Dust filled the air.
Silence covered the shattered courtyard.
Inside the crater… Kai knelt motionless.
The Riftborn stood above him, dark energy pulsing violently around its body. Its form had grown denser, stronger — evolving with every moment of battle.
It raised its arm again.
Ready to finish him.
"KAI!"
Ryo charged forward without thinking, aura blazing wildly around him. His fist burned with raw force as he launched himself toward the Riftborn's head.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
BOOM.
His strike landed hard — hard enough to shake the ground — but the Riftborn barely moved. Its arm swung backward instantly—
And struck Ryo mid-air.
The impact crushed through his defense, sending him crashing violently across the courtyard, skidding across broken stone until he stopped.
Blood traced across his cheek.
"…Tch," he growled, forcing himself back up.
Elias raised both hands, space warping violently around the Riftborn as crushing pressure locked onto its body.
"Move, Kai…" Elias whispered, teeth clenched. "Now…"
But Kai did not move.
Not yet.
Inside the crater…
Kai's breathing was uneven.
Slow.
Heavy.
Pain spread through his body — deeper than anything he had felt before. His chest burned. His limbs trembled. His vision blurred slightly.
He should have been unconscious.
He should have been broken.
But he wasn't.
Because something inside him refused to break.
Then—
A sound.
Not outside.
Inside.
A faint… crack.
Like glass under pressure.
Kai's eyes widened slightly.
Another crack followed.
Then another.
Across his chest, faint glowing lines flickered for a split second beneath his skin — like sealed light trying to escape.
The Riftborn froze.
It felt it.
That energy.
That presence.
Fear flickered within its hollow gaze.
Above them, the rift trembled violently.
As if reacting.
As if recognizing.
As if something far beyond was watching.
Kai slowly lifted his head.
His eyes…
Glowed faint silver.
The air shifted.
Pressure formed.
Not explosive.
Not violent.
But absolute.
The Riftborn staggered backward.
Instinct screaming at it to retreat.
To escape.
To survive.
Elias felt it first.
His breath stopped.
"…What is this…"
Ryo wiped blood from his mouth, staring.
"…Kai?"
Inside Kai's chest—
The seal cracked further.
Light surged through his veins like stars igniting in darkness.
Power…
Ancient.
Vast.
Awakening.
Kai slowly stood.
And the battlefield… changed.