David had barely taken a few steps when the world in front of him broke open. From behind the veil of dust and falling debris, something vast surged into view — the second Rook.
It was enormous, larger than the previous one.
Even from afar, the creature loomed large, dwarfing the crumbling ruins that surrounded it. Each of its movements sent tremors through the ground, echoing like the heartbeat of a deity manifest in physical form.
Its colossal body was sheathed in glossy plates that shimmered with the luster of fossilized bone—an armor that seemed to have grown organically rather than been forged by any artisan's hands.
These plates were adorned with intricate ridges that intertwined seamlessly, resembling a grotesque exoskeleton crafted by nature itself.
Beneath this formidable exterior, a deeper darkness throbbed ominously, as if fiery, molten blood coursed just beneath the surface—a living essence waiting to erupt.
For a moment, David's gaze traced the creature's contours, and a frown carved across his face.
'This one's different… tougher. That shell—'
He didn't finish the thought. His legs didn't stop moving.
The Rook turned its head at the blur sprinting toward it. For an instant, silence — then its mouth opened wide, and the air itself seemed to shatter.
Its roar transcended mere sound; it was a seismic event, a primal force that resonated through the very earth. Windows in dilapidated structures shattered like fragile glass ornaments, scattering shards across the desolate landscape.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the crumbling walls, exposing the crumbling insides of once-proud edifices. A violent tremor surged through the streets, sending the few buildings that still managed to stand teetering dangerously.
Clouds of dust erupted from the ground, swirling skyward like a geyser of earth and debris, while the ominous echo of that ferocious roar rolled outwards, reverberating for blocks and leaving a haunting silence in its wake.
The creature charged.
Every step sent shockwaves through the ground, splitting asphalt like brittle glass. Concrete peeled from the walls, and chunks of rubble bounced upward from the sheer force. Each movement was a drumbeat of mass and death.
David met the charge head-on, a streak of black cutting through the grey. His breath steadied, pupils, narrowing until the world became a line — just him and the monster.
No hesitation.
A few seconds later, they collided in motion.
The Rook struck first — both arms, massive and blunt, swung upward and then came down with the weight of a collapsing building. The impact detonated a cloud of dust and stone, the earth itself recoiling. But there was no blood.
The Rook blinked
Through the cloud, something had moved upward — a blur of motion too clean to follow.
David had shot out of the dust, propelled by the very shockwave meant to kill him, twin pistols drawn mid-air. His coat rippled like smoke as he spun once, locking both weapons on target.
A storm of bullets rained down.
The atmosphere crackled with an electrifying tension, heavy with the promise of chaos. As the first volleys of gunfire erupted, the Rook's formidable armor erupted in a dazzling display of sparks, each impact sending a shower of brilliant glimmers cascading through the air. It was a relentless barrage—dozens of rounds followed swiftly by hundreds—each bullet striking true yet failing to pierce the creature's impenetrable hide.
The Rook unleashed a bone-rattling roar that resonated through the battlefield, drowning out every other sound in a ferocious symphony of rage.
The bullets, meeting their fate against the monstrous form, flattened and melted away, transforming into glistening droplets that fell like silver rain, shimmering briefly before disappearing into the earth.
It swung its arm through the haze, swatting at the sky.
David twisted his body in a flash, using the sweeping limb like a springboard, boots scraping bone as he flung himself higher. The motion was seamless, a perfect theft of momentum. In midair, he holstered both pistols — as he knew they'd be useless against that shell — and reached behind him.
The twin short swords came free.
The moment he held them, they trembled in his hands, as though they waited to be drawn to taste blood, to taste the thrill of battle. Their edges glowed a deep, smoldering red, as if magma itself had been trapped within steel, a cruel, steady glow that looked more like anger than heat.
You could feel it hum through the air, distorting the light around it. The metal should have melted long ago, but somehow it endured — a weapon that refused to die, just like the one who wielded it.
The brief exchange — the dodge, the storm, the fall — had lasted barely five seconds. And in those five seconds, David had nearly died twice.
When he landed, his boots cracked the earth. The Rook was already turning, slower but heavier now, its claws gouging trenches as it pivoted. The space between them hummed, air vibrating from the raw mana leaking off both predator and prey.
David's eyes narrowed.
No thought. No hesitation. Just focus.
They met again.
The next collision tore the air apart. A shockwave rippled through the ruins, toppling weakened structures. Debris rained down in molten streams of dust and fire. The asphalt split open in spiderweb cracks, and the flames reflected in the Rook's armor turned its bones into a twisted mirror of helllight.
Some distance away, the rest of the squad stood around the transport, forming a protective ring. Civilians huddled inside, clutching anything solid as the world around them shook.
Mary's voice was the first to cut through from the comms. "He's—he's actually fighting it."
Kara stood at the edge, the wind tugging at her coat, her eyes wide. "Even Felix wouldn't be able to survive those two initial attacks," she murmured, almost to herself. "It should be impossible for someone of his rank."
Jace said nothing; he just stared at the two figures clashing far down the street—one shrouded in darkness, the other a towering mass of bone and rage.
Even from their vantage point, the tremors were palpable. Each impact sent vibrations through the soles of their boots, and dust rippled from the rooftops.
The mysterious girl had her gaze fixed on the same scene. Her expression was unreadable, and Eryn, noticing the girl's lack of worry, looked at her with even more curiosity. 'Who really is this girl?'