The hammer slammed into the ground.
The shockwave kicked up a curtain of dust. Borin rolled sideways, dodging three blades that buried themselves in the earth where he'd been a second earlier. His right shoulder screamed—the joint had given out two minutes ago, or maybe ten; he'd lost track.
Four doubles materialized around him.
The Boss raised both hands.
Twenty blades shot out, carving black arcs through the night air. The doubles charged. The first was pierced through the sternum and burst into smoke. The second blocked two blades with its hammer before a third punched through its neck. The third got within three meters—a vertical blade sliced it in half.
The fourth reached the Boss.
Its hammer swung down toward the creature's skull. The Boss didn't move. A blade flashed into existence above it, horizontal, intercepting the blow. The impact rang out. The double pushed, growling, but the blade held. A second blade erupted, spearing it through the side.
Borin hauled himself upright, spitting a mix of saliva and blood.
'How many times have I hit it now? Thirty? Fifty?'
The Boss's torso was cracked. Black furrows where ether leaked in wisps. But every wound closed.
'Fifteen seconds now. Against three at the start.'
The Boss advanced.
Borin summoned six doubles at once. They spread out, encircling the creature. The Boss didn't slow. Its hands traced arcs in the air. Sooty glyphs appeared, floating around it. From each symbol sprang a blade.
Thirty blades. Forty. Fifty.
They streaked forward.
The doubles were overwhelmed. One by one, they burst into smoke. Borin ran between the paths. One blade grazed his helmet. Another shredded his left calf—he stumbled, caught himself, kept going.
Ten meters.
The Boss raised a hand.
A hundred blades materialized overhead.
'Shit.'
He planted his hammer in the ground and summoned five doubles at once. They positioned themselves above him, forming a living shield. The blades fell. The doubles exploded one after another. The last one held for two seconds before fifteen blades punched through it simultaneously.
Borin rolled, feeling a blade rake his back. His right hand tightened on the hammer. He rose five meters from the Boss.
Their eyes met.
The Boss tilted its head.
Borin spat. "Think you're clever?"
The Boss didn't answer. It raised both hands, palms open.
Borin charged.
He closed the distance in two leaps, hammer already swinging.
The Boss raised a wall of blades.
Borin smashed into it full force. The impact shook the air. The blades cracked but held. He struck again. A fracture appeared. Again—and the wall gave way.
The Boss was right behind it, fist already moving.
Borin raised his hammer to block.
Too slow.
The fist drove into his gut. Air exploded from his lungs. His armor cracked. He flew backward, hitting the ground and tumbling twenty meters before stopping.
He coughed. Blood splattered the inside of his helmet.
His hands found the hammer. He used it to force himself upright.
That's when his earpiece crackled.
[Captain…] Serin's voice was distant, buried under rushing wind.
"I'm busy," Borin growled.
[We've… evacuated. Linked up with Clover. All our forces are pulled back.]
Borin froze.
He looked up at the Boss. A smile stretched his lips.
"Perfect."
The Boss stopped, then took a step back.
Borin laughed. "You feel it, don't you?"
The Boss retreated further. Its hands rose. Glyphs appeared around it. Fifty. A hundred. Two hundred.
The blades erupted all at once.
Borin's smile widened.
"Too late."
The blades hit him. They pierced his arms, legs, torso. A dozen protruded from his back. He stayed on his feet, hammer still gripped in his right hand.
Borin looked up at the creature.
"It's called Armageddon. Pretty name, huh? My last engraved skill. The one that takes up four damn slots in my head."
The Boss's pupilless eyes widened almost imperceptibly. For the first time, it moved not to attack—but to flee.
It spun, long black legs coiling for a desperate leap.
"I told you it's too late."
Borin, still impaled, body shaking, slowly opened his left hand.
"Take this!"
The world went white.
Light devoured everything.
A blinding white flash turned night into day for three seconds. Then came the sound—a deafening roar that shook the air, the ground, bones.
The shockwave spread in a perfect circle from where Borin stood. It flattened trees, splintering them into shards. Nemesis caught in the radius were pulverized, bodies disintegrated before they knew what hit them.
The northern forest vanished. The center followed. A crater two hundred kilometers wide formed, the earth itself vaporized by the released energy.
Draven was hurled to the ground by the blast. He shielded his face with his arms, feeling searing heat burn his skin. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was white.
Then, slowly, his vision cleared.
A mushroom cloud rose where the battlefield's center had been. Debris rained down, drifting like ash.
"Fuck…" he whispered.
Around him, Ironveil hunters struggled to their feet. Some stared at the crater, mouths open.
"By all the gods…" a young hunter breathed, his weapon slipping from numb hands.
Another started laughing. "The captain! He vaporized it! He vaporized everything!"
Serin stood rigid, fists clenched. Her gaze never left the mushroom cloud.
'Captain…'
Dimitri watched the spectacle, one hand in his pocket, the other loosely holding his sword. Beside him, a Clover hunter stared at the horizon, frozen.
"That's…" The hunter searched for words. "What the hell is…"
"A catastrophe-class skill," Dimitri answered calmly. "Probably engraved on four slots. Maybe five." He tilted his head. "Interesting. Pulling off that kind of scale isn't easy. He earns his captain title."
Vanpelt stepped up beside him, hands on hips. She was smiling.
"What a man," she said simply. "He doesn't do things halfway."
Dimitri glanced at her. "What's so amusing, Captain?"
She crossed her arms. "How much you wanna bet he survived?"
"I don't gamble on that kind of thing, Captain. Normally neither do you."
Vanpelt laughed. "True. The blast must've got me a little excited."
On the Jaeger side, Mara had stopped breathing.
She stared at the mushroom cloud, eyes wide.
"It's… impossible. No four-slot engraved skill could… That energy yield defies ether-matter conversion laws…"
A sound made her turn.
Elias Mercer was sprawled out, one arm draped over his eyes.
His shoulders shook.
For a moment, Mara thought it was horror—or even fear.
Then she heard the snoring.
Fury swept away her shock. "CAPTAIN!"
Elias yawned—a long, exaggerated one that cracked his jaw. He stretched like a cat. "Yeah, I see it. Borin's big boom." He rubbed his eyes. "Well, that means the heavy lifting's almost done. The Rift'll close soon. The leftover small fry will get confused or scatter." He stood, brushing himself off. "We can head back, file reports… well, you'll file the reports. I'm gonna crash."
Mara stared at him, speechless.
'How can he be so… detached after a display like that?'
Elias read the question on her face. He shrugged. "Borin knew what he was doing. It was his move. His show. Respect means not gawking afterward—just nodding and moving on."
Mara kept staring. "You're… joking?"
"Nope." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "If Borin used a skill like that, he was sure he'd finish the Boss. And he's not the self-sacrificing type…" He shrugged. "Bet by tomorrow he'll storm HQ demanding medals."
He started walking away, pausing after a few steps to glance over his shoulder.
"Come on, O'Connel. Get the teams ready for final cleanup. We've got work."
Mara didn't move right away. She turned back to the crater.
The mushroom cloud was starting to dissipate.
She clenched her fists.
'I hope that was enough.'