CHAPTER 34: Shattered Reflections

The metallic ground trembled beneath their feet as the battle raged on. Sparks erupted, machinery groaned, and the entire factory felt like it was collapsing around them.

Rin grinned wickedly, her silver eyes glinting in the dim light.

"Keep on fighting me~" she chimed, dodging a flick of Helion’s fate-threads with unnatural grace. "I told you, I will defeat you this time~"

Helion’s golden eyes narrowed.

Kaziel had warned him not to underestimate Rin’s Domain. But Helion had never intended to fight her alone.

With a sharp twist of his wrist, he sent a web of threads slicing through the air, but Rin danced between them effortlessly, countering with a sweeping kick.

The moment her foot struck the ground, the entire metal platform beneath them gave way.

Helion barely leaped in time.

The battlefield was shifting—falling apart as debris rained down.

They jumped between collapsing walkways, narrowly dodging rusted steel beams and shattered machinery. Each movement was a deadly game of survival.

From the main headquarters, overlooking the chaos below, Valcrid and the foundry’s owner watched in frustration.

Valcrid’s patience snapped.

He turned sharply, shouting at the man in the suit—his tone laced with fury.

"Why are you just standing there?! She's destroying everything! Deploy more men—protect the factory!"

But the man remained silent.

Then—a slow, unsettling shift.

"Help?" His tone was almost amused. "I don’t recall agreeing to protect this place."

Valcrid’s breath hitched. A cold dread crept up his spine.

Tall, blonde, with an unreadable expression behind the glasses, he stood with his back perfectly straight, radiating an aura of quiet dominance.

"After all, you were just the bait." His eyes glowed red. His piercing stare locked onto Valcrid.

Valcrid went speechless.

.....

Rin laughed, flipping mid-air before landing smoothly.

"Ah~ too bad." Her voice sang through the chaos. "You're in for another game~"

Helion landed a few meters away, adjusting his stance. His threads extended behind him, anchoring him to the battlefield—but his smirk never wavered.

"You talk too much, Veil user."

Rin's eyes gleamed. She had him right where she wanted him.

The moment her fingers snapped, the metallic ground beneath them twisted and pulled Helion into her Domain.

For a second, it seemed inevitable.

The factory’s reality shifted, dissolving into a twisted mirage of infinite reflections—a labyrinth of glass and illusions.

She had won.

Or so she thought.

Because the second the Domain solidified—

Sakura appeared.

Without a word.

Sakura slashed through the air.

A single stroke.

And the Domain shattered.

Rin’s breath hitched.

The glass walls that caged Helion dissolved into pieces, breaking like fragile crystal.

Rin staggered backward, silver eyes wide with disbelief.

"I… Impossible… How can you…?"

Her voice wavered.

Then, it hit her.

Her mind reeled, her fingers clutching her own trembling form as realization dawned.

"Are you—are you that Divine Oneness candidate!?"

"Jackpot."

Helion’s invisible threads snapped outward, weaving around her in an intricate pattern—a web of fate.

For the first time, Rin was the one trapped.

She felt it.

A crack ran through her Sapphire Heart. The glow flickered, struggling to remain… then dimmed.

Then—shatter.

The once-powerful relic fractured into lifeless fragments, the corrupted energy dissipating into nothing.

And it was right to be afraid.

"This was always the ending written for you," Helion murmured, his golden eyes burning with finality.

Everything… had gone according to plan. He had never been the true target. He had always intended for Sakura to join the battle. Because unlike anyone else,

Only Sakura could see the Domain.

And only she could break it.

Unknowingly, Rin had invited the one person who could utterly destroy her power.

Helion had known. He had known all along. Because even with his abilities—his power to weave fate, to glimpse into the unseen—he could not see Sakura’s future.

The Divine’s power existed beyond fate itself.

And that terrified him.

Sakura stood motionless, her expression unreadable, her presence heavier than the weight of the collapsing world around her.

She wasn’t just powerful.

Even if she was merely a candidate for Divine Oneness…

Her very existence had the power to control the world itself.

Then, with a single motion—

He pulled the strings and struck first.

Helion’s threads lashed out in succession, each strike a precise, unavoidable attack.

Rin dodged, twisting her body unnaturally, her feet barely skimming the metallic ground as she evaded the cutting threads.

