The boss let out a roar that shook the very walls of the Rift. Darkness exploded from its core in a violent wave, forcing the team to scatter.
"Spread out!" Ryuu shouted, summoning a barrier of wind just in time to shield Maiya and Renzo from the first blast.
Renzo, still bleeding under his eye, grit his teeth as he stared the creature down. "We end this now!"
The beast charged, stabbing forward with jagged spear-like arms. Jinsei blocked the first strike, skidding backward, while Tetsu caught the second with his gauntlets, sparks flying as metal met hardened Will.
"Now!" Ryuu called out.
Maiya was already in motion, her twin energy blades spinning with furious speed. She launched herself at the boss's back, slicing into it with a piercing cry. The beast shrieked, staggering, and that was the opening they needed.
Jinsei vanished and reappeared above it, slamming down a heavy blade of glowing Will energy into its neck.
"Renzo!" Tetsu shouted.
Renzo charged forward, a powerful surge of determination flooding through him. His aura flared—burning blue and gold—as he leapt into the air and slammed his blade into the beast's chest with everything he had left.
Crack.
A sharp fracture split across the boss's core.
Ryuu spun in and delivered the final strike—an arrow of compressed wind that pierced the crack and exploded inside.
The beast screamed, convulsed, and then—
Boom.
It shattered into a thousand shards of blackened glass and dissolved into mist. The ground trembled one last time, then grew still.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then, in the center of the battlefield, glowing faintly with sacred energy, floated a single vial—silver and blue, swirling with power.
"The Cleansing Elixir…" Maiya whispered.
Renzo limped forward and carefully grabbed it. He stared at it, blood still dripping down his face. "We did it."
Jinsei smiled faintly. "Let's go bring him home."
With the elixir secured, they turned back. The exit of the Rift pulsed like a heartbeat in the distance, the portal finally opening again now that its guardian had fallen. They moved together, tired but unbroken, through the path they had fought so hard to reach.
The outside world greeted them with warm wind and sunlight.
They had survived.
They had the elixir.
And now… it was time to bring Kael back.