Chapter 1106: End of Third Trial: Part-3

Third Collision!

In the Zephyra Empire...

"You want me to punch you?" Dora blinked, her expression caught between disbelief and sheer confusion, eyes wide as Aether suddenly materialised beside her.

Aether nodded without hesitation, his face grave. "Yes. I need you to punch me. Right now. And not just a tap—I mean hard. Hard enough to launch me straight out of the Empire, into open space. I have to get a vantage point... I need to see the collision forming from above. I need perspective. There’s no other way."

Dora stared at him, her brows twitching as if trying to grasp the absurdity of the request. "You’re asking me to knock you into orbit like a damn cannonball?"

He nodded again, slower this time, dead serious. "Exactly that. Aim for the stars."

She blinked once more. Her first instinct was to refuse. The rules were clear—no direct interference in the Trials. They were meant to observe, guide if necessary, but not shape the outcome.

’Is helping him like this... really interfering?’

The thought barely lingered before she made up her mind.

"Fine," Dora muttered under her breath, her voice laced with reluctant resolve. She flexed her fingers, and her knuckles cracked with power that shimmered just beneath the skin, glowing like thunder trapped beneath flesh.

Aether grinned in thanks. Without wasting a second, he raised his hand. Water burst from his skin in twisting streams, wrapping around him and forming a vortex that spun faster and faster until it froze into a solid, crystalline sphere of glacial ice.

Then, from the wreckage of the ruined academy, shards of rock and fragments of shattered earth shot into the air, drawn toward him. They orbited the frozen sphere like moons, then slammed into place—layer by layer—forming an armored shell of jagged stone and frost around the ice.

"Brace yourself!" Dora yelled, stepping backward. Her boots dug deep into the cracked ground, her feet anchoring into the earth like roots. She rotated her shoulder once, veins rising under her skin as pure, raw power surged up her arm.

One breath. One second.

Then—

BBBOOOOMMMMMM!!!

Her punch landed. It smashed against the armoured sphere with a sound that shattered the sky itself.

The layers of stone around the ice exploded on impact, disintegrating into dust. The force unleashed was cataclysmic—sending the icy core hurtling upward at terrifying speed, a streak of silver and blue cutting through the clouds like a comet birthed from the earth.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!!

Multiple sonic blasts followed, each one collapsing behind the other in rapid succession.

SSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!

The air burned in the wake of his ascent. The ice screamed through the atmosphere, spinning violently.

Inside the capsule, Aether was tossed like a rag doll, the centrifugal force throwing his body in every direction. He clenched his jaw, limbs pressed tightly against the icy interior as the protective sphere spiraled through the sky into the void.

"Fuck... I’m gonna puke," he groaned, his voice dry, head spinning as the rotation and speed overwhelmed his senses. The sheer force of travel blurred everything around him into a smearing tunnel of light.

Eventually, the spinning slowed. Gravity began to lose its grip. The ice surrounding him started to melt, its surface hissing and steaming, thinning into mist. The violent velocity weakened until, at last—the capsule came to a stop.

Aether kicked through the softening shell, shattering the last of the ice. He drifted forward, weightless.

He had broken through.

He was in space.

Everything fell silent. No air. No pressure. Just the infinite cold and the vast, suffocating darkness that stretched forever in all directions.

As he floated, his body cloaked itself in Mother’s energy, layers of golden light weaving around his skin like a living aura. He hovered outside the remains of the ice ball, now dissolving into water and vanishing behind him.

With quiet control, he adjusted the swirling flames protecting his form and slowly turned his body—his vision expanding.

And then... he saw it.

His breath caught in his throat.

The Collision.

From this vantage point, above it all, it looked like the heavens themselves were shifting. Two colossal landmasses—Empires floating in the void—were slowly moving toward each other.

Aether narrowed his eyes, squinting into the distance. He couldn’t be sure of the scale, but he knew he had flown far—far enough to see it all with clarity. Far enough to witness the impossible.

His eyes widened in awe.

One shaped like ’Γ’, the other like ’⅃’. Giant, looming forces drifting toward each other with crushing inevitability.

He swallowed hard and pressed his thoughts outward, reaching out to those still stationed at the edges of the Empire.

/Helena. Light something up. Fire. Anything bright. I need to mark your exact location./

Down below, Helena stood near Zephyra’s edge. She didn’t ask why. She didn’t need to. Her body glimmered for a split second, and then golden fire erupted from her skin—blazing into the sky like a divine beacon.

From above, Aether saw it—one small flame in the void, like a star marking a boundary.

He nodded to himself,

/Good... now Sera. Same for you. Show your edge./

On the opposite side, Sera lifted her hands. A surge of white energy burst forth, ascending into space like a pure column of light.

But it was on the other edge.

Aether clicked his tongue. /Sera, move to Snowflake’s location. Then repeat from there./

Sera vanished in a blink of white energy, reappearing moments later near Snowflake. Once more, she raised her hands. Another stream of white light erupted.

Aether gave a faint grin of satisfaction.

/Perfect. Now return to the station. And send Snowflake to Helena’s side/

/Okay~!/ she replied cheerfully.

He exhaled, his vision sweeping across the world.

Then he shifted his focus again.

He contacted Liora and Aria... and told them to do the same... But as soon as their flares went up, Aether frowned. Something was wrong. The locations were off.

Both had signalled from directions completely unrelated to the incoming Empires.

His brow furrowed deeply. /Liora, shift to Kaelen’s position. Aria, head back to the station./

With their corrections made, the map in Aether’s mind was almost complete. He could see it now—clearly and entirely. The orientation. The formation.

The ’⅃’ shaped mass... that was Elysiumis Aurora on the lower side, with Aerionis Zephyra forming the right flank.

