The city was dying.
Not because of the war.
Not because of the Blood Moon.
Because two monsters refused to stop fighting.
Riven crashed through the remains of a stone tower.
The structure folded inward instantly.
Thousands of kilograms of stone collapsed around him.
Dust exploded into the air.
For several seconds...
everything disappeared beneath gray clouds.
Then movement.
A blood-covered hand emerged from the rubble.
Riven pulled himself free.
Every muscle screamed.
Every breath hurt.
His right arm barely responded.
His left knee felt shattered.
One eye remained swollen shut.
Blood ran down his face.
His armor was gone.
What remained hung from his body in torn fragments.
And yet...
he stood.
Across the ruined district...
Rigor watched.
The giant warrior looked almost as bad.
Cuts covered his body.
Blood soaked his armor.
One horn of his helmet had broken away.
A deep slash ran across his chest.
But his grin remained.
That infuriating grin.
That unbreakable confidence.
"Good."
His voice echoed through the destroyed street.
"That's good."
Riven spat blood onto the ground.
"Shut up."
Rigor laughed.
The sound rolled through the ruins.
"You know what I like about you, Wonder Boy?"
Riven slowly raised Moonfang.
Nightrend followed.
His hands trembled.
Not from fear.
From exhaustion.
"I don't care."
"You keep getting up."
The grin widened.
"Most people stop eventually."
Rigor pointed his blade at him.
"You never do."
Silence.
Wind blew through the broken streets.
Fires crackled nearby.
Somewhere in the distance...
the war continued.
But here...
nothing else existed.
Only them.
Only this.
Only the end.
Riven lowered his stance.
Blood dripped from his chin.
"Are you done talking?"
Rigor's eyes gleamed.
"No."
Then he vanished.
BOOM!
The street exploded beneath him.
Riven barely reacted.
Steel collided.
The impact shattered nearby windows.
Shockwaves ripped through the district.
Rigor attacked relentlessly.
No pauses.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
Every strike carried enough force to destroy buildings.
Every swing threatened death.
Riven blocked.
Dodged.
Countered.
Survived.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Yet the difference was becoming clear.
His body was reaching its limit.
Rigor noticed it too.
The giant warrior drove his shoulder forward.
Riven crossed both blades.
The collision launched him through two buildings.
Stone exploded.
Wood shattered.
Glass rained everywhere.
Riven rolled across the ground.
Pain erupted through his ribs.
Something cracked.
Again.
Another rib.
Maybe two.
He wasn't sure anymore.
There were too many injuries to count.
Rigor appeared before he could recover.
A kick slammed into his side.
Riven felt himself leave the ground.
The world spun.
Then
CRASH!
He smashed through another structure.
The entire building collapsed.
For several seconds...
everything became darkness.
Dust.
Pain.
Silence.
Then
A scream.
Small.
Terrified.
Human.
Riven's eyes opened.
Children.
Three of them.
Hiding beneath a partially collapsed staircase.
Frozen in fear.
The building above them groaned.
Cracks spread across the ceiling.
It was going to fall.
Riven cursed.
Of course it was.
Because apparently the universe hated him.
The children stared.
Terrified.
One little girl spoke first.
"Mister..."
The ceiling shifted.
Riven forced himself upward.
His knee nearly gave out.
Pain shot through his body.
He ignored it.
The children were still trapped.
The structure was seconds from collapse.
Then
Rigor arrived.
The wall exploded inward.
The giant warrior stepped through the dust.
His eyes immediately found Riven.
Then the children.
Then the collapsing building.
For one brief moment...
he understood exactly what was happening.
And smiled.
"That's unfortunate."
Riven's eyes narrowed.
Rigor charged.
Riven met him.
Their blades collided.
The impact shook the structure.
More cracks appeared.
The building groaned louder.
Rigor attacked again.
And again.
And again.
Trying to force him backward.
Trying to force him away from the children.
Riven refused.
Blood poured from his wounds.
His vision blurred.
Still...
he fought.
One strike.
Two strikes.
Three.
Then
Moonfang slammed into Rigor's chest.
The giant staggered.
Only slightly.
But it was enough.
Riven spun.
Both blades moving together.
Nightrend struck next.
Rigor blocked.
But the impact finally sent him flying backward.
The giant crashed through the far wall.
Stone exploded outward.
For a brief second...
silence returned.
Then the ceiling gave way.
The entire structure began collapsing.
The children screamed.
Riven moved instantly.
Ignoring pain.
Ignoring exhaustion.
Ignoring everything.
He leapt beneath the falling mass.
And caught it.
The building stopped.
For one impossible moment...
a broken teenager held up an entire collapsing structure.
The earth beneath him shattered.
His feet sank into the ground.
Every muscle strained.
His broken knee screamed.
Blood poured from his wounds.
The children stared.
Wide-eyed.
Terrified.
Riven forced a grin.
A terrible one.
"Why..."
He struggled for breath.
"...are you all still standing there?"
The children blinked.
Then realization struck.
"RUN!"
They ran.
As fast as they could.
Past him.
Toward safety.
Toward life.
Riven held the building.
Longer.
Longer.
Longer.
Until the last child disappeared.
Then finally
he let go.
The structure collapsed completely.
The impact swallowed the entire street.
Riven staggered backward.
His body finally reaching its limit.
Then something hit him.
Hard.
Rigor.
The giant emerged from the dust like an avalanche.
His fist slammed into Riven's chest.
CRACK.
More ribs shattered.
Riven flew across the district.
Skipping across ruined streets.
Crashing through walls.
Destroying everything in his path.
When he finally stopped...
he couldn't stand.
For several seconds...
he simply lay there.
Breathing.
Barely.
The sky above looked strange.
The Blood Moon seemed larger now.
Closer.
Watching.
His core pulsed weakly.
Once.
Twice.
Then faded.
Riven laughed.
A broken sound.
"...This sucks."
Footsteps approached.
Heavy.
Steady.
Inevitable.
Rigor stopped nearby.
Looking down at him.
No grin this time.
No mockery.
Only respect.
"You protected them."
Riven coughed blood.
"Yeah."
"You could have attacked me."
"Yeah."
"You chose them instead."
Silence.
Then Rigor nodded.
Slowly.
Respectfully.
"Tyrella would've been proud."
Riven froze.
For a moment...
everything became still.
His mother.
Hearing her name now hurt more than any wound.
Rigor looked toward the moon.
Then back at him.
"That's why you'll lose."
Riven's jaw tightened.
Rigor raised his blade.
"You're still protecting people."
His aura surged.
The ruins trembled.
"While I'm trying to kill you."
The giant lowered his stance.
Power exploded around him.
The pressure became unbearable.
And for the first time since their battle began...
Riven felt something dangerous.
Not fear.
Not doubt.
Desperation.
Because deep down...
he knew.
His body was failing.
His core was fading.
And Rigor...
was still getting stronger.
The giant warrior smiled once more.
Then pointed his blade directly at him.
"Get up, Wonder Boy."
The Blood Moon illuminated the ruins.
The city held its breath.
And Riven slowly forced himself back to his feet.
Even though every instinct screamed not to.
Even though every bone felt broken.
Even though he could barely see.
Because surrender had never been an option.
And the battle was far from over.