The upper chamber of the Ark could hardly be considered a regular room by any earthly standards. The sheer size was disproportionate to a human sense of scale. It was like an entire unfurnished palace situated at the top of its kingdom, too clean to seem abandoned, but too grand and organized to be anything less.

Similar to the rest of the alien ship, the magnitude was hard to believe, even when standing inside of it. On the bright side, there didn’t seem to be additional levels to climb. If there was any relief to be found in the gigantic area, it was that Coop had no reason to continue exploring after reaching the top of the tower. The entrance had placed them right next to the main feature of the final chamber, but he couldn’t actually relax in the tremendous space.

It didn’t help that long shadows shrouded the full extent of the area, giving the whole floor an intangible depth. The primary source of light came from the opening that guided mana up through the entire ship, marking the exact center of the space, but its brightness was inadequate for the massive chamber. Though Coop’s Presence of Mind indicated the rest of the space was empty, his natural survival instincts weren’t fully satisfied. The perimeter could have held an entire royal audience for all the good his eyes did.

In the center, the energy was flowing through the gap in the floor before thickening and further obscuring the final receptacle. It was like a river that had been on the verge of freezing, finally crossing the threshold when it reached the final chamber, but that meant that the already dim illumination was further diminished. Where the bottom was mostly as clear as the rest of the tube, emanating a sterile gray light, the vessel itself was fogged with dark condensation and black bubbles so that it grew murky as the mana was siphoned toward the top until it was also hidden in the shadows that obscured the ceiling.

The hole in the floor formed a mile wide window to what was somehow a more welcoming atmosphere than the upper chamber, despite the fact that Coop knew there were billions of monsters outside. The unknown risk concealed in the ambiguous palatial space felt like the larger threat compared to the malleable warehouse portion of the ship. In terms of comfort, he’d prefer to keep grinding, but that was just typical of him.

Coop could just barely see the top layers of the hexagonal cells extending into the distance even from where he and Lyriel stood at the edge of the entrance. The view alone convinced him that the upper chamber was definitely the place they were looking for, designed for an overseer to supervise the interior in an unmistakable way. A kingly captain and all of his subjects could easily preside over the rest of the Ark from there. Coop just needed to find a way to take control and end the Eradication Protocol once and for all.

The way the illumination fluctuated reminded him of being underwater during a full moon. Patterns of light filtered through the protective membrane, dancing on various alien surfaces, highlighting small portions of larger hexagonal formations. They were just bright enough to give a hint of their full extent and nothing more. In this case, the sea itself was the source of the gentle radiance, and the only obvious hazard was right at the surface of the light.

The enormous current of mana had been a constant companion during the grind to the top of the tower. At its apparent terminus, the faint gray glow was one of the only familiar features. Since the light source was in the middle of the floor rather than elevated, the atmosphere already clashed with a human set of expectations, but the central tube was also surrounded by low podiums similar to the ones they had seen at the bottom of the tower.

Each podium was cutting a portion of the light from reaching the rest of the room. Their streaky, underlit shadows guided his focus to the obscured vessel in the middle as if nothing else in the vast chamber mattered in the slightest. It was clearly the main attraction to what could have been a museum-like exhibition under different circumstances.

A series of full-sized hexagonal columns were situated further from the central window. They climbed into the darkness toward an imperceptible ceiling while catching bits of the refracted light. The composition repeated as the chamber expanded. It was the shadows of the columns that truly darkened the rest of the chamber, completely obstructing the central glow from the outer portions of the vast space.

The only supplementary lighting came from pulsating veins of unsettling energy running along the surfaces of distant perimeter walls as they reacted to fluctuations in the center. They ranged from distinct lines of silvery white to flickering grays that did little other than add depth to the atmosphere without revealing any visible detail to any observer. They were only enough to demonstrate the true emptiness of the rest of the chamber and nothing more.

But what drew his attention had nothing to do with the atmospheric lighting or the steady humming sound of flowing mana. It was the silhouetted figure that was taking its time emerging from a cocoon of viscous energy above the portal of dim light, sinking from the darkness above like some kind of perversion of the heavens. Its presence was heavy in the air, causing Coop to gulp in expectancy. What kind of Icon was it? Despite having the equivalent of a stadium-sized lantern shining from below its feet, its features were cloaked in a veil of darkness that moved with it.

Instead of the light illuminating its characteristics, it was the darkness billowing from its body that spread. The shadows were flowing from the creature in the center of the entire chamber like a contamination, extending beyond the limit of its vessel and spilling across the floor. The final level grew a shade darker as it shifted so that it was even with the surface of the chamber.

