The wall didn't just explode. It shattered into crystal fragments that hung suspended in air, each piece resonating with power that made Guild Hunters' enhanced senses scream.
Through the breach stepped a figure that shouldn't exist. A fusion signature that made even S-Tier Hunters step back.
Crystal Serpent.
The very being whose bond with Rhys had been supposedly broken. Its massive form rippled with power that turned suppression fields to static.
"Impossible." The squadron leader's voice cracked. "The records showed-"
"Your records mean nothing." Rhys's cold voice cut through chaos. The Wolf's presence surging as his first partner arrived.
Then the shadows moved.
Shade Fox materialized from darkness, its form dancing between crystal fragments. Both of Rhys's original bonds, thought broken, now very much alive.
Maya's hidden frequencies peaked. Marina's power flared free. The resistance network moved with practiced precision. And in that moment of perfect chaos, Rhys showed them what nothing truly was.
Shadow Step carried him through reality's gaps. Not just between crystal pulses now - between moments themselves. Resonant Strike flowing with power drawn from spaces that numbers couldn't cage.
The enhanced Hunters broke first. Their artificial power crumbling before something older than Guild mathematics. Elite Hunters fell back in formation, but found only shadow where strategy should be.
"You don't understand." Rhys moved like winter wind through summer trees. "I was never broken."
The Wolf sang through his techniques. Crystal Serpent's power resonated with each strike. Shade Fox's essence turned his movements liquid dark.
"Fall back!" The squadron leader's order came too late. "Request immediate-"
The facility's crystal network screamed.
Maya's master stroke activated. Every frequency she'd hidden. Every pattern Wei had encoded. Every resonance the resistance had prepared. All striking at once.
Guild Hunters found their fusion bonds disrupted by harmonics that shouldn't exist. Enhanced soldiers watched artificial power fade under frequencies that remembered older songs.
But Rhys didn't stop.
Shadow Step carried him through their formations. Resonant Strike finding weaknesses in everything the Guild had built. His calculated violence dismantling their certainties with cold precision.
"The records..." The squadron leader fought to maintain control. "Capacity three..."
"Your numbers are just cages." Rhys's voice held winter's truth. "And nothing slips between bars."
The resistance network struck with perfect coordination. Jin's preserved power combining with Mari's tactical brilliance. Wei's crystal manipulation merging with Maya's hidden frequencies.
Marina, finally free, showed why they'd needed to suppress her.
The Guild's forces fractured. Enhanced soldiers fell. Elite Hunters retreated before power they couldn't quantify. The man in white vanished into chaos of his own making.
When silence fell, Rhys stood amid scattered crystal fragments. His true partners faded back into shadow - a display meant for Guild eyes. But his Gem Sense tracked Wei's movements through the chaos, the maintenance worker's hands brushing specific panels. Mapping. Measuring. Every structural weakness exposed by today's battle carefully noted.
"They'll come back." Maya emerged from shadow, hood finally lowered. Her eyes met his with careful meaning. "With worse than Hunters."
"Let them come." Rhys's cold smile promised winter. The Wolf's presence acknowledging how Jin's team had used the conflict to access higher security protocols. How Mari's fighters had secured vital facility blueprints during their tactical retreat.
The resistance network moved with practiced efficiency. Each member taking positions that looked like cleanup but served deeper purpose. Some would transfer to different blocks after this. Others would receive new work assignments. All carefully placed.
"Facility systems transferring to emergency protocols," automated warnings echoed. "Initiating full restructure."
Perfect cover.
Marina stood beside him, free but wearing calculated restraint. Her power carefully dimmed to match expected levels. Through their bond, he sensed her registering every guard rotation change. Every security response time.
"D-Tier will want to contain you now." Maya's words carried double meaning. "Keep their dangerous element where they can watch."
Rhys let his gaze drift over facility damages. His Gem Sense showing him how Maya's frequencies had exposed critical weaknesses in the prison's crystal network. Gaps that would matter later. Patterns that suggested older architecture beneath Guild modifications.
The Wolf's song held patient hunger.
"Containment protocols re-establishing," facility systems reported. "New security measures initiating."
---
But the resistance knew better. Today's chaos had given them everything:
- Complete facility blueprints
- Guard response patterns
- Security protocol data
- Crystal network weaknesses
- Hidden infrastructure routes
- Outside contact opportunities
- Perfect position placement
---
Time to show them what nothing could truly become.
But as victory settled, questions hung in crystal-charged air
How long would the Guild's leash truly hold?
What secrets lay in the prison's bones?
Why did Maya's frequencies expose older paths?
What power waited in shadows between their walls?
And most importantly...
When would nothing finally break free?
The Wolf's presence stirred with patient purpose.
Winter was coming.
And chains were meant to break.