The Dweller growled lowly, its black eyes fixed on the Anomaly.
Eirwyn and Zeph stood at a distance, watching the boy casually walk toward them while the Dweller observed him in return.
"Oye, Anomaly—"
"Don't call me that," the boy snapped, irritation flashing across his face. "I have a name."
His amber eyes narrowed slightly.
"Anfu."
Despite the towering Dweller approaching them again, Anfu's attention shifted to Zeph.
"And you," he said, confused, "why couldn't you slice it like before? Earlier, you cut its arm off."
Something clicked in Zeph's mind.
His eyes widened slightly.
Realization.
The Dweller suddenly lunged.
Its claw rose high above them—
But before it could strike—
A blazing slash tore through the air.
The Dweller's arm separated instantly.
At the same moment, frost exploded across the ground.
Eirwyn froze the Dweller's legs solid.
"Move!" Zeph barked.
All three of them jumped back simultaneously, creating distance.
The severed arm hit the pavement—
Then began regenerating.
Crystal spread rapidly across the wound.
Within seconds—
The arm had fully regrown.
Zeph smirked faintly.
"As I thought," he muttered. "Its joints are vulnerable. The skin around them isn't as durable as the rest of its body."
"Glad you finally realized it," Anfu replied dryly. "But that won't be enough to kill it."
Wind gathered around his arm, spiraling violently.
"It regenerates within seconds."
Eirwyn's eyes shifted toward Anfu's palm, studying the swirling wind compressing there.
Anfu noticed immediately.
"Keep your focus on the Dweller," he said coldly. "Not me."
Eirwyn ignored the remark.
"I was thinking…" Frost formed along his hand, shaping itself into a sharp blade of ice. "What if we burn it entirely?"
His eyes flicked toward Zeph.
"Looking at its size, Zeph alone can't produce enough flame."
Anfu caught on immediately.
"You want me to amplify his flames with my wind?"
Before either of them could answer—
The Dweller attacked again.
Crystallized spikes erupted toward them like a storm.
Anfu raised his arm.
The wind screamed.
The spikes were blown off course instantly, scattering across the ruined streets.
Then—
Silence.
All three of them looked back toward the Dweller.
It was gone.
Eirwyn's eyes narrowed. "Where is it?"
For the first time, there was tension in his voice.
Zeph didn't answer immediately.
His gaze slowly lifted upward.
"…Above us."
Eirwyn and Anfu followed his line of sight.
And froze.
The Dweller hovered high above the city.
Its enormous wings spread wide against the sky, each slow flap sending violent gusts through the streets below.
Dust spiraled upward.
Broken glass trembled.
Its shadow swallowed them whole.
The creature stared down at them from the sky—
Like a predator observing prey.
Then—
It roared.
The sound crashed through the city like thunder.
Windows shattered.
The Dweller's roar shook the air—
THWCKK!
Silence.
Complete silence.
Eirwyn blinked. "…An arrow?"
Zeph narrowed his eyes toward the sky.
"Yes," he said calmly. "And a direct shot at that."
High above them, the Dweller had gone still.
An arrow had pierced straight through its open mouth.
Even the creature seemed momentarily stunned.
Anfu's amber eyes narrowed slightly.
"…What precision," he muttered.
He turned around slowly.
"Do you two know him?"
Zeph followed Anfu's gaze.
And smiled faintly.
"Yeah," he said. "Of course I know him."
A quiet breath left him.
"He's my student."
A beat.
"Schwarian Blumhart."
A figure emerged through the ruined street.
Schwarian walked forward steadily, a uniquely engineered bow gripped in his hand—its metallic frame glowing faintly with integrated tech.
His coat fluttered violently beneath the gusts created by the Dweller's wings.
But his steps never faltered.
He stopped beside them.
Then moved slightly ahead.
Standing between them and the Dweller.
No hesitation.
"I have a plan."
His voice was calm.
Certain.
For a brief moment, his eyes shifted toward the still-open Riss.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Eirwyn stared at him in visible confusion before glancing back at Zeph.
"…Your student?" Eirwyn asked slowly.
Zeph nodded once.
Schwarian didn't waste another second.
He kept firing arrows into the sky one after another, forcing the Dweller to stay airborne and defensive.
"The plan is simple," Schwarian said. "We throw the Dweller back into the Riss."
Another arrow flew.
"Then I'll use Versiegelung to seal it."
Eirwyn stared at him.
"…That's your plan?"
There was clear annoyance in his voice.
Anfu responded before Schwarian could.
"Well," he said dryly, "it sounds more workable than someone's idea of burning a Dweller whose skin is basically crystal."
Eirwyn went silent.
Schwarian's eyes briefly shifted toward Anfu.
Even while firing, he was observing him.
Thinking.
Listening.
Zeph stepped forward slightly, flames flickering harder along his blade.
"We can still use the fire," he said. "If Anfu amplifies the output with his winds."
Schwarian immediately caught on.
"We use the flames to force it toward the Riss," he said quickly.
Another shot.
The arrow struck one of the Dweller's wings.
The creature roared violently.
"Meanwhile," Schwarian continued, "Eirwyn prepares the final attack to push it through."
His eyes narrowed upward.
"But first…"
He drew another arrow.
"We need to get rid of those wings."
