Sylvara stood ten paces away, her crimson armor gleaming under the Riftveil's red glow. Her black hair swayed in the mana-charged wind, and her hand rested on her sword's hilt, its runes flickering with latent flame. "You're no scavenger," she said, her voice low, laced with a mix of suspicion and fascination. "Three deaths, three revivals. No F-Rank does that." Her eyes, sharp as daggers, dissected him, searching for answers Kai didn't have.
Kai flashed a grin, twirling the mana shard between his fingers. "What can I say, princess? I'm hard to kill." His sarcasm was a reflex, but his Tactician's Eye was already reading her. Sylvara's stance was poised, ready to strike, but her aura wavered—curiosity battling her instinct to dominate. An A-Rank from the Tower of Crimson Flame didn't bother with nobodies unless they smelled power. And Kai was starting to stink of it.
'Trouble's got a name, and it's Sylvara,' he thought, his mind racing. The Towers of Ascendancy ruled Varkis, their mana wells fueling the ranked elite while the Undergrit choked on their scraps. An F-Rank with an SSS-Rank skill was a threat to that order—a glitch to be studied or erased. Sylvara's interest wasn't romantic yet, but her obsession was clear. Kai needed to play this smart, or he'd end up in a Tower lab before he could get Lila's medicine.
The rift in the plaza pulsed again, its green light flaring like a wound in reality. A roar—deeper, older, laced with malice—rumbled from its depths, shaking the ground. The remaining wards, etched into the Iron District's spires, flickered and died, their mana drained by the Upper Spires' greedy siphons. Kai's Mana Sense screamed, the rift's energy spiking beyond anything he'd felt. 'That's no Behemoth. That's something ancient.'
"Move, scavenger," Sylvara snapped, her sword igniting with red flame. "Unless you want to die a fourth time." Her tone was mocking, but her eyes flicked to the rift, betraying a hint of unease.
Kai's grin didn't waver. "And miss the party? Nah, I'm good." His Tactician's Eye scanned the plaza: scattered debris, a few lingering scavengers, and the faint glow of the D-Rank healer girl watching from an alley. Her presence nagged at him—another witness to his impossible revivals. 'Great. A fan club. Just what I need'
The ground cracked, and a claw emerged from the rift, black as obsidian and twice Kai's height. A Void Titan followed, its body a mass of writhing shadows and jagged bone, its six eyes glowing like molten gold. Mana poured from it, so thick it warped the air, bending light around its form. The plaza's stones shattered under its weight, and a wave of pressure knocked Kai back, his Stonehide Resilience dulling the impact.
Sylvara cursed, her sword flaring brighter. "Stay out of my way, rat," she said, charging the Titan. Her blade slashed, flames erupting, but the beast's shadows swallowed the fire like water. She dodged a claw, her movements a blur, but even an A-Rank was outmatched.
Kai's Tactician's Eye kicked in, analyzing the Titan. Its shadows were mana constructs, weak at their edges. Its core, buried in its chest, pulsed like a second rift.'Hit that, and it's done.' But reaching it meant crossing a storm of claws and shadows. His Mana Sense mapped the beast's movements, predicting its strikes. 'Lila's waiting. I don't have time to play safe.'
He Shadowstepped, blurring through space to dodge a claw that cratered the ground. His Ironclad Endurance kept his legs steady, and Bonecrusher Strength surged in his fists. "Hey, ugly!" he shouted, grabbing a mana-charged rebar. "You're ruining my day!" He hurled it at an eye, the metal sinking deep. The Titan roared, shadows lashing out, but Kai Shadowstepped again, reappearing closer to its core.
Sylvara glanced back, her eyes wide. "Idiot! You'll get yourself killed!" Her voice held a strange edge—anger, but laced with something softer. 'Is she worried? Nah, she just wants the glory.'
"Keep up, princess!" Kai shot back, dodging another shadow. He slid beneath the Titan, aiming for its core, but a tendril caught him, slamming him into a spire. Pain flared, dulled by Stonehide, but it wasn't enough. The tendril tightened, crushing his ribs. Darkness closed in.
He woke, gasping, whole again. The voice spoke: [Death Reversal – Evolution Unbound: Activated]
[Adaptation gained: Shadowveil Resistance] [Random skill upgraded: Phantom Strike (Active)]
Kai's body surged with new power. Shadowveil Resistance made the Titan's shadows slide off him like water, and Phantom Strike let his fists glow with dark energy, each hit carrying the weight of a specter's wrath. His Mana Sense locked onto the core, clearer now, a beacon in the chaos. 'Got you.'
He Shadowstepped, blurring past Sylvara, who was locked in a dance of fire and shadow. "Show-off!" she snapped, but her eyes followed him, sharp with intrigue. Kai ignored her, diving for the core. His Phantom Strike hit, tearing through shadows, and his Bonecrusher Strength drove his fist into the core. It shattered, mana exploding in a blinding wave. The Titan howled, its body dissolving into a storm of shards that rained across the plaza.
Kai landed, panting, grabbing a shard the size of his fist. It pulsed with enough mana to buy Lila's medicine for a year. 'Worth dying for.' He turned, expecting Sylvara's mockery, but she was staring, her sword lowered, her face a mix of shock and something dangerously close to admiration.
"You're not human," she said, stepping closer. "No one survives that. What are you?"
Kai grinned, ruthless and defiant. "Just a rat who bites, princess. Better get used to it." His Tactician's Eye caught her flinch, a crack in her A-Rank armor. She was hooked, and that was a problem. The Towers would hear of this—Sylvara wasn't the type to keep secrets.
A soft glow caught his eye. The D-Rank healer girl emerged from the alley, her cloak tattered but her aura steady. She tossed him a mana-infused bandage, her voice quiet but firm. "You're reckless," she said, her eyes meeting his. "But… thanks for saving me." She vanished before he could respond, her glow fading into the Undergrit's shadows.
'Another complication,' Kai thought, pocketing the bandage. The rift pulsed again, weaker now, but a faint hum lingered, hinting at more to come. Veyra and Torren's auras flashed in the distance, still fighting deeper in the district. The Towers' enforcers would come soon, sniffing for anomalies like him.
Sylvara stepped closer, her aura pressing against his Mana Sense. "You're coming with me," she said, her voice low, commanding. "The Tower of Crimson Flame will want answers."
Kai's grin widened, his hand tightening on the shard. "Sorry, princess. I've got a sister to save and a city to piss off." He Shadowstepped, blurring into the alleys, his laughter echoing. The Undergrit swallowed him, but Sylvara's gaze burned into his back, promising a chase he couldn't outrun.
The rift's hum grew louder, and a new shadow stirred. Varkis wasn't done with Kai Ashura—not by a long shot.