Kaelen's blade clashed against the Temporal Phantom, sparks of pure chronal energy bursting in every direction. Each strike was a battle against entropy, each block a defiance of oblivion. The Phantom's form shifted and flickered, constantly phasing through fragments of time — now a child, now an old man, now a soldier from a future war.
"You cannot win," the Phantom hissed, its voice layered with centuries. "You fight not me, but the collapse of causality itself."
"I fight for everyone still bound by time," Kaelen growled, gripping his sword tighter. "And I will not let you erase them."
Outside the Nexus, Nova and Seojun struggled to hold the outer field. The sky was torn open by time rifts, through which strange beings and ancient machines spilled. But they stood their ground, calling upon everything they had learned — and every ally they had gained — through the long and perilous journey.
Back inside, Kaelen activated the last chronal seal implanted in his armor. A brilliant glyph lit the chamber, forcing the Phantom into a semi-stable form. "Now!" Seojun shouted, throwing the chronolock device with perfect aim.
The device embedded in the Phantom's chest. With a wailing screech, it froze — suspended in the stream of time, unable to escape.
For a moment, silence.
Then the Nexus core began to stabilize. The rifts outside began to close, one by one.
Kaelen knelt, exhausted. "It's done... for now."
But as the dust settled, and reality began to repair itself, a final whisper echoed from the Phantom's frozen form.
"This was only one branch… the root still lives."
Kaelen looked up, heart pounding. "Then we find the root."