Debris rained down. The Core Crystal cracked but held.
Then, silence.
Dust settled. The heat began to dissipate.
Alvian opened his eyes. The ice cocoon shattered.
They were alive.
He looked around. The chamber was ruined. Sunlight streamed in through massive cracks in the walls. Real sunlight.
"We landed," Seraphina whispered, checking her limbs. "We're... on the ground."
Alvian stood up. He staggered. His [Genesis Mode] ended, and the backlash hit him. His stats plummeted. His mana bar greyed out.
[Debuff: Soul Exhaustion.]
[All stats reduced by 90% for 24 hours.]
"Ugh," Alvian groaned. "I feel like I got hit by a planet."
"You did," Seraphina pointed out, helping him up.
They climbed out of the wreckage of the Core room, emerging onto what used to be the Admin District.
The Academy was a ruin. Towers had toppled. The streets were buckled. But the main structures were intact.
Skiffs were landing all around. Students were pouring out, coughing, crying, but alive.
