Data streamed in real-time displaying heat signatures, spatial distortions and mana fluctuations.

"Scanners are active," she said without turning. "If a ruin opens anywhere within Misty High City, we’ll know immediately."

West leaned against the edge of the console. "Good. The moment it happens, we move. No hesitation."

Jax cracked his neck. "Finally... some real action."

Nina smiled softly, though her eyes held a sharper glint. "Let’s just hope we get there before the vultures do..."

West eyes narrowed slightly.

"Oh I mean other gangs... not the actual vultures gang..." Nina clarified.

—

Time passed slowly, stretching into hours, then into a full day as they waited in anticipation.

After another half day slipped by....

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

A sharp alarm suddenly pierced through the base.

Aria’s voice rang out instantly. "Rupture detected!"

West’s head snapped up. "Location?"

She tapped rapidly, pulling up the coordinates. "North sector. Industrial grid... close to a power plant."

West’s lips curved. "Its time."

Without delaying or second guessing, West stepped forward and immediately summoned.

Dark energy rippled outward as two presences appeared beside him.

Gor’thala emerged first with her towering muscular form radiating raw power as her staff materialized in her grasp. Seraphyra materialized immediately after with her serpentine body coiling as she expanded.

Without hesitation, Seraphyra’s body elongated further, growing massive.

West leapt onto her back. "Move."

She didn’t need to be told twice or even informed of the location, the connection between master and summon, made her capable of sensing where to head to.

Seraphyra swept forward, slithering through the base exit at incredible speed with her massive serpentine form.

Her movement was smooth yet terrifyingly fast as she shot into the open city.

Behind them, Gor’thala grabbed Nina effortlessly, lifting her into a princess carry as if she weighed nothing.

Jax jumped onto Gor’thala’s shoulder, gripping tight as she activated her own enhancement.

"Hold on," she growled before launching forward.

Fwwwhiiiiiiiii~

Seraphyra tore through the city with her massive body slithering between buildings, sliding across roads with a speed so great that cars swerved wildly as she passed.

Drivers only caught a glimpse of something monstrous before it was gone.

West stood balanced atop her back with his arms folded, completely unfazed as the wind whipped violently against him. The city became streaks of color around them as pedestrians froze in shock.

Gor’thala wasn’t far behind, coverinv massive distances with singular leaps. Her body was propelled by bursts of magic as she bounded across rooftops, smashing through obstacles when necessary and sending shockwaves through the structures beneath her feet as she landed.

Nina laughed lightly despite the speed, clutching onto Gor’thala as her hair whipped behind her.

Jax grinned like a man possessed. "Now this is what I’m talking about!"

They blurred through streets, over highways, across rooftops, moving with unstoppable force.

Within minutes, they arrived at an eerily quiet area.

The power plant was stationed nearby. Massive towers, thick cables, and groaning generators stretched across the industrial landscape.

Beyond it, the land opened into a more desolate stretch, scattered with debris and rusted structures.

And at the center of it all... was the rupture.

A rough tear on the ground caved in, distorting the space around it. The air around it warped, bending light, twisting the environment as if reality itself struggled to maintain form. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

This was the entrance to the ruin.

West stepped down from Seraphyra’s back and for a brief moment... it was just them.

Jax exhaled slowly. "No way... we actually made it first?"

Nina’s eyes gleamed. "Looks like it."

Just as they spoke, the sound of roaring engines filled the air.

From the left, a convoy of armored vehicles flooded into the area with dust kicking up behind them as they screeched to a halt.

Doors slammed open, and figures stepped out, bearing a uniform that spoke of cohesion and strength.

Dark crimson jackets lined with reinforced plating and sharp angular visors.

Almost every single one of them had weapons in their grasp.

At their front stood a tall man with a scar running across his nose and his hair tied back into a tight knot, emitting a heavy presence filled with bloodthirstiness.

"The Blood Dominion claims this ruin," he said coldly. "Step aside if you value your lives."

Before West could respond, another convoy arrived from the right.

At least eighteen of them poured out of their vehicles dressed in black and gold attire, adorned with gleaming metallic accents.

