The night air was heavy, filled with tension that no words could explain. The hum that had haunted every hunter for days had finally gone silent, and that silence was far worse. It was the silence that comes before a storm—the kind that makes the world hold its breath.
Sung Jinwoo stood in the heart of Seoul, near the central mana convergence zone. The once-bustling city was now a ghost town, emptied by evacuation orders. The air shimmered faintly with energy, every streetlight flickering as if struggling to remain real. His shadow soldiers waited silently, their eyes burning faintly beneath the dim glow of the streetlamps.
From afar, the sky began to twist. The clouds folded into themselves, forming a spiraling shape that pulsed with red and black light. The first Nexus Anchor was descending.
Beru emerged beside Jinwoo, his mandibles twitching with agitation. "My king," he hissed softly, "the distortion has begun to take form. Something ancient is crossing over."
Jinwoo's eyes glowed faintly violet. "Then it's time."
Igris stepped forward, kneeling. "Master, the shadow army stands ready."
Jinwoo looked over his soldiers. "Hold position until I give the order. No engagement until we confirm its nature."
The ground began to quake. The spiraling clouds above split open, revealing a rift that bled red light into the night. From within, tendrils of shadow and fire burst outward, tearing through the sky. Then came the voice—a deep, echoing sound that seemed to vibrate through bone rather than air.
"Mortal plane detected. Energy density adequate for manifestation."
The rift widened further, and something massive stepped through.
The creature that emerged did not resemble any beast or demon Jinwoo had seen before. Its body was humanoid, yet made entirely of shifting crystal and flame. Its eyes were two vertical slits of pure white light, and its every step melted the ground beneath it. Around its form hovered fragments of floating runes, ancient symbols of power from the Nexus Realm.
System Message: Detected Entity – Nexus Guardian (SS Rank)
Classification: Dimensional Anchor Construct
Status: Hostile.
Jinwoo's jaw tightened. This was no simple invader. This was the first of the Nexus's defenses—a guardian sent to stabilize the dimensional rift.
Cha Hae-In appeared beside him, her golden aura igniting like sunlight. "So it's starting already?"
"Yes," Jinwoo replied, his tone calm but sharp. "And this one isn't just a beast. It's the key that keeps the gate open."
---
The Nexus Guardian turned its gaze toward him. Energy began to gather in its chest, glowing brighter and brighter until it condensed into a sphere of white-hot light. With a sudden roar, it fired a beam across the landscape, cutting through several buildings and evaporating everything in its path.
Jinwoo raised his hand. Shadows erupted from the ground, forming a barrier that absorbed the brunt of the blast. The air shook violently, the ground cracking under the pressure.
Cha Hae-In leapt forward, her blade slicing through the air. Her aura burst forth, golden light meeting the Guardian's flames in a violent collision that sent shockwaves rippling outward. The explosion illuminated the night sky, shaking the very clouds.
Jinwoo joined the fray, moving faster than sight. He appeared above the creature, his dagger cutting through the runic sigils that floated around its body. Each one shattered with a burst of dark energy. The Guardian staggered back, its body momentarily unstable.
But then it adapted. The runes reformed, stronger than before.
Beru's voice echoed in his mind. "My king, this creature's core is connected to the rift itself. It regenerates through the dimensional energy!"
Jinwoo's expression darkened. "Then we sever that connection."
He extended his left hand. "Arise."
The shadows beneath the Guardian erupted as hundreds of black tendrils shot upward, binding its arms and legs. Igris and Iron charged forward with their weapons drawn, their strikes synchronized and precise. The sound of steel meeting crystal echoed through the streets.
The Guardian struggled, releasing a deafening roar that sent shockwaves in every direction. The shadow soldiers nearest to it were thrown back, dissipating into smoke before reforming again.
Jinwoo reappeared behind it, his dagger glowing with concentrated mana. He drove the blade into the creature's back, targeting the rune closest to its core. The air exploded with light, and for a brief moment, the Guardian's body flickered.
But instead of collapsing, it began to evolve. The light from its core dimmed, then reignited with a violet hue.
System Message: Nexus Guardian – Evolution Protocol Engaged
Rank Increase: SS → SS+
Jinwoo felt the shift immediately. The mana density increased to a level that made the air unbreathable. He was forced to push more power into his shadows to keep them from collapsing.
Cha Hae-In landed beside him, panting. "It's adapting faster than we can damage it."
Jinwoo narrowed his eyes. "Then we stop holding back."
The ground beneath him shattered as his aura exploded outward. His shadows roared in unison, forming a dark dome around the entire battlefield. The creature turned its gaze toward him, sensing the shift in energy.
In an instant, Jinwoo was gone—then reappeared directly in front of its chest. His dagger pierced the Guardian's core again, this time with the full force of his SS Rank mana. The light fractured, and a burst of dark energy consumed the creature from within.
It screamed, its form cracking apart, before it finally exploded into thousands of fragments of light that rained down like stars.
---
As the dust settled, the rift in the sky began to shrink. The hum returned, softer this time, almost like a heartbeat. Jinwoo looked upward, breathing slowly as the energy faded.
Cha Hae-In approached, wiping blood from her lip. "Is it over?"
"For now," he said quietly. "That was only the first anchor."
She frowned. "Then there are more?"
"Yes," Jinwoo replied. "Five in total. One for each region tied to the ley lines. When all five converge, the Nexus will fully open."
Behind him, Igris knelt. "Master, what of Agnorath? Do you sense his influence?"
Jinwoo closed his eyes briefly, feeling the faint trace of dark energy that lingered in the wind. "He's watching. Every move we make, he's preparing for it."
Beru's wings buzzed softly. "My king, your power grows stronger with each battle. The advancement to SS Rank is near."
Jinwoo looked at his hand, where faint violet sparks danced across his skin. "Yes," he murmured. "But so does the danger."
He turned toward the horizon, where four more rifts glowed faintly in the distance. "The real war begins now."
And far away, within the heart of the Nexus, Agnorath stood before his throne, his aura blazing like a dying star.
System Message: Agnorath – Current Rank: XXX Rank (98%) → Advancing…
He smiled coldly. "Grow stronger, Sung Jinwoo. The closer you get to your awakening, the closer I come to my ascension."
The two forces—light and shadow, creation and ruin—moved ever closer to collision. The first battle had ended, but the echoes of the Nexus had only just begun to sing.