Chapter 617: Sudden Rift
Sean, Connor, and Mina did not move. They only watched.
From where they stood, battered and barely able to remain upright, they saw Clyde continuing his relentless assault. His blade rose and fell again and again, carving into the massive dark flesh without pause. His attacks tore away pieces of the creature, scattering fragments across the crater like shredded shadows.
The Celestial Abyssal Beast no longer fought back.
Its enormous body twitched weakly. The once overwhelming presence had collapsed into something pitiful. Its tentacles no longer lashed out with force. They only writhed faintly before falling still again as if whatever power drove them had already begun to fade.
Connor let out a slow breath, his eyes fixed on the scene. "It’s... not even fighting anymore..."
Sean frowned slightly, his grip loosening on his sword. "Yeah... it’s finished..."
Mina said nothing.
Her eyes remained locked on Clyde, watching the way he moved.
There was no hesitation in him. No pause. Even now, he kept attacking like nothing else existed.
A faint unease crept into her expression.
For a moment, the thought of helping crossed her mind. Ending it together. Finishing what they started.
But the moment she tried to shift her weight, pain surged through her broken arm and ribs again.
Her body trembled.
Her magic power was also gone. Completely drained.
Connor and Sean were no different. They could barely stand, let alone fight again.
Mina exhaled.
"That will be stupid," she muttered under her breath.
There was no point getting closer.
At this rate, she would only get caught in Clyde’s attacks instead.
That was the most logical conclusion.
Without another word, she stepped back slightly before turning her body. Then she jumped.
Her movement was careful but quick as she leapt away from the crater, creating distance from Clyde and the collapsing remains of the Beast.
Connor noticed immediately.
"She’s going. I think she made the right choice," he muttered.
Sean clicked his tongue softly before nodding. "Yeah. We’re just in the way now."
Neither of them hesitated any longer.
They both moved as well, retreating from the immediate battlefield.
Their steps were slower due to their injuries, but they made sure to put distance between themselves and Clyde’s relentless attacks.
None of them looked back again.
At the center of the crater, Clyde continued.
He did not notice them leaving. Or perhaps he simply did not care.
His focus remained absolute.
Strike after strike tore deeper into the Beast’s body. The dark flesh split apart under his blade as unstable energy leaked out from within.
The structure of the creature had already begun collapsing from the inside.
Then something changed.
His blade struck something different. A solid resistance.
Clyde’s eyes narrowed slightly as he stopped for a brief moment.
Beneath the torn layers of dark flesh, something was exposed.
It was not like the rest of the creature.
A distorted mass sat deep within the center. Roughly spherical, but uneven. Its surface pulsed with unstable energy. Dark veins ran across it, glowing dimly as if it was barely holding itself together.
It looked strange. But Clyde was clear about something.
"That’s it..." he muttered quietly.
The core.
Without hesitation, Clyde raised his sword.
The remaining lightning flickered violently along the blade. The faint flames surged one last time.
Then he brought it down.
The strike pierced straight into the core.
For a second, everything went silent. Then it shattered.
A violent crack split through the center of the Beast as the core broke apart. Energy burst outward uncontrollably as the entire mass convulsed one final time.
"GGRRRAAAAHHHHH—!!!"
The Celestial Abyssal Beast released one last, deafening roar. The sound tore through the ruined city, filled with rage, pain, and something close to desperation.
Then it ended.
Its body began to collapse rapidly.
The massive form broke apart into fragments. The darkness lost its shape as it dissolved into countless particles of black dust.
The remains scattered into the air, carried away by wind.
Within seconds, the enormous presence that once filled the sky was gone.
Only the ruined battlefield remained with Clyde, standing at the center of it.
For a few seconds, nothing happened. No sound, movement. And no notification.
Clyde stood still at the center of the ruined battlefield, his gaze steady as he waited. In every previous encounter it would be always followed by a system message. A reward. A confirmation of completion.
This time, there was nothing. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Still nothing," he muttered under his breath.
Before that thought could settle further, the air rippled.
A faint distortion appeared not far from him. It started as a ripple, like the space had been disturbed. Then it tore open.
A rift suddenly appeared.
It formed abruptly, jagged and unstable, as if it had been forced open rather than naturally created. The edges flickered violently as if struggling to hold their shape. Energy leaked out in uneven pulses and the space around it warped under the strain.
It didn’t look like something that could stay open for long.
Clyde turned his head toward it slowly.
His expression didn’t change much. If anything, it only became more indifferent.
"So they finally came," he said quietly.
He recognized it immediately. But they came too late.
The battle was already over.
He let out a quiet breath, almost like a sigh, as he shifted his stance slightly and faced the rift directly.
From within the distortion, figures began to emerge.
One by one, five people stepped out of the unstable opening.
They moved with caution at first. Their bodies tense and ready. Each of them wore battle-ready attire, armor and weapons already drawn as if they had been prepared to enter an ongoing fight.
But the moment they fully stepped through, they slowed.
Their eyes moved across the battlefield and saw the ruined skyscrapers, collapsed streets, and a massive crater carved into the center of it all.
The lingering traces of destruction were still hanging in the air.
At the center of it was Clyde standing alone, watching them.
His expression was too calm.
One of them shifted slightly, tightening their grip on their weapon as their eyes locked onto him.
"What the hell happened here?" one of them muttered under their breath.
None of them lowered their guard.
The tension in the air remained. Clyde simply looked at them.
—