It left its strange throne of light and shadow the way the forces of mana emerged from their hexagonal cells, passing through the vortex of liquid mana that coalesced at the top of the tower with uncannily calm movements. It was almost like the entire Ark had been purpose built for its incubation, drawing energy from the planet to feed its growth, though that was only because the upper chamber was otherwise empty of any audience besides Coop, Lyriel, and Palisteon. He could also imagine it as a bustling bridge where different crew members conducted experiments and surveys while manning the ship and planning long term colonization of the Underlayer.

When the Icon stepped through the membrane that sealed the mana inside, it passed without obstruction. Its first step onto the solid floor was filled with unmistakable confidence, like a homerun king stepping up to the plate, fully prepared to crush any opponent that dared challenge its prestige.

The manner in which it strolled across the first hexagonal tile revealed more than any other observations could. The Icon was heavy, and its presence even more so. Even though it didn’t seem particularly large, every step demonstrated a crushing conviction that seemed certain of its natural dominance. Coop felt his heart pounding in response.

Its emergence from the vessel was accompanied by a flood of dark mists that spread to the perimeter. The chilly vapors obscured the hexagonal tiles that covered the floor, leaving a gradient that fully disappeared by the time it reached Coop’s waist. The darkness of the entire chamber escalated, lingering with the help of stagnant mists. The shadows that claimed the majority of the space seemed to grow an appetite for dominance over the limited light.

The Ark had given birth to a new Icon of Mana, presumably the strongest one yet. It nonchalantly stepped forward, moving further away from the light and closer to the intruders, casting its own shadow upon them in such a way that it made it seem like it was looking down on them.

As they sized each other up, Coop couldn’t help but feel a bit disgruntled for a variety of reasons. Some were obvious, but others he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He didn’t like this Icon for more than it being an obstacle to saving Ghost Reef, though the main cause came down to instincts and vibes. He’d like nothing more than to take it down a notch.

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“What exactly is this?” He mumbled, something clearly bothering him about the shadowy Icon.

Though Lyriel was visibly sweating beneath the pressure emanated from their opponent, she was carefully analyzing its mana at the same time. She hummed as she scowled, thinking hard before commenting.

“It’s an Icon based on you.” She concluded, only hesitating for an extra moment to nervously glance at Coop before sharing.

“Huh?” Coop was taken aback, doing a double take between her and the shadowed monster. “That’s supposed to be me?” He questioned, thinking the comparison was a bit ridiculous.

Compared to most of the other Icons it was rather small, but it hinted at developing from a humanoid foundation. It had two arms and two legs, with a head perched on normal enough shoulders.

None of its specific features were clear, masked as they were by a lingering black mist that seemed to cling to what must have been a set of ghoulish armor. They were all further concealed by the way it was backlit by the central window.

But most of all, more than anything physical, it had an overwhelming presence that clashed with Coop’s self-image. It seemed to pass through the entire chamber, filling the whole space with an undeniably oppressive conviction. It was like it was duty bound to live up to its name and pass their Final Judgment, its responsibility the entire reason for its existence. Having its focus directed at them as if they were obstacles toward its ultimate goal was unpleasant, to say the least.

None of it added up to how Coop or his friends and allies would see the Champion of Ghost Reef. Then again, maybe if Coop could look at himself from the perspective of his enemies he might detect more similarities. The Icon may not have been as physically impressive or absolutely alien as the other constructs, but it was steeped in a patina of death and destruction that was impossible to ignore. It made it seem properly monstrous despite the relatively familiar shape.

Coop frowned as he struggled to see how Lyriel could suggest it was anything like him, but the monster didn’t afford him any more time to consider. After it planted its foot in the dark mists, a missile shot from the shadows at its side in a linedrive straight for Coop’s heart, moving so fast that it glowed with heat like a stake reentering the atmosphere.

As Coop barely sidestepped the attack through pure instinct, he had a moment of clarity where he recognized the opening strike as something he had clearly adapted through his own experience. Was this thing actually imitating him? He couldn’t believe it might be true. It was too ridiculous for the source of all their tribulations to be learning from someone as simple as Coop.

But as the missile missed his chest by a hair, the monster disappeared in a burst of dark smoke, and Coop realized Lyriel was right. The system was apparently incorporating the species meant for eradication into its forces of mana, and this time, that meant humans. The leader of this variant would be developed from an analysis of the Icon of Humanity. That was him.

