Rian couldn't breathe.
The dust hadn't settled yet, but he already knew what he was looking at. The way the boy hung in the creature's grasp—too loose, too still—made something cold crawl up his spine.
No movement. No resistance.
The towering creature tilted its head, grip tightening just slightly, as if confirming the result.
Rian's hands trembled against the wrecked car he was half-pinned behind.
"No…" he whispered. "No, get up. Please—"
The street groaned beneath the creature's weight as it shifted, preparing to finish it. To crush what remained. To discard him.
Then—
The boy moved.
Not his body.
His head.
A slow lift. Barely a few degrees.
Rian's breath hitched.
The boy's lips parted, voice low, almost lost beneath the crackle of fires and settling debris.
"…That one," he muttered.
The creature paused.
Not because it understood the words— but because something had changed.
The boy's pupils expanded.
Not widening.
Consuming.
Black flooded outward from their centers, swallowing the white of his eyes entirely, leaving nothing behind but a voided red glow burning where his pupils had been. Not light—focus. Cold. Absolute.
The air around him tightened.
Rian felt it like pressure behind his eyes, like standing too close to a storm without wind.
The boy exhaled once.
And thought stopped.
The world stripped itself bare.
Color collapsed into red and black. Dust, flame, ruin—all reduced to vectors and motion. Every sound aligned itself into distance and intent. Every shift of weight, every tightening muscle, every killing angle became clear.
There was no fear.
No pain.
No hesitation.
Only movement.
The creature's grip became an equation.
Solved.
Before the towering thing could react, the boy's body moved—not faster—
correctly.
Muscles fired in perfect sequence. Spine aligned. Force transferred without loss. His arm twisted inside the creature's grasp at the only angle that mattered, joints slipping free as if the hold had never existed.
Rian's eyes widened.
"What—"
The boy dropped.
Not falling.
Descending.
He hit the ground already turning, boots biting into broken asphalt, momentum redirected instead of absorbed. Cracks spiderwebbed beneath his feet—but he didn't slow.
The towering creature lunged.
Too late.
The boy was already inside its reach, eyes burning red as the world bent to his rhythm.
And the fight had just been rewritten.
The creature struck first.
It didn't matter.
The boy stepped in.
One strike.
A short, brutal cut—metal snapping across the creature's wrist at the exact overlap between plates. Not deep. Not severing.
Enough.
The grip failed. Fingers spasmed open as force bled out through fractured alignment.
Two strikes.
Left. Right.
Not wide. Not flashy.
Both blows drove straight into the creature's rib plating, landing on stress points already compromised by earlier damage. The impacts didn't scatter outward—
—they sank inward.
KRRRAAM—!!
The armor buckled, the shock transferring through its massive frame. The creature's upper body rocked back a fraction of a step, asphalt cracking beneath one heel as it fought to keep balance.
Too slow.
Third strike.
An uppercut.
The boy drove upward—not to lift, but to disrupt.
The jagged metal slammed beneath the creature's jawline, striking the reinforced hinge where neck met torso. The force snapped the head back violently, not lifting the body—
—but breaking posture.
DOOOOM—!!
The creature staggered.
Its massive frame tilted, center of gravity shifting just enough for gravity to begin arguing with itself. The street screamed as one foot slid backward, carving a trench through asphalt.
Rian's breath caught.
It wasn't being thrown.
It was being unbalanced.
The boy didn't pause.
He was already moving.
Using falling debris, broken concrete, momentum itself—he climbed the collapsing space, boots striking rubble that existed for half a second at a time.
Fourth strike.
He came down with everything aligned.
Both hands. All weight. Perfect timing.
The blow slammed straight into the creature's chest, directly over the fractured plates, driving force downward and forward—
—not to crush—
—but to anchor.
KRRRRAAASSSHH—!!
The street collapsed beneath them.
Asphalt caved inward as underground supports failed, the creature driven down into the sinking ground, its weight compounding the destruction. The impact didn't send it flying—
—it forced it to kneel, one arm slamming into the street to stop itself from falling completely.
