Chapter 53 – Throne of a Thousand Faces

The stormglass walls pulsed as though alive, beating in rhythm with a heart none of them could see. Above, dark mana lightning forked through the transparent ceiling, revealing glimpses of twisted reflections—future versions of the Blackhunt guild, some glorious… others monstrous.

At the center of it all stood the Hall of the Final Echo.

Inside it, the Throne of a Thousand Faces waited.

A construct of cracked mirrors, half-broken weapons, scorched armor, and torn flags—each piece bore an imprint of identity. And seated upon the throne, back straight and hands folded calmly, was a being shaped from fragments of all of them.

Ankit, Toni, Asha, Raghav, Riya, Kaido, Vikram, Sana, Raunak—it mirrored them all.

It wore no face.

Not yet.

The Trial of Unity

The moment they stepped into the throne hall, the air warped.

A system message appeared in each member's mind:

[Final Trial – Floor Six: The Trial of Unity]

Construct: "Us"

Purpose: Test the harmony of the guild's identity.

Defeat the construct without losing any member.

Resurrection disabled. Healing restricted.

Duration: 60 minutes

"No resurrection?" Asha muttered, biting her lip. "This one's real."

Toni's brows tightened. "That construct is an amalgamation of us. It doesn't just fight like us. It knows what we'll do before we do it."

"Then we do the unexpected," Ankit said. "We act as one."

It Begins

The throne shuddered as the construct stood.

In its right hand: a burning sword like Vijra—but shaped with jagged hatred.

In its left: a crystalized bow like Toni's Vijaya, strung with razor thread.

Its chest bore the ice crest of Riya, the flame sigils of Kaido, and the scar marks of Raghav's spear.

It moved—and the room exploded into action.

Ankit led the charge, Vijra blazing with orange arcs. He clashed with his mirrored counterpart, blow for blow, sword for sword. But the construct didn't just copy his moves—it predicted them. It weaved in Toni's parry steps, Raunak's counter-twists, and Kaido's fire feints.

It wasn't fighting as one of them—it was fighting as all of them.

And winning.

"Flank left!" Toni called, unleashing a volley of mana arrows that curved midair.

The construct dodged effortlessly—then returned fire using Sana's ability to split attacks into multiple trajectories.

One arrow grazed Raghav's shoulder.

"This isn't working," Kaido growled. "It's us. Better than us."

"Wrong," Ankit said through gritted teeth, blocking a blow that sent him skidding back.

"It's what we'd be… if we didn't trust each other."

Raunak's Gamble

The battlefield had become chaos. Ice spikes, flame bursts, illusion trails—an orchestra of overlapping skills.

Raunak ducked beneath a sweeping echo blade, shadows swirling around him. He grit his teeth.

"It adapts too fast. Time to overload it."

He extended both hands, manipulating the Chrono-Shards he'd been storing since their last Earth break. His eyes flared.

"Temporal Cut!"

Time hiccuped.

The construct stumbled for a half-second, confused by the temporal echo delay.

Raghav and Vikram jumped in that instant, slashing from both sides. A crack appeared in the construct's arm.

It smiled—then regenerated.

"Not good enough," it whispered with Riya's voice.

Raunak collapsed to his knees. "I slowed it… not stopped it…"

Toni's Orchestration

Toni hadn't moved in the last twenty seconds. He knelt beside the edge of the battlefield, muttering to himself, eyes closed. His bow rested silently, untouched.

Asha ran toward him. "Toni?! You need to help!"

"I am," he said quietly. "I'm constructing the melody."

Then he opened his eyes—and snapped his fingers.

Twelve mana glyphs ignited in the air around the room, forming a geometric web.

"I call it the Harmony Vein," Toni said softly.

Everyone's soul signature synced—an experimental bond spell he'd developed. For sixty seconds, their movements became one dance.

Ankit didn't need to call the next strike—Riya was already there freezing the construct's feet.

Raunak and Asha moved in perfect sync, decoying with illusion and memory dissonance.

Kaido and Vikram delivered a twin fire-blast that pierced the construct's barrier.

Then came the real blow.

Ankit's Final Strike

Ankit closed his eyes as the Harmony Vein coursed through his veins.

He saw every one of them—not just in combat, but in who they were.

Sana, who had healed strangers even while dying.

Raghav, who stood for others even when broken.

Toni, who carried the burden of failure like armor.

Kaido, who turned his rage into protection.

Riya, who chose control over chaos.

Raunak, who always stepped into the dark for others.

Asha, who lied to the world, but never to her team.

And himself.

The boy from Haryana who had nothing—but learned to carry everyone.

He whispered.

"Vijra…"

The sword ignited—not in fire, but in light. A golden hue of soul clarity.

He leapt.

The construct blocked—but Toni's Harmony Vein flickered one final time.

And Ankit passed through the barrier.

He struck.

A single slash, clean and deep.

Shatter

[Trial Complete – Floor Six Cleared: Guild Blackhunt]

The construct collapsed, body fragmenting into mirror dust.

[Reward: Echo Titles Unlocked | Stormglass Key Acquired | Tower Path Divergence Access: Gained]

Ankit landed, panting heavily.

Everyone stood frozen.

Then Riya dropped her sword and just laughed.

"I can't believe we just beat ourselves."

Outside the Citadel

The floor shimmered, returning them to the rest zone just beyond the exit gate.

Floating text appeared:

[You may now choose to proceed to Floor Seven or return to Earth for your one-month period.]

Toni turned to Ankit. "What's the call, Guildmaster?"

Ankit looked up at the stars—twisted, different from Earth's sky, but still somehow familiar.

"We return."

"Everyone rest. Next time… we rise again."