Coop spun around and caught the Icon’s surprise attack with his own ethereal sword, the clash ringing through the darkness and echoing back to them from the empty perimeter. The blow was heavy, vibrating through his wrist as he slid backwards across the hexagonal tile floor, in the direction of the central window. He didn’t just feel it in his grip, but all the way through his body as he tensed his abs to avoid folding over, only a hissing breath escaping from his lungs.

The Icon stomped after him, pushing any advantage generated by taking the initiative and pressing the attack before its opponent had the opportunity to recover. Coop couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows. It was exactly what he would have done.

Black mists flowed with every one of its steps, but as it forged ahead, its slate armor caught the reflection of the light in the middle of the room since Coop’s own shadow failed to completely shroud its form. A surprisingly ornate obsidian longsword was held in one gauntleted fist while the opposite arm was protected by a massive diamond shaped shield with a black gem leaking mists from the center. The rest of its armor was obstructed in leaking smoke that seemed to emerge from every nook and crevice of its guise.

Coop didn’t feel like he was looking at a judge. This was an executioner. The judgment had already concluded by the time this thing made an appearance.

The shield was bigger than Coop by itself, with patterns carved all throughout its surface, and the blade of the sword was basically as long as one of his more extreme greatswords. The head of the monster was sealed inside of a dark helmet, but its eyes were glowing with the same searing energy as its weapon had. They were just as bright as its initial laser-like attack, revealing their unbreakable focus from within a thick visor. Coop felt a twinge of concern that he would find his own face behind that mask.

Coop shook off the damage once his feet stopped sliding, rotating his shoulder as he confirmed that while the attack had been heavy, carrying plenty of momentum and follow through, it wasn’t overwhelmingly strong. It was more like a punch from one of the Boxing Golems than what should have been the most overpowered enemy in the Ark’s arsenal. He thought that was curious.

He had been expecting the Icon’s attacks to be completely devastating, but the opening strike had proven his own growth. He could resist such power. Coop was strong too.

As such thoughts ran through his mind and he prepared to meet the monster’s assault, Lyriel surprised them all. She summoned the last vestiges of her mana pool to blast the Icon from its unprotected flank before it was halfway to Coop.

She and Palisteon had fled the Icon’s path, wisely moving perpendicular from the fight as if they wanted nothing to do with the action, but the monster had made a mistake in dismissing her as a complete non-threat. She would sacrifice anything to oppose the forces of mana and it had given her a window to follow through by bee-lining for Coop with all of its focus.

Her shimmering magical energy cascaded straight down, creating a blinding flash of silver and gold in the otherwise darkened chamber that sucked the mana-filled atmosphere from the shadowy depths and burned it as kindling. She forcefully converted excessive amounts of the energy into her own.

The pure mana swept across the Icon as if a waterfall had suddenly been switched on. The attack branded itself into the hexagonal tile at the monster’s feet, painting a runic shape that glittered with golden flecks before gradually fading as the deluge subsided.

Lyriel hadn’t held back. She collapsed in a heap after demonstrating all the incredible power she accumulated in a single strike that put her own life force on the line, driven by having her ultimate goal so close. She couldn’t let the final hurdle cause them to stumble.

Even Coop automatically raised his forearm to protect his face when the blast came down, wary of the collateral energy reaching him. He felt the fine hairs all the way up his arm turn to ash just from the splash damage.

Coop actually felt proud of her assertiveness. It wasn’t so long ago that she would have been frozen in fear and confusion at the appearance of a single variant from the forces of mana. Her first encounter with an Icon revealed how she had rediscovered her determination.

However, overcoming this final obstacle would never be so simple. The Icon didn’t even react after its smoke billowed away, utterly unaffected by the Avatar of the System going all out with one final spell. Its next step wasn’t even delayed, ignoring her effort completely while the shrouding black smoke drifted back into place all around its armored body. It clearly had such an overwhelming magic defense that Coop was already writing off the ability of his phantasms to play any role other than maybe distraction at best.

Coop felt a bead of sweat, cold in the chilly atmosphere, as it traced a path down his jaw before gathering on his chin and dripping onto his sword hand. He ignored it, tightening his grip on the hilt, his eyes locked on the shadowy visor of his opponent while wisps of smoke drifted between them and it stomped forward.

Before the dust settled from Lyriel’s attack, he replayed the opening strike in his head, reminding himself of the Icon’s offensive power. It hadn’t been overwhelming, but it seemed like its defenses were on another level.

Coop exhaled from his nose, thinking he could work with that. It wasn’t like his stats were normal either.