The Author's Viewpoint
Chapter 159 - The Rift’s Final Breath

Chapter 159: Chapter 159 - The Rift’s Final Breath

Tave was still trying to steady his breathing. His body felt frozen, numb from having pushed himself far past his limits just to survive the aerial assault from the demons. He hadn’t fought back, he had merely endured, clinging to life in the eye of chaos.

He locked eyes with Vanya, determined to explain everything as clearly and concisely as possible.

"Skarathor, the massive bird... it’s summoned every creature in the rift to this spot. Within minutes, this place will turn into a battleground of pure chaos. Every monster is converging here, and destruction is inevitable."

He didn’t need to say much more. What was already happening outside was enough to prove the truth in his words. The colossal tornado threatened to flatten the entire forest. The enormous bird loomed overhead, a god of fury in the skies. And outside their fragile shelter, hundreds of demons waited, restless and ready to kill.

"There’s a strong chance the rift will collapse soon," he added, layering one more grim fact onto the growing mountain of catastrophe.

Vanya listened in silence, her brows furrowed so tightly they nearly touched. She couldn’t mask the dread rising in her chest. Not anymore.

"We need to get out there and save the others," Tave finally said, the words landing heavy in the dim space.

It was a foolish dream to think they could hide here for long.

But how? How could they hope to save their comrades? Those who couldn’t fly, who had no good mobility, no way to escape? Even with Tave and Vanya’s superior agility and stealth, they had barely managed to hold on.

Vanya gave a slow nod. She reached out and took Tave’s right hand in hers. The moment their skin touched, a surge of green energy bloomed around them, enveloping their bodies in a glowing cocoon. The energy shimmered and shifted, camouflaging them with the environment, wrapping them in an illusion of safety.

The space opened, and immediately, the sound of the outside world came crashing in. Screaming winds. Roaring monsters. The storm’s fury.

Tave tightened his grip on Vanya’s hand as he pulled himself up, legs shaky but resolute.

His Gaia Wings unfolded, ready to fly.

With a strong series of flaps, a burst of force lifted them both off the ground. The wind struck him hard, but he held on. His right hand was still locked around Vanya’s. She did her best to help steady their flight as the storm tossed them.

Then, with another fierce sweep of his wings, the wind obeyed, and they surged forward, fighting their way through the maelstrom, aiming straight toward the heart of the demon fortress.

Tave could see everything with brutal clarity. The full scale of the chaos unfolding around him.

The massive tornado was drawing closer, its monstrous spiral devouring the distance. It wouldn’t be long before it hit the open clearing and the demon fortress eventually.

Below them, hundreds of demons swarmed, trying to hold their lines as hordes of monsters crashed against them. Screams filled the air, joined by the clash of steel, the roar of spells, and the thundering impact of bodies torn apart in war.

This was what a large-scale battle truly looked like. And this... this was only a clash involving Gaia Grand Master-level awakeners. If the tiers were any higher, the battlefield would become an apocalypse. One capable of reshaping the very landscape. Mountains would fall. Lakes would form. Maps would be rewritten.

Tave pushed forward through the storm, wings straining as he flew toward the towering wall that surrounded the fortress. Most of the demons had already abandoned their posts inside. The stronghold was breaking apart, shattered by the wind, ravaged by chaos, debris flying like deadly arrows in every direction.

He forced himself downward, wings beating with everything he had left. Every motion drained him to the core, but he pressed on.

Finally, his feet touched the ground. He stumbled slightly, breath ragged, but managed to center himself and find his footing, still gripping Vanya’s hand tightly in his right.

He turned to her, and she responded with a firm nod.

Hopefully... Hopefully their comrades were still alive out there.

They ran, forcing their heavy, dragging steps forward through the storm, every stride a struggle against the violent winds. One wrong move, and they’d be swept off the ground again.

More than once, Tave and Vanya had to stumble back just in time as massive carriages, torn from who knew where. Crashed down before them, slamming into the earth with bone-rattling force.

At the very least, once they reached the outer edge of the main building of the demon fortress, they would find some momentary shelter from the chaos and the roaring winds outside.

But the longer this went on, the worse things would get.

If the Rift really did collapse in the near future, then all of this chaos would be just the beginning. A mere prelude.

Because if the Rift breaks... everything inside it explodes.

And worse, every monster that had died within it would be pulled back into the world outside. Resurrected. Reborn. Repeating the cycle. But this time, in even greater numbers.

That’s why a rift collapse was a nightmare. Not just for those within, but for the world beyond.

The monsters wouldn’t just return. They would emerge together, in one concentrated burst, at a single point of rupture.

And if that point was near Deadbay City?

The city would be flattened. Simple as that.

Yes, there were powerful awakeners stationed outside. But numbers like these... even they would be overwhelmed.

Even someone like Elincia, with all her terrifying strength, wouldn’t be able to slay that many without unleashing an attack so massive, it would likely destroy everything and everyone else nearby.

Especially if the monsters spawned directly inside the city itself.

That... that would mark the beginning of Deadbay City’s end.

And that would be a nightmare far worse than anything the Rift had already shown them.

The entrance to the main building finally came into view, and it was clear. Not a trace of movement, no demons lurking in sight. Tave picked up his pace, urgency in every step, with Vanya close beside him. If their friends were still inside, maybe... just maybe, they could regroup at last.

But then, just as they were about to break through the threshold, Tave’s instincts screamed.

He yanked Vanya back without hesitation, falling into a guarded stance. In a flash, he summoned his sword into his left hand. Vanya mirrored him, her bow instantly drawn and ready in her right.

Because from the shadows just beyond the door, something moved.

A figure stepped forward.

Even in the dimness of the storm-ravaged night, the form that emerged was unmistakable. A demon clad in jagged, pitch-black armor, the edges cruel and twisted. A tattered cloak flared violently behind him, caught by the furious winds.

But the most striking feature... was his head. A horse-like head.

While every other demon had either retreated or been swallowed by the storm, one remained.

Marquis Kimaris. The 68th seat of the Demon Codex. A Named Demon. One of the Seventy-Two.

The demon stepped forward with a calm, almost lazy gait—completely unfazed by the chaos erupting all around him.

"Well, well... look who’s come crawling back," he said "Two little birds thinking they can defy fate?"

A crooked grin spread across his horse-like face.

"You should know. I’m no ordinary demon. I’m level 52. A Gaia Champion. And you know exactly what that means, don’t you?"