The word Overdrive reverberated across Edge’s soul like a bell, ringing on and on.

  He was drawn inside his core as searing heat and a rumbling roar began building beyond the boundary of his central chamber, heralding an immense and inscrutable force rising from the abyss to appear beside Skill-Eater.

  Incandescent pressure was building with every beat of his heart, like lava rising from the bowels of the planet before flooding into his veins. Soon, his core was shaking so hard that Edge had to fight to remain on his feet. Over in his village, his skills began to scream—overwhelmed by the resplendent tide.

  Then, from the endless domain of darkness that dwelt beyond his inner world, Overdrive emerged into the light.

  A titanic engine materialized within his mind’s eye, maneuvering alongside Skill-Eater like two spaceships docking. One wall of his central chamber slid open, allowing an immense magitech conduit to snap into place against the grate of his reactor, completing the link with a series of clicks that resounded like thunderpeals.

  Everything that had occurred up to this point had been fucking intense. But it was nothing compared to what happened next.

  A revving so powerful it felt like Ord was shaking apart erupted across Edge’s consciousness as Overdrive turned up the heat, pumping his reactor full of the densest magicytes he’d ever seen by an order of magnitude.

  When all that raw magic entered the raging realm of roiling flame that lay beyond his reactor’s bulbous grate, it ignited with the force of a bomb and sent refined mana racing through the conduits leading to all 18 skill sockets at once, suffusing them with an unlimited supply of ultra-potent magic for the next 60 seconds.

  It felt like molten steel had replaced his blood, lightning coursing along every nerve. It hurt so bad and felt so good, threatening to carry him away in a jumbled tsunami of sensation. But Edge couldn’t afford to let go and give in—not with an army of angry jailbirds poised to slaughter his people.

  Now that Overdrive was up and running, he pushed through the shimmering sea of sensory overload through sheer effort of will and stepped back into his body—ready to end the fight before the colossal engine cut off and left him critically exposed.

  Skittering shadows retreated before the crimson radiance emanating from his chest—his core burning so brightly that it shone through armor and flesh alike. For just a moment, the fierce battle came to a standstill as every creature in the cavern turned toward the mind-boggling eruption of magical might that had sprung to life in the blink of an eye.

  Knowing that the fate of his friends would be decided in a fleeting handful of heartbeats, Edge didn’t waste a second.

  He began using multiple skills at once, unleashing combo after combo while flaring every power that was rank three or above. First, he conjured fresh Warlord’s Mantles—not just for his crew, but for every member of the expedition. Ghostly ruby cloaks with electric orange trim settled around their shoulders, protecting them from attacks and boosting their Power, Speed, Reflex, and Control.

  Roth’s jaw dropped in astonishment when she saw him coming, but she recovered quickly—her lifetime of combat experience revealing itself in that moment. “Everyone with a ranged attack, focus on that man. Kill him before he arrives!”

  With that, the battle resumed with full force.

  A screaming host of missiles and skills flew toward Edge’s position like a portent of the end of days. He shoved most of them aside with Maelstrom, then flared Harden to grow diamond scales across his entire body at once. Gouts of flame and sprays of ice engulfed him—only to be nullified by Regulate Temperature.

  However, even Harden and Mantle combined couldn’t stop a hundred lethal attacks at once. Spears and spells tore into his flesh, but the wounds were healed by Regeneration almost as fast as they formed.

  After taking the first volley head-on, Edge dropped Harden, flared Leap, and sprang into the air, regrowing his scales the instant his feet left the ground. He manifested Foebinder and conjured a pair of iceblades midflight after handing his polearm to the chain of oblivion.

  As he sailed toward the battlefield, he opened his mouth and Roared. The magic crossed the distance at the speed of sound, breaking over the convicts in a tidal wave of fear-inducing magic.

  To their credit, most of them were able to remain standing, but they rocked back like boats upon a storm-racked sea—eyes showing white all the way around as primal terror gripped them in an iron vise, diminishing their combat potential.

  Unfortunately, Roth, her summons, and her personal guard were able to resist Intimidating Roar. The bugs seemed naturally resistant—likely because they were magical constructs instead of living creatures. The rest of her crew had reacted in time, shielding themselves with Disruption surges and a range of defensive skills.

  Even still, it was enough to turn the fickle tide of war, swinging the momentum of the battle back in the other direction. The defenders let out a cheer as they recovered their stances and repaired the holes in their formation. Boosted by Warlord’s Mantle, they charged, driving the Claws back while letting loose with everything they had left. Their advantage would vanish in 53 seconds, but for now, the expedition had gained the upper hand, and they intended to make it count.

  Now, it all came down to who emerged victorious—the scion of Skill-Eater or Roth and her skittering legion.

