The Rift pulsed again.
Heavier this time.
Kael felt it before he saw it.
A shift in the air.
A pressure that didn't belong.
Then it stepped out.
The creature wasn't massive.
Not like the last one.
But it didn't need to be.
Its form was tighter. More refined. Every movement carried weight and intent, like it didn't waste anything—not energy, not motion.
Its eyes locked onto Kael immediately.
And in that instant—
he knew.
"…C-rank."
Stronger than anything he'd fought so far, except for the A-rank.
Stronger than him.
He didn't say it.
Behind him, Liora shifted slightly.
"…what is that?"
Kael didn't look back.
"Stay at the edge."
A pause.
"Don't move unless I tell you."
She hesitated.
Just for a second.
"…you sure?"
"No."
Flat.
Honest.
"…but do it anyway."
That was enough.
Liora stepped back, moving toward the edge of the fractured terrain, her eyes still locked on the creature.
Kael stepped forward.
His hands moved—
Two daggers formed.
Left—
Pulse Dagger.
Right—
a second blade, sharper, quieter, its edge faintly glowing but without the unstable burst of the first.
Balanced.
"…good."
The creature moved.
Fast.
Kael reacted—
Burst Step—
The world snapped as he shifted position, barely clearing the creature's initial strike as the ground behind him cracked from the force.
Too fast.
Kael steadied himself.
Then moved again.
Phase Step—
A shorter shift.
Cleaner.
He closed the distance.
The left dagger struck—
Pulse—
The impact hit.
The creature didn't stagger.
Not even slightly.
"…figured."
The right dagger followed—
clean, precise—
A shallow cut.
Not enough.
The creature countered instantly.
Its strike came low and sharp, forcing Kael to twist out of the way, but the speed—
Too close.
The edge clipped his side.
Pain flared.
Kael stepped back.
His breathing shifted.
He adjusted his grip.
"Still manageable."
The system flickered.
[Warning: Fatigue Levels Elevated]
Kael ignored it.
The creature lunged again.
Kael met it.
Step—
turn—
strike—
The daggers moved in rhythm now.
Left—
Pulse—
Right—
cut—
He adapted.
Not overpowering.
Not dominating.
But holding.
Every exchange tighter than the last.
Liora watched from the distance, her hands clenched slightly.
"…he's actually keeping up…"
Kael moved again—
Phase Step—
He slipped past a strike that would've ended it, reappearing just inside the creature's guard.
The right dagger cut deeper this time.
The creature reacted.
Slightly.
Not enough.
The system flickered again.
[Warning: Fatigue Critical]
Kael's breathing deepened.
His movements slowed.
Just a little.
Enough.
The creature noticed.
It pressed forward harder.
Faster.
Kael stepped back—
His footing slipped.
"…damn."
His body lagged.
Too much.
The creature surged—
Kael reacted late—
The strike slammed into him, sending him skidding across the ground, pain tearing through his side as he struggled to stay upright.
His vision tightened.
His grip weakened—
just slightly.
Not enough to drop the daggers.
But close.
"…not yet."
He forced himself up.
The creature approached.
Calm.
Finishing.
Kael's breathing was uneven now.
Heavy.
The system flickered violently.
[Fatigue: Critical]
No help.
Of course.
"…useless."
The creature stepped in.
Kael's eyes sharpened.
One opening.
Just one.
The creature's movement shifted—
a slight delay in its guard—
There.
Kael moved—
But his body didn't follow.
His legs gave slightly—
his vision blurred—
He dropped to one knee.
"…now?"
The opportunity was there.
And he couldn't take it.
The creature raised its arm.
End.
Then—
the system reacted.
Late.
As always.
[Condition Met: Host at Critical Limit][Temporary Recovery Initiated]
Energy surged through his body.
Not full.
Not perfect.
But enough.
Kael's eyes snapped back into focus.
"…finally."
The creature came down.
Kael moved.
Phase Step—
Clean.
He vanished from the strike—
Reappeared behind it—
Then—
Burst Step—
Faster.
Sharper.
He closed the distance completely.
Both daggers moved.
Left—
Pulse—
Right—
deep strike—
The attacks landed at the same point—
The core.
The impact collapsed inward.
The creature froze.
Then—
cracked.
Its body shattered from within, the energy holding it together breaking apart as it collapsed into the ground.
Silence.
Kael stood there.
Breathing hard.
Barely steady.
The daggers flickered—
then disappeared.
Behind him—
Liora exhaled.
"…you're insane."
Kael didn't respond immediately.
His gaze stayed on where the creature had fallen.
"…not enough."
Even now.
Even after that.
It still wasn't enough.
The system flickered again.
[Level Increased]
Kael didn't look at it.
Because he already knew.
This wasn't over.
Some rifts are opening around the city.
And he is prepared to train until he is ready to close them all.