The stormfront rolled over the valley like a living wall, swallowing the moonlight. Dozens—no, hundreds—of Threadbeasts surged forward, their screeches mingling into a deafening chorus.
Kiel's claws flexed. His hybrid core throbbed in his chest, each beat flooding him with more energy than his body could safely handle. He felt fast, strong… but also dangerously close to losing control.
"Stay close," he told Nyra and Seris, though his voice carried a guttural undertone that wasn't entirely his own.
---
The first wave hit like an avalanche.
Three Threadbeasts lunged in unison. Kiel ducked beneath one's strike, his tail sweeping out to trip another. He spun, claws igniting with abyssflame, and shredded through a third in a blur of motion.
Every kill only made the hybrid core pulse harder, its energy spilling into every nerve and muscle. The ground cracked under his steps. His vision sharpened until he could see every thread of corruption writhing inside the enemy's bodies.
Rip them apart, a voice whispered in the back of his mind.
---
A hulking beast, twice the size of the others, smashed into him. Its impact sent Kiel sliding back through the dirt, but he planted his feet and roared—a sound that came out more dragon than man. His shadows flared outward like a living storm, striking in dozens of tendrils that pierced the monster's armor.
It convulsed and collapsed, but Kiel didn't stop. He vaulted over the carcass, slammed into another, and tore it apart before it could even scream.
---
"Kiel!" Nyra's voice cut through the chaos.
He looked back—and saw she was surrounded.
Without thinking, Kiel pushed the hybrid system past its safety limit. A black-and-crimson aura exploded from him, launching him forward so fast the air cracked in his wake. He landed beside Nyra in an eruption of shadows, his claws slicing every Threadbeast around her into ribbons.
But the backlash hit immediately—his chest burned, his limbs trembled, and blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
The more you draw, the more you burn, the voice in his head purred.
---
Above, Aeloria unleashed a rain of golden spears, cutting swaths through the swarm. Seris darted between enemies, threads of silver Qi binding their limbs before finishing them with precise strikes.
But for every beast they killed, more poured from the fissures. The battlefield was a shifting sea of claws, fangs, and molten silk.
---
A massive roar split the air.
From the storm emerged a colossus—an Alpha Threadbeast, easily the size of a fortress. Its body was woven from pure, glowing strands, its many eyes burning with cold malice.
"Fall back!" Aeloria shouted. "That thing could crush a city!"
Kiel didn't move. His core's energy spiked so sharply his vision blurred, the world around him slowing to a crawl. Every instinct told him to unleash everything.
And he did.
---
He charged. Each step left craters in the ground. The Alpha swiped at him with a claw the size of a house, but Kiel leapt over it, flipping in mid-air before slamming both claws into its skull. Abyssflame erupted in a spiraling torrent, burning through the monster's hide.
The Alpha howled and tried to shake him off, but Kiel's shadows anchored him in place. His draconic fangs sank into its neck, molten thread spraying like fire.
The hybrid system screamed in his mind. Too much power. Too much.
But Kiel didn't let go.
---
With one final surge, he unleashed everything—flame, shadow, and raw Qi merging into a blinding explosion that lit the valley like daylight. The Alpha convulsed, its massive form collapsing in on itself before disintegrating into drifting ash.
Kiel landed heavily, his knees buckling. He barely stayed conscious, his vision swimming.
Nyra ran to him, grabbing his arm. "You can't keep doing that. It's going to kill you."
Kiel's lips curved in a bloodied grin. "Not if I kill them first."
Behind him, the rest of the swarm hesitated—but only for a moment.
The battle was far from over.