By noon, the smoke over Sector 9 had finally begun to clear, though the gray rain continued to wash the blood and oil into the drainage systems.
The entire district was gathered around the central plaza. Not just the militia, but tens of thousands of ordinary laborers, children from the gutter pits, and old, broken factory workers. They stood in stunned, breathless silence, looking at the twenty surviving Specter mercenaries who were currently kneeling in rows, their weapons piled into a massive pyramid of scrap metal in the center of the square.
Asher stood on the steps of the old corporate administrative building, looking down at his people. His new Level 6 form was fully settled now; the blue fusion light from Briggs' core had completely integrated with his purple demonic veins, giving him an ethereal, terrifying beauty.
Lucy stepped forward, handing him a high-frequency orbital communicator she had stripped from Captain Vane's body. The screen was flashing with a priority-one incoming signal from The Olympus-9 orbital platform.
Asher tapped the screen.
The massive holographic projection of a man appeared in the center of the plaza. The figure was pristine, wearing a sharp, white Federation high-command uniform, his chest decorated with medals of planetary conquest. It was Director Vance, the head of the planetary security division for Vanguard-4.
"Undocumented anomaly," Vance said, his voice cold, projecting from orbit with absolute arrogance. He looked at the kneeling mercenaries and then at Asher. "You have performed an impressive feat of local destabilization. You have killed a regional commander and eliminated a prime mercenary squad. But do not confuse a tactical anomaly with a strategic victory. You are occupying a single slum sector on a world controlled by five orbital fleets."
The crowd shifted uncomfortably, the old weight of Federation oppression heavy in the air. Many looked up at the sky, expecting the orbital bombardment beams to drop at any second.
"Director Vance," Asher said, his voice calm, cutting through the transmission static like a razor. "You look at Sector 9 and you see a factory floor that has stopped producing resources for your shareholders. You think you can just burn it and rebuild."
"We can," Vance replied coldly. "We have three battle-cruisers shifting into low orbit over your coordinates right now. In exactly twelve hours, your 'Sovereignty' will be nothing but green glass."
Asher let out a low, dark laugh that caused the holographic projection to violently glitch.
"Then you should check your telemetry data before you fire those beams, Director," Asher smiled, his crimson eyes locking onto the camera. "Nora. Show him what happens when you mix a Rank 3 Dual-Fusion Core with an Abyssal Altar network."
Behind Asher, Nora slammed her hand down onto her customized master console.
Suddenly, a massive, pillar of solid, neon-purple energy erupted from the Hydro-Plant's primary cooling tower, shooting straight up into the stratosphere like a reverse lightning bolt. The energy didn't disperse; it hit the upper atmosphere and spread out in a massive, pulsing dome that completely covered the entire perimeter of Sector 9, forming an impenetrable [Abyssal Aegis Shield].
Up on the orbital platform The Olympus-9, the emergency red lights instantly flared.
"Director!" an orbital technician yelled in panic. "The lower district has just projected a high-density energy barrier! Our targeting lasers can't penetrate the frequency! It’s... it’s not standard technology! It’s an active Inversion field! They've locked us out!"
Back in the plaza, Asher looked up at the flickering hologram of the stunned Director.
"This is no longer a slum, Vance," Asher declared, his voice echoing through the comms and out across the entire world of Vanguard-4. "As of today, Sector 9 is a sovereign territory of the Abyss. If you want your steel back... you'll have to come down here and try to take it from my hand."
Asher smashed the communicator into dust beneath his palm.
The crowd stood silent for one heartbeat. Then, a single voice roared from the back—Chief Garm slamming his hydraulic claw into the ground. Jax followed, roaring into the sky. Within seconds, fifty thousand voices exploded into a deafening, unified cheer that shook the very foundation of the planet .
The battle for sector 9 was over, the war for planet vanguard -4 has just began.