[Passive: Midnight]
A dark violet aura surged around Zay, its tendrils writhing. He took a single step back—and in that instant, every bolt of lightning missed him. The world around him seemed to slow, each crackling arc of destruction threading through empty air where he had once stood.
His vision sharpened, every detail of the battlefield etching itself into his mind—the charred remains of trees, the smoldering earth, the storm-wracked sky. He exhaled, sheathing his blade with a deliberate, fluid motion before casting his gaze upon the beast above.
"Motionless: Time Struck."
The words were barely a whisper, spoken more to himself. A single step became a blur. He launched into the air, landing briefly on the blackened remains of a shattered tree. The bark splintered beneath his weight. He crouched low, muscles coiling like a predator preparing to strike—then propelled himself skyward.
He closed the distance in an instant. At the peak of his ascent, his fingers wrapped around the hilt of his katana.
A single unsheathing.
Violet aura crackled along the blade, spiraling like storm-touched mist. The edge gleamed with an unnatural sharpness.
Then—he vanished.
In a single motion, Zay tore through the howling winds, his blade carving a flawless arc across Ashgrave's colossal body. The beast barely had time to react, its molten-onyx eyes widening as its body was bisected before it even felt the pain.
Zay landed moments later, the impact sending tremors through the battlefield. He caught himself with one knee bent, head low, blade held in a resting grip.
He took a single breath as he looked up at the beast. Black blood erupted from Ashgrave's body in an unnatural, gushing tide, splattering across the earth in obsidian streaks. The jagged cracks in the ground greedily drank the ichor, soaking the battlefield in the scent of burning iron.
Zay stood and flicked his katana to the side. An arc of black blood sprayed outward, staining the dying trees around him.
Zay ran his tongue over his lips, tasting the black blood that covered his face. He wiped a hand across his face, wiping the blood off. Then, softly, almost like a whisper, a laugh escaped him.
It built.
A chuckle, sharp and bitter, spiraled into a manic fit of cold, hollow laughter—one that echoed through the battlefield like a death calling. Storm clouds gathered overhead.
Zay tilted his head back, rain streaking down his face as he grinned—a wild, feral grin stretched too wide. His voice cut through the storm, dripping with venomous delight.
"ASHGRAVE! HEED MY VOICE, YOU FILTHY, ROTTEN, MISBEGOTTEN FREAK OF NATURE!"
His voice boomed, rattling the trees as thunder rumbled in response. Across the field, Ashgrave's molten-onyx eyes locked onto him. A primal challenge had been issued. The beast's grotesque wounds knitted shut in an instant, steam rising as flesh mended over shredded bone.
Zay threw his arms out, embracing the storm, drinking in the chaos.
"YOU WILL DIE TONIGHT BY MY BLADE!"
A low, and deep howl escaped from the beast as lightning struck it's midnight-black fur and electricity surged around it's fur before he bared his fangs as electricity erupted from his fangs.
Zay gulped slightly, 'Damn it all to hell.'
The wind howled, rain lashed down in torrents, turning the battlefield into a mire of mud and broken earth. Zay stood firm, his black loose short-sleeve shirt clinging to his skin, drenched from the storm, his breath coming in steady but heavy exhales. The violet glow of his aura crackled like wildfire, casting eerie shadows through the downpour.
Ashgrave's growl resonated like an earthquake, its molten-onyx eyes narrowing as arcs of lightning crackled across its midnight-black fur. The electricity surged around the beast, illuminating its towering form in violent bursts. The scent of ozone and burning air filled Zay's lungs.
Then, Ashgrave moved.
Not leapt, not charged—vanished. The moment Zay caught movement in the corner of his vision, an explosion of force sent him skidding back. Claws like obsidian blades tore across the ground where he had stood a second earlier, splitting boulders clean in half.
Zay's boots carving trenches into the soaked earth, he lunged towards Ashgrave, the katana flashing bright silver.
The moment his blade met Ashgrave's claws, an earsplitting shockwave erupted between them, sending leaves and debris spiraling into the air. Zay gritted his teeth as he pushed against the beast's strength, his arms trembling under the sheer force pressing against his blade. Then, without warning, Ashgrave opened its maw.
Crimson lightning erupted from Ashgrave's fangs, crackling with raw, violent energy.
Zay's eyes widened as a surge of doubt filled his mind, causing him to hesitate.
