The alarm blared across Essence HQ.
Not just the local branch. Every screen in Tokyo, every emergency broadcast system, every Essence Warrior network lit up with the same priority message:"CODE BLACK – TWO EX-RANK BEASTS IDENTIFIED IN RIFT ZONE 07. ALL AVAILABLE S-RANK AND HIGH A-RANK WARRIORS REPORT IMMEDIATELY."
These weren't your average missions.These were cataclysm-level events.
Riku stood silently in a side hallway of the HQ building, already geared up in his dark combat armor, the sleek silver lines on the sleeves dimly glowing. A younger A-rank officer rushed toward him and handed him a red badge with a black slash through it.
"Backup detail. Zone 07. Priority reinforcement. You're going in with the support squad."
Riku blinked. "Wait. Two EX-rank beasts?""Yes. You're not expected to fight them directly—just support evac, patch up injured, delay any overflows. That's all."
But they both knew the truth: if things went south, everyone, including Riku, would be fighting for their lives.
Rift Zone 07 – 3:41 PM
The Rift pulsed like a monstrous wound in space, jagged and wide, with a sky that looked like shattered glass above it. The air crackled with pressure, and even the most experienced S-Rank Essence warriors could feel their skin tighten with dread.
There were fifty S-Rank warriors lined up at the gates. All in their elite gear. All of them serious.Beside them, eighty-five A-Ranks formed squadrons, grouped by specialization—flame-types, weapon manipulators, beast-summoners, terrain manipulators, and others.
Behind them stood support—B-Ranks, healers, energy restorers… and Riku.
He stood quietly, observing the gathering forces. His grey hair ruffled by the wind, his gaze unwavering. He didn't speak. Didn't need to.
A loud voice boomed from a levitating command platform above.
"This is Commander Akimoto. You all know what's inside this Rift. Not one—but two confirmed EX-Rank beasts. We don't know if they're working together or if it's a convergence anomaly. What we do know is this: nothing like this has happened in 20 years."
A ripple of murmurs spread through the squads.
"Our objective: containment. Kill, if possible. Survivors: everyone, if we're lucky."
Without another word, the order was given. The forces surged forward.
Inside the Rift
It was worse than any simulation.
The ground shifted like breathing skin. The sky above bent in angles that didn't make sense. Time felt stretched, broken. And from the distance… came the roar.
A bellow that cracked the sky.
The first EX-Rank beast appeared like a creature made of volcanic rock and lightning. Eyes glowing red, each footstep causing earthquakes. The second—a floating mass of corrupted crystals and black tentacles—descended from the clouds, its voice like a thousand screams layered together.
The battlefield erupted.
The S-Ranks moved first, striking with precision. Essence beams lit the sky, firestorms erupted, stone spears rose from the ground, and dozens of warriors unleashed their full power.
But the beasts responded with carnage.
Within the first hour, 25 S-Rank Essence warriors were down—battered, bleeding, some with shattered limbs.An additional 20 A-Ranks were injured severely, several more barely holding on.
The Rift turned into a war zone of essence techniques clashing against raw destruction.
Riku's squad moved quickly. He carried the wounded on his back, deflecting stray blasts with his palms, guiding others to cover. Even as a D-Rank on paper, his movement was too sharp, his senses too advanced. Some S-Ranks gave him double-takes.
No one questioned him out loud. They were too busy surviving.
By the third hour, the number of injured had risen dramatically—45 warriors total, including high-tier elites. Command ordered additional reinforcements, but the beasts weren't slowing down.
Riku stood on a jagged cliff overlooking the chaos. He saw it all—the pain, the fear, the desperation.
And somewhere deep inside him…
The AI spark pulsed.A voice echoed in his head.
"Soon. The seal will break. You will rise, AI Deity."
But not yet.
For now, he was still a D-Rank.Still just support.
But that was going to change.