"When the storms of many worlds collide, it is not destruction that follows, but the weaving of a new destiny—this is the Convergence."
Previously: The siege of the Temple of Lakapati captivated global attention, transforming myth-tech warfare from mere speculation into undeniable reality.
Gregorio successfully completed the Kamay ni Bathala and, aided by Sybill's black flame and the unity of the Sandata Unit, repelled assaults from both Babaylan and Ahas ng mga Lakans.
Amidst the chaos, Raja betrayed Hermano. In the shadows, Maximo eliminated god-assassin teams before they could target Gregorio, while the Anino ng mga Anitos observed from the obsidian chamber in Manila as foreign powers quietly mobilized their relic arsenals.
In Bulakan, the Republic raised its flag to red-over-blue, reactivated Project Sandata, MID-Zeta Elite, and God's Locker, and sealed the Convergence Protocol, as Washington and the Archipelago renewed an ancient pact to withstand the Reckoning.
In Binondo, Raja wielded the Pamana ni Lakan alongside Haring Sawa, vowing to unravel myths in daylight; Hermano summoned his saints to march, while Sybill's coven intertwined its wards with the rhythm of the Sandata.
Across Asia, relic signatures ignited like awakening fault lines—Bangkok, Osaka, Shanghai, Busan, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur—each a tremor in a vast design.
Void Path, Road Between Worlds
The void was infinite.
The Other Gregorio traversed its fragmented corridors, each step unraveling remnants of forgotten worlds. Civilizations crumbled into glyph-ash, temples disintegrated into dust, and the abyss quivered with every stride. This silence was not devoid; it was the silence of endings.
With each step, he fractured reality, and with each fracture, the living braced themselves.
The March of War
Throughout the archipelago, the Philippine Military stood on the brink of transformation.
In hangars carved into mountainsides, soldiers donned myth-tech suits. The armor hissed as it sealed, plates etched with protective sigils glowing faintly upon contact.
Engineers murmured prayers as they secured glyph-charged rifles into racks, each weapon vibrating with restrained fury. Rune sabers were tested, their edges alive with ancestral fire, sliding into holsters with ritual precision.
Above them, the skies parted.
The Adarna, radiant and eternal, unfurled its wings. Its feathers shimmered with a myriad of hues, each plume a hymn of protection.
Behind it, a fleet of airships ascended, their hulls engraved with glyph wards, the banners of the Sandata fluttering against storm-lit skies.
The march of war had commenced.
Biringan – The Signal of Convergence
At the heart of Biringan, glyph-fires blazed in a circle, each flame a solemn vow.
Hermano Lopez, the Supreme Leader of the Babaylans, stood upon the glyph-forged dais, embodying both anchor and tempest. His eyes burned with the weight of centuries, the authority of the Babaylans flowing through him like a river of fire.
Before him, the Babaylan Saints assembled, their leader Commodore Juan Luciano at the forefront. In his grasp gleamed the Habagat ni Silang—a Typhoon Glass Trident with a Voidsteel shaft, its tines refracting stormlight into a thousand shards.
Luciano raised the trident high. Winds howled through the hidden city, carrying the voices of ancestors. The trident's storm-glass shimmered, while the Voidsteel shaft grounded its fury into the earth.
A Glyph Signal erupted from its core, racing across ley-lines, reaching oceans and mountains. It was not merely a call to arms; it was the storm's initial strike.
The Babaylan Army roared in response, their battle cry shaking the foundations of Biringan.
Hermano Lopez raised the Banal na Parusa, its brilliance splitting the heavens. His voice resonated above the storm:
"By the will of the Babaylans, the Convergence begins!"
The Saints lifted their Sandata in unison, their silhouettes etched against the firestorm of destiny.
Osaka – The Pact of Shadows
In Osaka, neon bled across the underworld. The rain-slicked streets reflected a thousand fractured lights as Raja entered the Amakiri Residence - Stronghold of the Orochi Group.
At his side hung two relics of legend. The first, the Haring Sawa, coiled like a serpent forged of steel and storm, its scales alive with venomous glyphs that hissed faintly in the dark. The second, the Pamana ni Lakan, rested across his back—a blade of sovereignty, its Voidsteel edge engraved with ancestral sigils of kingship and rebellion.
The Shinken Amakiri awaited him, tattoos shifting like serpents, their movements echoing the living aura of the Legendary Masamune. His eyes gleamed with recognition—not just of Raja, but of the weapons he bore.
"You carry the storm and the crown," Shinken stated, bowing his head slightly. "The East will answer,"
Raja replied, his voice low and deliberate. "When the Convergence breaks, the East will burn with glyph-fire. And I will stand at its center."
Their pact was sealed—not with ink, but with blood. The shadow armies of the Orochi Group would march alongside Raja's forces, bound by the serpent and the crown.
Kasanaan – The Waiting of the Dead
In Kasanaan, silence reigned.
Sitan gripped the Palakol ng Kasanaan, spectral flames dripping from its edge.
Beside him, Dian held the Sinulid ng Kapalaran, the luminous thread coiling around her fingers, weaving faint visions of futures yet unwritten.
The thread pulsed, revealing fragments: a burning city, a serpent coiled around a sun, a sinking fleet before the Legendary Bakunawa, a crow enveloping the globe with pitch black darkness, and lastly, a man warping into a God traversing the void.
A Glyph Portal tore open. Laon and Mandayog stumbled through, bloodied and broken.
"The war has already begun," Sitan growled.