Before he could react, the bolt of searing electricity slammed into his chest, detonating on impact. Agony lanced through his body as he was hurled backward like a doll, his limbs flailing uselessly through the air. Trees splintered on impact, bark exploding into jagged shards as his body crashed through them, one after another, before finally slamming into the ground.
Pain rippled through his bones. His breath hitched. His fingers twitched as crimson sparks danced across his skin, leaving behind a stinging, smoldering ache. A cough. Then another. He spat blood onto the drenched earth, its dark crimson swirling into the rainwater pooling beneath him.
Ashgrave loomed in the distance, making his way towards Zay. Its molten-onyx eyes narrowing. But then—its ears twitched. The beast suddenly turned, nostrils flaring as it caught a new scent through the storm-laced air.
Zay forced his head up, vision blurred. A figure dropped from above, landing between him and the beast with practiced grace.
The man stood tall, katana in hand, his posture exuding nothing but confidence. He glanced over his shoulder at Zay, his expression unreadable beneath the rain-soaked strands of his hair.
"You look like you're about to die, kid." His tone was casual—too casual. But his grip on his blade tightened, betraying his readiness.
Zay let out a ragged chuckle, struggling to push himself up, but his body refused.
Kazren turned his gaze back to Ashgrave, sizing up the towering monstrosity before him.
"I'll buy you time against... whatever the fuck I'm looking at." He exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders as he adjusted his stance. "Get your strength back."
A smirk tugged at his lips, but there was a weight behind his words. A reality they both understood.
Kazren shifted his feet, lowering his stance.
"I'll buy you two minutes. Probably less. If I die, you'll be stuck training your siblings by yourself." A quiet chuckle before a breath. Then, with a sharp exhale—he moved.
The battlefield exploded beneath him as Kazren blitzed forward, his speed warping the air. His katana flashed in an arc of silver light, tearing through Ashgrave's massive paw.
Flesh split apart, severed cleanly yet it mended instantly.
Lightning rained down from above. A barrage of jagged, red streaks, each bolt carrying enough power to turn a nation into ash.
Kazren weaved through the streaks, his form blurred between the streaks of destruction, narrowly evading each strike by the breadth of a hair. His blade sang as it cut through the a bolt of lightning, parrying, and slashed through Ashgrave over and over before the beast healed instantly.
Zay watched the battle unfold, his breath ragged as Kazren fought relentlessly. But no matter how many times he struck, the same cycle repeated—slashes that barely bought moments before Ashgrave's wounds sealed shut. The monstrous wolf leaped high into the air, its hulking form eclipsing the moon.
[Dreadfang Howl]
A bone-chilling howl tore through the air. The sound clawed at the mind, sinking cold fangs of fear into Kazren's body, locking his muscles in place. His grip on his katana faltered for the briefest moment. That was all Ashgrave needed.
Lightning arced between the storm clouds, feeding into the beast's fangs as it descended, crimson electricity crackling.
Zay's heart pounded. He had no strength left, his body barely holding together—but he refused to let Kazren die. Desperation surged through him as he whispered a name, a plea carried on his fading breath.
"Nira, Goddess of Dreams and Eternal Slumbering… please grant me the strength to move my body!"
A brilliant blue light broke through the storm-ridden sky, descending upon him in a soft, ethereal glow.
A voice—gentle as silk, yet woven with sorrow—whispered in his mind.
"I'm using... a lot of strength to speak to you. I do not have long. My power... is draining by the second. The wolf suffers... grant him rest. My lone warrior of Eternal Dreams, put him to slumber, so his pain may end."
The voice faded, and with it, the weight of exhaustion. Strength unlike anything before surged through Zay's limbs. His aura flared—violet and dark blue intertwining in a violent, mesmerizing dance.
In a single step, he vanished.
Reappearing beside Kazren in an instant, he grabbed him, feeling the man's body heavy in his arms. Another step, and they were gone again—this time, reemerging by a gnarled tree at the edge of the battlefield. Zay carefully set Kazren down, his gaze sweeping toward the shattered remains of his katana, broken and useless upon the bloodstained ground.
Then, a flash of motion.
Something glinted overhead. His eyes snapped upward just in time to see a sword hurtling toward him. He raised his hand, fingers closing around the hilt midair as the weapon's weight settled perfectly in his grasp.
