The city square had barely settled when more portals tore open in the air. This time, dozens. Shadows twisted in the vortexes, monstrous forms spilling into the streets. Screams echoed as citizens ran, scattering in all directions.
I tightened my grip on my sword. Wraiths flared around me—Shadow, Rift, Obsidian—ready for the slaughter.
"Hunters, spread out!" I commanded, violet sparks crackling along my arms. "Focus on holding them off. I'll deal with the source."
High orcs, dire wolves, shadow fiends, and grotesque void beasts surged forward. The air thrummed with the sound of claws raking stone, axes swinging, and beasts howling. Lightning danced across the battlefield, cutting through enemies faster than their reflexes could react.
I moved like a storm incarnate. Storm Veins surged, amplifying every movement. I spun through the lines, Judgment Spark piercing high orcs, wraiths tearing dire wolves apart. Shadow lunged into a horde, Rift followed with precision strikes, and Obsidian held the ground, fangs of violet lightning slicing through anything attempting to flank me.
But the portals didn't stop. More and more monsters poured forth, relentless, endless.
A massive shadow twisted in the largest portal—a being of corrupted light and void energy. Its roar shook the ground, and the sky above it flickered with unnatural darkness.
I narrowed my eyes. This wasn't just a portal—it was a boss-level entity. And until it fell, these gateways wouldn't close.
I dashed forward, weaving through the horde, my sword a streak of violet fire. Every strike, every step, sent electricity tearing through multiple monsters at once. Abyssstorm erupted, tentacles of purple lightning lashing out, devouring entire swaths of the enemy.
The boss emerged fully—a towering humanoid fused with jagged crystals and shadow, eyes glowing a deep violet. Its arm lashed out like a battering ram, forcing me back, lightning snapping around me.
"Finally," I muttered, smirk curling my lips, "someone actually interesting."
It swung again. I sidestepped, spinning in midair, Aether Conduction pulling the energy from its attack, redirecting it into a violet blast that tore through its chest. It staggered, shrieking, but recovered instantly.
I dashed forward, wraiths flanking, my sword humming with violet energy. Judgment Spark: Multi-Strike, hitting multiple weak points at once. Shadow lunged into its legs, Rift slicing its arms, Obsidian skewering it from the ground up. Sparks erupted, crystal shards exploding into the air.
The battlefield around me was chaos incarnate. Hunters fought to hold back hordes from spilling into the city. But I didn't care for the weak. I focused solely on the source, feeling the pulse of the portal in its heart, synchronized with the boss's life.
A single stab through the core crystal, violet lightning wrapping around my blade, and the boss screamed—a sound that rattled the city. Its body convulsed, shadows and energy scattering. The portal above it began to collapse, shrieking as it imploded.
I leapt back just as the portal crumbled, sparks raining down like violet fire. The remaining monsters fell, disoriented and leaderless, easy prey for the hunters surrounding me.
I landed on my feet, chest heaving, sword glowing faintly with residual energy. Wraiths coalesced around me, hovering like guardians.
I looked at the battlefield, carnage behind me, but no one dared question me. I was the storm. The hunter. The answer to the impossible.
A hunter finally approached, bow trembling in his hand. "You… you did it. All the portals… gone. We thought—"
I cut him off with a smirk. "Thought what? That the world could challenge me? Cute."
The wraiths whispered around me, lightning trailing their forms, the air still vibrating with energy. I sheathed my sword, letting the storm subside. For now.
But I knew—this was only the beginning. Whoever—or whatever—sent these portals had plans.