Ethan's eyes darkened.

"It's absorbed the entire layer's Primordial Force…"

Which meant—if he could seize control of it, he could seize control of all of Layer 21.

He pulled up a deeper scan.

Data flickered across his vision, highlighting a single rotating point of light in the Colossus's chest.

A vortex.

The nexus of its power—and the only hollow space in its entire form.

Ethan tightened his grip on the scepter.

"Found it."

He didn't hesitate.

Diving headfirst, he became a streak of gold and crimson, plunging straight into the swirling void.

Vmmm—!

The air warped around him.

The moment he pierced the energy layer, the roar of the outside world vanished.

Silence.

Not even the sound of his own heartbeat remained.

No wind. No sand. No light.

Ethan floated in a void.

He looked down—and saw his reflection rippling in the flowing sand beneath him.

"There's… no energy here?"

And then it clicked.

This was the Sand Colossus's "heart void"—a perfect zero point.

All power converged here, paused, and then surged outward again.

He reached out.

Light trembled at his fingertips.

"Then it's time… for me to take control."

BOOM—

Gold and crimson energy erupted from within him,

spilling outward like a river of stars in reverse, flowing through invisible channels into the Colossus's vast body.

He could feel it—the immense will resisting him.

The desert growled. The wind bit back.

But his heart pounded faster. His blood boiled. His power surged.

He didn't know how long it lasted.

A second. An eternity.

But when he opened his eyes—

The Sand Colossus moved with him.

He raised his hand.

The giant raised its hand.

He turned.

The giant turned.

The entire desert breathed with his will.

Ethan exhaled slowly, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"So… it wasn't an enemy after all."

He turned toward the comm sigil and spoke quietly:

"All units—rally to me. Now."

"Yes, My Lord!"

A chorus of voices answered as the sky split with the sound of flight.

Figures streaked in from the horizon—Fairies, Dragonkin, mages, warriors—all gathering at the feet of the Sand Colossus like a ring of living stars.

Ethan raised his hand.

The energy within him surged, forming streams of glowing runes.

One by one, they poured from his palm like liquid light.

"This is the Primordial Force of Layer 21," he said, voice low but clear.

"Take it. Let it become your strength."

The light fell like rain.

Vmmm—vmmm—vmmm—

The energy pierced through each soldier, igniting their souls like wildfire.

Some whispered in awe. Some laughed like madmen. Some wept openly.

The power was too pure—so pure it bordered on pain.

In mere minutes,

the entire army's aura exploded upward.

Their strength rose in unison.

As the last thread of light was drawn into their bodies, the Sand Colossus gave a faint shudder—then unraveled in a burst of brilliance.

Its massive form dissolved into a mist of golden dust, scattered by the wind.

Ethan drifted gently to the ground.

Silence returned to the desert.

He turned to look behind him. Thousands of warriors knelt on one knee, their eyes burning with newfound fire.

"The power of this layer," Ethan said, voice low and resolute, "belongs to us now."

But just as he opened his mouth to give the next command—

The sky lit up.

It began as a thin crack of light.

Then—an explosion of color, nine hues cascading like a flood from the heavens, washing the world clean of all color until only blinding white remained.

"What is that—?" someone gasped.

A foreign presence descended from above.

It didn't belong to the Sky Citadel.

The energy was cold. Sacred. And suffocating.

Ethan looked up, eyes narrowing against the downpour of light.

A figure was descending through it.

He hovered in midair, wings of white light unfurled behind him.

Each feather was etched with ancient runes, alive and shifting, glowing with a pulse that echoed like a living incantation.

Every flicker of those runes came with a thunderclap of destruction.

VMMM—

A burst of light.

Several lower-ranked soldiers didn't even have time to scream before they were torn apart—reduced to red mist in the air.

"Shit… what the hell is this?" Ethan's chest tightened.

He raised a hand, drawing a complex defense array in the air with practiced speed.

Energy surged like a tide, forming a massive barrier that wrapped around the entire Emerald Castle army.

VMMM—VMMM—VMMM—

The light-wall shimmered, runes vibrating with tension.

Then the figure raised a single finger.

Just a tap.

BOOM—!

The barrier shattered instantly, exploding like glass under a hammer.

The shockwave ripped through the battlefield. Air screamed. Warriors were thrown like leaves in a storm.

"Damn it!"

Ethan staggered back, teeth clenched, blood boiling in his veins.

He could feel it—this power didn't belong to any known system of the Sky Citadel.

The figure hovered above them, expression unreadable.

When he spoke, his voice rang like a divine decree, echoing straight into the soul:

"You insects from the lower planes… dare to trespass into the Sanctum?"

"Your very existence is a blasphemy against order."

His words rolled through the air like war drums.

Just hearing them made the body tremble.

An invisible pressure descended.

The air thickened.

Even time seemed to hesitate.

Ethan fought to stay upright.

He forced himself to breathe, eyes narrowing with a cold, rising fire.

The figure looked down, gaze locking onto him.

In those golden eyes, Ethan saw his own reflection—small, insignificant, like a speck of dust.

"So… you're the leader of these mortals."

The voice dripped with contempt and judgment.

The white wings spread wider.

With each beat, lightning and light poured from them like divine wrath.

Ethan's skin burned. His veins felt like they were being torn apart.

He roared, raising his hand and gathering every ounce of power he had left, forging it into a blazing orb of gold and crimson.

"Break—!"

He hurled it with everything he had.

But the figure only lifted a finger again—casually, almost bored.

Snap.

The orb shattered.

No sound. No shockwave.

Not even a ripple of energy.

It was as if Ethan's attack had never existed.

"This is what you call 'power'?"

The voice was holy, but laced with scorn.

"Pathetic."

Even the air seemed to laugh.

...