Above him, Renzo stood, his expression fierce.
"KILL THAT BASTARD!"
A smirk curled Zay's lips. He tightened his grip on the blade, violet light pulsing from his aura.
"I'll put him to eternal slumber... in the name of my goddess, and for the sake of my desire."
His voice rang through the downpour. He leaped skyward, his boots striking the peak of a scorched tree. The blackened wood groaned beneath him, but he did not falter. He straightened, sheathing his katana with eerie calm, his arms crossed each other over his chest.
'Let's see what it does, I guess.'
[Judgment's Zenith]
Blinding, radiant gold burst forth, coiling around Zay's body. The violet and dark blue aura twisted into it, the three colors clashing, fusing, writhing like battling serpents. His flesh burned, muscles spasming under the sheer uncontainable might surging through his veins.
He exhaled—a single ragged breath. Then, with a ruthless grin, he ripped away the tattered remains of his shirt.
His body was breaking.
His insides boiled. His blood thickened, veins blackening from the sheer intensity of the technique.
Ashgrave roared, a sound that could crack mountains. Lightning fell in a cataclysmic barrage. Dozens. Hundreds. Blades of raw destruction rained down, seeking to obliterate him.
Zay didn't dodge. He didn't need to.
Zay lunged towards the beast before jumping towards the beast as lightning surged forward, aiming directly towards him.
Every bolt that touched him was devoured, and erased.
His katana's tip pierced the beast's eye.
The glow around his blade flared—blinding, apocalyptic. The moment his sword met flesh, the blade sank deeper into its eye socket.
Ashgrave's roar turned to a piercing, choked scream. The golden light crawled inward, a burning judgment that lanced through bone, and brain. The beast seized, its body convulsing violently as the aura crawled through its veins, igniting every nerve.
Ashgrave exploded suddenly.
Flesh ruptured, sinew ripped apart, bones splintered into fragments. The battlefield was bathed in gore and viscera.
A storm of flesh and black blood rained upon the ground.
Zay fell, his katana split apart into small parts. The hilt broke in his grip, splinters of steel scattering around him. His sheath—gone. His body—wrecked. The moment his back hit the earth, every nerve screamed, his bones feeling like they had been replaced with glass.
Despite his body burning, for some reason, he laughed.
A breathless, wild, broken chuckle. He could barely move. He was done. The fight was over.
Beside him, something rolled onto the blood-soaked ground.
The Monster's Core.
Before he could reach out for it, the world tilted, blurring and his eyelids slammed shut.
[Judgment's Zenith has been sealed.]
Kazren groaned as he pushed himself to his feet, his body protesting every movement. The battlefield around him was a wasteland of scorched earth and torn flesh, the stench of blood thick in the damp air. His gaze drifted downward, landing on a faint glimmer amidst the carnage.
A Monster Core.
His brows furrowed as he crouched down, fingers wrapping around the strange object. It pulsed faintly in his palm, a tangible essence of the beast that had nearly killed them.
"Why the hell... is a Monster's Core here? These should only appear in the Trial Realm."
The question lingered in his mind, but there was no time to dwell on it. He tucked the core into his sleeve before turning his attention to Zay, who lay motionless on the bloodstained ground. With a grunt, Kazren hauled him up, throwing him over his shoulder.
It took nearly three grueling hours to reach the hut, the weight of exhaustion pressing on every step. By the time they arrived, Renzo and Lily were already waiting. With their help, they eased Zay onto the bed, tucking him beneath a blanket and placing a cold compress on his forehead. His breathing was steady but very weak.
Lily hovered at the bedside, her hands trembling. Her emerald eyes, usually filled with determination, glistened with unshed tears.
"W-Will he be alright? What happened!?" she choked out, her voice tight with emotion. She hadn't seen the battle—only the aftermath. Only Zay, broken and unresponsive, being carried in.
Renzo let out a slow sigh, running a hand through his hair. "He'll be fine. Just... overused his power, that's all." He forced a smile, though his gaze betrayed his concern. He pulled up a chair, settling beside the bed, while Kazren did the same.
Kazren exhaled, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "He just needs rest. A few months, at least." He glanced at Lily and Renzo. "You two are gonna take care of him. In the meantime, I'll be digging through my old records. I need to figure out what the absolute hell that thing was... and why the hell it was here."