SSS-Tier Extraction: From Outcast to Overgod!
Chapter 54: Weaver’s Call

Chapter 54: Weaver’s Call

Ryan moved like a ghost through the chaos of the Core Chamber, a silent observer in a war that had erupted all around him.

The air was thick with the smell of ozone from energy weapons, the gut-wrenching hum of sonic disruptors, and the furious war cries of the Iron Wolves.

It was chaos all around, and he was just trying to create something of his own in the middle of it.

As he watched the battle unfold, he noticed something strange. The god Weaver, the magnificent, floating machine at the heart of the room, had begun to pulse.

Its soft, internal light was brightening and dimming in a slow, rhythmic beat, like a giant heart picking up its pace. The thousands of golden and silver threads that made up its structure were weaving and shifting faster now, a look of urgency in their mechanical dance.

His Neural Symbiote Map, which was giving him a god’s-eye view of the battle, suddenly flashed a new warning. It wasn’t about an enemy; it was about the environment itself.

"WARNING: Unstable energy feedback detected. The ongoing conflict is destabilizing the Weaver’s core matrix. Imminent ’Resonance Cascade’ projected."

"Resonance Cascade," Ryan muttered under his breath. "That sounds... bad." He knew he was running out of time. If the Weaver had a meltdown, it wouldn’t matter who was winning the fight. They’d all lose. He had to get to that console, and he had to do it now.

His gaze swept across the battlefield, looking for his opening.

Meanwhile, back in the quiet, safe confines of Outpost #7, the Blue Falcons were watching the Sector Alert with wide, terrified eyes. The god Warden was providing a stripped-down, tactical view of the Core Chamber battle to all Sector leaders. Scarlett, Emma, and Jennifer, as high-level members of Ryan’s faction, had access.

They were gathered around a public viewing console, watching the chaotic mess unfold.

"He’s all alone in there," Jennifer said, her voice tight with worry.

"He’s holding his own," Scarlett countered, her eyes narrowed in concentration, tracking the faint, shadowy movements that she knew belonged to Ryan.

"But he’s outnumbered ten to one. We have to do something."

"We can’t get to the Core in time," Emma said, her face grim as she analyzed the Labyrinth maps. "The paths are too deep, too dangerous. By the time we fought our way there, it would be over. We have to trust him."

They began to rally the other Blue Falcons, organizing teams to push as deep into the Labyrinth as they could, not to join the main fight, but to intercept any reinforcements the other factions might be sending. It was all they could do.

Back in the Core Chamber, the other faction leaders were also noticing the Weaver’s strange behavior. Tom "Shadow" Kane, ever the strategist, saw the pulsing energy not as a danger, but as an opportunity.

His S-Tier "Strategic Mimicry" let him analyze both people and patterns. He quickly gave new orders to his Crimson Banner squad, changing tactics to use the Weaver’s energy waves as cover while they moved in on the distracted Iron Wolves.

Zara Khan, the brilliant Technomage, saw the danger for what it was. She knew that a Resonance Cascade could damage the priceless Precursor technology she coveted. She had to end this fight quickly. Her eyes locked onto Ryan, who was still the biggest wildcard. She needed to neutralize him, take him off the board so she could focus on winning.

"Deploy the Stasis Field Emitter!" she commanded. "Target the area around the main console! Box him in!"

One of her engineers wheeled a large, complicated-looking device forward. It looked like a giant metal tripod with a crystal dish on top. The dish began to glow with a cold, blue light, gathering energy for a powerful attack.

The next few minutes were a blur of intense, chaotic action. The battle for the Core Chamber raged on, a montage of desperate moves and shifting fortunes.

[Countdown: 7 minutes remaining]

Zara’s Stasis Field Emitter fired. A shimmering, transparent wall of energy erupted from the floor, attempting to create a sealed box right around Ryan and the Weaver’s console. It was a perfect trap. If he got caught inside, he’d be frozen in time, completely helpless.

But Ryan was ready. His Temporal Sense screamed a warning. As the shimmering walls of the stasis field shot up around him, he activated his own Chrono-Manipulation.

He didn’t try to speed himself up. He cast "Slow" on himself. For a single, crucial moment, his perception of time stretched out. The rapidly forming energy walls seemed to rise at a snail’s pace. It was like watching a movie in ultra-slow motion.

In that stretched-out moment, he saw a tiny gap that was still closing. With a surge of will, he used his Phase Step, lurching through the gap at the very last micro-second before it sealed shut.

The Stasis Field slammed into place, trapping nothing but empty air. From her position across the chamber, Zara stared, her eyes wide with disbelief.

[Countdown: 5 minutes remaining]

The Iron Wolves, having taken heavy losses from both the Circuit Breakers’ tech and the Crimson Banner’s flanking fire, were on their last legs.

Viktor "Ironjaw," bellowing in rage, made a battlefield decision. He pointed his massive power axe at Zara. "Wolves! Banners! The tech-witch is the true enemy! Crush her machines! We can kill each other later!"

Tom Kane, seeing the logic in this, gave a curt nod. In a stunning turn of events, the two rival factions, the Iron Wolves and the Crimson Banner, formed a temporary, grudging alliance. They stopped fighting each other and focused all their combined firepower on the Circuit Breakers.

Zara’s teams were suddenly on the defensive, caught between a wave of furious barbarians and disciplined soldiers.

[Countdown: 3 minutes remaining]

This was the opening Ryan had been waiting for. With every other faction locked in a massive brawl on one side of the chamber, his side was relatively clear.

He saw a Circuit Breaker engineer, distracted by the main fight, trying to set up another sonic disruptor. The engineer was protected by a personal energy shield.

Ryan moved. He used his Energy Siphon talent, latching onto the engineer’s shield. The shield visibly flickered and died as Ryan drained its power.

The engineer looked down at his malfunctioning gear in confusion. At the same time, Ryan pulled out a small, Precursor sidearm he had extracted from a Sentinel earlier.

He used his Charged god Power Core to give it a single, momentary jolt of energy. The sidearm hummed to life for just a second. He fired one shot, a stun bolt, not a lethal one. It hit the confused engineer, who slumped to the floor, unconscious.

The path was clear.

He didn’t hesitate. He burst from the shadows, his Boots of Alacrity carrying him across the floor in a silent, desperate sprint. He ran towards the glowing, undefended pedestal at the base of the god Weaver.

Just as he reached the main console, the Weaver let out a final, shuddering pulse. The Resonance Cascade began. A visible wave of shimmering, distorting energy erupted from the machine, washing over the entire chamber.

The very air seemed to warp, and the sounds of the battle became twisted and strange.

Ryan didn’t flinch. He placed his hands on the cool, smooth surface of the god Weaver’s console, the Labyrinth Keystone on his belt pulsing in perfect sync.

He had made it. The countdown timer showed just under two minutes remaining. Now all he had to do was hold on.