Anomaly of Fate
Chapter 78: Riftborn

Chapter 78: Riftborn

Velren’s breath came in ragged bursts, his pulse pounding against his ears. The battlefield had gone eerily silent for a moment—except for one sound.

A faint chime.

His Codex had manifested before him, glowing with a flickering light. The shifting text upon its translucent interface was garbled at first, symbols jittering before finally settling into clarity:

[V1tal 3cho 0bta1ned: Ruinweave]

Velren stared at the words.

His mind was still catching up. One second, he had been fumbling through useless tests, barely staying ahead of the wyvern’s claws. The next, the rifts had detonated out of nowhere—and now this. A new Vital Echo.

It took a few heartbeats before it fully sank in.

Then, a low chuckle escaped his lips.

That chuckle turned into a breathless laugh.

Then into something unhinged.

"Ha... Haha... HAHAHAHAHA!"

Velren threw his head back, laughter ringing through the battlefield. His fingers gripped his katana’s hilt so tightly his knuckles turned white. His whole body shook, not from fear, but exhilaration.

"FINALLY! A NEW VITAL ECHO! HAHAHAHA!"

The wyvern, unfazed by his outburst, let out a deep, guttural growl. The beast had already regained its focus, golden eyes locked onto him with renewed fury. Its scaled chest expanded as it inhaled, flaring its nostrils.

Velren’s manic laughter died down into a grin. His sharp gaze met the wyvern’s.

"And you!" he said, raising his katana and pointing it at the massive beast.

"You’ll be my first test subject!"

The wyvern roared in response, its hulking form lunging forward in an earth-shaking sprint. Velren exhaled sharply, tightening his grip. The excitement was there, yes—but excitement didn’t mean control.

He had no idea how to use this... Ruinweave properly yet.

The wyvern was closing in fast. No time for hesitation.

Velren slashed his katana, willing the rifts to form—

SHING!

The air tore open. Several flickering rifts carved themselves into existence, their jagged edges pulsing. But before Velren could figure out how to trigger them, the wyvern was already upon him.

’Damn, can’t you wait for a moment—!’

Its claws were scythed toward him in a vicious arc.

’Shit—!’

He barely managed to twist away, but the sheer force behind the strike still sent him tumbling. His boots scraped against the dirt as he struggled to maintain his footing, but the wyvern gave him no reprieve.

Another strike. He dodged.

A tail sweep. He leapt over it.

A lunge—

’No choice!’

Velren slashed again, forcing more rifts to scatter around the battlefield. He could feel them thrumming in the air, unstable and waiting. He just needed to—

A shadow loomed. The wyvern’s fangs snapped forward.

Velren’s instincts screamed. He ducked, but not fast enough—searing pain tore through his side as its fangs grazed him, ripping into flesh. Blood splattered the ground soon after.

A strangled grunt left his lips, his vision flickering from the pain. His body wanted to collapse, but he forced himself to move, rolling away just as the wyvern’s tail came crashing down where he had been moments before.

’Damn it, damn it, damn it—!’

His mind was racing. He had the ability, but what good was it if he couldn’t use it properly?

His fingers tightened around his katana hilt, his frustration boiling over.

’Think, you idiot! You set them off before—how?!’

Another attack came. Velren barely parried the incoming claws, the sheer force of the impact sending jolts through his arms. The wyvern was relentless, pressing its advantage.

He needed a way to trigger the rifts—fast.

Then it hit him.

The last time they detonated, what had he done?

Click.

His thumb had flicked against the guard of his katana. A simple motion, a reflex born out of irritation.

’That’s it?’

The wyvern lunged again. No time to second-guess.

Velren dodged left, slashing his katana at a rift mid-motion. He landed, skidding his feet—but instead of retreating, his thumb moved instinctively.

Click.

The result was instantaneous.

BOOM!

The rift behind the wyvern detonated, a vicious explosion of slashing force ripping through the air. The wyvern’s roar was drowned out by the concussive blast, with its body reeling from the impact.

Velren’s eyes widened.

’It worked.’

A slow grin spread across his face.

’It fucking worked..!’

The wyvern steadied itself, shaking off the initial shock. But Velren wasn’t about to let it recover. He immediately moved. His katana flashed through the air, rifts carving themselves into the battlefield with every precise strike. The wyvern roared and charged again, but this time, Velren was prepared.

Dodge. Slash. Click.

BOOM!

A rift detonated near its legs, forcing the wyvern to stumble.

"HAHAHAHA!"

He closed in, his katana carving another rift along the beast’s flank.

Flick.

BOOM!

Another explosion of force sent the wyvern skidding. It snarled, flaring its wings in desperation.

And Velren wasn’t stopping. More slashes, more rifts—each one placed with purpose, weaving an intricate pattern of destruction. The battlefield itself became his very own weapon.

The wyvern’s movements grew sluggish. Its once-ferocious roars turned into ragged snarls. Deep, gaping wounds marred its body, as the relentless barrage of Ruinweave taking its toll. But Velren was at his limit too. Blood dripped from his wounds, his breaths shallow and uneven. His vision blurred at the edges, but he pushed through.

’One last strike.’

Gathering every ounce of strength left in his body, Velren surged forward.

He drove his katana into the air—one final slash. The rift it created hung ominously before the wyvern’s head.

’Now!’

Velren flicked his thumb.

Flick.

The explosion that followed was deafening.

A concussive shockwave erupted from the final rift, sending ripples of raw force slicing through the air. The wyvern’s massive form jerked violently, its roar warping into a distorted, guttural cry—before being cut short altogether.

The slashing detonation ripped through its skull, shearing through scales and bone with merciless precision. A violent rupture splintered outward from the point of impact, deep cracks webbing across the beast’s cranium as if reality itself had fractured. The wyvern’s eyes, once brimming with untamed fury, flickered—then dimmed.

Its body seized. A grotesque shudder wracked through its frame, its wings were spasming as the last vestiges of resistance drained from its form. Blood spurted in jagged arcs from the gaping wound in its head.

For a fleeting moment, it almost looked as though the wyvern was trying to stay upright, its muscles locking, trembling, fighting against the inevitable. But then, with a final, defeated groan, its colossal body began to tip.

The earth quaked beneath Velren’s feet as the wyvern collapsed, crashing to the ground.

Velren remained motionless, his katana still raised in his trembling grip, his breath coming in ragged, uneven bursts. His body swayed slightly, exhaustion clawing at his limbs, but he refused to move. He simply watched—waiting, making sure.

Then, the dust began to settle.

The wyvern did not rise.

Its body lay still, the last shudders of life already fading. The once-mighty creature, a relentless predator that had nearly torn him apart, was now nothing more than a broken corpse sprawled across the battlefield.

Velren exhaled, a sharp, unsteady breath. His shoulders sagged, and for the first time since the fight began, his grip on his katana loosened. His legs threatened to give out beneath him, but he forced himself to stay standing, still having his gaze locked onto the fallen beast.

A slow, bitter grin tugged at the corner of his lips.

He had won.

"Ha...haha..."

Barely.