Eric's hands trembled as he gripped his sword, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. The once-firm grip on his weapon felt slippery with sweat, and his breaths came in shallow gasps. Around him, the battlefield was consumed by chaos—the screams of dying awakeners, the sickening crunch of bones, and the heavy thuds of colossal beasts shaking the ground. The thick stench of burning flesh and metallic blood clung to the air, making every inhale feel like a struggle.
The second wave had arrived.
The rift had vomited forth horrors beyond comprehension, and now he stood at the very front, staring down an unstoppable tide of monsters that should not exist in this world
A Steel Mantid, its jagged, metallic exoskeleton gleaming under the battlefield's flickering lights, lunged at him with terrifying speed. Its razor-sharp scythe-like limbs slashed through the air with a high-pitched screech, aiming straight for his head.
Eric barely managed to react.
With a desperate shout, he swung his sword wildly, his blade scraping against the creature's steel-hard carapace. Sparks flew, but he had struck something vital—the Mantid shrieked as its front limb was severed, dark blue ichor spraying from the wound.
For a brief moment, Eric felt hope.
Then a shadow loomed behind him.
An Infernal Goliath, a towering behemoth of molten rock and muscle, raised its massive arm, its glowing orange veins pulsating with unbearable heat. Before Eric could move, the creature swung its colossal fist down like a meteor.
Boom!
The ground shattered beneath the force, sending shockwaves outward.
Eric barely rolled aside, but even the aftershock sent him sprawling across the broken battlefield, his sword flying from his grasp.
Pain flared through his body as he struggled to push himself up, but before he could even regain his footing, something latched onto his back.
He felt sharp, cold claws pierce into his shoulders.
A chilling, ghostly screech echoed in his ears.
An Eclipsed Harbinger.
Wreathed in swirling black mist, the creature wrapped its elongated fingers around his throat, its spectral eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. A suffocating pressure crashed down on him like an iron vice, and his lungs burned for air.
Eric thrashed, kicking wildly, but the Harbinger's grip was unrelenting.
Then, from above, it conjured an orb of swirling dark energy—an attack meant to consume him whole.
Eric's Steel Skin ability flared to life, his flesh hardening in a last-ditch effort to resist. But he already knew.
It wouldn't be enough.
The dark orb plunged down, slamming into his chest like a black hole collapsing in on itself.
Pain exploded through his entire body.
His vision blurred.
His legs wobbled, and bruises covered his entire body. Blood dripped from his mouth as he barely remained standing.
His thoughts slowly ran to his past....
Eric had always been ambitious—perhaps too ambitious for his own good.
From the moment he awakened, he had dreamed of rising to the top, of carving a place for himself in the world where his name would be respected, feared, and admired. Unlike most awakeners who sought power for survival or duty, Eric had a different goal: social standing.
In a world where awakeners ruled over the powerless, where guilds and elite units were the backbone of civilization, status meant everything. Even the lowest-ranked member of an elite special unit held more influence than a common awakener. To be part of such a force meant wealth, prestige, and recognition. Even if you were nothing but a foot soldier, society would still bow before you.
And Eric craved that.
He had been incredibly lucky to get selected into one of the best special unit forces under Commander Seraphine. The selection process was brutal, the requirements almost impossible to meet. Thousands applied, but only a handful made it through. Those who failed either lacked talent, discipline, or the sheer will to push forward.
But Eric had beaten the odds.
He had trained harder than anyone. He had studied battle tactics, memorized monster weaknesses, and pushed his body to its absolute limit. When his name had been announced among the select few, he had felt invincible.
"This is it," he had thought back then. "This is the moment I climb the social ladder."
He had envisioned himself walking through the grand halls of awakeners, clad in the elite unit's insignia, receiving nods of respect from powerful figures. He imagined the awe in the eyes of those who had once looked down on him.
But now…
Now, he regretted everything.
The battlefield was nothing like he had imagined. The training, the lectures, the preparation—it all felt useless in front of true horror.
The monsters were not just obstacles to cut down for glory.
They were relentless. They were terrifying.
And they were not supposed to be this strong.
Eric had thought himself lucky to be part of Seraphine's unit. Now, he realized luck had nothing to do with survival.
"I was a fool."
The Infernal Goliath raised its molten fist once more, ready to crush him into the ground like an insect. The air around it warped from the sheer heat.
Eric could only watch, frozen.
Death was here.
But then—
A massive shield materialized before him, its sheer size dwarfing his battered frame. It wasn't just large—it was impenetrable. The moment the Goliath's fist collided with it, a deafening boom echoed across the battlefield, sending shockwaves through the air. The monster staggered back, flames sputtering from its body.