But she was slower now.

Her power was dwindling. And Helion knew it. His golden gaze burned with victory, his expression cold, calculated.

"You were so confident you controlled fate," Helion murmured, his voice smooth, effortless—a quiet certainty woven into his words.

"But fate was never yours to weave."

Rin clicked her tongue, frustration flashing in her golden eyes. "You're just lucky..!!"

With the last of her strength, she raised her arms defensively, her remaining energy surging to form mirror-like barriers—shimmering reflections of her Domain.

But the moment she did—

Helion’s threads sliced through them like paper.

The barriers shattered, reflecting her own panicked face in broken shards as they dissolved.

Rin gasped then she gritted her teeth, lunging forward with a desperate attack—

But Helion stepped aside effortlessly.

His fingers twitched. Another thread snapped.

Rin stumbled mid-motion, her body tumbled against an unseen force—her limbs weren’t moving as they should. Her movements were being controlled.

Helion had rewritten them.

A single pull from his threads, and her attack missed entirely—her body spun, thrown violently to the side, slamming against the cold metallic floor.

She gasped, her hands trembling.

But Helion wasn’t done.

She rolled onto her knees, panting. Her fingers twitched, desperately trying to weave another illusion, another trap—

But her hands wouldn’t move. Helion’s threads were wrapped around them.

The moment she realized it—he yanked. Rin crashed back down.

As Sakura watched them, she tried to stop him. "Helion… th-that’s enough…" But Helion walked forward, his glare fixed on Rin, pulling his invisible threads tighter around her.

Watching her struggle, Helion’s fate-threads forced her back down.

There was no escape.

She was bound.

She was finished.

Sakura was terrified of this side of Helion. She believed he had already won, that Rin was already defeated. But for him to continue torturing her—it reminded her too much of back then. "Helion…! Stop…!"

Right when he was about to strike, a sudden shift in the air made him pause.

The man from earlier appeared beside him, a rifle aimed directly at his head.

Helion didn’t flinch. He knew the trigger wouldn’t be pulled. He remained completely composed.

"Finally, you came out," Helion said knowingly.

Hanz’s red eyes flickered. "You were waiting for me, huh?" His voice was calm, steady, but the gun remained pointed at Helion’s head.

Sakura’s breath hitched. The man’s outfit—the emblem—

Her eyes widened in realization.

It reminded her of The Warden.

She took a step back, her body tense.

But was this why Helion had dragged this out? Was he waiting for this very moment?

Her thoughts were interrupted when Hanz’s gaze flickered to her. Even just a brief glance sent a shiver down her spine.

Helion’s voice broke the tension.

"Tell me everything you know. Your true purpose behind this mess."

His smirk remained, but his focus never wavered—his eyes still locked on Rin, who lay panting on the ground.

Sakura, still confused, glanced between them. "Everything…?"

Hanz’s grip on his rifle tightened. "Release her. Then I’ll talk."

Helion chuckled, a knowing glint in his golden eyes. "Even if I do… you still won’t talk."

Hanz scoffed, his smirk matching Helion’s. "You forget, do you..? The reason you’re here is after Valcrid, and your friend."

Helion tilted his head, as if considering the statement. Then, his lips curled slightly, his voice laced with amusement. "That’s what you think? That all of this is about a single mission? You misjudge me. I don’t waste time on a dying cause—I make sure there’s nothing left to rebuild."

Hanz hesitated for a brief moment, his intrigue deepening. Helion wasn’t just sharp—he knew more than he let on.

"We heard you were secretly exposing underground merchants to the public while also working with collapsed Sapphire Hearts." Helion leaned slightly forward, golden threads shimmering faintly around his fingers. "A noble act—if it weren’t so contradictory. You claim to purge corruption, yet your own hands remain stained. "

Hanz’s smirk faltered, but only for a second. He understood now—Helion wasn’t just here for Valcrid. He was piecing everything together, pushing for the real answer.

Sakura’s mind raced.

It was finally beginning to make sense.

Their goal had never been to truly work with Valcrid.

They were never his allies. They were exposing him.

Unraveling his past crimes, dragging his hidden dealings with the underground traders into the light.

Everything had been a setup from the start.

