Chapter 26: Vault Breach – Sector 12 Showdown

Chapter 26: Vault Breach – Sector 12 Showdown

The sky above Sector 12 was cracked.

Literally. Veins of corrupted data arced across the heavens like thunder frozen mid-blast. Purple lightning snapped against a black-and-red sky, revealing fragments of the digital firmament tearing apart. Below, the shattered remains of what was once a tranquil ruinscape smoldered. Obelisks floated mid-air, fractured terrain looping into non-Euclidean space. Gravity itself had gone rogue.

And in the center of it all—hovering over a pulsing crimson pit—was Zaphro.

His armor was cracked, dark wings flared wide, one barely intact. He was surrounded by sigils of chaos, locked in mid-air against a towering entity cloaked in digital flame. The enemy: an ancient anomaly only whispered about in Dev archives.

> [Entity Name: CODE-NULL (Prophet Remnant)]

Level: ???

Designated Threat: Legacy AI Protocol Breaker

The Prophet. Or what was left of it.

Code-Null was massive, perhaps three stories tall. Its humanoid form flickered like a corrupted avatar—part AI, part living glitch. Its arms ended in blade-fingers. A cloak of dying fire wrapped around its form. And its voice—when it spoke—was a warped chorus.

> "Heir of the Forbidden Core. You do not belong here."

Zaphro, panting, replied with a glare. "Neither do you."

They clashed again. A pulse of corrupted light surged from Code-Null, colliding with Zaphro's Shadow Halo. An eruption of chaotic sparks tore through the landscape, disintegrating everything within a ten-meter radius. AI specters watching from afar screamed before glitching out of existence.

Elsewhere, a portal opened.

Astarte_Toki stumbled out, soaked from the lake, followed closely by DarkZero, their forms dripping and steaming under the corrupted sky.

Gwydox's voice crackled in their ears, fragmented and urgent.

> "You've got one shot at helping him. Don't fight the anomaly—destabilize the field. Search for disruption nodes. Look for corrupted terrain anchors."

DarkZero activated his battlefield scanner. Four crimson beacons lit up in their HUDs, each marked as Anomaly Anchor: Active.

Astarte_Toki tightened his grip. "I'll take the left two."

"I'll go high," DarkZero replied. "Watch your back."

They split, sprinting across collapsing terrain. The sky thundered as Code-Null sent a wave of fire through the heavens. Zaphro barely dodged, one dark feathered wing catching the edge. He winced, then retaliated with a spiraling lance of violet light—Chaotic Lance: Fallen Arc.

One of Code-Null's arms exploded in a shower of digital flame.

It grew back.

"This is getting us nowhere!" Zaphro grunted. "It's regenerating off the environment!"

---

[Anchor Point: West]

Astarte_Toki reached the first anchor—a floating pyramid of raw data surrounded by defensive sigils. Corrupted phantoms rose, wailing.

"I don't have time for this!"

He unleashed Skyrend Arrowstorm, raining enhanced mid-air shots amplified by his Dark Angel subclass. The specters dissolved into data mist. The anchor pulsed red.

> [Disruption Progress: 45%...]

A pulse of energy struck him. He gritted his teeth. "Just a bit more…"

> [Override Accepted: Anchor Destabilized 1/4]

Code-Null flinched.

Zaphro noticed. "They did it. Keep going!"

He surged again, his wings burning with chaos. A sword formed—Dark Codeblade: Requiem of Aeons—as he struck head-on.

---

[Anchor Point: South Ridge]

DarkZero landed beside the beacon just as a corrupted Sentinel spawned—towering, plated in reflective data armor.

"You wanna dance? Let's dance."

He triggered Zero Flicker, teleporting through six strike zones. Sparks lit up the ridge.

Then came Deadshot Finale—dual mags emptied at point-blank. The anchor cracked.

> [Override Accepted: Anchor Destabilized 2/4]

Above, the sky distorted. Sector 12's terrain became increasingly unstable.

---

[Code-Null: Response Algorithm Engaged]

The Prophet's cloak exploded outward—wings of infernal flame stretching across the sky.

> "Initiating Phase 2: Absolute Purge."

The battlefield erupted. Dozens of virus-forged clones appeared—each one a twisted mockery of Fallen Halo's heroes.

Zaphro's jaw clenched. "They look like... us."

