With a single clash, both Ghislain and Equidema were thrown backward, their bodies hurtling to opposite sides. Knights battling the Riftborn nearby caught a glimpse of the scene and gasped in disbelief. “The Count... got pushed back?” “What is that monster?” “Are we all going to die at this rate?” Ghislain Fenris, one of the top five strongest individuals in the kingdom, had been forced back. What kind of monster could possess such overwhelming strength? Equidema, however, hadn’t come out unscathed. The beast had been pushed back by Ghislain’s power, proving that it wasn’t overwhelmingly stronger than him. But that was little comfort. The true problem lay in the fact that beasts like Equidema would soon emerge from Rifts all across the continent. Hundreds—perhaps thousands—of such apocalyptic creatures were poised to ravage the land. “This truly is the end of days,” Ghislain thought grimly. Screeeech! Equidema roared again, releasing a plume of blue smoke from its maw. Boom! The ground trembled with each of the beast’s massive steps, the shockwaves making even seasoned knights stumble. Wherever Equidema’s feet touched, the earth turned a sickly gray, as though life itself were being drained away. Ghislain narrowed his eyes, his mana surging as he analyzed the situation. “Corruption...” Equidema acted as a vanguard, altering the environment with every breath and step. The corrupted land made it possible for Riftborn to emerge and wreak havoc. “The longer this drags on, the worse it will get,” Ghislain thought. He had to end this quickly. The number of Riftborn spilling out of the Rift was already growing at an alarming rate. Clang! Clang! Boom! “Damn it! They just keep coming!” “Are these things Grex or what?” “They broke through again! Cover that flank, now!” The knights were already beginning to tire. The Riftborn’s individual strength was formidable enough, but their sheer numbers were overwhelming. Fortunately, reinforcements arrived. The knights and soldiers who had evacuated the townsfolk earlier returned to the battlefield, joined by the city’s defensive forces. Although the city was small, its status as a territory of a wealthy duchy ensured it had a sizeable garrison—nearly 500 soldiers came rushing in. Seeing them, the mayor shouted urgently, “Stop those monsters! Assist the Fenris knights!” For someone who had initially opposed Ghislain’s actions, the mayor showed a surprising level of awareness, doing everything he could to prevent the Riftborn from spreading. “Hold the line!” At the garrison commander’s command, knights and soldiers charged at the Riftborn. Even the newly arrived forces were bewildered by the situation. However, they had received orders regarding Rifts before and managed to maintain their composure. The Fenris knights’ fierce efforts at the front also served as an anchor, giving the reinforcements a rallying point. “Screeeech!” “Die, you disgusting freaks!” While the soldiers weren’t strong enough to directly confront the Riftborn, their presence provided crucial support, allowing the Fenris knights to fight more effectively. Ghislain spared a brief glance at the ongoing battle. While others held off the Riftborn, he had to eliminate Equidema before it could unleash its full power. Raising his mana to its peak, Ghislain muttered, “Dark, let’s begin.” A voice resonated in his mind. “Try not to die, okay?” With that, Dark amplified Ghislain’s emotions, fueling his power. Boom! The crimson-black aura surrounding Ghislain flared violently, expanding outward in an oppressive wave that bore down on Equidema. Grrrr... The beast growled low, its glowing red eyes radiating pure malice and fury. “Let’s go,” Ghislain whispered, stepping forward. Boom! The ground cracked under his feet as he activated the third-tier Core. Combined with Dark’s amplification, it unleashed a torrent of raw power, fueled by every ounce of anger and regret Ghislain had ever felt. “Kill it,” was the only thought dominating his mind. This was the same beast that had brought death and despair in his past life, slaughtering countless people—including his comrades and subordinates in the mercenary corps. How many times had he cursed his own weakness back then? How many nights had he agonized over his inability to protect those he cared about? This time, it would be different. Protecting the people, stopping the Rift, and reducing casualties—those lofty goals had guided his preparations. But in this moment, Ghislain cared for none of that. He simply wanted to destroy the monster before him. “Die.” The crimson-black energy of his aura blade surged as Ghislain slashed at Equidema. Boom! The beast attempted to evade, but the attack was too fast. A deep gash tore across its side, releasing a torrent of blue smoke. Thud! Ghislain struck again, his blade plunging into Equidema’s body. This time, the beast didn’t even try to dodge—it braced itself and absorbed the blow. Boom! The impact sent shockwaves rippling outward, knocking down not only soldiers and knights but also the rampaging Riftborn. Those nearest to Ghislain were utterly obliterated, their bodies disintegrating into ash. Equidema, however, endured. With a swipe of its massive claw, it tore through Ghislain’s crimson-black aura, the force ripping apart the protective shroud around him and briefly exposing his body. For the first time, Ghislain’s barrier had been breached—not by a rival mage or a seasoned warrior, but by a mere beast. Though his aura quickly regenerated, it now carried a darker, bloodier hue, stained by the blood seeping from Ghislain’s own wounds. Ignoring the pain, Ghislain retaliated with another strike. Boom! Equidema flinched as the blade landed. The beast’s immense size and raw strength made it difficult to avoid attacks entirely, and Ghislain’s relentless assault left it increasingly battered. Yet the monster was equally relentless. Its powerful frame and primal instincts made every one of its counterattacks swift and brutal. Ghislain grit his teeth, striking again. Boom! There was no room for hesitation. Prolonging the fight would only worsen the situation—Equidema had to be taken down now. Equidema, too, showed no fear of injury. Confident in its strength, it absorbed