EGO: Explore Game Online (LAMBDA)

The Void Knight's faltering form straightened as the system voice fell silent, and he raised the Void Sword high. His distorted voice thundered through the chamber:

"Oblivion's Armor Ascendance."

The air around him warped, dark tendrils spilling from the Void Sword. His entire body began to shift, consumed by a pure darkness that radiated like a living abyss. The stars embedded in his form extinguished, leaving nothing but a pitch-black silhouette that pulsed with the void itself.

His voice, now deeper and resonant, echoed ominously:

"The cosmos are entangled. Worlds will collide."

The Void Knight drove the tip of his Void Sword into the ground, gripping its hilt firmly with both hands. The moment the blade touched the ground, a wave of suffocating energy spread through the room.

"Corrode Death."

The group recoiled as the oppressive aura filled the space. A thin, dark mist began to spread, sapping the strength from their bodies.

Ichio shouted, his voice urgent. "Ryoka, now!"

Ronin looked at him with pure rage, but couldn't say anything.

Ryoka stepped forward, his hands glowing with ethereal light. "I Invoke thee, Phiana, Spirit of Purification!"

Above them, a radiant figure materialized, its presence like a beacon of hope. The Spirit of Purification shone with a pure white light, and shimmering particles of glimmering dust rained down upon the group, shielding them from the encroaching darkness.

Ichio's eyes narrowed as he analyzed the situation. "I can't believe it. He actually has the Corrode Death Artem."

Takashi turned to him, alarmed. "What's so dangerous about it?"

Ichio explained grimly, "This ability doesn't just harm you—it targets your very character. It continuously decreases your rank and stats until your character is completely erased. You'd have to create a new avatar and start all over from scratch."

The group gasped in disbelief.

Rosewalt exclaimed, "Seriously? That's insane!"

Ichio nodded. "The system's trying to reprogram him because of a bug. If we don't defeat him before it finishes, the battle will reset, and we'll have to start over. We're already too exhausted to survive a second round."

Ronin growled, gripping his sword tightly. "Then let's end this now!"

He dashed toward the Void Knight, his voice ringing out. "Come, Arson!"

The Absorption Sword materialized in his hand, radiating an ominous energy of its own. He swung it at the Void Knight, aiming for a decisive blow.

But the Void Knight moved with impossible speed, parrying the strike effortlessly and sending Ronin flying backward.

Ronin hit the ground hard, coughing as he stood. "What the hell? Did he just parry my sword? That's the Sword of Absorption!"

Undeterred, he charged again, swinging the sword a second time. Once more, the Void Knight parried it, and this time, the Absorption Sword flew from Ronin's grip, embedding itself into the ground.

Ichio's voice rang out. "Ronin, leave it there! The Absorption Sword is helping—it's slowly draining his Corrode Death energy. It'll make Phiana's job easier!"

Takashi groaned, frustrated. "Seriously? And yet he's somehow gotten even stronger!"

Sherry stepped forward, her gaze steely. "Then it's my turn." She raised her hand. "Come, Holy Sword Durandal!"

The mystical blade appeared in her grasp, glowing with an intense silva light. She dashed toward the Void Knight, her movements precise and powerful.

"Durandal, the Holy Sword of the Hero King, Arthur Pendragon!" she declared as she swung the blade.

The Void Knight attempted to block the strike, but Durandal cleaved through him effortlessly, slicing him clean in half. His body fell apart, the halves writhing on the ground.

Sherry stood tall, holding the blade aloft. "Durandal is known to cut through anything. There's no way you can parry it."

For a moment, silence reigned. But then, the Void Knight's severed form began to shift. The halves pulled toward each other, fusing back together.

Sherry's eyes widened. "What? I cut him clean in half! How is he regenerating?"

Ichio's voice was grim. "He's not regenerating, he's become one with the Abyss. He isn't just using its power anymore—he is the Abyss. And the Abyss is him."

