The days of uneasy preparation had hardened into something colder—anticipation.
Blackhunt had stood firm against Crimson Vale's infiltration. They'd held their second Temple Key through blood, ash, and steel. But the warning left in the system logs still echoed in the minds of every guild member:
⚠️ "The next attempt will come from the sky."
No one knew what that meant.
Until the sky cracked open.
☁️ Dawn – The Sky Fracture
It began with a whisper in the mana stream.
Kaido, stationed atop the Eastern Mana Forge, was the first to notice the change. His eyes narrowed behind his lens-goggles as the clouds above the mountain pass began to pulse unnaturally.
Not with light.
But with structured, coordinated runes.
"Sky glyphs…" he whispered. "That's not natural Tower weather."
He activated his communicator. "Toni. We've got aerial sigils forming above us. This is about to get very weird."
Seconds later—
💥 KRAAKKBOOOM!!!
The sky split in three vertical lines.
From the fissures descended floating siege platforms, each shaped like an obsidian lotus, bristling with arrow slots, anti-mana cannons, and cloaked aerial climbers.
On their center banners: Crimson Vale.
📢 [System Alert – Temple Conflict Escalation Detected]
🛡️ Aerial Assault Class Engaged
🚨 Tower Override: Sky Fortress Siege Mode Activated
🕒 Time Until Crystal Core Exposure: 25 Minutes
💥 All nearby factions will be drawn into this battle
⚔️ The Battle Begins – Sky vs Flame
Toni stood on the command platform, calm despite the noise. His eyes narrowed on the approaching siege lotuses.
"Not just another raid. This is a declaration."
Ankit arrived beside him, already armored.
"They want the final key," Ankit said.
"No. They want to cripple us before the Temple opens."
🏰 Defense Formations
Toni's strategy was precise:
Sky Response Team – Toni, Kaido, Riya, and Vikram
Ground Defense Team – Ankit, Raunak, Asha, Sana, Raghav
Crystal Core Security – Secondary members + remote rune guardians
Kaido launched beacon drones to scan the siege lotuses. "Each is piloted by at least three elite climbers. Core weapons include anti-aura bombs and mana javelins."
Toni nocked a glowing arrow, infused with spectral wave magic.
"Let's bring them down."
🌩️ Sky Battle – Toni's Strike
Toni took the lead, leaping onto the first floating platform mid-flight with wind glyphs trailing his boots.
[Soul Weapon: Vijaya Bow – Spectral Thread Form]
📍 Effect: Ignores material armor. Inflicts mana-disruption for 6s.
Three Crimson Vale archers turned—too slow.
Toni loosed three arrows. Each curved mid-air like predatory birds, striking throats, arms, legs.
[Triple Marked Kill – Bonus Acquired]
[Passive Skill: Tactician's Instinct – Allies Gain +5% Attack Speed for 10s]
Below, Kaido unleashed a wall of lightning arcs, overloading a second platform's stabilizers.
It spiraled.
Riya used the distraction to leap and summon ice wings, crashing through the windshield of the enemy ship's helm.
"Too slow," she whispered, impaling the pilot with an icicle straight through the chest.
🌪️ Ground Surge – Raunak's Rampage
Meanwhile, Ankit was already clashing with an elite strike team that had dropped from the third aerial lotus.
They moved in tandem. Trident-wielders. Agile, rune-cloaked. Dangerous.
But Ankit moved like fire itself.
[Twin Talwars: Flowing Arc – Activated]
🔥 Area dash attack that burns aura trails. +10% Speed per enemy marked.
He danced between them, blades curving like twin serpents. One trident snapped in half. Another found its shaft cut in four.
Raunak followed behind him like a thunderstorm. He slammed his halberd into the ground—
[Soul Art: Earthbreaker Pulse]
📉 Knocked down all enemies within 10 meters
📍 Caused mana disruption in enemy footing
Asha and Sana picked off the staggered enemies with coordinated magic-burst and blade-throw combos.
⚔️ Mid-Battle: The Third Commander
Then came a new shadow.
Descending without a platform. Cloaked in violet flame. No weapon in hand.
Everyone paused.
[Enemy Identified: Crimson Vale Commander – Elric the Wind Tyrant]
Passive Skill: Weightless Form – Immune to knockback. +15% Speed
Aura Type: Wind and Pressure Manipulation
Battle Rank: A+
Elric raised his hand.
A pulse of air shot forth like a sledgehammer. Two Blackhunt climbers were flung from the cliffs.
Toni turned sharply. "Ankit—go."
Ankit didn't hesitate.
⚔️ Duel: Ankit vs Elric
The ground cracked as they met.
Elric moved like a phantom—each step accompanied by a boom of compressed air. He flickered around Ankit, using bursts of wind to dodge, blast, and counter.
"You're slower than the wind," Elric mocked. "You cannot catch what doesn't wish to be caught."
Ankit exhaled.
[Proficiency Trigger: Blade Aura Compression – Activate]
[Fire Surge + Reflex Instinct – 13s Window]
"You don't have to catch the wind," Ankit said, eyes glowing. "You cut through it."
He dashed.
His blade shimmered, sliding through the wind armor.
Elric gasped.
Blood sprayed from a shallow gash across his chest.
Elric retaliated with a spiral kick of pure gale-force pressure.
Ankit blocked—but was flung backward, sliding across stone, boots sparking.
He grinned. "That all?"
Elric's eyes narrowed. "Fine."
[Ultimate Skill – Gale Crown Domain Activated]
📍 AoE – Summons a cyclone that inverts gravity, disables projectiles, and suppresses aura flow.
The battlefield twisted.
Toni nearly fell from his tower post as wind bent sideways. Riya shouted, launching a chain of frost-anchors to stabilize the wall.
But in the middle of the cyclone—
Ankit stood still.
He bent his knees. Pressed the hilts of both Talwars together.
[New Art Unlocked – Twin Talwar Fusion Technique: Crescent Star Flame]
🔥 Blades ignite, form a double-edged fiery comet strike
📍 One-use technique. Sacrifices 20% stamina. Guaranteed aura penetration.
He stepped once.
And cut the wind in half.
Elric froze—eyes wide—as the cyclone shattered. His defenses broke.
And Ankit delivered a final dual slash in the shape of a burning crescent across the commander's torso.
[Crimson Vale Commander Defeated – Wind Tyrant Aura Disabled]
[Blackhunt Honor Increased – Reputation +12%]
🎖️ Victory and Repercussions
With Elric down and the siege lotuses disabled, the last remaining Crimson Vale agents withdrew.
Blackhunt's defense held.
But the cost had been steep.
Six climbers wounded. Three severely. One missing.
And the skies still hissed with mana residue.
💬 Aftermath – Toni & Ankit
As the healing began and bodies were gathered, Toni met Ankit at the base of the forge.
"You didn't just win that fight," Toni said. "You declared war."
Ankit nodded, eyes grim.
"Let them come. We're ready now."
Toni handed him a scroll.
"The Temple of Blades just issued its final notice."
📜 [Final Temple Notification]
🧭 Temple Access Opens in 72 Hours
🔓 Only those holding 3 Keys may enter
🏴☠️ Blackhunt holds 2
💥 Final Key Controlled by Crimson Vale
Ankit's grip tightened.
"Then we're taking the third one."