A crater formed. Not explosive. Compressed.
Dust rolled outward in a heavy wave.
Rian stared, heart hammering.
The creature remained upright—
—but barely.
Armor cracked. Posture broken. Momentum stolen.
And standing in front of it—
The boy.
Breathing steady. Eyes burning red. Already resetting his stance.
He hadn't overpowered it.
He had outplayed its mass.
And the fight wasn't over yet.
The creature didn't stay down.
It moved.
The moment its knee tore free of the crater, muscle and plating re-aligning with a thunderous grind, its arm came around in a wide, annihilating swipe—no warning, no reset.
WHOOOOM—!!
The air detonated.
The boy met it head-on.
Not blocking.
Redirecting.
He stepped inside the arc at the last possible instant, forearm snapping up and across the creature's limb. The strike landed at a joint seam—not to overpower it—
—but to break the line of force.
KRRRAANG—!!
The swipe sheared past him instead, pulverizing a chunk of street behind him into dust and shrapnel. The shockwave rolled over his back, but he was already moving.
The creature adjusted instantly.
Second swipe.
Shorter.
Faster.
From the opposite side.
This one was meant to catch him mid-step.
The boy twisted, feet sliding across loose debris, arm flashing again—
CLANG—!!
The blow deflected upward, scraping along reinforced plating as sparks burst into the air. The force still hurled him sideways, boots digging trenches as he skidded back—
—but he stayed upright.
Rian felt his breath release without permission.
Too clean.
Too controlled.
The creature snarled, posture tightening, arms drawing back—
And then—
The tail moved.
Not wide.
Not obvious.
It came low.
A sudden, brutal whip snapping out from behind, using the creature's massive rotation to multiply force—aimed straight at the boy's legs.
Rian shouted.
"BEH—!!"
Too late.
The boy was already gone.
He leapt.
The tail screamed beneath him, shredding asphalt where his feet had been a heartbeat earlier. The street split open in a violent line, debris blasting upward as the strike passed through.
Midair—
The boy twisted.
Eyes locked.
Body aligned.
He brought his strike down.
Not on the tail.
On the spine root.
KRRRSSSH—!!
The impact landed where tail met body, fist slamming into already-fractured plating. The blow didn't sever—
—but it jammed.
The tail's motion stuttered violently, momentum collapsing into the creature's own frame. The backlash rocked its torso, forcing one shoulder to dip as balance faltered again.
The boy landed in a roll, came up smooth, stance reset in one motion.
Breathing still steady.
Eyes still burning red.
The creature reared back, roaring—not in pain alone—
—but in frustration.
It was fast.
It was strong.
And for the first time—
It was being answered immediately.
The boy vanished.
Not jumped away.
Not retreated.
Gone.
The creature's head snapped side to side, massive frame twisting as it searched, claws carving grooves through the ruined street.
Left.
—IMPACT—
KRRRAANG—!!
A blow slammed into the side of its head, snapping plates and flaring sparks—
—and the boy was already gone.
Right.
—IMPACT—
KRRRSSH—!!
Another strike, lower this time, hammering into its ribs hard enough to buckle armor inward—
—and again, nothing. Empty air. Afterimage.
The creature roared, rage bleeding through discipline. Its movements sharpened, faster now, less wasteful. It raised both arms, crossing them over its head and chest, plating locking together in a heavy guard.
Too late.
The ground lurched.
The creature's body jerked backward violently as something yanked—
Not its arm.
Not its torso.
Its tail.
The massive limb was wrenched upward with brutal force, the creature's balance instantly annihilated. Its feet tore free of the street, concrete exploding as its weight was ripped off-center.
For a split second—
It was airborne.
Then—
DOOOOOOM—!!!
The creature was slammed.
Its body hit the ground on its back, dust and debris erupting skyward in a choking cloud. The impact thundered through the ruins, shockwaves rippling outward as windows shattered and loose rubble collapsed all at once.
The street cratered again.
