The Genius Mage Was Reincarnated Into A Swordsman Family-Chapter 195: Threshold

Alexandra stood her ground as the Duke advanced into the barrier control chamber, his hybrid form now so massive he had to compress himself to fit through the shattered doorway. Opalescent fluid flowed around him, forming intricate patterns that pulsed with violet energy. Behind her, Finn and Darius worked frantically at the control consoles, desperately searching for another way to disrupt the Convergence.

"Your efforts are fascinating, but misguided," the Duke's layered voice resonated throughout the chamber. "The desynchronization attempt was... innovative. However, the Convergence has already reached stage three harmonization. It cannot be reversed through conventional means."

"Then we'll find unconventional means," Alexandra replied, her cyan-infused blade held steady despite her exhaustion. "Finn?"

"Working on it," the technician called back, his fingers flying across the control interfaces. "The primary systems are locked, but there might be a way to trigger an emergency shutdown through the auxiliary protocols."

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The Duke's half-mechanical face formed what might have been a smile. "There is no shutdown protocol. The barrier was never designed to be deactivated—only reconfigured."

Crystal appendages extended from his body, spreading throughout the chamber like roots seeking soil. Where they touched control systems, interfaces flickered as the Duke's influence spread through the network. The primary node at the chamber's center pulsed faster, its crimson glow deepening to a color that hurt the eyes to observe directly.

Alexandra didn't wait for him to complete whatever he was attempting. She lunged forward, her blade slicing through one crystal appendage with surgical precision. The severed limb shattered, opalescent fluid hardening into inert crystal. The Duke didn't react—didn't even seem to notice the loss as more appendages formed to replace it.

"Your companion," the Duke said suddenly, his mechanical eyes focusing on Alexandra. "The one who wielded the forbidden magic. Most impressive. His remains are being analyzed even now."

A cold fury washed over Alexandra at the casual mention of Klaus. "He stopped you once. We'll finish what he started."

She struck again, this time aiming for a cluster of tubes visible beneath the Duke's translucent exterior. Her blade penetrated the outer layer of his form, drawing a spray of opalescent fluid that hissed when it struck the floor. This time, the Duke reacted, a crystalline limb sweeping Alexandra aside with enough force to send her crashing into a bank of equipment.

"I have evolved beyond such limited attacks," the Duke informed her as she struggled to her feet. "My form adapts continuously, incorporating new defensive measures with each engagement."

Darius abandoned his console, rushing to Alexandra's side with his sword drawn. "The systems are locking us out," he reported grimly. "Whatever he's doing, it's spreading through the entire network."

The air in the chamber seemed to thicken, reality itself beginning to distort as the Convergence progressed. Through the viewing ports, they could see the Eternal Rift's barrier changing, sections of it becoming transparent to reveal glimpses of something beyond—vast, shifting shapes that defied comprehension.

"Behold," the Duke said, his voice taking on an almost reverent quality. "The first glimpses of Those Who Wait Beyond. Soon, they will cross the threshold, and this world will be remade in their image."

Alexandra and Darius exchanged a look of determined resolve before charging forward together. They attacked from different angles, their blades seeking vulnerable points in the Duke's constantly evolving form. For a brief moment, they seemed to make progress—Darius's blade severing a major conduit while Alexandra's cyan-infused strikes disrupted the flow of opalescent fluid through several key junctions.

The Duke retreated a step, crystal appendages retracting as his form reconfigured. But the victory was short-lived. With shocking speed, he counterattacked, a dozen razor-sharp crystal spears erupting from his body simultaneously.

Alexandra managed to evade most of them, her enhanced reflexes allowing her to twist away at the last second. Darius wasn't as fortunate. Three crystal spears impaled him—through the shoulder, abdomen, and thigh—lifting him off his feet before pinning him against the wall. His sword clattered to the floor as he gasped in pain, blood streaming from his wounds.

"Darius!" Alexandra cried, starting toward him.

"Stay back!" he warned, his voice strained but determined. "Help Finn... complete the mission..."

Opalescent fluid was already flowing up the crystal spears toward Darius's wounds. The conversion process had begun—the same fate that had claimed so many in Northwatch now threatening to claim him.

"I can still fight," he insisted, struggling against the crystal spears even as the fluid reached his injuries. "Just... give me a moment..."

The Duke observed dispassionately. "Resilient specimens. Your adaptation to adversity is commendable, if ultimately futile."