Davao – The Sandata Reactivated
In the Temple of Lakapati, incense curled into the storm-lit air.
Joaquin Santillan entered, his steps echoing with urgency. In his hands, he clutched a black glyph folder. He approached Gregorio, who stood before the altar.
Without a word, Joaquin handed him the folder. Gregorio opened it to reveal the official seals of the President, the Senate President, and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.
The decree was unequivocal:
The Sandata Unit is reactivated.
Attached were Mission Specifications — Classified Orders / Convergence Protocol Initiated.
Mandates:
Kamay ni Bathala Mandate – Full divine sanction to mobilize myth-tech operatives in foreign theaters of war.
MID-Zeta Elite Orders – Joint deployment under Joaquin Santillan and Ricardo Magno; national defense and myth-tech stabilization.
God's Locker Protocol – Authorization to field B- to S-class relics under Republic command.
Assignments:
To Captain Gregorio Aguilar — Kamay:
You are to advance into the Osaka sectors. The Orochi Group has established corridors within the Amakiri networks, and Raja's pact relies on the undetected transportation of Voidsteel-class relics through these channels. Your mission is to infiltrate the Amakiri residence, dismantle the smuggling operations, intercept shipment manifests, and secure any evidence linking Orochi to the Ahas ng mga Lakan convergence. You are authorized to neutralize any threats that impede mission success, with Shinken Amakiri being the primary target.
Anticipate encounters with hostile relic wielders and probably Echoes; deny the enemy their resources and return with conclusive proof.
To Marian Dela Fuente — Sundang:
Deploy to the Busan. Babaylan cells are utilizing maritime guilds to smuggle glyphs and contraband across the Korea Strait.
Intelligence suggests that fragments of the Makiling Codex are concealed in Busan's undercity and are being transported through Korean ports. Your objectives are to establish wards, disrupt the glyph trafficking routes, recover the Codex fragments, and neutralize any cult operatives you encounter.
Be prepared for potential political tensions with local guardians who may claim jurisdiction.
To Agosto Santos — Kampilan:
Insert into northern Thailand and the bordering provinces. Kalawit's allies are operating clandestine forges; the Ahas ng mga Lakan are manufacturing void-poison weapons intended for cult warlords.
Locate the Venom forges, dismantle their production capabilities, eliminate the forgemasters, liberate any captives, and instigate resistance within the villages to prevent reoccupation.
You are specifically ordered to eliminate Phaya Khamdee, Kalawit's designated enforcer, and to eradicate his ability to restore the weapon supply lines.
To Renato Ramirez — Kalasag:
Set sail for Jakarta and the Seribu Pulau chain. The Garuda Protocol Archives represent a high-value target; Bakawan and Ahas terror cells are maneuvering to seize these relic archives and exploit spirit breaches to destabilize the region.
Your mission is to protect the archives, safeguard allied assets, and contain — or if necessary, eliminate — any cross-border spirit incursions that could jeopardize ASEAN defenses.
Final Directive:
"The Sandata Unit will function as a dispersed strike network. Maintain local secrecy, global coordination.
The Convergence is no longer theoretical—it is imminent."
Gregorio closed the folder, his eyes aflame with both duty and foreboding.
"Then it begins."
A moment of silence ensued before Joaquin turned toward the shadows at the temple's edge.
From the mist, Sybill emerged, her Kandila ng Dilim flickering with black flame.
Joaquin's voice carried the weight of command.
"You are not exempt, Sybill. By order of the Convergence Protocol—and by direct decree of the President herself—you will serve under MID-Zeta Elite."
Her eyes flickered, caught between suspicion and pride. Joaquin continued, his tone firm yet measured.
"The President was impressed with your defense of Lakapati. You stood when many faltered. For that, you have been officially commended. However, commendation alone is insufficient—the Republic requires your fire."
Sybill's voice cut through the incense-laden air, sharp yet tinged with weariness.
"Do I have a choice?"
Joaquin met her gaze unwaveringly.
"You do not. This directive comes from the highest authority of the Republic. From this day forward, you are MID-Zeta."
The black flame around Kandila ng Dilim twisted momentarily, as if resisting, before it settled. Sybill exhaled slowly, her tone resigned. "Then fate has chosen for me."
Joaquin nodded curtly. "Good. The world is already ablaze—we will need your fire."
Kasanaan – The Wounded Heralds
Back in Kasanaan, silence was shattered by the labored breaths of Laon and Mandayog.
Sitan's axe blazed brighter, his rage barely contained. Dian's Sinulid ng Kapalaran pulsed violently, threads weaving into knots of forewarning.
Laon's voice cracked as he uttered, "He is coming."
Mandayog collapsed, his last words a whisper: "The dead are no longer safe."
The ground quaked. Even Kasanaan itself seemed to recoil, as if the realm of the dead feared what was to come.
Steps to Convergence
The chapter concluded in a crescendo of vivid imagery:
Soldiers boarding airships, armor shimmering with glyph-light.
The Babaylan Saints roaring as the Habagat ni Silang and Banal na Parusa illuminated the skies.
Raja and the Shinken sealing their pact in Osaka's underworld, the serpent and the crown gleaming in shadow.
Sitan and Dian standing over the wounded, their Sandata alive with prophecy and wrath.
Gregorio staring at the black glyph folder, the weight of destiny pressing upon him.
Above all, the storm gathered.
"Thus begins the Convergence of nations, where myth and machine march as one."
The skies split with thunder.
The world held its breath.