Just like that, he contacted Aqualina and Celestia to confirm their Empire’s side, and contacted Thalia and Raven to confirm their side of the Empire.

The ’Γ’ structure... it was Pyra Fulgur above, and Aquaris Naiadae anchored the left.

It was all coming together.

The two already joined Empires. Hurtling toward each other. The Third Collision.

Aether took a deep breath. His voice echoed telepathically across the linked minds. /Has everyone been evacuated from the region?/

/Almost,/ came Aqualina’s calm response.

/Almost,/ Raven echoed from the other side.

Then Aether noticed something else—his gaze falling toward the thrusters.

The massive engines they had built... they were in danger. Positioned too close to the underside of the oncoming Empires.

/Sera, get out of the station and create a barrier around it. Now!/

Sera didn’t hesitate for even a second. She nodded instinctively and launched herself out of the control station.

A dome began to form—bright, wide, and expanded rapidly around the station.

/Maelona, go to the controller and push the lever. Just slightly. Don’t overdo it./

Aether’s voice inside her head startled her—it was so sudden, so urgent. Still, she didn’t freeze. She nodded quickly and stepped toward the control console, her fingers trembling slightly as the weight of the task settled on her shoulders.

"Wait—what are you doing?!" Lyirrs barked, her voice sharp, grabbing Maelona’s wrist in alarm.

Before tension could escalate, Aria stepped in as she placed a hand on Lyirrs’s shoulder.

"Let her do it," she said, voice firm, resolute, leaving no room for argument.

Up in space, Aether watched it all unfold—his eyes narrowed, expression taut.

The massive thrusters under Aerionis Zephyra rumbled softly. Flames hissed from their mouths.

It was working. He could see it. The Empire was drifting correctly to reduce the impact.

He exhaled a silent breath of relief.

/Maelona... now listen to me very carefully. Leave the station. If you can, reinforce the barrier. But if not—just run. As far and fast as you can. Do it now./

/Why? What’s about to happen?/

/The thrusters... they’re going to be caught in the base of the other Empires. When that pressure hits, they’ll implode. Shockwaves. Flying debris. It’s going to be violent. You need to move now./

Maelona’s eyes widened with sudden, horrifying clarity. Her voice burst out of her throat. "Everyone! Evacuate—immediately!!"

Aria spun around, her eyes glowing. Without hesitation, she fired a volley of icy arrows into the air, and they burst mid-flight, freezing the station. Then, with force and speed, she grabbed Lyirrs by the arm and pulled her into a sprint.

From space, Aether’s vision remained locked on the colossal shapes below—the unnatural curvature of the two converging Empires.

The ’Γ’ and ’⅃’... Shapes were now moving with intention.

TRRRRRRRRRRR

!

The very air began to vibrate. The edges met.

At first, it was slow. Methodical. The alignment was almost precision-guided, only by the careful thrust from the single engine.

But then—

BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!

The sound of impact ripped through the air and space alike. The thrusters beneath both Empires—Sera’s shielded platform and the underside of Zephyra—were crushed violently between the bases of the converging lands.

The explosion was immediate.

Beneath Zephyra, the ground tore open. An eruption of jagged stone and ice blasted upward like a volcano detonating in reverse.

Sera braced herself as the shock hit. The entire surface beneath her exploded in light and force. Her barrier flashed... Then cracked.

Still, it held.

Aether’s heart pounded. His gaze didn’t blink as he saw both Empires tilt just slightly, edges grinding millimetre by millimeter like stone titans aligning.

This was it.

The final moment.

/Helena. Aqua. Now! Slam the edges. Seal them completely! Finish it!/

There was no hesitation.

Helena roared, golden flames erupting from her skin. Power surged up her arms as she raised them high and slammed her glowing palms into the ground. The edge of Aurora Empire shook with the impact, a shockwave bursting outward like thunder trapped in stone.

Across from her, sensing the moment, Snowflake transformed—her body returning to its massive beast form. With a mighty roar, she raised her tail and slammed it into the ground with devastating force, matching Helena’s timing perfectly.

Aqualina, eyes blazing blue, armour glistening with water, lit up like a goddess of the sea. She sprinted toward the cliff of Naiadae and threw her entire body into the edge—driving her knee and fist into it like a tidal wave weaponised.

THUD!!

THUD!!

The final click echoed across the stars.

Then silence.

The world stopped moving.

No more shaking. No more drifting. The four Empires were now one structure—unified.

Aether exhaled the breath he hadn’t realised he was holding.

/All good, ladies./

His voice drifted into the minds of all who had helped. It was calm. Grateful.

Relieved laughter and exhausted sighs answered him from across the lands. No casualties. No collapsing structures.

Aether chuckled under his breath and shook his head, shoulders finally relaxing. "Damn... I really thought we were done for this time."

But the moment of calm was shattered in the next breath.

A new sound echoed through the vacuum.

Trrrtttrrrrssttttt...

Aether’s ears twitched. His head turned sharply toward the space beneath him. At first, it was just a murmur. But then—he saw it.

Roots.

Enormous roots—writhing and twisting in space like something pulled straight.

Aether’s brows furrowed hard. His body rotated as he turned fully around.

And then—

His eyes widened.

There was a mountain drifting toward him.

No, not a mountain. A landmass. Massive. Moving at breakneck speed.

It was the Remaining Final Empire.

This one was dark.

It was the Umbrionis Void Empire.

"SH—"

Before he could even finish the thought, a massive chunk of floating rock slammed into him with brutal force.

The Void Empire hurtled forward—blazing through the stars like a fallen titan, rushing straight toward the freshly unified core of the four Empires.

__________

[Author’s note: If you understood... give a thumbs up.

I did my best to explain what’s in my mind. If you couldn’t understand, please ask me and I will explain it in the chat.]