Rian staggered as the blast washed over him, ears ringing, vision swimming.
Through the rolling dust—
The boy stood at the edge of the crater, shoulders squared, stance settled.
The creature twitched beneath the debris.
And for the first time since the fight began—
It was lifted so high up.
The creature focused.
Not blindly.
Not in rage.
Its head tilted, posture compressing as something locked in.
The next exchange happened too fast for Rian to track.
A massive hand snapped out—
—and caught him.
Fingers closed around the boy's torso with a thunderous CRUNCH, air detonating as pressure spiked. Concrete shattered beneath the creature's feet as it braced, grip tightening—
But the boy moved inside the hold.
He twisted, planting a foot against the creature's wrist, muscles coiling—
—and kicked off.
The grip tore open instead of tightening.
The boy launched himself upward like a released projectile, body snapping forward in a blur—
—PUNCH.
WHAM—!!
The strike landed square against the creature's jawline, snapping its head sideways with enough force to shear plating loose. Fragments spun away glowing faintly before clattering dead against the street.
The creature reeled—
Then adapted.
Its posture collapsed forward again—but not falling.
It dropped.
All four limbs hit the ground at once.
DOOOM—!!
The street cracked under the sudden redistribution of weight, claws digging deep as its spine leveled and its center of gravity plunged low. In that instant, it stopped looking like a towering figure—
—and became something predatory.
It surged.
Not charging upright.
Running.
Claws tore through asphalt as it moved on all fours, body flowing in powerful, elastic motions. Each stride devoured distance, tail snapping behind it like a counterweight, head low, eyes locked.
A wild animal.
A hunting one.
The boy didn't slow.
He leapt.
The creature swiped—missed by inches as the boy vaulted over the attack, boots barely grazing the creature's shoulder. He landed, rolled, sprang again as the ground exploded behind him.
Another swipe.
Dodged.
A snapping bite.
Evaded.
The chase tore through the ruins, boy and monster weaving between collapsed walls and shattered vehicles, every near-miss pulverizing more of the street.
Rian watched, breath caught in his throat.
This wasn't a fight anymore.
It was a hunt.
And the boy was staying just ahead—by skill, by instinct—
By inches.
Dust swallowed the street.
Chunks of concrete rained down, smoke and pulverized asphalt rolling together until the ruins became a shifting gray maze. The boy vanished into it—no sound, no motion, no silhouette to track.
The creature slowed.
Not confused.
Searching.
Its head turned in sharp, measured increments. Claws flexed against the ground, carving shallow grooves as it listened, felt, calculated. The air trembled faintly with its breath.
Then—
WHAM—!!
A strike came from the left.
The creature's shoulder buckled as something hit with concentrated force, not enough to knock it down—but enough to make its plating scream. The boy was already gone, disappearing back into the dust before the creature could retaliate.
Its head snapped the other way—
CRACK—!!
Another hit. Right side this time. Lower. A joint.
The creature staggered half a step, claws digging deep as it corrected balance. Its tail lashed reflexively through the dust—
—hit nothing.
BOOM—!!
A third impact—high, near the neck. The force snapped its head back, violet-lit seams flaring as internal stress rippled through its frame.
The creature roared, a furious, grinding sound tearing through the dust—
—but the fourth strike landed before the sound finished.
DOOM—!!
Straight to the chest.
The accumulated force drove it backward, feet tearing trenches through asphalt until its balance finally broke. With a thunderous impact, it rose, abandoning the four-limbed stance and rearing back onto two feet again.
DOOOOM—!!
The street cratered beneath its weight.
Arms came up immediately—defensive now. Guarded. Shoulders hunched forward, elbows tucked, posture tight and braced. It wasn't flailing anymore.
It was adapting.
The boy emerged from the dust in a blur, momentum carrying him straight into range.
They collided.
A massive arm swung—
BLOCKED.
A counter came back—
HIT.
The creature answered with a crushing backhand—
The boy slipped inside it and struck again, driving power into seams, joints, weak points he'd already mapped.
