The chaos was palpable,the pavement beneath the civilians' feet cracked and burned, blood pooling in the fissures like dark veins spreading through the city.
Each breath they took was thick with smoke and dust, yet their eyes remained glued to the heart of the turmoil,three figures battling against a relentless tide of monstrous beasts.
"Look at them go! I...I can't believe it!" a teenager exclaimed, his phone capturing every moment as a drone overhead mirrored the scene.
"Infernal Queen, Iron Titan, and Radiant Saint,three heroes fighting side by side!"
Although it's not the first time these three heroes have fought together but everything,they see then fighting together they always become excited.
But their excitement was drowned out by another explosion.
BOOOOM!
Infernal Queen soared through the air, somersaulting with flames erupting from her palms like fiery thrusters.
Her crimson hair whipped around her like a wild storm as she unleashed a torrent of fire that coiled around her like an ancient dragon ready to consume everything in its path.
With a fierce grin plastered on her face, she hurled her arms outward, sending flames detonating in all directions.
FWOOOOOSH!
A living inferno engulfed the horde, boiling the asphalt below,the nearest beasts shrieked with distorted jaws that gaped wider than any human skull could manage before collapsing into heaps of cinder and ash.
But Infernal Queen wasn't finished. She flashed a toothy smile behind her gum and taunted, "Still too many ugly freaks? Fine. Burn harder!"
Launching herself skyward like a missile, she slammed her boots down onto a falling Void Beast's skull, crushing it into the cracked road below.
At the apex of her flight, she spun gracefully and unleashed a barrage of fire projectiles, each orb burning fiercely like miniature suns, raining down upon her foes.
BOOM!BOOM!BOOM!
Each impact tore through beasts effortlessly, spraying black blood that hissed into smoke upon contact with the searing flames.
"Yeahhhhhh!"
The crowd erupted in cheers despite their trembling fear.
"She's insane! That's why they call her the Infernal Queen!"
"She's only D-rank; can you imagine what she'll be like if she ranks up?!"
"Gods, she fights like an A-rank already!"
Meanwhile, Iron Titan advanced steadily through the flames. Unlike Infernal Queen's chaotic destruction, his approach was calm and calculated.
The ground trembled beneath him as metallic constructs morphed at his command.
CLANG!
Pillars of steel rose behind him to form cannons that fired sharpened rods at supersonic speeds.
Each rod pierced through multiple Void Beasts at once, pinning their lifeless bodies against shattered walls.
As chaos erupted around him, others lunged from the side, their monstrous forms eager to strike.
But with a mere flick of his wrist, Iron Titan twisted the very lampposts into serpentine shapes, impaling the creatures mid-leap.
"Don't rush me," he muttered under his breath, his voice unnervingly calm amidst the carnage. "One at a time. You'll all get your turn."
A faint grin peeked out from beneath his gray mask. "Actually, no...you'll get no turn at all."
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Dozens of floating shards surrounding him shot out like arrows in a storm, skewering the frontlines with brutal precision.
Unlike Infernal Queen's chaotic infernos, Iron Titan's battlefield was cold and mechanical,every beast that dared enter his zone was executed with machine-like perfection.
From her hiding spot beneath a collapsed sign, a child whispered in awe,
"He's… like a walking fortress." Her father pulled her close and nodded solemnly.
"That's Iron Titan. He doesn't break,he never does."
Above it all floated Radiant Saint,a vision of pure grace.
Light wrapped around her like angelic wings as her white-and-gold suit glowed brighter with every passing moment.
With her spear of light in hand, she blinked across the battlefield in streaks of gold; each thrust erased a beast before it could even scream.
PSSSSSST! CRACK!
A Void Beast lunged at her blindside. Without so much as turning around, her staff transformed into a radiant glaive that curved around her body and struck true mid-air.
She spun gracefully, dissolving the weapon into shards of healing light that bathed nearby civilians.
Wounds closed up,blood ceased to flow. Broken bones realigned with miraculous speed as gasps filled the street.
"She healed me,my arm! My arm's not broken anymore!"
"Radiant Saint… she saved us again!"
"She's C-rank for a reason! She really is one step above everyone else!"
With a soft smile aimed at the civilians, she radiated warmth despite the surrounding chaos.
