Damon moved through the battlefield with controlled aggression, the sledgehammer in his hands cutting wide, destructive arcs through the swarm of constructs that pressed in from all directions, each swing carrying enough force to crush through alloy that would have rendered his earlier strikes useless, yet even as one unit fell, two more stepped in to replace it, their movements synchronized, relentless, and far more adaptive than anything they had faced before.

The sound of metal colliding with metal echoed continuously, each impact reverberating through the vast floor as fragments of destroyed constructs scattered across the ground, only to be overshadowed by the growing number that continued to advance.

Behind him, Serena maintained her position near Mira and Ethan, her whip extending and retracting with precision as she controlled the space around them, intercepting incoming threats before they could close the distance, her strikes targeting joints and exposed segments, dismantling smaller units while keeping a watchful eye on Damon’s position.

Damon adjusted his footing again as another construct lunged at him, its limb morphing into a bladed edge mid-motion, forcing him to pivot and deflect the strike with the shaft of the hammer before countering with a downward blow that shattered its upper frame.

Yet even as it fell—

Another replaced it.

Then another.

His eyes narrowed.

Their numbers... are increasing.

He shifted his stance, scanning briefly.

And their durability... higher than Level 2.

A beam cut through the air.

Then another.

Then several more.

The constructs had adapted.

Laser attacks began to layer into their assault, forcing Damon to break rhythm as he weaved through the incoming strikes, his movements becoming sharper, tighter, more reactive as the battlefield turned into a constant barrage of both close-range and ranged pressure.

One beam grazed past his side.

Another struck his shoulder.

A third clipped across his torso.

His white shirt tore in multiple places, thin lines of red beginning to spread as blood seeped through the fabric, the accumulated damage forcing a slight stagger in his footing as he was pushed back under the continuous assault.

He clenched his jaw.

Re-centered.

But the pressure did not ease.

It increased.

Further behind, Mira’s eyes widened in panic as she watched him, her hands trembling slightly as she took an involuntary step forward.

"D-Damon...!"

Before she could move any further, two smaller constructs broke through the defensive perimeter, their movements fast as they rushed toward her from opposite angles.

Serena reacted instantly.

Her whip snapped outward in a sharp, controlled strike, intercepting the first unit mid-motion and tearing through its central joint before it could reach them, then redirecting in a fluid motion to wrap around the second, pulling it off trajectory and slamming it into the ground with enough force to disable it completely.

She didn’t relax.

Her gaze lifted locking onto Damon.

Across the battlefield, Damon met her eyes.

For a brief moment—

No words were needed.

They understood.

The situation.

The limitation.

The next step.

Serena’s grip tightened on her whip as she exhaled sharply, her voice cutting through the noise of battle.

"...We have no choice now."

Serena stepped forward slowly.

Deliberately.

Amidst the chaos of metallic clashes and burning beams, she closed her eyes, her breathing steadying as though the battlefield itself had faded away from her senses, and in that stillness, her voice emerged—soft, yet carrying an undeniable authority.

"Angelic Retribution."

For a fraction of a second—

Nothing happened.

Then—

A Blinding Light.

A radiant surge erupted from her body, engulfing the surroundings in a warm, golden brilliance that pushed back the harsh metallic glow of the constructs, washing over the battlefield like a divine tide, forcing even Damon to narrow his eyes slightly as the intensity spread outward.

When the light settled—

She stood transformed.

Her presence no longer human.

White-gold wings extended from her back, each feather shimmering with an ethereal glow, while her attire had shifted into something refined, regal, almost sacred, intricate golden patterns flowing across soft white fabric as her entire form radiated a calm yet overwhelming authority.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

The mechanical hostility that had filled the air moments ago—

Faltered.

The constructs slowed.

Their movements, once sharp and aggressive, became hesitant, their red eyes flickering as though struggling to maintain focus, their attack patterns disrupted by something they could neither calculate nor resist.

Damon observed closely.

So... that’s her resonance.

Before the constructs could recalibrate—

The feathers moved.

Not drifting.

