As the battle raged on, Lena's mind raced. There had to be something they missed. Something they could use to finally defeat the Ascendants, and by extension, the [System].Suddenly, an idea struck her like a bolt of lightning."Elias, the energy core," she said, her voice breaking through the chaos. "We need to get to the energy core—the one that powers the Ascendants."Elias looked at her, confusion flickering in his eyes for a split second before realization set in. "You think that's the weak point? The source of their power?""It has to be," Lena said, her eyes narrowing. "If we can destroy the core, we can cut off the Ascendants' connection to the [System]. Without the energy, they'll be vulnerable."Elias nodded, determination flashing in his eyes. "Let's make it happen."The two of them turned and ran toward the source of the energy, a massive tower that loomed in the distance. As they sprinted toward the structure, the Ascendants pursued them, but they were slower now, as if the [System] itself was beginning to lose its grip on them.[System]: "Core energy disruption detected. Ascendant force weakening."Lena and Elias reached the base of the tower, a towering structure that seemed to pulse with an unnatural energy. The core was inside, and they had to destroy it before the [System] could stabilize.Elias was the first to move, climbing up the side of the tower with agility and strength. Lena followed closely, her eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of the Ascendants. The tower was alive with energy, humming as if the [System] was aware of their presence.As they reached the top, the core lay before them—a swirling mass of alien energy, glowing and undulating with a malevolent life of its own.[System]: "Warning: Energy breach detected. Ascendant core stabilization failing. Global protocol at 99%."Lena could hear the voice fading, weakening, but she knew it wasn't over yet. They had one shot to stop this.Elias pulled out a device, something he'd been working on for the last few days—a hacking tool designed to override the [System]'s energy signatures. He plugged it into the core, and for a moment, nothing happened.Then—everything trembled. The core started to glow brighter, its power surging as the [System] tried to fight back.[System]: "Energy overload detected. Termination imminent."Lena grabbed Elias's arm, pulling him back as the core began to destabilize. "It's working," she shouted.With a final, desperate push, the core exploded, sending a wave of energy rippling outward. The shockwave threw them both to the ground, and the world seemed to shudder around them.For a moment, everything was silent.