. Tama erected a whirlwind wall to buy time.
Hikaru stood before the node, blade drawn. His System pinged a sudden upgrade.
Tactician Trait: Emergency Directive Unlocked
Choose One:
– Tactical Recall (Teleport entire team to safe zone)
– Overclock Emberlock Spike (x2 Disruption, 45 sec detonation)
He selected Overclock.
The spike surged with white-blue energy.
System Update: Node Disruption in 45 Seconds
Stability: 23%
"I'm ending this now!" Hikaru shouted.
He leapt, striking down a Wraith mid-charge, blade igniting with tactical-enhanced frost. Nia moved beside him, both fighting to the last second.
Rourke collapsed behind them—but alive. Tama dragged him toward the portal zone they'd marked.
The countdown ticked.
10... 9... 8...
A final Wraith lunged—
3... 2...
Nia tackled it.
1—
The spike detonated.
A geyser of frostfire erupted, swallowing the node in a vortex of blue energy. The chamber exploded outward, collapsing in on itself. The lava veins feeding Ashspire dimmed. Towers cracked. Magma ceased flowing.
System Alert: Fire Node – Neutralized
Core Collapse Protocol – Aborted
Lucien's Ascension – Permanently Halted
Territory Control: Lucien -30% / Player Coalition +15%
Hikaru, Nia, Tama, and Rourke reappeared at Hollowshade's emergency pad, injured—but alive.
The war room erupted in cheers.
Illya hugged Tama, whispering, "You crazy wind witch, you actually did it."
Kora lifted Rourke by the arm. "You're either the dumbest lancer alive or the bravest."
Hikaru stared out the window at the dying volcano.
"We took his last card," he said. "Now we take the throne."