The Ark of Liberation, shrouded in the darkness of the subterranean aqueduct, was a ghost ship sailing through the veins of the Holy Land. Benjamin, standing on the deck, was a nexus of concentrated power. His Extended Chronal Field was active, allowing him to perceive the movements of the guards and the flow of ventilation an hour into the future.
He wasn't penetrating the fortress; he was simply reading its blueprint and performing subtle, calculated rearrangements.
The most valuable, politically sensitive slaves were held in the deepest, most secure sectors, protected not by thick doors, but by layers of advanced surveillance and psychological monitoring.
Benjamin didn't use force. He used molecular choreography.
He directed the Ark toward the main vent shafts leading to the primary prison block. Using Precise Energy Manipulation, he created an anti-vibration field around the ship, nullifying the sound of the hull against the water. Then, with Effortless Matter Transmutation, he reached into the reinforced steel walls of the ventilation shaft and began the silent conversion. He turned a three-meter section of the wall's complex alloy into a temporary, high-purity, soft helium compound, creating a gap that was utterly silent and self-sealing.
The Ark of Liberation slipped through the pliable wall and into the deepest level of the facility. The transformation was instantaneous, and the wall snapped back to its metallic form the moment the ship cleared the space, leaving no trace of entry.
Inside the sprawling prison, the guards were lethargic, still reeling from the chaos of the first raid. Benjamin's Psionic Influence, now more potent at 3%, was not used to control their minds, but to dull their awareness—a subtle, constant mental static that made them overlook shadows, ignore strange smells, and prioritize paperwork over patrols.
The slaves were waiting. Benjamin had used his earlier chaos to seed the idea that a larger rescue was coming. Now, the Ark of Liberation was their fulfillment.
Benjamin moved through the massive cell blocks, his blue eyes casting a faint, pervasive luminescence. He didn't speak. He simply focused his power on the heavy, custom-made shackles and cages.
He used Effortless Matter Transmutation to instantaneously alter the molecular alignment of the locking mechanisms. The locks didn't break; they simply unlatched. The thick, cold steel of the cell doors suddenly felt light and loose.
One by one, the doors slid open. The slaves emerged—traumatized, thin, and terrified, but driven by the sight of the serene boy and the impossible ship. They filed silently onto the Ark, their terror replaced by the stunned recognition of true, unearned liberation. Benjamin, using his Advanced Self-Manipulation, provided continuous, subtle healing energy to those on the verge of collapse, ensuring every individual was capable of movement.
The extraction took just under an hour. No alarms sounded. No shots were fired. The Ark had simply materialized, emptied the highest-security zones, and was preparing its silent departure. It was a theft of souls performed with the elegance of a cosmic artist.
As the last group of slaves boarded the Ark, Benjamin's Extended Chronal Field screamed a warning. His temporal perception, usually showing subtle probabilistic shifts, snapped into sharp focus: Extreme Counter-Anomalous Force Incoming.
He sensed them not as people, but as focused instruments of the World Government's will. They moved with a level of precision and absolute commitment that transcended even the Admirals.
Three figures—the highest tier of Cipher Pol 0 (CP0)—materialized in the main corridor leading back to the ventilation shaft. They hadn't followed the Ark; they had anticipated its existence and its extraction method. They were not tracking a mole; they were tracking a pattern.
The lead agent—a tall, masked woman whose uniform was immaculate despite the dust—spoke, her voice amplified and cold. "The anomaly is contained. The systemic failures led us to a single truth: your means of entry and exit would rely on molecular manipulation of the foundation."
She didn't mention the boy's name, or Kizaru's report. She only spoke of the crime against physics. "We are here to stabilize the anomaly and restore global causality. Your mission terminates here, Chronos-Child."
The two agents flanking her—one masked and wielding a Seastone staff, the other a master of Rokushiki—launched their attack simultaneously. The one with the staff aimed to disable the Ark and contain Benjamin's powers; the master of Rokushiki launched a devastating Rankyaku (Tempest Kick) designed to cut the ship in half.
Benjamin did not panic. He had thousands of souls depending on him. He had completed the extraction. Now, he had to secure the exit.
He steered the Ark into a rapid, silent rotation toward the exit point. He extended both hands, his eyes blazing with the full, cold power of the 3% template.
He intercepted the Seastone staff with a focused Sustained Energy Projection, not a shield, but a counter-frequency that instantly caused the Seastone to briefly become inert metal, throwing the agent off balance.
He met the devastating Rankyaku with a rapid burst of Effortless Matter Transmutation, instantaneously converting a large section of the prison wall into a hyper-dense, shock-absorbing synthetic foam. The Rankyaku struck the foam, and the massive kinetic energy was absorbed, muffled, and entirely neutralized, leaving only a gentle thud.
The moment of distraction was all he needed. The Ark reached the entrance point. Benjamin activated the molecular transformation, turning the wall briefly to helium compound, and the ship slipped through.
The masked CP0 agents rushed to the point of exit, finding only the perfectly sealed, reinforced steel wall. They stood in the silent, empty corridor, staring at the flawless wall.
"The pattern has been lost," the lead agent said, her voice filled with chilling realization. "The Chronos-Child is not an attack. He is a methodology. Report: The anomaly has escaped. Upgrade threat level to Code Omega."
The final liberation was complete. The World Government now had two choices: surrender to chaos, or commit to a global war against an enemy that could not be tracked, fought, or understood.