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For months, the Zodiac had fought as separate units - scouts here, infiltrators there, specialists called in one by one for specific tasks. But today, Aria had deployed them as they were always meant to be - thirteen distinct nodes, each anchored to their strength, each linked to the others by rune, bond, and will, weaving a living net that stretched from the mountain peaks down to the valley floor, wrapping around the entire battlefield like a second skin.

“NETWORK SYNCHRONIZED,” Capricorn’s voice rang out, not from one place, but from every runestone on the field. “All thirteen nodes active. No gaps. No lag.”

Aria glanced sideways, her blade...