The air was thick with the scent of burning Rift energy as the battle raged on. The monstrous Rift wolf was relentless in its pursuit, claws scraping the ground as it lunged, snapping at anything within its reach. The group was worn down, exhausted, but they had no choice but to keep fighting. They were barely holding on.
09C stood apart from the others, his usual cold and distant expression unwavering. The chaos around him seemed to blur into nothing, the sounds of the battle just noise to him. He wasn't injured. His movements were sharp and calculated, each step taken with perfect precision. He was calm. He always was.
But 14A, on the other hand, was not so lucky. The wolf was closing in on her with frightening speed. She barely had time to react before its claws raked across her stomach. Blood splattered against the cold ground, and she staggered backward with a sharp gasp. Her vision blurred, but she couldn't afford to collapse.
"Damn," she hissed through gritted teeth, clutching her side as she struggled to stand. She could feel the Rift energy surging through her, trying to force its way out. She couldn't let it be in vain.
The wolf turned its attention to her again, its yellow eyes glinting as it roared, ready to finish what it started. But before it could strike, 14A's body exploded with energy. She felt the surge of Rift power coursing through her, and with a scream, her hands reached toward the sky, ripping open the Rift in front of her.
Her hair whipped around her as her body was engulfed in a violent aura. The energy was overwhelming, crackling and humming in the air around her. Her eyes blazed with fierce determination as she summoned her creature—an imp-like Rift beast, fiery and vicious, with teeth sharp enough to tear through anything. It appeared with a violent screech, its body crackling with Riftish fire.
The imp attacked immediately, spewing scorching flames at the wolf, forcing it to retreat in pain. The wolf howled in fury, but it wasn't enough to overpower the imp's fiery assault. The creature clawed at the wolf, its burning form leaving scorch marks wherever it touched.
14A stood on shaky legs, barely able to hold herself up. The damage from the wolf's claws was far more than she had anticipated, and summoning the creature had drained most of her energy. She was spent—exhausted—and there was nothing left in her to call upon another Rift creature.
She dropped to one knee, clutching her bleeding side, her vision spinning. Her imp was still battling the wolf, but she knew it couldn't keep this up forever. She couldn't summon another, and the battle was far from over.
Meanwhile, 09C had remained almost completely unfazed. He had been watching the battle with his usual nonchalance, observing the situation, calculating the next move. But now, with the imp waging war on the Rift wolf, he could sense the threat becoming more real than ever. The wolf, enraged by the imp's attacks, turned its focus on him.
Without warning, the wolf lunged, claws outstretched, aiming to strike with terrifying speed. 09C reacted, but too late. The wolf's claws slashed across his side, raking through his clothing and drawing a deep gash across his skin.
The pain wasn't immediate, but the shock was enough to stagger him. For a moment, everything seemed to slow. Blood began to seep from the wound as he stumbled backward.
His cold expression remained unchanged, but inside, something stirred. The wound was deep, the pain sharper than anything he'd ever felt. The Rift energy inside him—the same energy he had been relying on for so long—began to awaken in response to the injury. He gritted his teeth as the power surged through him, boiling under his skin.
The pain of the injury was now fueling his awakening. His Rift energy surged violently, his body reacting instinctively as his Rift Blades shot out from his arms—jagged, glowing extensions of pure Rift energy.
With newfound power coursing through him, 09C moved faster than the wolf could anticipate. His movements were a blur of glowing energy as he met the wolf's next strike head-on, his Rift Blades slicing through the creature's thick hide. The wolf howled in agony as its body crumpled, collapsing in on itself under the force of 09C's relentless strikes.
09C, despite the pain of his injury, stood between the humanoid Rift creature and 14A, his eyes burning with determination. He had awakened, finally. And now, he was ready to face whatever came next.
Rift energy coursing through him as if he were invincible.
Their battle had forged something new in both of them. But they both knew this was only the beginning. The true test was yet to come.