The Void Knight, standing as the embodiment of the Abyss, raised his Void Sword once more. His deep, distorted voice resonated through the space:

"The Architect who walks among thee will bring confusion and chaos. He who lurks in the shadows will distort this world and rend it asunder, creating an entirely new one."

Ichio's eyes widened, his mind racing. He muttered, "The world… He said something about it before. Wait. When he started to falter, he mentioned forbidden knowledge being accessible but dangerous to obtain."

He clenched his fists. "Guys, I have an idea. Maybe the more we force him to reveal, the weaker he gets. Let's focus on getting information out of him—it could speed this up!"

Rosewalt grinned, stepping forward. "Got it. If that's the plan, then leave restoration to me. You all focus on fighting."

She raised her hands, her voice ringing with authority. "Nature's Law: Tree of Life!"

A massive, glowing tree sprouted behind the group, its branches stretching high and wide. Rosewalt sat beneath it, her hands clasped together as though in prayer. A soothing aura enveloped the group, restoring their strength and shielding them from some of the Void Knight's oppressive energy.

"I'll hold this position. You all take care of the fight."

Yasei cracked his knuckles, a determined smirk on his face. "Alright, I can't invade his mind directly, but I can disrupt the Abyss within him. That might be enough."

Without waiting for a response, Yasei activated his ability. "Dimension Shift!"

His form shimmered before vanishing into the Void Knight's body. Inside, he found himself surrounded by an endless expanse of darkness—a dimension of pure void. Telepathically, he reached out to his allies.

"I'm inside, but it's too dark. I can't get close to his mind. He's buried too deep in this abyss. I won't be able to help you out there while I'm in here."

Takashi nodded, stepping forward. "That's fine. I've got something that can help. I'll use Cause Out and Mental Invade. I can manipulate causality and change the cause and effect inside his Abyss. Yasei, we'll do this together. I just need to connect with you."

Takashi approached the glowing Chains of Gleipnir, which held the battlefield intact. He placed a hand on the chains, activating his Artem. "Artem Replica."

Golden light rippled as he replicated the chains, extending them toward himself and Yasei. The replicated chains connected his soul to Yasei's, creating a link between the two.

"Now we can work together to manipulate the causality within the Void Knight's mind," Takashi said. "I'll invade his mind and extract the forbidden information."

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Ronin, Sherry, Ryoka and Ichio squared off against the Void Knight.

Ronin tightened his grip on his weapons. "Well, I'm down to two swords—the Abyss Sword and Baroul, the Sword of Borrowing. All my other blades are out of commission."

Sherry frowned, summoning her armor's power. But it flickered weakly, refusing to activate fully.

"Something's wrong," she said, her frustration evident. "I can't call upon the full power of the Hero's Armor."

Ichio glanced at her, piecing things together. "It's probably because you're the highest-ranked among us. The system is still trying to reprogram the Void Knight, and it's disrupting your requip. This gear might be connected to otherworldly power—or maybe it's because of the forbidden information he mentioned."

Ronin smirked despite the situation. "Guess it's just us holding the line, then. Let's make it count."

The Void Knight's aura intensified, and his voice echoed again. "Thou art futile. The Abyss cannot be conquered. It will consume all."

Ichio raised his fist. "We'll see about that. Let's take him down together!"

Sherry stood firm, Invoking Excalibur as the mystical blade shimmered with radiant energy. Ronin stood beside her, holding the Abyss Sword in one hand. Ichio remained slightly behind, analyzing the fight, his mind racing with strategies.

Nearby, Ryoka sat beneath the glowing Tree of Life, his hands outstretched as a soft green light enveloped him. "I didn't choose any devils or spirits for attack power," he said calmly. "But I can focus the power of Fortuna to raise our odds."

Closing his eyes, he channeled his Metra energy into Fortuna, the Spirit of Good Fortune. The air around the tree shimmered, the green glow intensifying as Fortuna merged with the Tree of Life. Ryoka then summoned the Abyss Fiend, its massive form materializing in a swirl of darkness. "Abyss Fiend, assist Yasei inside the Void Knight. Help him navigate that endless abyss."