A broad-shouldered man with slicked-back hair and golden rings across his fingers, stepped forward.

"The Iron Serpents say otherwise," a confident smirk rested on his lips as he drawled, rolling his shoulders. "You’re all too late. This territory belongs to us now."

Jax blinked slowly before looking at West. "...they serious right now?"

Nina tilted her head. "Do they... not see us?"

West stepped forward with a calm look. "Shadow Reapers arrived first."

His voice swept out loud and calm enough, drawing the attention of both groups to them.

Silence followed for a few moments before it was accompanied by loud mocking laughter.

The golden-ringed man smirked. "Shadow... what?"

"Shadow Reapers," West repeated.

The scarred man scoffed. "Never heard of it."

Jax cracked his knuckles while stepping forward slightly. "Yeah? That’s about to change."

The laughter from both sides lingered in the air as they arrogantly dismissed the Ahadow Reapers. To them, it was absurd that three young awakeners were standing their ground between two established gangs, as if they had any right to claim what was about to become a battlefield.

A few of the gang members even relaxed their stances, clearly not taking the situation seriously.

One of the men from the Blood Dominion with a bulky figure and shaved head, gestured lazily toward West’s group. "What are a bunch of kids doing here?" he scoffed. "This isn’t some playground ruin. Get them out of the way."

A chorus of agreement followed from both sides.

"Move before you get hurt."

"You shouldn’t even be here."

"Run along."

Jax’s expression immediately twisted into something far less patient as his hand drifted toward the hilt of his ice katana with frost already forming along its sheath. "Say that again," he muttered under his breath while stepping forward. "I dare you."

But before he could take another step, West’s hand came down on his shoulder.

"Don’t bother," West said calmly.

Jax glanced sideways at him. "You serious?"

Instead of responding, West reached into his inventory.

When his hand came back out, two small, dark metallic discs rested between his fingers.

They were compact and almost harmless-looking at first glance but the faint energy emanating from them told a different story.

Without warning, West flicked his wrist.

Twwwhiiiiiiirrrr~

The first disc shot toward the Blood Dominion group on the left while the second spun toward the Iron Serpents on the right.

For a split second, nothing happened... and then suddenly...

WHUMM~

The air warped as gravity twisted violently around the discs.

The gang members didn’t even have time to react properly before they were yanked off their feet.

"What the—?!"

A crushing force pulled them inward, dragging bodies together in a chaotic collision.

Weapons clattered and bones slammed against armor as the space around each disc compressed violently, forming tight clusters of struggling figures as if an invisible hand had clenched them into a single point.

"What is going on—?!"

Someone tried to activate their branch, but the compression left them disoriented, tangled, unable to properly move or channel their abilities.

Before anyone could recover, Gor’thala stepped forward.

Her staff slammed into the ground with a thunderous crack.

"Root of the Deep Earth... answer."

Her voice carried power causing the ground to respond in kind.

The earth beneath both groups split open with violent force as thick, ancient vines erupted outward, twisting and writhing like serpents.

They shot upward with terrifying speed, wrapping around limbs, torsos and necks... binding each and every member caught within the implosive pull.

The vines restrained and constricted around them while lifting them into the air.

Within seconds, over thirty awakened gang members were hoisted into the air, completely immobilized. The vines hardened as they tightened, digging into armor and flesh alike, leaving no room for escape.

Struggles followed immediately.

"Break it—!"

"Move—damn it—!"

"Activate—!"

Unfortunately, it was too overwhelming.

West stepped forward slowly, brushing imaginary dust off his sleeve as if what had just happened was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

Then he looked up at them, all suspended, helpless.

"The Shadow Reapers arrived here first," he stated with a calm and authoritative voice. "And now we’ll be claiming this ruin."

A few of them glared down at him with rage burning in their eyes.

West tilted his head slightly. "By the time you manage to free yourselves... we’ll already be deep inside. We’d have looked a lot." His gaze sharpened slightly. "So do yourselves a favor... and leave while you still can."

Without waiting for a response, he turned. "Let’s go."

And just like that, the three of them, along with West’s summons, walked past the suspended mass of defeated awakeners as if they didn’t exist.