  Edge landed in front of Trapper with a bone-shaking thud, visualizing to guide Maelstrom and Repel Water as his feet hit the ground. Hurricane winds and surging spews assailed the stricken prisoners, leaving the expedition untouched and protecting them from ranged attacks. Roth and her horde had ducked behind the massive centipede’s coils, protecting them from the raging elements.

  While the summoner’s crew shielded the strike leader with auras and targeted Disruption skills, the robed woman mounted the gigantic bug and came barreling toward him—hundreds of venomous insects following in her wake.

  He needed to deal with the horde, or it would swarm him the moment he engaged Roth. Fortunately, Edge had a plan to drive back the bugs while thinning the Claws’ numbers at the same time. He let loose with Maelstrom and Repel Water, flinging his foes back like ragdolls. Convicts and insects went flying, opening a path toward the hulking summon and the woman riding on its back.

  Even boosted by Skill-Eater’s ultimate ability, it was impossible to get them all. He would have been covered in a skittering tide of summons if he were fighting alone.

  But Edge wasn’t alone.

  In addition to his crew and the expedition lined up beside him, he had one more ally watching his back—a twenty-foot chain wielding a six-foot polearm.

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  With the extra Amplification from Overdrive, Manifest Chain’s recent upgrade, and the damage bonus from Raid Wiper, Foebinder was stronger than ever. The black chain slashed and thrust in a clinking dervish of dismemberment, cutting centipedes down with every beat of his heart. The living links eviscerated several Claws in the process—who were slow to respond due to lingering effects of Intimidating Roar.

  It was a promising start. But he only had 45 seconds left on Overdrive, and the elite summoner wasn’t going down without a fight.

  Roth was unlike any enemy Edge had faced before. She had decent combat skills, but her primary weapon was her swarm of summons and the brutal bug she rode into battle.

  Unlike the gorilla general, Roth could conjure more centipedes by spending more mana, giving her unlimited troops to command until her reservoir ran dry. When he watched the woman reach into her belt pouch and pop a mana seed into her mouth, he knew that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

  Never taking his eyes off the strike leader, he cut down a warrior with the iceblade in his right hand, then skewered a centipede with the sword in his left. By combining their efforts, the Claws managed to disrupt his domain, and there was too much interference to form Maelstrom again. The jailbirds protecting Roth’s position were running out of mana, but the colossal centipede had its own antimagic barrier, shielding its rider from the brunt of his skills.

  By now, the stricken convicts were recovering from his Roar, and repeated applications weren’t nearly as effective as the first. In short, if Edge didn’t kill the strike leader fast, there was a good chance he was going to lose this fight.

  The giant insect reached his position two seconds later, lashing out with its massive mandibles to shear him in half at the waist. He ducked below the first strike and Leapt above the next, aiming for the elite riding on its back.

  Before his weapons could strike true, the bug’s barbed tail came whipping down and around with incredible speed—poised to punch a hole straight through him. Thanks to turbocharged attributes, Edge was able to Harden himself in time. The impact sent him rocketing up, slamming into the ceiling of the cavern with a boneshaking thud.

  The impact made him see stars, but Regeneration healed his concussion right away, leaving him clear-headed as he toppled toward the battlefield below. He ordered Foebinder to throw his polearm like a javelin, which caught Roth and her mount by surprise. He thought it was a critical strike, but the naginata’s point deflected after penetrating her robe. Whatever she’s wearing underneath is a lot tougher than I expected.

  The towering centipede reared up, planning to snatch him out of the air, but Foebinder grabbed a protruding rock and pulled him out of the way. The expedition had surged forward during the lightning-fast exchange—bolstered by his Mantle and emboldened by his assault. Both armies met each other in a flurry of weapons and spells as war cries and screams echoed through the air.

  Roth looked shocked by this turn of events, but she didn’t panic as she popped another mana seed into her mouth and ignited her core. Hundreds of centipedes came swarming out from under her robe, spreading out to come at Edge from all sides at once as he landed lightly on the floor. The press was so thick it blocked his way forward, and every attack he sent the elite’s way met a bug’s glossy black body instead.

  Shit. I’m never going to win while she’s surrounded by summons. I need to separate them and land a killing blow. He had 35 seconds before his ultimate ran dry and left him reeling from exhaustion, and it was clear this approach wasn’t going to get through in time. It’s time to change tactics.

  If this didn’t work, he was going to die, and his friends would fall with him. However, by this point in his adventures, Edge was no stranger to all-or-nothing wagers, and he bet on himself without hesitation.

