CHAPTER 292: CHAPTER 292- SHATTERED

Julian didn’t look dismayed. Instead, a faint, chilling smile touched his lips. "A truly fascinating device," he remarked, his voice laced with genuine, analytical interest.

Heikal, seeing the smile, felt a sliver of unease pierce his triumph. "You can still smile in this situation? You’re insane!"

"They will pay for what they’ve done!" Rei vowed, her voice trembling with fury.

"By all means, try," Celestia retorted, her sarcasm a sharp blade even without her threads.

"Let them talk," Julian said, his tone shifting to one of finality. "Our primary objective here is complete." He glanced toward the timid Dori. "Dori, did you plant them all?"

Dori, hiding slightly behind Celestia, nodded vigorously. "Yes! All of them, just like you asked!"

The boy, Finn, whose senses were still sharp, felt a sudden dread. "They’re planning something! Capture them, now!" he yelled.

But Julian was faster. His hand moved in a blur, tossing a small, spherical object into the center of the room. Every eye instinctively followed it.

Lyra’s tactical mind processed the threat a split second faster than the others. "Don’t look! Close your eyes!" she shouted.

It was too late.

The device exploded not with fire, but with a searing, overwhelming flash of pure white light. A collective cry of pain and disorientation echoed as everyone’s vision turned into a blinding, painful whiteness.

In that crucial window of blindness, Julian’s group moved. Grappling hooks shot out, catching onto the high architecture of the throne room. As they swung towards an exit, Julian snatched the area nullifier device from the floor.

While being hauled away, his fingers worked frantically on the alien technology. With a final, decisive press, the device beeped and its hum died. The nullification field dropped.

Immediately, Julian’s power surged back. A wave of gravitational force enveloped his entire team, and they shot through the corridors at incredible speed, a blur escaping the chaotic throne room.

Rei’s vision cleared just in time to see them vanish around a distant corner. "Damn it! They’re getting away!"

The beast-man, Rork, his hearing supernaturally acute once more, twitched. His ears picked up a new, ominous sound beneath the panicked shouts. A series of rapid, rhythmic ticks.

Then, the world exploded.

The first detonation rocked the very foundations of the citadel, followed by another, and another. Dori’s concealed explosives, planted during her initial infiltration, erupted in a chain reaction, turning the heart of the New Order into a inferno of fire, debris, and panic.

Heikal stood amidst the chaos, the last shreds of his calm composure utterly shattered. His face, contorted with pure, unadulterated rage, looked towards the escape route his enemies had taken. His voice rose above the roaring flames, a venomous, thunderous oath.

"JULIAN!!! I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN! I WILL KILL YOU MYSELF!"

Soaring through the air, carried by the shadow clones that bled from his form, Julian heard the distant, furious roar echoing from the collapsing citadel. A cold, predatory smile graced his lips.

"We will meet again, Heikal," he murmured to the wind, his voice devoid of all warmth. "And when we do, that field will be your grave."

Below them, chaos reigned. Freed members of the New Order, now unchained from the Mark of Scales, clashed with loyalists in the streets and courtyards. The sound of combat and panicked shouts filled the air. It was the birth of a new, violent disorder.

Dori, clutching tightly to her shadowy steed, looked down with wide, anxious eyes. "It’s... so chaotic down there. They’re all fighting each other. Was... was this the only way?" she asked, her voice small.

Celestia, ever analytical even in flight, glanced downward, her expression unreadable. "The collapse of a rigid system always breeds temporary chaos. It’s an inevitable purge. The alternative was perpetual slavery. This chaos, at least, has the potential for a true, earned peace."

Julian’s gaze remained fixed ahead, cold and resolute. "The only way to break a cage is to shatter it completely," he stated, his tone leaving no room for debate. "They built their order on chains. Now, they reap the whirlwind. Our task is done here."

Julian and his team touched down at the predetermined rendezvous point, a secluded clearing hidden deep within a forest, far from the smoke and chaos of the New Order’s citadel.

The moment they landed, they were greeted by the rest of their group.

Clarissa was the first to rush forward, her face etched with worry that immediately melted into relief. "Julian! Everyone! You’re safe!" She immediately began checking them for injuries, her healing instincts kicking in.

Emma, practically vibrating with excitement, bounced on her heels. "So? What happened? Did you blow it up? I heard the explosions! Tell me everything!"

Veronica crossed her arms, a smirk playing on her lips. "Took you long enough. I was beginning to think you’d decided to redecorate the place and stay."

Aya hovered nearby, her shy eyes scanning them, ensuring they were all in one piece. Beside her, Beatrix let out a long, weary sigh, a complex mix of relief and grim satisfaction in her eyes.

Fey merely gave a lazy wave from where he was leaning against a tree. "Welcome back. Try not to drag any more world-shattering trouble our way for at least a week, yeah?"

Dori, still looking a bit shaken from the entire ordeal, managed a small smile. "We... we did it."

Zoe, her beast-like senses calming in the familiar presence of her pack, simply nodded in agreement, a rare, subtle warmth in her eyes.

Celestia, ever the strategist, immediately began debriefing. "The primary objective was a success. The Mark of Scales has been eradicated. The New Order’s central power structure is in collapse. However, Heikal and his core elites survived. We’ve made a powerful and vengeful enemy."

And Beatrix stepped forward, her usual bored and irritable expression softened by a genuine, profound gratitude. She looked directly at Julian, her voice low but clear.

"Thank you," she said, the words feeling foreign yet right on her tongue. "For freeing me... I can finally... breathe."

Julian met her gaze, his own pragmatic and unwavering. "It’s not a problem," he replied coolly. "I was merely fulfilling our agreement."

Before the moment could stretch, Veronica interjected, her sharp voice slicing through the sentiment. "So, what now? Should we expect that ’New Order’ rabble to come hunting us with everything they’ve got? I’d rather not be constantly looking over my shoulder."

All eyes turned to Julian for the assessment. A faint, cold smirk touched his lips.

"Hunt us? No," he stated, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "They no longer have the capacity. Their structure is shattered. The chain of command that held their army together is gone. Right now, their citadel is a battleground between freed former members and the few loyalists desperate to maintain control."

He paused, letting the image of the internal chaos sink in.

"Rebuilding from that is nearly impossible. They’ve lost their foundation. The fear and control are gone. Only a handful of his elite guards will likely remain by Heikal’s side. So, you can rest easy," he concluded, though his eyes held a glint that promised the opposite of rest. "The large-scale threat is neutralized. What remains is a personal vendetta."