The rift's pulse deepened into a low, bone-vibrating hum. Golden threads whipped outward like tentacles, anchoring themselves into the temple walls, the floor, even the air itself. The seal between worlds was no longer a doorway—it was becoming a wound.
Kiel's feet scorched the floor as he sprinted, the jagged sword in his hands trailing fire and shadow in spiraling arcs. His wolf-dragon hybrid aura made the air burn cold, an impossible mix of frostbite and flame. Every step threatened to tear his own Qi channels apart.
Riven's voice echoed behind him. "Kiel! Don't get too close to the—"
The warning was drowned out by a boom.
Two enormous hands—each the size of a wagon—shot through the rift, tearing it wider. The Hunters screamed in unison, chanting in an alien tongue. A wave of raw pressure slammed the group to their knees.
The thing stepping through was not armored like the Hunters. It wore robes woven from living threads, shifting constantly into faces, eyes, and open mouths. The faces screamed without sound, their expressions cycling through pain, rage, and hunger.
Nyra's voice cracked. "Threadlord… one of the original Weavers."
---
The Threadlord's gaze swept over them, though it had no visible eyes. "This is the boundary your realm calls strong?" Its voice was silk over steel—elegant, but slicing into the mind.
Zaira gritted her teeth. "Big talk for someone dressed like a cursed curtain."
It didn't even react to the insult. Instead, it raised a single finger toward her. One golden thread shot out faster than lightning—piercing her shoulder and rooting her in place. She screamed, the thread feeding on her Qi directly.
Kiel roared.
The roar wasn't human.
---
He blurred forward, the hybrid system taking more control than he wanted. His blade moved in savage, unpredictable angles—wolf instincts guiding the strikes, dragon power behind them, shadow corruption warping the edges.
He severed the thread binding Zaira, but the backlash hit him instantly. Golden energy flooded into his veins through his sword, biting, twisting, trying to rewrite him.
The Threadlord tilted its head, almost curious. "A hybrid? No… something rarer. You are unfinished."
The words sank into Kiel's mind like poison. Every instinct screamed to kill this thing, but every heartbeat brought more chaos into his system. Qi, magic, and beast force collided inside him, each trying to dominate the others.
---
Riven didn't wait. His shadow magic surged upward, swallowing half the room in darkness. Dozens of black arms erupted from the floor, grappling the Hunters still alive. The shadows hissed and burned under the touch of golden thread, but they held long enough for Nyra to complete her spell.
She slammed her palms into the ground. The temple stones lit up in a massive geometric seal, bright blue lines racing toward the rift.
"Containment weave—NOW!" she shouted.
The seal's light clashed with the rift's golden threads, sparks of pure reality tearing free and dissolving in midair. The temple shook, parts of the ceiling collapsing as if gravity was confused.
---
The Threadlord moved for the first time. In one smooth gesture, it pulled on every golden thread at once. The containment shattered like glass, Nyra screaming as backlash tore through her arms.
"You cannot seal me," it said simply. "You can only slow the inevitable."
It raised both arms, and through the widening rift, an army began to emerge. Thread-bound beasts, soldiers, and constructs of pure woven energy stepped into the mortal realm, their movements unnervingly synchronized.
---
Kiel's vision blurred. His heartbeat pounded like war drums. If he held back, this realm would fall. If he unleashed everything, the hybrid system might burn him alive from the inside.
Riven appeared at his side. "If you're gonna lose yourself… make it worth it."
Kiel's lips curled into something between a grin and a snarl. "Then let's give them a welcome party they'll never forget."
He let go.
The hybrid system roared to life, the temple floor exploding outward as his aura became a storm. Flames, shadow, frost, and raw Qi surged together, bending reality in a ten-meter radius.
The war had begun.