Chapter 656: The Seventh Ring

Hajin checked No Foreign Heaven’s final twenty seconds while the pinned Incarnation strained against its braces beside the causeway before the field collapsed.

The Choral Incarnation stood pinned against the parapet, trapped by the mechanical braces bolted across its fractured chest.

Hajin stepped onto the causeway, his twin blades humming with the vibrant resonance of their nascent Divine Growth.

The Incarnation abandoned all royal pretense and divine speech, thrashing violently like a cornered beast in a cage.

With a feral roar, the construct drove its remaining crystalline claw toward his throat in a desperate bid for survival.

He ducked beneath the descending sweep with fluid agility, closing the distance in a single explosive forward bound.

His right blade flashed upward, slicing cleanly through the exposed harmonic conduits exposed by the mechanical braces.

The blade bit through the divine alloy with ease, severing the energy channels that fueled the monster’s physical regeneration.

The Incarnation shrieked in agony as black ichor erupted from the severed conduits, splashing across the cracked masonry.

It swung its left fist in a blind, concussive backhand meant to smash him off the edge of the high viaduct.

Hajin deflected the blow with his left blade, allowing the resonance edge to absorb the remaining physical momentum.

The construct lunged forward with its fangs bared, attempting to crush his skull with a brutal bite.

"Too slow," he muttered, sidestepping the snap and bringing his crossguard down against the beast’s temple.

The strike stunned the creature for a split second, locking its head downward in the open gap between the braces.

He pivoted on the balls of his feet, driving both blades together directly into the heart of the exposed core.

"This is the end of your choir," he whispered, driving the steel to the hilts with his entire body weight.

[ No Foreign Heaven: 00:03 ]

[ Target: Incarnation core ]

[ Core: Pierced ]

A blinding eruption of sapphire fire exploded from inside the construct’s chassis, illuminating the entire mountain range.

The massive construct shuddered from head to toe, its crystalline plates fracturing into thousands of spiderweb cracks.

With a final, ear-splitting detonation, the Choral Incarnation shattered into harmless clouds of dispersing gray ash.

The three-minute timer of No Foreign Heaven reached zero, and the colorless domain dissolved into the morning breeze.

A deafening silence descended over the high viaduct, broken only by the panting breaths of the exhausted allied army.

Then, a massive cascade of golden system notifications roared across Hajin’s vision, shaking his very soul.

[ Target destroyed: Committed choral incarnation ]

[ Reclaimed divine authority: Transferred to host ]

[ Experience awarded: +300,000,000 EXP ]

[ Total EXP: 1,000,000,000 ]

[ Evolution threshold met: Seventh physical Ring unlocked ]

[ Multiplier: 16x unsplit ]

[ Fragment recovery: Advanced from 50% to 60% ]

[ Attribute bonus: 5 unassigned attribute points ]

[ Status: No refill ]

From the depths of his soul core, a seventh physical Ring materialized, blazing with blinding sovereign majesty.

The seven Rings rotated in sublime harmony around his chest, sending waves of pure authority rolling across the plateau.

Yet the sudden breakthrough brought no magical healing to his battered body, leaving his muscles burning with deep, aching exhaustion.

His knees trembled beneath the strain, and he sank slowly down onto a broken block of masonry to catch his breath.

The allied soldiers and royal vanguards did not cheer immediately, recognizing the agonizing toll the long battle took upon him.

Taren and King quietly signaled their men to clear a wide circle around the exhausted summoner, keeping respectful distance.

Loccy stepped forward, planting her twin shields into the gravel and standing guard like an unmoving mountain.

"The causeway is clear, boss," she said softly, resting a hand briefly on Hajin’s shoulder.

"Take all the time you need."

Didi walked up to his side, her seven Shards dimming to a gentle glow as she offered him a clean water flask.

"Drink, summoner," she said softly, her blue eyes filled with profound reverence.

"You carried the weight of this entire kingdom on your shoulders today."

"We carried it together," he answered between labored breaths, taking the flask and swallowing a long draught of cold water.

"Your Unclaimed Kingdom kept the retreat safe... without that, we would have failed."

"It was an honor to stand on that road," she replied with a serene smile.

Juna limped across the shattered flags, leaning against her curved saber as she reached his side.

"Ferra’s blades cut like a dream," she remarked, nodding toward the smoking hilts resting across his knees.

"They did their job... and so did your dawn," he replied, looking up at her with genuine gratitude.

Ferra hurried onto the causeway, wiping sweat and soot from her face as she inspected the shattered construct crater.

"Look at that clean cut!" she beamed, pointing her forging hammer at the pulverized stone.

"Not a single tooth on those edges warped! That is masterwork craft right there!"

"You made the winning strike possible," he told her with a tired grin.

Rumi and Nari bounded up the steps together, dropping down on the stone blocks beside him with relieved sighs.

"That was way too close to the three-minute mark," she teased, tossing a small pebble off the edge.

"Three seconds is practically a lifetime," Nari laughed, sheathing her twin daggers.

King and Taren approached the circle, halting several paces away with their weapons respectfully sheathed.

"The royal realm owes you an unpayable debt, summoner," King said, bowing his head with deep sincerity.

"Your soldiers stood their ground," Hajin replied, meeting the commander’s eyes with a nod.

"Make sure your field medics tend to the wounded down in the pass."

"The aid wagons are already moving," Taren confirmed, pointing toward the southern redoubts.

"Every civilian who fled the canyon is resting safely behind our palisades."

"That is all that matters," Hajin said, closing his eyes as the seven Rings settled quietly around his core.

High above the silent mountain pass, the celestial broadcast interface went completely hysterical with joy and adoration.

[ Seoul_Tactician: "One billion EXP, and the Seventh Ring finally answered him! Keep the Incarnation pinned!" ]

[ StarlightScholar: "Sixteenfold unsplit output, sixty percent fragment recovery, and five stat points waiting! I need a breath!" ]

[ IronVanguard: "The Choral Incarnation is completely annihilated! Hajin shattered it with three seconds left on the clock!" ]

[ HearthKeeper: "Seeing him sit down on that broken stone with his girls gathering around him... I am crying so hard right now!" ]

[ ShadowMage44: "No free healing, no instant refills, just pure earned glory through blood, sweat, and perfect tactics!" ]

[ TacticalNerd: "The true god is still alive beyond Ouro, but its foothold in this region was completely erased!" ]

[ NewViewer_02: "60% Fragment recovery! He is becoming a true sovereign entity before our very eyes!" ]

[ CringeSlayer91: "The Incarnation counted thirty seconds and Hajin struck in three. Did it even understand the gap?" ]

Hajin leaned back against the shattered parapet, looking out over the peaceful valley as morning turned to afternoon.

"Count everyone who crossed the bridge," Hajin told the nearest officer before he let his head rest against the stone.

The officer checked the evacuation roll against the medical carts, then called back that no civilians remained on the exposed span.

"And the wounded?"

"Vella has them behind the palisade. She asked you to stay seated until she reaches you."

Juna collected the spare blades from the causeway while Ferra wrapped the tempered originals, keeping their damaged edges away from the children gathering at the far gate.

Hajin watched Loccy test the bridge with one careful step and allowed himself to breathe only when she nodded.

The long mountain campaign was finally over, the viaduct belonged to the living, and his seventh Ring burned with unyielding light.