Eric gasped, his eyes wide.
Through the haze of pain, he turned, barely able to focus.
A towering figure stood behind him, his posture firm, his muscles straining as he pushed back against the Infernal Goliath's overwhelming force. His golden armor was cracked, battle-worn, but his grip on the shield never faltered.
It was Captain Reynard.
The veteran awakener, one of the strongest in the special unit, gritted his teeth as he planted his feet into the ground, resisting the Goliath's raw power.
"Get up, kid," Reynard growled, his voice rough but steady. "Don't waste time."
Eric could only stare, his body barely responding.
The Infernal Goliath roared, pushing harder, but Reynard held firm.
"Get behind me!" Reynard barked, his eyes never leaving the towering beast before him. "Now!"
Eric, through sheer willpower, forced his legs to move.
He stumbled backward, his breath ragged, his entire body screaming in agony. But he was alive.
Captain Reynard gritted his teeth as the Infernal Goliath roared in defiance, its colossal form radiating unbearable heat. His golden armor, already dented and scorched from battle, groaned under the immense strain as he held his massive shield against the beast's molten fist. Each second felt like an eternity, his muscles screaming in agony as he struggled to keep his footing against the overwhelming force.
Behind him, Eric stood, barely able to breathe. His body was covered in bruises, his steel skin ability flickering weakly as he gasped for air. He knew he was too weak to help, too battered to even lift his sword. All he could do was watch as Reynard took on the monstrous behemoth alone.
Then— a blur of movement.
Seraphine, who had been observing from a distance, suddenly broke into a sprint.
Her black armor gleamed under the battlefield's flickering flames, her long black hair flowing like a ghostly veil behind her. Unlike Reynard, she didn't charge the Goliath head-on—she didn't need to. Her eyes locked onto a precise target: the right side of its chest, where golden veins pulsed like molten rivers beneath its rocky skin.
She reached for her sword.
But instead of slashing— she gripped it like a spear.
With a swift motion, she raised the blade above her shoulder, her muscles coiling like a taut spring. She adjusted her stance, calculating the exact angle. The Infernal Goliath was strong, its rocky exterior nearly impenetrable. A mere cut wouldn't be enough.
It had to be precise.
She exhaled.
Then, with a powerful snap of her arm, she let the sword fly.
The weapon whistled through the air like a black meteor, slicing through the battlefield with terrifying speed.
Eric and Reynard barely had time to react.
The blade shot past them, inches from their faces—so close that Eric could feel the displaced wind brush against his cheek. His eyes widened as the sword became a dark blur, whistling toward its target with pinpoint accuracy.
Shhck!
The blade struck the Infernal Goliath's chest, embedding itself into the molten veins on its right side. The massive creature let out a deafening, guttural roar, its body convulsing as flames spewed from the wound. But the strike wasn't deep enough.
The sword had landed too far for the impact to be fatal.
But Seraphine had already anticipated that.
Before the Goliath could recover, she moved.
Eric barely saw her—she was too fast.
A black shadow rushed past them, the sheer speed kicking up dust and embers in her wake.
One second. She had already closed the distance.
Two seconds. She was upon the Goliath.
Her figure vanished in a blur of motion, and before anyone could react, she leapt high into the air, her body twisting mid-flight.
She gripped the hilt of her sword, her momentum driving her downward with immense force.
With a powerful thrust, she slammed the blade deeper into the Goliath's chest.
CRACK!
The sound of shattering rock echoed across the battlefield.
The Infernal Goliath's roar turned into a choked, agonized wail as its golden veins ruptured. Fiery blood gushed from the wound, molten energy leaking from the cracks in its rocky body. The glow in its monstrous eyes flickered—then faded.
A moment later, its massive frame crumbled.
The once-mighty titan collapsed into a heap of blackened stone, its molten core extinguished. The battlefield trembled from the impact.
For a brief moment, silence.
Eric's breath caught in his throat.
He stared at Seraphine, who now stood atop the Goliath's remains, her sword still embedded in the crumbling corpse. Her expression was unreadable—calm, controlled, as if she had merely completed a routine task.
Reynard exhaled sharply, adjusting his stance as he lowered his shield.
Then, without turning to look at them, Seraphine spoke—her voice steady, sharp, yet indifferent.
"Next time, don't just stand there."
She ripped her sword free from the dead Goliath, flicking the molten blood from its blade.
Then she walked away, leaving behind only the silent ruins of a fallen titan.