  He focused every scrap of his will into visualizing the various fields produced by Repel Water, aligning them into a more efficient configuration. It was his best effort yet, and boosted by Overdrive, a raging torrent of water shot forth. It wasn’t a drill like the gatekeeper’s attack, but it was one hell of a water cannon.

  His first blast took out the Claws protecting Roth’s position, sending them sliding back along the stone as their Disruption skills faltered and faded away. He turned the spray the other way, blasting bugs left and right until he’d cleared a path and soaked every convict in the strike force.

  Before they could rush back in, he used his dual iceblades to chill the water he had created, flaring Elemental Blade as hard as he could. All the fluid was flash-frozen in a fraction of a second, locking the centipedes in ice and preventing the horde from rejoining the fight. The jailbirds were bigger and tougher, but the arctic mana was slowing them down, slipping as their numbed feet tried to balance on the icy floor.

  Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to stop the gigantic summon. The towering centipede used its coils to shield Roth while driving Edge back with its mandibles and tail. The rest of the expedition was engaged with the strike force, which left just one ally to come to his aid.

  Fast as thought, Foebinder made its move.

  Edge turned into shadows to dodge the big bug, then Leapt and landed while running at full speed. Meanwhile, the black chain lashed out. Foebinder wrapped itself around the summoner’s body the moment he rematerialized, pinning her arms to her side. He weaved his way between frost-rimed insects until he was standing in front of the robed woman.

  He let loose with a Double Slash from both iceblades at once—a quartet of subzero swords streaking toward her body like winter’s wrath personified.

  He thought he’d dealt a critical wound when he felt the crystalline blades bite into flesh. But then the shredded remnants of Roth’s robe fell away, revealing what lay beneath.

  Her pale skin was wrapped with dozens of centipedes, clamping onto her body to create a suit of living armor. As the wounded bugs fell away, she ignited her core, and more emerged from holes in her flesh.

  It was an effective technique and absolutely disgusting to watch. Edge had no idea how her skills worked, but he was certain of one thing. If he kept on cutting, he would get through eventually. Besides, even if their hearty bodies could block his attacks, the bugs couldn’t prevent the cold from conducting through, spreading his subzero mana into the tissue below.

  Roth’s bugs helped her slip free from the chain. She drew a short sword that was strapped across her back and met him in hand-to-hand combat, displaying far more combat prowess than he would have expected given the nature of her powers.

  The strike leader held him back with a seamless procession of skill combos, popping another mana seed into her mouth along the way. The woman was a deadly opponent, but she was splitting her concentration three ways. Fighting with her sword while summoning reinforcements and reaching for her belt pouch was more than anyone could handle without making a mistake.

  When an opening appeared, Edge turned Repel Water on Roth, washing away some of the bugs clinging to her torso and soaking both the summoner and her giant mount.

  Now, every swing of his iceblades left frozen patches behind—rime spreading by the second as he flared Elemental Blade as hard as it would go. Once the centipedes wrapped around her body were too stiff to move, they lost their grip and Foebinder was able to peel them away. By now, the strike leader was so cold she could barely move her arms, and Able and Trapper had stepped forward to keep the giant insect busy during this critical juncture.

  Soon, Roth was naked from the waist up, and only her belt held the bottom of her robe in place.

  He had less than 20 seconds left on Overdrive and needed to make them count. Before he could end the fight, Roth’s crew pushed through the press and ignited their cores, preparing to let loose with their most powerful combos.

  Half a heartbeat before their magic took form, his friends arrived at his side. Lilly cast Haze and filled the air with smoke that was opaque to the convicts but translucent to her allies, obscuring his position before Roth’s guards could line up a killing blow.

  Sasha thrust with a Flame-Imbued Hidden Strike, perforating a jailbird’s heart from two sides at once while setting her body ablaze. Riller fired a barrage of arrows that slaughtered the closest insects, while Jumo stepped in to guard Edge’s back.

  Mel Blocked a blade with her axe, then cut a Claw’s arm off at the shoulder by Swapping with her stone and lashing out with Force Cleave. Lilly’s Assassin’s Vortex caught the final warrior between the shoulders, shattering his spine in a dozen places as she swiveled to splatter bug after bug with Scattershot.

  Meanwhile, the giant summon gathered its strength for one last lunge, planning to drive Edge back so Roth could escape. The unexpected attack caught him by surprise, but before it landed, Able was there.

  The peacekeeper swung his massive hammer, catching the chitinous creature on top of its head and driving it into the stone. But that was only half the story. The instant his hammer hit the ground, a dozen rocky spikes shot up, penetrating the centipede’s armor and perforating its brain.

  Roth and Edge both fell to the ground while the battle raged on all around them. The next exchange would determine who lived and who died, and he was ready to give it his all.