The guards froze at the sight, terror mixing with awe.
Merlin didn't waste the moment. "Push forward! Clear them back from the civilians!"
The men rallied, surging behind him.
Every strike he unleashed sent shockwaves tearing through the tide. The beasts screamed, dissolved, collapsed. In minutes, the ground was littered with their remains, ichor pooling in rivers.
But the gate pulsed brighter, stronger, resisting his momentum.
The hum in his chest faltered. His arms ached as though they'd been split open.
[Warning: Muscular Damage – Critical]
[Skill Fragment Timer: 01:09]
'Not enough time. I need to end this now.'
He charged the gate itself.
The green glow lashed against him, claws of light dragging across his skin. His coat smoldered where the energy touched. He forced himself closer, every step like moving through wet cement.
The system buzzed again, urgent.
[Gate Core Visible]
[Weak Point Identified]
He saw it then, the faint orb pulsing at the heart of the wound.
