The skyline of Zealand City had never looked so fragile. Even before the first tremors, the towers shimmered under the unnatural glow of the portal's resonance, casting long, fractured shadows over streets now crawling with terrified civilians. Nathan ran across the rooftops, his cloak flaring behind him as if it had a life of its own. Each step sent ripples through the energy-laden air, disturbing loose mana threads and setting off sparks that danced like fireflies around him.
Behind him, a roar shattered the morning calm—a sound that was not wind, not thunder, but a tearing of reality itself. The Abyssal Rift had erupted.
Below, streets twisted into chaos. Buildings cracked as violet energy leaked from fractures in reality. The ground split open, swallowing carriages, debris, and unwary civilians alike. Hunters scrambled to contain the breach, but even ranks of S-rank veterans found themselves powerless before the living portal.
Nathan landed on a shattered parapet, his boots pressing into jagged stone. The Core pulsed violently in his chest, resonating with the Rift as if it were calling him home. It's alive. It's demanding more.
From the shadows of a collapsed tower, a figure emerged—tall, lithe, moving with the precision of someone who never wasted a motion. Lucan, S-Rank Hunter of Zealand, his eyes glinting with a corruption Nathan had never seen before. A shard of the Shadow Core, twisted and unstable, seemed to pulse along his gauntleted arm.
"Nathan," Lucan said, his voice calm but edged with venom, "you've turned our city into a graveyard. Are you proud?"
Nathan's gaze didn't waver. "I didn't create this. You should blame the Abyss that's always been sleeping beneath your feet."
Lucan's smirk was chilling. "Sleeping, yes. But now awake, thanks to you. And I intend to claim what should have been mine—before it destroys everything else."
Around them, the Rift pulsed, flaring bright violet light that cast impossible shadows. The air warped. Objects around them twisted as if reality itself were unraveling. Civilians screamed below, their voices muffled through the distortion of space.
Nathan clenched his fists. Shadows rose from the cracks in the ground, coiling around him like serpents, moving with a sentience born of the Core itself. I can't hold back. Not now. Not when she's inside there…
Selena's face flashed in his mind—trapped, eyes wide, chains of mana locking her in a containment ward inside the Guild's Sanctum. He felt a surge of both fury and desperation. I'll tear this city apart if I have to.
Lucan advanced, step by measured step, his blade drawn. The corrupted fragment of the Core on his arm glowed violently, distorting his form. Each swing of his blade left a trail of warped space, slicing through the air with lethal precision.
Nathan countered instinctively. Shadows erupted from his body, twisting and converging to form jagged shields that absorbed Lucan's strike. The impact sent a shockwave through the street, toppling nearby structures. Dust, debris, and shards of broken reality rained down.
"Impressive," Lucan said, circling him. "But controlling shadows isn't enough. Not against me. Not when the Abyss itself is bleeding through."
Nathan's thoughts raced. If I focus too much on Lucan, the Rift will devour the city. If I focus on the Rift, Lucan will kill me—or Selena. I can't split myself like this.
The Rift flared suddenly, a massive vortex opening in the central square below. Energy tendrils shot out, piercing through walls and vehicles. Citizens fled in terror, their screams echoing against the fractured towers. Nathan realized the Rift was feeding on fear, chaos, and the lingering corruption left by the portal's initial breach.
He took a deep breath. Shadows coiled around him, extending outward, connecting with the Core's pulse. Then I have no choice. I can't fight him and contain this separately. I have to merge control.
Nathan lifted his hand, black energy forming intricate, glowing sigils around him. They swirled faster and faster, weaving a lattice of power across the skyline. Lucan's eyes widened. "You… you're linking with it? That's impossible—no human—"
Nathan cut him off. "I'm not just human anymore."
A surge of shadows exploded outward, merging with the Rift below. Tendrils of pure darkness rose, interfacing with the portal's energy, pulling some of the destructive force back, stabilizing sections of the streets—but with a price. The Core's pulse within him screamed, forcing Nathan to his knees, sweat streaming down his face.
Lucan saw his opening and lunged. The corrupted fragment of the Core flared, warping space around his fist. Nathan barely managed to block the strike, the impact sending him sliding across a rooftop. Sparks of energy rained down, and the wind carried the acrid scent of burned stone.
Lucan laughed—a sound devoid of humor, full of malice and control. "This city will fall, Nathan. And when it does, so will your precious Core. I'll take it—and her—right from under your shadow."
Nathan's jaw clenched. He could feel Selena's presence through the Core, faint but undeniable, imprisoned in the Sanctum. I won't let him touch her. Not like this.
The Rift above them pulsed violently, ripping a section of a tower apart. Nathan realized the Abyss wasn't just a portal—it was a predator, testing him, feeding off the chaos, judging his reactions. Every second he hesitated, the Rift expanded, consuming everything in its radius.
Nathan forced himself to stand, shadows surging around him, merging into a form that was both terrifying and beautiful. His eyes glowed obsidian, reflecting the energy of the Rift. The Core's power had reached a new threshold. He was no longer just a human; he was a living conduit for the Abyss.
Lucan stopped mid-step, recognition flashing in his eyes. "So… this is what they warned about. The Shadow Core fully awakened… in him."
Nathan's voice was steady, yet resonated with an unnatural depth. "Stay back, Lucan. I don't want to hurt you—but if you touch her, if you touch this city, I will end you."