Hanz remained silent, then exhaled deeply before finally lowering his rifle. In response, Helion loosened his threads, allowing Rin to collapse, finally free from his hold.

Her breath came in ragged gasps as she struggled to find air, her body trembling against the ground.

Hanz’s eyes flickered toward her, studying her briefly before his expression returned to its unreadable stillness. But his words carried weight.

"You were sharp." Hanz’s voice was even, deliberate. "It is indeed our intention to lure you all here… because we seek justice, intend to reshape the systems to serve our ends."

Helion tilted his head slightly, a faint smirk curling at his lips.

"Really?" His voice was smooth, but beneath it lay something sharper, more cutting. "Or is there something more?"

For a split second, Hanz’s gaze flickered.

Helion let the silence settle, let the weight of his words sink in before continuing.

"You want Valcrid caught, but not for justice."

His golden eyes gleamed.

"You’re ensuring the Thalvaris government never traces the real operation back to your tribes."

A tense silence followed.

Sakura's fingers twitched.

Something clicked—the scattered details from Illiad's records, the inconsistencies, the names that never added up.

Now she understood. Hanz smirked, completely unfazed. "And what do you think that operation is?"

Helion’s golden gaze glinted, his focus remained locked on Hanz as his tone sharp, "You’re not spreading the corrupted Sapphire Hearts, nor selling them. That much is clear. But you’re still keeping them.. Why?"

Hanz exhaled, a flicker of amusement dancing in his red eyes. He tilted his head slightly, offering a nonchalant shrug. "Because we understand their dangers better than anyone else. If left unchecked, the corruption spreads. If sold to the highest bidder, it’s weaponized."

Helion studied him, threading the pieces together. "So instead, you hoard them in secret. To control their influence..."

Hanz chuckled. "..To prevent worse hands from getting them. We are not saints, Fateweaver. But we are not fools, either."

For a brief second, Helion’s eyes widened slightly.

"It’s the corrupted Sapphire Hearts we’re talking about." Hanz's gaze flickered.

And that’s when it happened.

The air changed.

As if Sakura could feel his presence, it was not a normal feeling—his presence alone sent a shiver down her spine, an inexplicable fear crawling into her chest. She realized then—this was not just his presence, but his ability.

‘Malevolence.’

Helion’s expression darkened.

"Then we may have to stop you as well. If that’s your true intention, it will never work out."

But Hanz remained unshaken. He chuckled, his tone almost mocking.

"Too early." He took a slow, deliberate step forward. "You’re missing the bigger picture. If you could piece it all together, you’d realize—"

"The truth is still a long way ahead."

His presence grew heavier, pressing against them like an unseen force. Rin, still struggling to rise, tensed at his approach. Her jaw clenched, but she said nothing.

Helion, however, stood firm. Unmoved. Unreadable.

Then, his voice cut through the weight of the moment, "Who’s to say the truth hasn’t been rewritten?"

Hanz smirked.

Intrigued by the quiet defiance.

Because even with his overwhelming presence, Helion had already seen his next move.

Hanz’s smirk lingered, his voice dropping lower, almost taunting.

"You know so little about us, it seems.

We were never good people to begin with.

Our only goal was to collect corrupted Sapphire Hearts and prevent their misuse."

He exhaled, his tone growing darker.

"But some took advantage of our efforts—for their own greed."
His eyes flickered toward the portal—where Rin had just thrown Valcrid out, exposing him to the battlefield.

"For example… Valcrid."

Helion’s gaze darkened as he watched Sakura’s expression shift—surprise flickering in her eyes.

Before them, Valcrid struggled against his restraints, his chains clanking against the stone floor. Beside him, the owner of the foundry stood similarly bound, their fates now sealed.

“H-Hey! Let us go!” Valcrid snarled, his voice laced with desperation.

Helion remained unmoved. His attention shifted as the truth was spoken aloud.

“Behind all of this was, indeed, Warren Aldren Veyne—our former comrade. The one who betrayed us. He allied himself with Valcrid… sold us out.”

A pause.

“But the rumors say he died. Killed by… the witch.”

At those words, Hanz’s gaze flicked toward Sakura.

Sakura flinched.

Her heart pounded as the weight of the name settled over her like an iron shackle.

The Warden.