Darkness swallowed the tower.
Aarav coughed as dust and broken energy swirled around him. The Axis Core above them was flickering dimmed, cracked, unstable.
The Harbinger hovered before it, arms raised, absorbing its collapsing power into his own body like a black hole drinking light.
Elios stumbled to his feet beside Rishi. "He's doing it he's draining the Core."
Aarav's eyes widened.
> "Every Axis… has a Core."
It clicked.
Just like Axis Prime, each universe had a hidden Axis Core the central force that kept that universe stable, balanced, and protected. It was the heart of the world. Without it, the Axis would fall into chaos, distortion, or even erasure.
Now Aarav could see the Harbinger's plan.
"They're not just invading," he muttered.
"They're harvesting Cores."
Rishi gritted his teeth. "He wants to use the Cores to power up his universe… to dominate the entire multiverse."
"And if he gets enough," Elios added grimly, "he won't just rule he'll overwrite the Loop itself. Reality will follow his design."
Aarav looked up at the cracked Core above them. "Then we stop him here."
The Battle for the Core
The Harbinger turned slowly, his body now radiating unstable Axis energy.
"You are clever, Aarav. But late."
He raised his hand and summoned a flood of corrupted aliens through a rift in the wall. Twisted beasts from broken Axes, now loyal to him. Their bodies were glitching with stolen powers magnetism, flame, shadow, even echoes of time.
Rishi stepped forward without hesitation, lightning crackling from his palms. "I've got the army."
Aarav nodded. "I'll take the Harbinger."
He leapt forward, channeling gravity to launch himself upward. The tower trembled as the battle ignited.
Rishi fought like thunder itself moving like a storm, shocking multiple enemies at once, covering Aarav's flank. Elios supported with energy barriers and time-slow fields to delay the reinforcements.
Aarav reached the Harbinger mid-air and struck him with a burst of raw power. The dark figure staggered but didn't fall.
"You think you're stronger now?" the Harbinger hissed.
Aarav clenched his fists, the glow of the Infinity Loop brightening. "I'm not stronger. I'm connected. To every Axis. To every Core."
He felt it. The loop inside him wasn't just a path it was a link. His bond with each Axis, each universe, each power.
And he reached for it.
The Axis Pulse
Suddenly, from within his chest, a pulse of light shot outward. The tower shook. The rift faltered. The Core stopped cracking for a moment.
Elios gasped. "He's awakened the Axis Pulse."
It was a ripple a stabilizing wave that pushed back the Harbinger's corruption. The aliens howled, disrupted by the shockwave. For the first time, the Harbinger staggered.
Aarav descended like a comet, striking the enemy with a force of unified powers: Gravity. Electricity. Magnetism. Time.
The Harbinger was thrown across the tower, crashing into the wall.
The Core glowed again, faintly healing.
But the Harbinger rose.
Wounded. Furious. Laughing.
"You've only delayed the inevitable. Axis 17 is already collapsing. I will return. And I will take every Core… one by one."
He opened a dark portal and vanished before they could stop him.
Silence After the Storm
The tower quieted.
The Core floated, damaged but stable.
Rishi collapsed beside Aarav. "That was insane."
Elios nodded, impressed. "The Axis Pulse… that's something no Guardian has ever unlocked. You truly are the Loopwalker."
Aarav looked up at the sky. Still cracked. But not lost.
"We stopped him here," he said. "But he'll be back. And now we know what he wants."
Rishi stood up, wiping blood from his cheek. "So… what now?"
Aarav turned to them both, eyes steady. "We find the remaining Axis Cores and protect them. No matter the cost."