Ghislain’s attacks while delivering its own in return. The battlefield became a frenzied clash of predator and prey, their mutual bloodlust driving them to tear each other apart. Boom! Boom! Boom! The crimson-black shroud around Ghislain repeatedly tore and reformed, scattering crimson energy across the battlefield. Simultaneously, deep wounds appeared on Equidema’s body, releasing clouds of blue smoke that mingled with Ghislain’s aura. Roar! Equidema let out a deafening bellow, its frustration mounting. The small human before it refused to die, no matter how many devastating blows it landed. Thud! For the first time, the beast began to retreat. It couldn’t accept this. How could a creature so small force it back? Ghislain stepped forward, his expression cold and unyielding. “Come.” In his previous life, Ghislain had faced this monster countless times. No matter how strong it was, at the end of the day, it was still just a beast. He could not retreat. He could not allow himself to be swallowed by its overwhelming presence. Instead, he had to press harder, strike faster, and seize control of the fight. Boom! Ghislain advanced again, swinging his blade with precision. Equidema stumbled backward slightly under the force of the attack. A beast, when it realized its claws were ineffective, would always resort to using its most devastating weapons. Equidema stopped swiping with its claws, and instead lunged forward in a single, powerful motion. Screech! Its enormous body closed the distance in an instant, its jaws opening wide to devour its opponent whole. Ghislain slashed at the beast’s incoming head. Boom! One of Equidema’s eyes burst, and the side of its face was split open. Yet even through the pain, it charged forward relentlessly. Snap! Ghislain’s body was caught in the beast’s jaws, the crushing force preventing him from escaping. Crunch! Equidema didn’t make the foolish mistake of swallowing him outright. It applied crushing pressure with its powerful jaws, determined to grind Ghislain into dust. “Damn it!” Ghislain groaned through gritted teeth. The beast’s razor-sharp fangs pierced through his protective aura, pressing closer and closer to his flesh. Worse still was the constant stream of blue smoke pouring from Equidema’s mouth. The smoke penetrated the cracks in Ghislain’s barrier, seeping into his body. His skin broke out in red blotches that vanished and reappeared in a relentless cycle. This wasn’t just a toxin—it was more akin to a disease. Ghislain’s body struggled to resist it, expelling the contamination only for it to take root again. “Grrhh...!” Ghislain channeled all his remaining strength into his aura blade. He poured every ounce of mana into the blade, leaving only a minimal amount to maintain his barrier. Reversing his grip, Ghislain thrust the lengthened blade into the beast’s already-damaged eye. Sizzle! A sound like molten metal meeting cold steel echoed as the blade burned through the beast’s flesh. Ghislain pushed harder, aiming to pierce all the way into its brain. Forced to choose between biting down harder or letting go, Equidema released its jaws. Now! As the beast reared back, preparing to snap at him again, Ghislain acted faster. Leap! He sprang onto Equidema’s head, using its own momentum against it. With precision, he drove his blade down toward the remaining eye. “It’s time for you to die.” Ghislain’s crimson-black aura vanished as he funneled every drop of his mana into the blade. Slam! The aura blade surged with unprecedented force, piercing through Equidema’s eye and into its brain, turning the inside of its skull to mush. Roar! The beast thrashed violently, its massive body rising into the air before crashing back down. But its once-furious gaze was now lifeless. Even Equidema’s formidable exterior could not protect its most vulnerable organs from Ghislain’s relentless assault. Grrrrrr... The blue smoke pouring from its mouth began to fade. With its brain destroyed, not even a creature as resilient as Equidema could cling to life. It staggered, its mighty form teetering before collapsing heavily to the ground. Thud! The beast’s chest heaved a few more times before finally falling still, its once-terrifying body now motionless. “Finally,” Ghislain muttered, slumping to his knees in front of the monster’s corpse. He had exhausted all his mana. His bones felt shattered, and his muscles screamed in agony. Though the faint remnants of his mana worked to heal him, the damage was too severe to recover quickly. “I finally killed it.” In a normal fight, climbing onto a beast as massive as Equidema would have been unthinkable. But Ghislain had refused to retreat, relentlessly pressing the monster until it exposed a fatal opening. He had seized that opportunity and destroyed its brain, ensuring victory. With Equidema dead, no more Riftborn emerged. The ones already present began to thrash violently, clawing at their own bodies and shrieking in pain. Screech! “What’s happening to them?” “Why are they suddenly acting like this?” “Have they gone mad?” Nearly a thousand Riftborn had emerged from the Rift, a number that had seemed insurmountable. But now they stopped attacking entirely, collapsing into seizures instead. “Now’s our chance! Finish them off!” Lukas shouted, ready to charge forward—only to stop in his tracks. Shhhhhh... The Riftborn’s bodies began to crack and disintegrate, turning to dust that scattered into the wind. It was as if they had never belonged in this world to begin with. “What... what’s going on?” Everyone stared in stunned silence as the Riftborn dissolved into nothingness. Sitting on the ground, Ghislain glanced around at the fading creatures and murmured, “Finally, they’re gone.” In his past life, a saintess had once explained that the entities beyond the Rift were never meant to exist in this world. Ghislain turned his gaze to Equidema’s massive corpse. Even the beast’s body was beginning to crack and disintegrate, crumbling into dust just like the Riftborn. Watching the scene unfold, Ghislain let out a heavy sigh. “If only it ended here.” Despite the complete annihilation of the Riftborn and the beast, the Rift itself remained—a gaping, ominous tear in reality, unyielding and unchanging.