The observing mass did not vanish.
It drifted deeper into sparse lattice regions.
It looked like it was trying to mover far enough away to avoid direct engagement, while maintaining a close enough distance to monitor every fluctuation across the cooperative net.
It had tested her.
She had answered.
Now both sides understood something new.
This war would not be decided by brute force alone.
Across the lattice, distortion clusters no longer waited for central instruction. They began forming in scattered, autonomous patterns, spreading like embers carried by invisible wind.
"They removed centralized dependency," the balance branch voice said.
"I can see that."
Clusters now appeared in distant sectors at unpredictable intervals. Some formed near weakened anchors. Others materialized along threads that had previously shown no structural weakness at all.
"They're probing randomness," she murmured.
"Yes. Statistical targeting."
"They want to find blind spots."
