Nathan's lungs burned, his body a conduit for the Core's immense energy. Shadows coiled like serpents around his limbs, their jagged forms extending outward to shield him from falling debris. Below, the Abyssal Rift roared, an insatiable maw of violet and black tearing through Zealand's streets.
Selena's chains glowed ominously within the Sanctum's core chamber. Nathan's eyes locked onto her, and a surge of determination coursed through him. Every pulse of the Core reverberated with urgency. I won't lose her—not here, not now.
Lucan landed on the same rooftop, his corrupted fragment thrumming with malevolent energy. "You think you can save her? You're risking the entire city for one life!"
Nathan's shadows surged forward, forming jagged blades and whips that lashed at Lucan with precise, deadly intent. "She's not just one life! She's the reason I'm still human."
Lucan laughed, a sound cold and hollow. "Humanity is a weakness you can no longer afford!"
Their collision sent a shockwave through the skyline, toppling nearby towers and sending rivers of energy cascading toward the Rift. Civilians screamed below, some caught in the maelstrom, others fleeing in panic. The city was collapsing, yet Nathan moved with purpose, his connection to the Abyssal Core granting him reflexes that transcended human limits.
He leaped from rooftop to rooftop, the shadows beneath him forming temporary platforms. Lucan pursued relentlessly, each strike a blur of corrupted light and lethal precision. Nathan's movements were fluid, almost artistic—shadows twisting, extending, and reshaping reality to form shields and weapons.
The Sanctum was close now. Through a shattered window, he saw Selena, eyes wide with fear but burning with hope at the sight of him. He surged forward, shadows coiling around his arms like armored gauntlets.
Lucan lunged, attempting to intercept. Nathan's shadow blade met the corrupted fragment with a deafening clash, sending sparks and ripples of energy through the chamber. Lucan grunted as he staggered backward, surprised by Nathan's raw control over the Core's power.
"You've… changed," Lucan said, breathless. "The Core… it obeys you now?"
Nathan didn't answer. He surged forward, piercing the Sanctum's outer defenses, shadows dissolving Selena's chains with tendrils of pure darkness. She fell into his arms, relief and terror blending in her eyes.
"Hold on," Nathan whispered. "I've got you."
Behind them, Lucan roared in frustration, the corrupted fragment flaring violently. "You'll never escape me! The Abyss will claim you both!"
Nathan's gaze hardened. "Then let it try."
Shadows erupted outward, merging with the Rift below. Entire sections of the city's streets were torn from reality, suspended midair in swirling energy, while Nathan and Selena moved along a pathway of living darkness. Lucan followed, slicing through obstacles with brutal efficiency, relentless in his pursuit.
The Rift reacted violently, thrashing in response to Nathan's attempts to control it. Towers collapsed, streets split, and waves of energy tore through the remaining cityscape. Civilians fled wherever they could, screaming, praying, dying. The Core pulsed in Nathan's chest like a living heart of the apocalypse, every beat demanding more control, more precision, more sacrifice.
They reached the final corridor leading to the Sanctum's outer gates. Nathan extended his hand, pulling Selena close as shadows surged around them in a protective cocoon. Lucan struck again, fragment slicing through the air, but Nathan's lattice of darkness intercepted it, absorbing the blow and sending a shockwave that hurled Lucan back against a crumbling wall.
The moment was fleeting. Nathan knew the Rift's hunger would not wait, and neither would Lucan's pursuit.
"Go!" Nathan shouted, pushing Selena toward the exit, the shadows forming a shielded corridor. "Run to safety!"
Selena hesitated, eyes wide. "Nathan! You—"
"I'll be right behind you," he said firmly. "Trust me."
As she ran, Nathan turned to face Lucan one final time, shadows coiling like a storm of blades. The S-Rank Hunter rose, eyes filled with malice and determination. "This isn't over," Lucan hissed. "I will claim the Core… and you will die."
Nathan's voice was calm, deadly, resonating with the abyssal power now coursing through him. "Then we'll finish this—on my terms."
Above them, the Rift pulsed violently, consuming entire city blocks, tearing reality apart. The horizon shimmered with the violent glow of energy, a harbinger of the chaos yet to come. Nathan and Lucan clashed, shadows and corrupted light intertwining, the city beneath them collapsing in flames and twisted debris.
Selena's voice called out from the distance, faint but resolute. "Nathan… don't give up!"
Nathan's chest ached, the Core's pulse synchronizing with his heartbeat. I won't. Not now. Not ever.
The shadows surged, the Abyss roared, and Lucan prepared for the strike that would determine not only their fates but the fate of Zealand itself.
The city burned. The Rift howled. And Nathan, fully awakened, stepped into the storm, ready to confront the apocalypse—and the enemy he would never forgive.