The Sanctuary chamber had become a maelstrom of destruction and Void energy. Knull, now completely removed from his throne, stood like a mountain of living darkness, his attacks reshaping the environment around him. Symbiote tendrils rained down ceaselessly, void waves attempted to dissolve them, and spatial manipulation tossed them through the air. But Cid and Jinwoo were no longer just defending; they moved with purpose.
The survival phase was over. It was time for the Omega-Prime Containment Protocol.
Cid moved at impossible speeds, not only evading Knull's attacks but also moving toward specific points in the chamber. He had identified "anchor nodes" and "channeling conduits" within the sanctuary, remnants of the original prison or features of Knull's own domain that could be used against him.
Cid thought: Initiate Containment Protocol. The objective is to reactivate/reconfigure the final boss's imprisonment system using the domain's inherent elements. The 'anchor nodes' (fragments of the containment chains) and the 'channeling conduits' (unusual symbiote arteries) are the key points. The Designated Shadow Asset is to maintain the primary target's attention while I deactivate/activate the subsystems.
Jinwoo understood the need for strategy. They couldn't defeat Knull by brute force in his own domain. Containment was the only option. He deployed the entirety of his shadow army. Thousands of spectral soldiers emerged, creating a massive distraction. Beru, Igris, Tank, and the rest of his generals launched themselves directly at Knull, a tide of darkness against the primordial darkness, harassing him with relentless attacks, diverting his attention.
"Monarch! Keep his attention!" Cid's voice echoed through the chaos.
Jinwoo nodded, focusing his power. The resonance with Knull was agonizing, but now he used it like a tool. It allowed him to sense where Knull was focusing his energy, where the momentary weaknesses in his massive "form" were. He launched into the attack, dodging Knull's colossal blows, firing blasts of shadow energy, keeping the god of darkness occupied, a persistent but powerful fly that Knull couldn't entirely ignore due to the strange nature of his power.
While Jinwoo and his army fought this seemingly hopeless diversionary battle, Cid executed his part of the plan. He reached for one of the broken fragments of the containment chains. The energy emanating from it felt ancient and powerful, a force opposed to Knull's. Cid placed his gloved hand on the shattered cosmic metal and focused his own fundamental energy.
It wasn't a destructive attack, but a "Containment Reactivation Injection." Cid's energy flowed into the broken chain, and with a vibrating sound that echoed through the Sanctuary, the fragment began to glow with a pale blue light—the same energy they had felt before. The light traveled along the chain embedded in the wall and spread out, causing sections of the surrounding symbiote matter to tighten and solidify, as if an ancient force were trying to reassert itself.
Cid thought: First anchor node activated. The 'Fundamental Restriction' subsystem is online. The Ultimate Cult's matter is reacting as expected to the containment frequency. Now, on to the next node.
Knull sensed the activation. His fury intensified. A roar echoed through the chamber, and he launched a denser, more violent burst of symbiote tendons toward Cid, trying to stop him. But Cid, with his speed, was already heading for the second node.
The second node was an area where several unusual symbiote conduits converged. Cid arrived, evading Knull's attacks that tore the ground apart around him. He placed both hands over the pulsing conduits. This time, he used an "Energy Flow Reconfiguration" technique. His fundamental energy manipulated the flow of corrupted energy within the conduits, redirecting it or altering its frequency, forcing it to interact with the "anchor nodes" he was activating.
Knull roared again. The symbiote matter in his own body seemed to convulse as it felt its own dominance being manipulated against it. He halted his attack on Jinwoo for an instant and unleashed a blast of Void energy that covered much of the chamber, an attempt to obliterate everything and stop Cid.
"Jinwoo! Wide Area Evasion Protocol!" Cid shouted, even though he was focused on the reconfiguration.
Jinwoo, sensing the imminence of Knull's final attack, quickly used Skill: Shadow Shift, teleporting himself and Beru out of the main area of effect, while ordering his remaining army to disperse their forms to minimize losses.
Knull's blast was devastating. Parts of the chamber dissolved into nothingness, and many of Jinwoo's shadow soldiers were swept from existence. But Cid, at the center of the explosion, had created a "Quantum Stability Sphere" around himself, a small bubble where vacuum energy couldn't penetrate. He survived, though the strain on his energy was immense.
Cid emerged from the sphere, the reconfiguration of the second node complete. He was breathing a little harder, a rarity for him.
Cid thought: Area Annihilation Countermeasure - Partial Evasion. Reconfiguration subsystems are online. The final boss is scaling its reactive power. Activating the final anchor node is required to complete the imprisonment protocol. The designated Shadow Asset successfully executed the evasion protocol, albeit with calculated losses.
He headed toward the third and final anchor node. It was closer to Knull, on a rock formation that looked like part of his own throne. The distance was shorter, but the danger was greater. Knull, furious, was no longer distracted only by the army of shadows. His attacks were now focused on preventing Cid from reaching that final point.
The battle for containment had intensified. Every step was a struggle against the Void God himself, every node activation a costly victory. The climax was underway, and the fate of the multiverse hung in the balance as they attempted to place invisible chains on the Architect of Darkness in his own sanctuary.
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