The fury of Dominus, the Prime Sovereign, vibrated through Aziel's very bones, a chilling echo across the vastness of space. The successful strike on the Crimson Nebula hub had been a monumental victory, but it had also drawn the immediate, terrifying attention of the highest authority among the Divine Sovereigns. The air in the Mana Core chamber, once filled with triumphant cheers, was now heavy with the weight of that cosmic wrath.
"Dominus," Aziel whispered, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten in the face of such raw, oppressive power. "He felt it. He knows."
Koram, his face pale, stared at the Celestial Archive's holographic projection. "The Archive... it's showing unprecedented mana fluctuations across the Cosmic Arrays. They are reacting. They are consolidating their power."
Jax, his cybernetic eye whirring, grimly read the Amplifier's diagnostics. "The Mana Core is significantly drained, Aziel. That purity strike, combined with maintaining the connection over such a distance... it hit us hard. We need time for recovery."
Just then, Lena's voice, strained and urgent, crackled over the comms from Sector Gamma. "Aziel! The diversion worked perfectly, but Astraeus isn't falling for it anymore! He's redirecting his full force, and he's heading straight for the mountain! He knows we're here!"
Kael's gruff voice followed. "They're moving fast, Aziel! Faster than before! They're not just probing, they're coming in for the kill!"
A new, deeper tremor began to shake the temple. It wasn't the distant hum of a fleet; it was the terrifying vibration of Goliath Sentinels moving at full speed, their colossal forms tearing through the sky.
"He's bypassing the outer layers!" Rylan's panicked voice cut through. "He's coming straight for the Core chamber! He's breaching the reinforced upper passages!"
Panic began to rise among the temple's inhabitants. They had only just recovered from the last assault, and Aziel was severely weakened. Seraphina was still too drained to offer significant aid.
Aziel, though still spent, forced himself to stand tall. He looked at Jax. "How long to get the Amplifier back to full power?"
Jax shook his head. "Too long, Aziel. Minutes, at least. And we don't have minutes. Astraeus will be here in seconds."
"Your futile rebellion ends now, Lord of Mana!" Astraeus's voice boomed, resonating not through comms, but directly from the rapidly approaching fleet. "Dominus demands your immediate annihilation! And this time, there will be no escape!"
A massive, concussive blast struck the ceiling directly above them. The ancient stone groaned, cracks spreading like spiderwebs. Dust and debris rained down.
"He's already through the upper levels!" Kael roared, now closer to the Core chamber, his voice filled with grim realization. "They're right on top of us!"
Aziel knew they couldn't fight. Not like this. Not while he was weakened and the Amplifier was recharging. There was only one option. A desperate one.
"Koram!" Aziel yelled, his voice raw. "The Archive! Does it contain any information on rapid, short-range dimensional displacement? Any escape routes, any hidden passages the Starforgers might have used in an emergency?"
Koram frantically manipulated the Celestial Archive's projection. "Yes! There are mentions of 'emergency folds'! Sub-dimensional tears, not stable gateways, but quick, temporary escapes to nearby, unmonitored locations! But they require immense mana and precise calibration. And they are extremely disorienting!"
"Prepare one!" Aziel commanded, his eyes burning with a desperate resolve. "Jax, reroute all available power from the Amplifier – every last photon – to creating a short-range mana burst for a dimensional fold! Forget the recharge, forget the shields! All power to the fold!"
Jax's face paled, but he understood the urgency. "It'll put the Amplifier offline for hours, maybe days! And drain the Core to critical levels again!"
"Do it!" Aziel roared. "It's our only chance!"
Lena, Kael, Valerius, Rylan, and Mara, battered and exhausted, burst into the Core chamber, their faces grim. The passage behind them was already collapsing under the weight of the incoming assault.
"Astraeus is right outside!" Lena yelled, pointing to the crumbling entrance. The massive shadow of a Goliath Sentinel loomed over them, its dark energy cannons charging.
"Everyone! Gather around Aziel!" Koram instructed, his voice surprisingly calm as he read the rapidly deciphering data from the Archive. "The fold needs a central focus! It will displace all within its immediate vicinity!"
They huddled around Aziel, a desperate cluster of humanity against the impending cosmic wrath. Seraphina, though still weak, was gently lifted by Kael, who held her close to Aziel, hoping the proximity would aid in her recovery.
Aziel closed his eyes, pouring every last, precious drop of mana into the forming dimensional fold. He was drawing directly from the Mana Core, pushing it beyond its safe limits. He could feel the familiar tear in space-time, the violent distortion of reality.
The air shimmered violently. A blinding flash of purple light erupted from Aziel, enveloping the entire group just as Astraeus's colossal foot began to crush the final remnants of the temple's entrance.
"No! You will not escape!" Astraeus's enraged roar filled the chamber, but it was too late.
The dimensional fold shimmered, contracted, and then with a soft, almost imperceptible pop, Aziel and his entire team vanished.
Astraeus's foot stomped into empty space, pulverizing the stone floor where they had just stood. He roared in frustration, his shadowy form expanding with unbridled fury. He swept his hand across the ruined chamber, confirming their absence.
"He escaped again! A dimensional displacement! Unacceptable!" His voice echoed across the devastated mountain, now fully breached and crumbling under the weight of his rage. "Dominus will not be pleased. Find them! Scour this world! Scour the stars! They cannot hide from the Divine Sovereigns for long! The Cosmic Rebirth will be strangled in its infancy!"
But Aziel and his companions were gone, plunged into the dizzying void of a desperate, short-range dimensional tear. They had survived, but at a terrible cost. The temple, their only sanctuary, was shattered. The Mana Core was utterly depleted. And they were adrift, displaced to an unknown location, facing a universe now fully aware of their defiance. Their fight for survival had just taken a terrifying, new turn.