---

Inside the Void Knight

Yasei drifted through the endless void, his senses strained in the suffocating darkness. "This place isn't bound by physical laws," he muttered, his voice echoing in the emptiness. "My usual abilities might not be much help here."

In the distance, a faint light flickered. Narrowing his eyes, Yasei activated Artem Law of Intagnation, his ability to conceptualize intangible things as physical. In a flash, the space between him and the light folded, bringing him closer.

The light took form—a grotesque, pulsating heart infused with swirling darkness, a black hole fused into its center. The sight sent a shiver down Yasei's spine. He reached out telepathically.

"Takashi, I've found it—the Void Knight's heart. I need your power to invade it."

From outside, Takashi focused, their souls connected through the Chains of Gleipnir. "Got it," he replied. "Stay steady. I'll invade now."

As Yasei's hand touched the dark brain, a surge of energy rippled through their connection. Takashi's consciousness merged into the Void Knight's mind, and the truth began to unravel—a truth so overwhelming it made Takashi gasp.

"This… This is too much," Takashi muttered, his voice trembling as the Void Knight's origins and the truth is fed to him.

---

On the Battlefield

Sherry lunged at the Void Knight, Excalibur blazing with divine energy. The clash of her blade against his Void Sword sent shockwaves rippling through the space. Sparks flew as the Void Knight parried her strike, his movements impossibly fast.

Ronin darted in from the side, slashing with the Abyss Sword. The blade hummed with dark energy as it struck the Void Knight's armor, but the impact barely dented it. The Void Knight spun, countering with a vicious horizontal slash.

Ronin ducked just in time, retaliating with a sharp upward swing. "It's two against one!" he growled. "You can't hold us off forever!"

The Void Knight's cold, distorted laugh echoed. "Fools. Numbers mean nothing against the Abyss."

His blade struck with the force of a hurricane, forcing Sherry and Ronin to backpedal. Sherry gritted her teeth, lunging forward again. Excalibur's golden edge crashed against the Void Knight's weapon, her strength pushing him back a step.

Ronin took the opportunity to dart behind him, his Abyss Sword striking for the Void Knight's flank. The Void Knight twisted, deflecting Ronin's attack with preternatural precision, but Sherry seized the opening, driving Excalibur into his chest.

The Void Knight staggered briefly before raising his hand, unleashing a pulse of dark energy that threw them both back.

"Ichio!" Sherry yelled, regaining her balance. "We need something more!"

Ichio, standing a safe distance away, activated his Artem Replica ability. A perfect duplicate of the Void Knight materialized, stepping forward with sword drawn. Now, it was three against one.

The two Void Knights clashed, their identical forms mirroring each other. Sherry and Ronin pressed the attack, exploiting the distraction.

Ichio called out, "Ronin! Switch to Baroul, the Sword of Borrowing. I'll lend you one of my Artem abilities. Use it to disrupt his metra while Sherry focuses on physical damage!"

Ronin nodded, switching Abyss Sword and Invoking Baroul. Ichio activated his Artem Metra Invasion, channeling the ability into Ronin through the Sword of Borrowing.

Ronin felt a surge of power as his blade began to glow with disruptive energy. He smirked, charging forward. "Let's see how you handle this!"

He slashed at the Void Knight, the blade tearing through the dark energy surrounding him. The Void Knight faltered, his form flickering as his metra began to destabilize.

Sherry followed up with a powerful strike from Excalibur, the blade glowing brighter than ever. The Void Knight roared in pain, his movements growing erratic as he tried to counter their relentless assault.

The combined efforts of Sherry's raw power, Ronin's metra disruption, and Ichio's strategic support turned the tide of the battle. The Void Knight, for the first time, seemed vulnerable.

 CHAPTER END.