Each exchange thundered through the ruins.
Concrete shattered. Air burst. Shockwaves slapped outward as they traded blows at point-blank range. The creature landed hits—glancing, partial, heavy enough to break the street—but the boy absorbed, redirected, minimized.
Still—
The creature was learning.
Its blocks came sooner.
Its counters tightened.
Its stance adjusted between impacts.
It was taking damage—plates cracked, seams flared, fragments breaking away under repeated strikes—but each hit fed it information.
And Rian saw it clearly now.
This wasn't about who hit harder.
It was about who learned faster.
And the fight was far from over.
The boy went in again.
Too close.
Too fast.
His strike landed—solid, precise—
—and the creature caught him mid-blow.
Fingers like collapsing steel closed around his forearm, grip locking instantly. There was no hesitation this time. No delay.
The creature yanked.
The boy's feet left the ground as his momentum was stolen and redirected downward—
DOOOOM—!!!
His body was driven into the street headfirst. Asphalt didn't crack.
It collapsed.
The impact cratered the ground, shockwaves ripping outward in violent rings. Rian was thrown flat, teeth rattling as the air was punched from his lungs yet again.
The creature didn't stop.
It lifted the boy by the arm—
—and slammed him again.
WHAAAM—!!
Another crater. Deeper. Wider. Concrete folded like wet clay, underground pipes bursting as steam screamed into the air.
Before the dust could even rise—
The creature brought him down a third time.
KRRRRAASH—!!!
The street caved inward, chunks of asphalt flying like shrapnel. The boy's body bounced once, hard, then the creature followed through.
It switched grips.
Both hands came down.
And then—
It began hammering.
DOOM—!!
DOOM—!!
DOOM—!!
Strike after strike after strike.
Each blow hit with full mass behind it, no wasted motion. The creature drove the boy deeper into the collapsing street, smashing him through layers of concrete and rebar like a piston.
Rian could only stare.
Each impact echoed through the ruins, buildings shuddering, windows exploding outward as if the street itself was being executed.
DOOM—!!
DOOM—!!
The boy's body stopped bouncing.
Dust swallowed everything.
The creature finally paused, arms raised, chest heaving as fractured plating glowed faintly along its seams. It stood over the crater it had created—deep, wide, still settling.
For a heartbeat—
Silence.
Rian's heart hammered in his throat.
No way…
Then—
From the bottom of the crater—
A sound.
Not a scream.
Not a groan.
A low, steady exhale.
And Rian felt it.
The shift.
Something was about to change.
The creature noticed too.
Its head snapped down toward the crater as its posture changed instantly—no confusion, no hesitation. Both arms came up and locked together, plates overlapping, mass compacting into a solid guard as it braced for something it didn't fully understand but instinctively recognized as a threat.
The dust stilled.
For a fraction of a second—
A red spark flickered inside the crater.
Small. Sharp. Wrong.
Rian's breath caught.
Then—
BOOM—!!
A blinding beam of dark red light detonated straight upward.
Not fire. Not energy.
Something denser.
The beam tore through dust, through shattered air, through the creature's guard with a sound like reality being split open. The impact wasn't explosive—it was piercing, a violent, focused force that punched clean through layered plating and flesh alike.
The creature roared.
Not dominance. Not rage.
Pain.
A raw, tearing sound ripped from its core as the beam carved a hole straight through its upper body. Armor vaporized. Plates peeled back and were simply gone. Molten edges glowed along the wound as the light continued upward—
—and for one impossible second—
The sky was visible through the creature.
Cloudy. snow. Sunless.
Seen through a perfect, smoking tunnel punched clean through its mass.
The beam vanished as abruptly as it had appeared, leaving silence in its wake. The creature staggered backward, arms falling apart as its guard failed, massive frame swaying as chunks of glowing material sloughed off and hissed against the ruined street.
The hole remained.
Clean. Straight. Impossible.
Rian stared, frozen.
From within the crater, dust rolled outward as something stood up.
And whatever had just fired that—
Was no longer being hunted.