Corrupted doubles of Zaphro, Shion, Ayana—even Astarte_Toki—materialized, weapons drawn.

"Time to erase our ghosts," Zaphro muttered.

Astarte_Toki joined him mid-air, blades ready. "Then let's haunt them first."

---

[Final Two Anchors]

DarkZero engaged his clone. "Figures you'd be my worst enemy."

Clone-Zero sneered. "I'm the better version."

DarkZero charged. "Only one of us walked out of the lake."

Meanwhile, Astarte_Toki faced off against two corrupted Shions, their blade-dance relentless.

"You girls hit harder than the real one!" he quipped, countering with falcon-guided shots.

A flash.

Ayana appeared, slicing through both clones with a radiant slash.

"You looked like you needed help," she said, landing beside him.

Astarte_Toki blinked. "You're here?"

"Of course. Where Zaphro fights, we follow."

Moments later, the rest of Fallen Halo—Jin, Aryus, Verillion, Slicer, Erik, Erenir, and Shion_Rio—emerged across the fractured battlefield. United.

---

[Zaphro vs. Code-Null: Core Clash]

Zaphro locked eyes with the Prophet. "No more running. No more hiding."

He drove the Codeblade straight into Code-Null's chest.

> "Error. Core Penetration Detected."

"Override Confirmed: Angelic Corruption Interface... SYNCED."

Code-Null began to unravel from the inside.

"You were never a god," Zaphro said coldly. "Just another failed system."

> [Final Anchor Disrupted: Zone Collapse Imminent]

A roar.

A flash.

Then silence.

---

[AFTERMATH – CRIMSON ZONE, SECTOR 12]

Silence blanketed the shattered battlefield. The crimson sky dimmed, flickering like a dying screen. Code fragments rained like ash.

Zaphro floated near the crater, surrounded by Ayana, Astarte_Toki, DarkZero, and the rest of Fallen Halo. No enemies remained.

> [MISSION COMPLETE: Sector 12 Cleared]

Reward Unlocked: Crimson Sigil - Alpha Key Fragment

Astarte_Toki approached. "You alright?"

Zaphro nodded, but his eyes still burned faintly red. "He left something behind. A memory. Maybe... a warning."

DarkZero tilted his head. "What kind of memory?"

Zaphro looked toward the flickering horizon. "A door. One we weren't supposed to open. And it's already halfway ajar."

Just then, Xavier and Great_Kai arrived, skimming across the crumbling terrain. Behind them, Leanne knelt beside injured guildmates, her radiant aura healing deep wounds and purging code corruption.

"We made it just in time for cleanup," Xavier muttered, cracking his knuckles.

Great_Kai exhaled. "What the hell did we miss?"

Zaphro turned. "Everything… and nothing at all."

A ripple spread across the skies of Enigma Online PH.

Every player, no matter where they were in the vast digital world—be it battling monsters, crafting gear, or simply idling in safe zones—paused as a radiant glyph lit up overhead. A system-wide alert flashed in gold.

> [SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT – FROM ENIGMA ONLINE ADMIN TEAM]

To all players,

Due to an unforeseen system irregularity affecting core server stability, we regret to inform you that the Grand Tournament Event has been temporarily suspended.

Our developers have detected residual anomalies within multiple game zones, particularly those influenced by the recent Vault XII breach. To ensure a fair, stable, and secure experience for all participants, we are performing emergency diagnostics and server-side recalibrations.

The screen flickered for a moment before the voice of GM Kaizen himself echoed throughout the game—clear, calm, and apologetic.

> "To all contenders, guilds, and spectators:

We sincerely apologize for this delay. We know how much anticipation has built up for the Tournament Event. Please understand that this decision was made in light of protecting gameplay integrity and ensuring no outside interference will affect rankings or match results."

> "The new start date is expected to be two days from now. All participant registrations, match brackets, and location instances will remain intact. Please keep your notifications open for rescheduling updates."

> "As a gesture of appreciation for your patience, bonus event tickets, enhancement scrolls, and gold boosters will be distributed via in-game mail to all registered participants."

The message closed with the Enigma Online emblem spinning briefly before fading into a shimmer of light.

Players across the world began buzzing with mixed reactions. Disappointment, speculation, excitement. But one thing was certain:

In forty-eight hours, the Tournament would resume—stronger, fairer, and more intense than ever.

And this time, the whole world would be watching.