CHAPTER 80: INTO THE 10TH FLOOR PART X - AN UNPRECEDENTED EVENT

In the final moments, the synchronized assault bore fruit — the boss’s single health bar flickered dangerously low.

I gritted my teeth, muscles screaming, and launched into Emberfang’s ultimate—flames erupting like a raging inferno.

Astraia’s divine sword slashed through radiant armor, and Noel’s lightning storm shattered the tempest’s core.

Our voices echoed in unison over the comms:

"Now. Finish it."

I surged forward—flames tearing through the stone beneath my feet as I launched toward the fractured core of the Tri-Soul Behemoth.

Its form flickered, unstable—three souls unraveling. Korr’Thal, the titan forged from agony and discord, trembled as his three spirits were about to be extinguished.

’This is it.’

All three of us—me, Astraia, Noel—moved in synch, as if the Rift itself held its breath.

But then, Its head twisted toward me.

Eyes—those abyssal voids—snapped open, and it screamed.

My body froze.

Not in fear. Not from injury.

My mana locked. My muscles halted. My core stuttered.

The Emberfang flames sputtered, guttered, then collapsed around my fists like dying embers.

"—Ngh...!" My eyes widened. "What the hell...?"

Across the arena, Astraia’s sword had already ignited with divine light.

Above, Noel had launched himself midair, wreathed in lightning, a howling storm behind him.

Their strikes came down, and landed.

Explosions of golden flame and electric fury tore into their respective soul fragments.

The system flared—

[Hit Registered: Astraia → Divine Soul]

[Hit Registered: Noel → Tempest Soul]

But then came the silence.

And I hadn’t struck mine.

A deep, cracking laugh boomed from the collapsing remnants.

The soul fragments, destabilized by partial kills, reeled backward into the center.

Mana warped—twisting violently like storm clouds devouring the sky.

My legs finally moved, but too late.

The three spirits merged.

A column of blackened mana erupted from the center of the arena.

—

[WARNING: TRI-SOUL FUSION INITIATED]

[The boss has fully reformed.]

[All progress has been reset.]

[New Form Identified: Korr’Thal, Unified Calamity]

—

A heavy thud rocked the platform as something landed—something whole.

The fused body stepped out of the smoke—taller, more stable, radiating pressure like a black sun.

Its three voices merged into one:

"You who tried to defy the rhythm of the soul..."

Its clawed hand clenched.

"...will now know the consequence of imperfection."

I dropped to a knee, teeth gritted.

"Noel. Astraia. Fall back."

Astraia’s voice echoed through the comm, sharp and confused. "What happened?! Why didn’t you strike!?"

"I couldn’t," I hissed. "It—froze me. Somehow, he targeted me only. He knew."

Noel growled. "So what do we do now?! He’s fresh. We’re—"

"Exhausted," I finished, glancing at my nearly-empty mana pool.

—

Noel stumbled through the rising mist, blood matting his shirt, sword dragging behind him like it weighed a thousand pounds.

Astraia emerged from the opposite side, golden light flickering along the edges of her tattered cloak, her breathing ragged but her grip still tight on her sword.

And then—all three of us stood together.

The first and only time since this floor began.

A wide, circular arena now stretched around us, obsidian tiles covered in the scars of our separate battles. At its center... it waited.

Korr’Thal. Unified. Watching.

The amalgamated monstrosity towered like a cathedral of hate.

Three heads—twisted into one.

Six arms—each ending in different weapons.

Its back burned with the mana signatures of all three original souls—Tempest, Divine, Infernal—now perfectly fused.

The pressure was suffocating.

I felt the weight on my bones. My vision distorted just by looking at him.

Noel finally spoke first, his voice cracking:

"...He’s not supposed to exist, is he?"

"No," I muttered. "He’s a fusion result of a failed tri-kill. A glitch in the design."

Astraia cursed under her breath. "And now he has the strength of all three souls combined."

I stared at the monster, my fists still burned raw from the last clash. Even with all my previous knowledge—even knowing the timeline—this was something I wish did not exist.

Uncharted. Unplanned.

Korr’Thal stepped forward. The arena trembled.

One hand gripped a divine sword. Another held a hammer wreathed in storm. The third shimmered with condensed flame—a burning claw pulsating with anti-magic energy. Three more arms floated beside his back, each ready to strike.

He raised his head, voice now singular, and utterly inhuman:

"You chose to fail together. Now, fall—together."

Mana surged.

We each took our stances instinctively.

Astraia’s sword flared with divine essence.

Noel’s arms crackled like they carried a storm within them.

And I stepped forward, eyes narrowing.

—

Astral Community — Global Thread Log

[10th Floor – Emergency Merge Detected | GLOBAL THREAD - PINNED]

@HealerOneechan

What just happened?! Why did the boss suddenly merge?? Why are they all in the same arena now!?

[ Emergency Update – Korr’Thal Fusion Confirmed]

@Theo_Hawk

A boss fusion? Mid-fight? It’s supposed to be three separate kill shots!

Someone messed up. Someone froze.

@CrownOfSteel

Blank. It was Blank. Replay shows Astraia and Noel landed the strike—Blank didn’t.

@AuroraWraith

He froze up? The "Solo Floor Breaker" choked when it mattered most??

—

@ChronoSeer42

Nope. Think before you bark.

Look at the replay. The fusion screamed and froze only him.

The boss chose to stop the strongest player. That’s not failure.

That’s fear.

—

@BladeGeneral_Yoshi

So let me get this straight...

Blank’s pressure is so insane that even a Rift boss glitch-merged itself out of sheer survival instinct?

—

@GuildMaster_Vox

This isn’t on Blank.

The moment the tri-soul screamed and locked him in place, the system rebalanced.

This is a catastrophic anomaly.

But it’s not his fault.

@Nachos.V

...It was meant to target him.

The Rift made its choice.

@PK_King

You’ve impressed it, Blank.

Let’s see if you survive what you created.

—

Davao City, Astral Media Network

"—massive disruption on the 10th floor of the Crimson Rift as the boss entity known as Korr’Thal has merged its tri-souls into a singular form. This has never been recorded in Rift history—"

"The official Rift Authority states the anomaly is being investigated, but many Vassals speculate the system responded to one Vassal’s presence..."

"...and public opinion is currently split on whether this is a failure, or a sign that the system is evolving in response to Blank’s power."