The heavy rain poured relentlessly, its cold droplets crashing down like nature itself was trying to cleanse the city of the destruction left by the monsters. Touka stood frozen in the middle of the soaked street, the weight of his exhaustion bearing down on him. His breath was shallow, ragged, and the thunderous sound of giant footsteps grew louder with each passing moment.
From the shadows of the collapsed buildings, a smaller Omnivorax appeared, still towering over him, its dark scales glistening in the lightning like a grotesque reflection of death. "Shit..." Touka muttered, his heart pounding as the beast closed in. He knew, with a sinking feeling in his gut, that escape was impossible this time.
Then, amid the roars and crashing rain, a faint cry caught his attention. He spun around, his eyes wide, and saw a small child trapped beneath a pile of debris not far from him.
"Not now… Why now?" Touka cursed, but there was no time to think. He pushed through the pain in his body and ran, the storm soaking him to the bone. The child couldn't die—not like this. Not again.
Touka moved fast, slipping through the wreckage scattered by the Omnivorax's rampage. Every step was agony, but he didn't care. He couldn't. He had to reach the kid before the monster noticed them.
"Hang on! I'm coming!" he yelled, though he wasn't sure his voice would ever cut through the chaos.
When he reached the child, he found a young boy, covered in dirt, crying out from beneath a large chunk of concrete. The boy's eyes locked with his, wide with fear.
"Can you move?" Touka asked, his hands trembling as he tore away the rubble that pinned the boy's leg. With a single pull, he freed him.
"Run! Get the hell out of here before it gets any closer!" Touka barked, pointing toward a safe route. The boy nodded, fear written across his face, then bolted.
Touka let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. But before he could relax, the air shifted, and a roar ripped through the rain.
BAM!
The ground beneath him trembled violently as the Omnivorax's massive claw slammed into the asphalt. Touka was thrown, his body slamming into the cracked wall of a nearby building. Pain exploded in his side, but he forced himself to rise, blood dripping from a gash on his temple.
"Damn it... Why is this thing so damn tough?" he muttered through gritted teeth, shakily reaching for his knife, the only weapon he had. It was barely a tool—it was more like a joke—but it was all he had left.
With shaky determination, he lunged at the beast, aiming for its exposed flank, hoping—praying—that this time, it would work.
But the Omnivorax simply glanced at him with cold, glowing eyes, its expression a mixture of disdain and boredom, like it was swatting away an insignificant fly.
"Why... Why am I always so weak?" Touka thought, stumbling back as the weight of his helplessness crushed him. His body was already a canvas of wounds, each breath a battle. Deep inside, he knew he wouldn't last much longer.
Then, as if the pain wasn't enough, memories flooded back—too fast, too sharp. Fifteen years ago, he was just a scared little boy. The sound of his mother's scream, the fiery explosion, the acrid stench of smoke... All of it rushed back in a violent wave, dragging him under like a torrent.
"This is it… Isn't it?" he muttered, his legs finally giving out beneath him.
Just as his world began to fade, a blinding light tore through the darkness. An energy blast slammed into the Omnivorax, sending it reeling back.
Touka, blood pouring from his wounds, struggled to remain standing, his vision swimming.
Through the smoke and chaos, figures in black uniforms with the emblem of the Aether Corps appeared. One of them, a woman with long hair blowing in the wind, moved with lethal grace, cutting through the Omnivorax with a glowing blade.
"Shina...?" Touka gasped, his vision blurring even further. Could it really be her?
But before he could fully comprehend what was happening, his body gave up. His legs buckled, and everything went dark.