The colossal creature stood in complete silence.
Its towering frame cast a shadow over nearly half the chamber.
Crimson fissures pulsed faintly across its black, armor-like hide.
Abyssal mana continued pouring from the Breach behind it.
Aldric looked up at the monster.
There wasn't the slightest hint of fear on his face.
"...You sure took your time."
He casually scratched his cheek.
"...Opening the door after we knocked for so long."
Silence.
The Rift-Breaker's burning crimson eyes slowly settled upon him.
Compared to the creature—
Draven appeared no larger than an ant.
Draven merely glanced upward.
His crimson eyes calmly observed the giant.
*...If it were up to me...*
*...I'd simply stand here...*
*...and continue absorbing the mana leaking from the Breach.*
The countless strands of mana extending from his body continued drawing in the surrounding Abyssal mana.
*...Given enough time...*
*...I'll reach the amount I need.*
A brief pause.
*...But...*
His gaze shifted.
Beyond the creature's armored chest—
he saw it.
The core.
It pulsed deep within the monster's body like a second heart.
The endlessly folding mana within Draven stirred.
*...There's an even faster way.*
Blood slowly ran from the corner of his mouth.
He wiped it away with his thumb.
Then spoke without taking his eyes off the monster.
"...Hey."
The little black cat looked down from atop his head.
"...Meow?"
"...Time to get off."
Draven's voice remained calm.
"...Go near the Breach."
"...If you want to keep eating."
The cat blinked once.
"...Meow."
Without hesitation—
it leapt from Draven's head.
Landing lightly upon the stone floor.
Its tail flicked once.
Then it calmly trotted toward the widening Breach.
Completely ignoring the colossal monster standing before it.
Draven watched it for only a moment.
Then returned his attention to the Rift-Breaker.
His crimson eyes glowed faintly.
The world before him changed.
The creature's immense body became transparent within his vision.
Countless currents of Abyssal mana flowed through it.
Veins of dark energy spread across every limb.
At its center—
the core blazed like a crimson sun.
Draven locked onto it.
The Rift-Breaker was not standing idle.
The instant Draven's gaze settled upon its core—
it moved.
Its enormous jaws slowly opened.
A deafening roar exploded throughout the chamber.
**ROOOOOOAAAAARRR—!!**
The ancient ruins shook violently.
Stone rained from the ceiling.
The pressure alone forced several cultists to stagger backward.
Then—
its colossal arm swung.
A fist larger than an entire carriage descended from above.
The air exploded beneath its path.
The ground fractured before the blow had even landed.
Ryke's face turned deathly pale.
*...He's dead—!*
The giant fist descended.
**BOOM—!!**
It crashed into the stone floor.
The impact exploded throughout the chamber.
Ancient stone shattered.
Cracks raced across the ground.
Chunks of rock were hurled through the air.
A massive cloud of dust swallowed everything.
For a brief moment—
no one could see.
Ryke instinctively threw both arms over his face.
Fragments of stone bounced harmlessly off them.
He slowly lowered one arm.
Squinting into the dust.
"...I-Is he alive...?"
Several cultists stared into the cloud.
One slowly smiled.
"...Impossible..."
Another nodded.
"...No one could survive facing the Lord of the Rift head-on—"
His words stopped abruptly.
A violent shockwave erupted from within the dust.
**BOOM!!**
A black figure burst through the cloud.
Draven shot upward.
He sprinted straight along the Rift-Breaker's massive forearm.
His feet barely touched its black armor.
Every step exploded with enough force to crack the creature's hardened hide.
The Rift-Breaker's burning crimson eyes immediately tracked him.
It reacted without hesitation.
Its free arm was already moving.
Another colossal fist tore through the air.
Draven glanced toward it.
His expression never changed.
The instant the fist reached him—
he placed one foot against it.
Only for the briefest instant.
Using the tremendous momentum behind the blow—
he launched himself away.
His body twisted gracefully through the air.
He landed lightly upon the creature's opposite arm.
The Rift-Breaker roared.
**ROOOAAARRR—!!**
Both enormous arms swept toward him simultaneously.
The force alone shattered the surrounding air.
Draven disappeared.
He shot skyward.
**BOOM!**
He crashed into the chamber ceiling.
Stone exploded outward.
A massive crater formed overhead.
The Rift-Breaker lifted its head.
Its burning crimson eyes locked onto the impact site.
It roared once more.
Dust drifted slowly downward.
Within the shattered crater—
Draven stood upside down.
His feet were firmly planted against the ceiling.
Thin strands of mana leaked continuously from his body.
They spread around him like countless black threads.
His crimson eyes never left the monster below.
Silence.
Then—
**BOOM!!**
The ceiling shattered beneath his feet.
Draven launched downward.
Straight toward the Rift-Breaker.
Like a black meteor plummeting from the heavens.
The creature roared.
Abyssal mana erupted across its massive body.
Its enormous fist surged upward to intercept him.
Draven continued descending.
At the final instant—
his legs shifted slightly.
His body rotated.
His descending kick carved through empty air.
The giant fist narrowly missed him.
He landed upon the creature's forearm.
Only for a single heartbeat.
Then pushed off once again.
**BOOM!!**
His body accelerated explosively.
The remaining distance vanished in an instant.
Strands of condensed mana gathered around his right arm.
They compressed.
Folded inward.
Again.
And again.
Until the surrounding space itself began to tremble.
The Rift-Breaker's chest filled his vision.
Draven swung.
**BOOM!!**
His fist punched straight through the creature's armored chest.
The impact erupted out through its back.
A deafening shockwave swept across the entire chamber.
Blood exploded from the massive wound.
The Rift-Breaker's roar stopped abruptly.
Silence.
Draven remained suspended against the creature's chest.
His entire right arm had been mangled.
Bones shattered.
Muscles torn apart.
The violent Abyssal mana raging within the creature had ripped it to pieces.
Yet—
before everyone's eyes—
the flesh regenerated.
Bone reformed.
Muscle knitted itself back together.
Skin closed seamlessly.
Within moments—
his arm was whole once more.
Still buried deep inside the monster.
Draven's glowing crimson eyes searched.
Then—
his fingers found what they were looking for.
They tightened.
Around something warm.
Something pulsing.
He pulled.
A violent tearing sound echoed throughout the chamber.
**RIIIP—!!**
His arm emerged from the creature's chest.
Clutched tightly within his blood-covered hand—
was a dark crimson core.
It pulsed violently.
Like the beating heart of the Rift-Breaker itself.
The colossal creature froze.
Its burning crimson eyes widened.
Its enormous body became completely motionless.
For the first time since emerging—
the Lord of the Rift did not roar.
It simply stared...
At the empty cavity in its own chest.
Then—
At the core...
Held firmly within Draven's hand.