Alexandra backed toward Finn, who remained at the main console despite the chaos around him. "Tell me you have something," she whispered.

"Maybe," Finn replied, not looking up from his work. "I've been studying the energy patterns. The Convergence requires a perfect harmonic balance across all nodes. If we can't shut it down directly, maybe we can overload it instead."

"How?"

"By redirecting all power to a single node—this one." He pointed to the primary resonance control at the chamber's center. "It's not designed to channel that much energy. The resulting surge should cause a system-wide failure."

"And collapse the barrier completely," Alexandra realized.

Finn nodded grimly. "Better than the alternative."

The Duke's attention shifted to them, his hybrid form flowing across the chamber with liquid grace. "Your continued resistance only delays the inevitable. The threshold is already forming. Those Who Wait Beyond have sensed the opening and approach even now."

As if to emphasize his point, the chamber shuddered violently. Through the viewing ports, they could see the Eternal Rift expanding, violet energy pouring through the barrier in concentrated streams. The containment field was failing, not because of their efforts, but because something on the other side was pushing through.

"Now, Finn!" Alexandra shouted, moving to intercept the Duke.

Finn entered the final sequence, rerouting all power to the primary node. The effect was immediate and catastrophic. The crystalline structure at the chamber's center flared with blinding intensity, energy surging through it at levels it was never designed to handle. Cracks appeared along its surface, light spilling through in jagged patterns.

"No!" the Duke's layered voice rose in alarm for the first time. His form surged toward the console, crystal appendages extended to halt the overload.

Alexandra met him halfway, her blade slicing through the appendages with desperate strength. "Finish it, Finn!" she called over her shoulder. "Whatever happens, don't stop!"

The Duke's attention split between the critical console and the warrior blocking his path. With a fluid motion, his form reconfigured, massive crystal spears forming and launching toward both Alexandra and Finn simultaneously.

Alexandra deflected those aimed at her, but couldn't reach the ones targeting Finn in time. The young technician saw them coming, his eyes widening in the split second before impact. Yet instead of fleeing, he pressed the final execution key, then turned to face the incoming attack with grim acceptance.

The crystal spears struck him full force, impaling him against the console. Blood poured from his wounds, but a smile of satisfaction crossed his face as the system acknowledged his final command. "It's done," he gasped. "System... overload... initiated..."

The primary node's glow intensified to unbearable levels, the cracks in its surface widening as energy surged beyond containment parameters. Warning alarms blared throughout the chamber, automated systems announcing imminent catastrophic failure.

The Duke abandoned his attack on Alexandra, his entire form flowing toward the primary node in a desperate attempt to stabilize it. Crystal appendages wrapped around the fracturing structure, opalescent fluid seeping into the cracks as he tried to contain the building energy.

"Foolish," he hissed, his layered voice distorted with strain. "This will not halt the Convergence—it will only accelerate it! The barrier collapse will create an uncontrolled junction between dimensions!"

Alexandra staggered toward Finn, but it was already too late. His eyes had gone still, his final act of defiance having cost him his life. Now only she remained, the last survivor of the ill-fated mission to Northwatch.

The chamber shook continuously now, reality itself becoming unstable as the overloading node approached critical threshold. Through the viewing ports, she could see the Eternal Rift's barrier fluctuating wildly, sections of it collapsing entirely to reveal glimpses of what lay beyond—a realm of impossible geometries and entities too vast to comprehend.

"What have you done?" the Duke demanded, his form straining to contain the overload. "You've triggered an uncontrolled convergence! The threshold will collapse, creating a cascade that will consume everything!"

Alexandra backed toward the shattered doorway, her blade held ready despite knowing it would be useless against what was coming. The mission had failed—they hadn't stopped the Convergence, merely transformed it into something potentially worse. An uncontrolled dimensional rift that would spread unchecked, consuming Northwatch and possibly beyond.

As the chamber began to tear itself apart, streams of energy erupting from the primary node in wild, unpredictable patterns, she turned to flee—to carry word of what had happened back to White Lion, if such a thing was still possible.

She had nearly reached the doorway when a tremor more violent than any before dropped her to her knees. The very fabric of reality seemed to buckle, distances stretching and compressing in nauseating waves. Through the distortion, she glimpsed something impossible—a shadow falling across the chamber, darkening it completely despite the blinding light of the overloading node.

And in that moment of absolute darkness, a familiar presence filled the space—ancient, overwhelming, and undeniably powerful.

Gluttony had arrived.