Not falling.

But slicing.

Individual feathers detached from Serena’s wings, gliding through the air with deceptive grace before accelerating into cutting trajectories, each one carrying a sharpness that defied their appearance as they struck the constructs, slipping through the gaps in their alloy and severing internal connections with surgical precision.

One construct staggered.

Then another.

Then several more.

Their bodies collapsing as systems failed one after another.

Ethan stared in disbelief, his eyes wide as he watched the battlefield shift so drastically.

"W-what’s this...?" he muttered, unable to comprehend what he was witnessing.

Serena turned her head slightly, her gaze finding Damon even in the midst of it all, her voice calm yet urgent.

"My resonance blurs their intent to attack us, calming their aggressiveness and suppressing hostile impulses," she said, her tone steady, "but it won’t last long... move fast."

Damon nodded without hesitation.

His eyes closed briefly as he exhaled, centering himself within the shifting flow of energy around them, his voice low as he muttered—

"Fractured... Ruin."

An Invisible yet undeniable wave spread.

It pulsed outward from him, passing through the constructs like a silent ripple, and as it did, their bodies reacted—not physically at first, but internally, as systems began to stutter, their movements glitching, their coordination breaking apart as the integrity of their functions destabilized.

One construct froze mid-motion.

Another jerked violently as its limbs misaligned.

A third collapsed as its internal structure failed to respond correctly.

Damon opened his eyes.

And moved.

Faster and stronger.

His body surged forward with explosive speed, the sledgehammer now an extension of his will as he swung it with one hand, the force behind each strike amplified, precise, and devastating, shattering constructs with clean, efficient blows that no longer required setup or adjustment.

He stepped into range.

Struck.

A unit crumpled.

He pivoted mid-motion.

Another shattered.

A third attempted to fire—

Too slow.

The hammer came down, crushing it into the ground as the impact sent a tremor across the floor, the shock traveling outward and destabilizing nearby units already weakened by his resonance.

He didn’t stop.

He didn’t hesitate.

Damon moved like a blur across the battlefield, each step calculated, each strike final, leaving behind only broken fragments and dismantled remains as the constructs fell one after another, unable to recover from the combined effects of Serena’s suppression and his destruction.

And in that moment—

The battlefield tilted in their favor.

With Serena’s radiant feathers cutting through alloy like threads of light and Damon’s relentless, brutal assault crushing whatever remained, the overwhelming swarm of constructs was reduced, piece by piece, into nothing more than scattered fragments across the vast floor, their once coordinated presence now broken into lifeless debris that no longer posed a threat.

The battlefield fell silent.

Heavy.

Earned.

Damon exhaled slowly as the final construct collapsed, his grip loosening slightly on the sledgehammer as he withdrew the surge of power within him, the lingering distortion from his resonance fading as the air steadied once more, while not far from him, Serena’s wings dimmed, the golden glow receding as her form returned to normal, the divine presence dissolving back into something more grounded, more human.

For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.

Mira stepped forward quickly, her concern immediate as she looked between the two of them, her hands instinctively lifting as though ready to heal again.

"A-are you okay?" she asked, her voice soft but urgent.

Both Damon and Serena gave a small nod, their expressions composed despite the strain they had just endured, silently reassuring her without making it into something more than it needed to be.

Ethan approached next, his eyes wide with awe, practically shining as he looked between Damon and Serena, the disbelief in his expression unmistakable.

"G-great...! R-really great...!" he stammered, his voice filled with genuine amazement, "I—I can’t believe humans can be as strong as you...!"

His gaze didn’t linger for long.

It shifted quickly.

Toward the glowing blue cube that still hovered at the far end of the floor, its light flickering faintly as though attempting to stabilize after the disruption.

"Before it restores and reattaches itself... we should destroy that!" he said, urgency creeping into his tone as he began moving forward, his steps quickening as he closed the distance, reaching out toward the suspended cube.

But just as his hand was about to make contact—

It was stopped firmly.

Damon’s hand caught his wrist mid-motion, halting him completely.

"Not so fast."