Snow drifted silently across Red Square.
The night was cold, quiet—too quiet. Then, with a deafening crack, the sky above Moscow tore open. A rift of darkness spread wide, its jagged edges swallowing the stars. From the wound in the heavens, shadows spilled like ink, and with them came monsters.
The people screamed as the first demon dropped onto the cobblestone, its claws digging furrows into the ground. More followed, their voices a chorus of roars that echoed across the sleeping city.
At the center of the square, beneath the watchful towers of the Kremlin, a single man stood unmoving.
Dmitri Ivanov.
He was built like a fortress—broad shoulders, thick arms, a face cut from stone. His aura rolled off him in heavy waves, and the earth itself seemed to resonate with every breath he took. He clenched his fists, and the ground trembled faintly beneath him.
"Mother Russia will not fall," he muttered, his deep voice carrying like thunder.
---
The Enemy
Three demons emerged from the rift, their forms massive against the skyline.
Gorvak, the Stone Crusher (Low-Rank). A gorilla-shaped demon with arms like boulders, each strike shaking the earth.
Skill: Seismic Smash — pounding the ground to send deadly shockwaves.
Mireth, the Pestilent Maw (Low-Rank). A bloated, insectoid beast with dripping mandibles.
Skill: Toxic Spit — streams of acid that dissolved anything they touched.
Tharok, the War Juggernaut (Mid-Rank). Towering, armored, and horned, carrying a massive spiked club.
Skill: Ruinous Quake — slamming his weapon to split the land apart.
Their roars shook the square. Civilians fled in panic, but many were trapped in collapsing buildings as the demons advanced.
Dmitri's eyes narrowed. His boots pressed against the cobblestone. Aura surged from him like a living mountain.
---
The Battle Erupts
Gorvak pounded his chest and leapt forward.
"Seismic Smash!"
His fists slammed into the ground, shockwaves tearing through stone and toppling statues. Cracks raced outward like lightning, splitting the street apart.
Dmitri planted his feet. His voice was a low growl.
"Iron Bastion!"
The ground beneath him rose, forming walls of rock that absorbed the shockwave. The square shook, but Dmitri remained unbroken.
"Pathetic."
He thrust out a fist, his aura flaring.
"Granite Fist!"
A massive stone arm erupted from the ground, punching Gorvak square in the chest. The gorilla demon bellowed, thrown backward into a row of parked cars that crumpled like tin.
Mireth screeched, spitting streams of sizzling acid.
"Toxic Spit!"
Green liquid hissed through the air.
Dmitri raised both arms.
"Earthen Bulwark!"
A dome of stone rose up, the acid splattering harmlessly against it. Steam hissed as the acid ate into the rock, but Dmitri punched forward, sending shards of stone flying like bullets. The projectiles pierced Mireth's insectoid carapace, making it shriek in pain.
Then Tharok stepped forward.
The ground shook with every footfall. His spiked club glowed with demonic energy.
"Ruinous Quake!"
The weapon struck the ground, splitting entire streets apart. Buildings crumbled, stone bridges collapsed, the very heart of Moscow trembled.
Civilians screamed as the ground opened beneath them.
Dmitri roared.
"NO!"
He slammed both fists into the cobblestone.
"Earth's Grasp!"
Giant hands of stone erupted from the ground, catching falling debris before it could crush fleeing civilians. Roads sealed themselves shut, preventing people from plummeting into the abyss.
Even amidst battle, Dmitri's focus never wavered: protect the people.
---
Counterattack
Aura surged violently around him. The cracks in the earth glowed as if magma pulsed beneath the surface.
"Come then, monsters," Dmitri growled. "Feel the wrath of Russia's soil."
He charged forward, the ground shattering beneath every step. His massive frame collided with Gorvak in a brutal clash, fists against fists. Each strike shook the night, stone exploding outward from Dmitri's aura-infused blows.
With a roar, Dmitri seized Gorvak by the arm.
"Pillar Breaker!"
He slammed the gorilla demon into the earth so hard that a column of stone erupted upward, impaling Gorvak through the chest. The creature shrieked, then dissolved into black ash.
Mireth screeched and lunged, acid dripping from its mandibles.
Dmitri's eyes blazed.
"Bedrock Crush!"
The ground opened beneath Mireth, stone jaws snapping shut around its bloated body. With a final roar, the demon was crushed to pulp, green blood hissing as it spilled across the frozen ground.
That left only Tharok.
---
The Juggernaut
The Mid-Rank demon advanced, his spiked club dragging furrows in the ground. He towered over Dmitri, armored hide gleaming like obsidian. His voice was a guttural growl.
"Human… break."
Tharok swung his weapon down with earth-shaking force.
Dmitri crossed his arms. Stone surged upward into a shield.
The club smashed through it, shattering rock like glass. Dmitri was driven to his knees, blood spraying from his lips.
But his aura did not falter.
"You… think stone breaks so easily?" he growled.
He slammed his fist into the ground. The earth erupted in spires, impaling Tharok's legs and pinning him in place.
The demon roared, thrashing violently.
Dmitri rose to his feet, blood dripping down his chin. His aura blazed brighter, resonating with the land itself. The ground beneath Moscow trembled, as though the entire city lent him its strength.
He spread his arms wide.
"Mountain's Judgment!"
The cobblestone exploded. Two titanic pillars of earth rose from either side of the square, crushing inward like jaws.
Tharok bellowed in defiance, swinging his club desperately, but the weight of the mountain bore down. With a final roar, the pillars slammed shut, reducing the demon to rubble and ash.
---
Aftermath
The battlefield fell silent.
Snow drifted again, settling over cracked stone and burning cars. The screams of civilians had turned to sobs of relief as they realized the demons were gone.
Dmitri stood tall, his chest heaving. His aura dimmed, but his eyes were as hard as granite.
He looked up at the sky, where the rift still pulsed faintly.
"This is only the beginning," he muttered. "And Russia does not yield."
The ground beneath him rumbled softly, as though in agreement.
The war had only just begun.