Nathan's shadow surged forward like a tidal wave, coiling around him and extending outward toward the Rift below. Every movement he made bent the fabric of reality, threads of dark energy connecting with the portal's edge, stabilizing sections of the collapsing city. Sparks of violet energy shot into the air, igniting clouds of dust and debris like fireworks forged from destruction.
Lucan advanced relentlessly. His corrupted Core fragment pulsed with unstable energy, distorting the space around his form. Each step warped the stone beneath him, and with every swing of his blade, fissures opened in impossible angles. His attack was precision incarnate—a deadly dance of lethal intent.
Nathan's shadows reacted, moving of their own volition to intercept each strike. A slash that could have cleaved him in two dissolved into mist against the protective tendrils. The impact sent tremors through nearby streets, shattering windows, twisting steel frames, and sending terrified citizens scattering into alleyways and ruined plazas.
"You rely too much on raw power!" Lucan shouted, leaping over a collapsing parapet. "Strength without technique is nothing!"
Nathan's lips tightened. Technique? It's irrelevant when the city itself fights against you. He focused, extending his shadow lattice into the Rift, weaving control over the chaotic energy. The portal pulsed violently, sensing its master's intent, lashing outward in a surge that ripped the roof beneath Lucan.
Lucan barely vaulted aside, landing with perfect balance atop a streetlamp that had bent and twisted like molten metal. "Impressive," he hissed, "but that Rift feeds on destruction, not mercy. You cannot contain it alone!"
Nathan's mind raced. The Abyssal Rift was alive, every tendril a sentient probe testing him. It was ravenous, and its hunger mirrored his desperation to save Selena. I can't protect both the city and her at the same time, he thought. I have to choose.
Below, the Rift tore through a section of the central plaza, devouring everything in its path—vehicles, civilians, market stalls, and even a minor S-rank Hunter who had underestimated its pull. The portal's hunger was growing exponentially. The ground cracked and liquefied in violet veins, sending molten shards and shards of mana splintering into the air.
Nathan's heart tightened. She's still inside. I can't let her die. Shadows surged from him in a furious wave, extending over streets and rooftops, creating a semi-solid bridge of darkness that he could traverse toward the Guild's Sanctum.
Lucan leaped after him, their duel now extending across rooftops, over shattered streets, and amidst the wailing of the city below. Each strike sent a shockwave that distorted gravity and tore buildings apart. Nathan's shadows shifted defensively and offensively, lashing out with bladed edges, tendrils, and nets of pure energy.
"You still hesitate!" Lucan shouted, his corrupted fragment flaring, slicing a rooftop clean in half. "You hold back because of her!"
Nathan's jaw tightened. "She's not just a weakness! She's the reason I am controlling this!"
The Rift pulsed in response to the intensity of Nathan's emotions. Sections of the city floated, lifted by the portal's chaotic energy, and then plummeted violently back down. Civilians screamed from the remaining safe zones, seeking shelter wherever they could.
Nathan realized then: to save Selena, he had to temporarily merge fully with the Abyssal Core, risking his own humanity. Shadows twisted around him, forming sigils and spiraling into his chest, connecting with the Core's essence. His body glowed with black and violet energy, and the air itself seemed to bend around him.
Lucan's eyes widened. "You're… becoming it."
Nathan took a deep breath, his voice rising above the roar of the Rift. "And I will not let anyone—anyone—stop me from saving her!"
With a violent surge, he plunged forward, shadows whipping around him like a storm of living steel. Lucan met him head-on, their clash sending a shockwave that shattered nearby towers. Debris flew through the air, shattering windows, and igniting small fires. The Rift's energy reacted, warping and amplifying the chaos in unpredictable waves.
In the midst of the destruction, Nathan glimpsed Selena through a shattered rooftop window—her hands bound in chains of glowing mana, eyes wide with fear. Just a little closer, he thought, pushing himself beyond fatigue, beyond pain, beyond fear. Every shadow in his body coalesced into a single lance of energy, smashing toward Lucan.
Lucan barely blocked with his blade, sparks of corrupted Core energy clashing against Nathan's shadows. The force of the impact sent them both skidding across the rooftop, Lucan momentarily unsteady. Nathan's eyes glowed brighter, the Core's pulse echoing through his veins.
Not enough… I need more control… more power…
The Rift below responded, violently lashing upward. A section of a plaza was torn clean into the air, levitating debris in a swirling maelstrom of violet and black. The city trembled, caught between total destruction and Nathan's desperate control.
Lucan leapt again, this time targeting Nathan's flank. "Give up!" he shouted, "You cannot hold it! The Core will consume you!"
Nathan's voice was calm, deadly. "Then I will be the Core!"
Shadows erupted in a magnificent storm, converging into his form, his body now a conduit of living darkness. The Rift shrieked as its tendrils fused with Nathan's lattice of shadows, stabilizing the surrounding buildings—just enough for a safe path to the Sanctum.
He leaped, launching himself across the chaos toward Selena, while Lucan followed, corrupted energy blazing, his intent clear: destroy Nathan and claim the Core.