"Stay strong," she urged gently. "We'll end this."
Then without missing a beat, she blurred back into the fray,her speed terrifying and divine vengeance unleashed!
One spear became two, then three; light bent and multiplied as it skewered beasts from every angle while black blood misted through the air,unable to stain her pristine suit as if even filth refused to touch her radiance.
---
But just when hope seemed within reach,the Rift wasn't finished yet!
VRRRMMM...CRACK!
From the ominous black wound in the sky, a new wave of creatures surged forth,larger and more terrifying than before.
Their spines were jagged with bone-like armor, and their claws glowed faintly with dark energy.
The ground trembled as they landed, smashing through ruined cars like they were mere toys.
Panic erupted among the civilians, who screamed in terror and retreated further into the shadows.
Drones hovered overhead, broadcasting this chaotic battle to viewers around the world.
"Infernal Queen! Iron Titan! Radiant Saint! The horde is evolving!" one frantic announcer shouted from a news drone, his voice cracking under pressure.
"This is no longer just an E-rank wave...!"
But the three heroes stood firm, unfazed by the chaos surrounding them.
They regrouped at the center of it all, back-to-back, as beasts circled menacingly on every side.
Infernal Queen cracked her gum and flashed a savage grin. "Looks like the warm-up's over."
Iron Titan flexed his fingers, steel swirling around him in dense layers. "Fine. Let's raise the stakes."
Radiant Saint's smile shifted into something sharper and more intense. "For the people! No matter what.
And then....the horde charged.
"NOW!" Radiant Saint shouted.
With fierce determination, Infernal Queen slammed her palms together, compressing fire until it shrieked in delight.
Flames twisted into a vortex that swirled into a colossal firestorm. The temperature skyrocketed,windows melted and asphalt bubbled beneath its heat.
Simultaneously, Iron Titan thrust both arms forward as his floating steel shards fused into enormous spears that locked into the spinning inferno.
The flames clung to the metal like hungry moths to a flame, transforming them into blazing missiles ready for launch.
Radiant Saint shot upward in a dazzling streak of light; her staff morphed into a radiant conduit as she channeled divine energy downward,infusing that firestorm with blinding gold brilliance.
VRRRRMMM...FWOOOOOOOM!
The combined attack ignited an entire city block! The sky seemed to burn as flaming projectiles rained down upon the horde below.
BOOOOOM!BOOOOM!BOOOOM!
The explosion was deafening! Beasts howled in unison as their bodies were torn apart; blood boiled away before it even touched ground, a sight both horrific and awe-inspiring. The city shook like an earthquake beneath their feet.
Civilians clung to each other amid shockwaves that transformed their terrified cries into wild cheers of exhilaration:
"They did it!"
"Look at that! They actually pushed them back!"
"This is teamwork at its finest, this is why we still have hope!"
The heroes landed together, a whirlwind of dust and ash swirling around them.
The Infernal Queen exhaled a cloud of smoke, her crimson eyes glowing like embers in the haze.
Iron Titan rolled his shoulders, already crafting new weapons from the wreckage at his feet.
Radiant Saint stood tall and poised, her staff shining like a miniature sun, her warm smile dispelling the fear that hung in the air.
For a fleeting moment, it felt like victory was within reach.
But then....another changes occurred.
THOOOOOM!
The Rift pulsed again,louder, darker. The cheers of civilians faded into an eerie silence even the heroes froze, their instincts screaming danger.
From the abyss emerged a massive claw,big enough to crush a truck,reaching outward and curling around the jagged edges of the crack in the sky.
With a deafening roar, the Rift tore wider, showering the city with fragments of ominous black light.
A monstrous silhouette began to take shape, towering and grotesque, its horns scraping against the clouds while its eyes glowed with an insatiable hunger.
ROARRRRRRRRRRR!
The sound of its roar shattered windows for blocks around.
"Rift Boss…" someone whispered in horror.
"No way… that's not… that can't be an E-rank Boss!"
"It's here...it's HERE!"
The three heroes lifted their heads as this shadow descended upon them, blotting out what little sunlight remained.
What had once been a battlefield filled with hope now lay shrouded in silence and dread.
The Rift Boss had arrived.