When the last shimmer of the planetary shield dissolved into nothingness, the emptiness above the world trembled.
And in that silence, they moved.
Across the cold void of space, the army of the Ancient Civilizations Vestige surged forward.
Monolithic carriers shaped like fractured relics. Serpentine constructs writhing with threads of mana. Warped ships built of bone, metal, and something older. They advanced like an ocean of twilight, slipping across the stars, guided by silence and a hunger that had long outlived empires.
★★★
Back on Planet Qiyun.
Seroi moved swiftly, catching Ren's limp body before it could crash against the charred ground. His cloak fluttered as he dropped to one knee, his eyes scanning Ren's pale face.
He placed two fingers on Ren's neck, brow tightening. Frein also checked him.
"He's fine," Seroi said quietly. "Just exhausted. Nothing to worry about."
The words hit like rainfall after a drought.