***
Zeph sprinted across the rooftops, leaping from one building to another.
Flames streamed behind his blade with every movement, leaving burning trails in the air.
His breathing had grown heavier.
At one point, his hand briefly tightened against his chest—
But he kept moving.
Beside him, Anfu rode the wind itself.
Violent gusts spiraled through the city under his control, carrying him effortlessly across the collapsing skyline.
Anfu glanced toward Zeph.
"Are you okay?" he asked, genuine concern slipping into his voice.
"I am," Zeph answered immediately.
Too quickly.
High above them—
The Dweller noticed.
Its enormous head snapped toward the rooftops.
SPLK!
SPLK!
Two arrows tore through the air.
Both struck perfectly.
Straight into the Dweller's void-black eyes.
The creature recoiled violently midair, letting out a distorted roar as its wings flapped harder to stabilize itself.
***
Back on the streets—
Schwarian slowly lowered his bow.
Another arrow was already positioned between his fingers.
His eyes remained fixed on the sky, tracking the Dweller as it thrashed violently above the city.
Beside him, Eirwyn stood in silence.
Watching.
Not the Dweller.
Schwarian.
The young officer's movements were steady despite the chaos surrounding them. Calm. Precise.
Far too composed for someone who had admitted fear not long ago.
Cold mist curled faintly around Eirwyn's fingertips as he continued observing him.
Then—
***
While the Dweller recoiled midair, writhing from the arrows embedded in its eyes—
Its wounds began regenerating.
The crystal around its shattered eyes slowly reformed.
Zeph noticed immediately.
"We need to hurry," he said.
Anfu nodded once.
The two of them sprinted across the rooftops until they reached a building directly behind the airborne Dweller.
Without slowing down—
Zeph leapt from the rooftop.
Anfu reacted instantly.
Wind exploded beneath Zeph's body, launching him upward through the air like a projectile.
Straight toward the Dweller.
Zeph landed hard onto the creature's back.
Flames surged violently along his blade.
Then—
He swung.
The flaming sword carved through the Dweller's wings at the joints.
Both wings tore away in a spray of crystal and burning flesh.
The Dweller let out a distorted roar.
Its massive body immediately lost balance.
It began falling.
Zeph drove his sword downward.
Once.
Twice.
The blade barely pierced the creature's hardened skin.
Still—
He forced it deeper.
His boots dug into the Dweller's back as he held himself in place during the fall.
The city rushed upward beneath them.
Then—
Impact.
The Dweller crashed into the streets below with devastating force, shattering concrete across the block.
Zeph staggered off its back, breathing heavily now.
The Dweller twitched violently.
Its severed wings began regenerating almost instantly.
Crystal spread rapidly from the wounds.
The creature pushed itself upward—
Trying to stand.
Zeph gritted his teeth and shoved his blade deeper into its back.
Then—
The Dweller's eyes healed.
Void-black vision returned.
And the first thing it saw—
Was Schwarian.
Standing directly ahead.
Bow fully drawn.
Waiting.
THWCK!
THWCK!
Two arrows pierced its eyes again.
The Dweller screamed in pain.
Eirwyn moved immediately.
Frost erupted outward, freezing over the Dweller's eyes and the regenerating wings attached to its back.
Zeph ripped his blade free.
"All of you—back!"
Everyone jumped away at once, creating distance.
Then—
Anfu stepped forward.
Wind spiraled violently around him.
His amber eyes locked onto the Dweller.
And with a violent motion—
He unleashed the storm.
The compressed winds slammed into the Dweller, dragging its massive body across the ruined streets—
Straight toward the open Riss.
"NOW!!" Schwarian screamed.
***
Zeph stepped forward, breathing heavily.
Violent flames erupted around him, spiraling wildly into the air.
The heat distorted the entire street.
Zeph raised his sword—
And unleashed it.
A massive burst of flames roared forward like a tidal wave.
Anfu reacted instantly.
The winds around the city screamed as he amplified the inferno, feeding oxygen into the flames until they transformed into a raging storm of fire.
The Dweller was forced backward.
Its hooves carved deep trails into the shattered ground as it struggled against the overwhelming pressure.
Schwarian didn't stop firing.
Arrow after arrow tore through the flames toward the creature.
Zeph gritted his teeth.
The flames intensified again.
His entire body trembled violently now.
"MR. EIRWYN!!"
Far behind them—
Eirwyn moved.
A gigantic pillar of ice manifested above the ruined street, freezing the surrounding air instantly.
Then—
He threw it.
Anfu's winds wrapped around the ice pillar, accelerating it forward with devastating force.
The frozen spear tore through the inferno—
And collided with the Dweller.
The impact shook the city block.
The Dweller's body was launched backward—
Straight into the Riss.
"Schwarian!" Zeph roared.
Schwarian raised the Versiegelung immediately.
The crystal embedded within it glowed violently.
He fired.
A surge of energy shot directly into the Riss.
The fracture between worlds began closing rapidly.
The Dweller roared one final time—
Then vanished.
The Riss sealed completely.
Silence.
Smoke drifted through the ruined streets.
Schwarian let out a faint breath.
"…We did it."
A small smile appeared on his face.
Slowly—
He turned around.
"We did it, Mr. Zeph—"
The words died instantly.
His face went pale.
"…Mr. Zeph?"