The ground shook with every step the creature took.
Stone cracked beneath its weight as it charged up the ridge, its massive body glowing with unstable celestial energy. Each movement sent fragments of rock sliding down the slope.
Kael didn't move.
Wind whipped past him, carrying dust and the faint metallic scent of broken earth. His grip tightened slightly around Skybreaker as the blade vibrated in his hand.
Not from fear.
From anticipation.
The beast roared again, louder this time, opening its jagged mouth as energy gathered deep within its throat.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"Yeah… you're not small problem."
The creature unleashed a blast of raw energy.
A beam of blinding light tore across the ridge toward him, vaporizing everything in its path.
Kael moved.
The moment the beam reached him, his body twisted sharply to the side.
The blast tore past him, slicing through stone like paper and exploding against the cliff behind him.
The shockwave alone nearly knocked him off balance.
"Fast," Kael muttered.
The beast was already moving again.
It closed the distance instantly, raising one massive claw and slamming it down toward him.
Kael lifted his arm.
"Shattered Horizon—"
The claw hit.
BOOM.
The ridge collapsed beneath the impact.
Kael was driven straight into the ground, stone cracking around him as dust exploded into the air.
For a moment, everything went still.
Then—
The beast lifted its claw.
Kael stood there.
Bruised.
Bleeding slightly from his forehead.
But smiling.
"…Second Break."
CRACK.
Space itself fractured around his fist as he drove it forward.
The impact slammed into the beast's chest, sending a ripple of distorted air through its massive body.
The creature staggered backward, a deep crack forming across the glowing crystal embedded in its torso.
It roared in pain.
Kael stepped out of the crater left by the attack, rolling his shoulder.
"Okay… that did something."
The beast's energy surged violently.
The crack in its chest began to glow brighter.
Then it started healing.
Kael frowned.
"Ah. You're one of those."
The creature slammed both arms into the ground.
The earth split open.
Spikes of crystal erupted upward toward Kael.
He leapt back, dodging the first wave, but more spikes shot up around him in rapid succession.
The battlefield transformed instantly into a forest of jagged crystal.
Kael landed on one of the higher outcrops, breathing slightly heavier now.
The Broken Heaven Energy inside him stirred again.
Hungry.
The beast roared once more, drawing in energy from the fragment at the center of the crater below.
Kael noticed it immediately.
"…So that's your source."
The fragment pulsed, feeding the creature.
If that continued, the beast would keep regenerating.
Kael clicked his tongue.
"Then I just need to cut off your supply."
The creature charged again.
Faster this time.
Its movements were sharper, more aggressive.
Kael dropped from the crystal outcrop just as the beast smashed through it, shards exploding in every direction.
He hit the ground running.
Instead of retreating, he moved straight toward the crater.
The beast noticed.
It roared and turned, chasing him with violent force.
Kael sprinted across the broken terrain, dodging debris and shockwaves as the creature tore through everything behind him.
Closer.
Closer to the fragment.
The energy in the air grew heavier with each step.
By the time he reached the edge of the crater, the pressure alone made his body tense.
The fragment glowed intensely at the center.
Wild.
Unstable.
Perfect.
The beast lunged.
Kael spun around at the last second, raising Skybreaker.
The claw came crashing down.
Kael met it head-on.
BOOOOM.
The impact drove him to one knee, the ground beneath him cracking again.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
"…You're annoying," he muttered.
The beast pushed harder, trying to crush him.
Kael's grip tightened.
The cracks along his arms spread further, glowing faintly.
The Broken Heaven Energy surged violently.
Then—
He let go of restraint.
Instead of resisting the pressure…
He absorbed it.
The energy from the fragment lashed into his body.
Pain exploded through him.
His vision flickered.
But he didn't stop.
"Sky Drinker…"
The energy intensified.
"…don't fail me now."
The beast hesitated.
For the first time—
It felt something wrong.
Kael's eyes darkened further.
The energy around him twisted unnaturally, bending toward him like gravity.
He stood up.
Slowly.
Forcing the beast's claw back.
The creature roared in confusion.
Kael smiled faintly.
"Your turn."
He stepped forward.
"Shattered Horizon…"
The air distorted violently around his fist.
"…Third Break."
CRAAAAAACK.
The punch landed directly on the beast's chest.
The already damaged crystal shattered completely this time.
A massive fracture spread through its entire body.
The creature froze.
Then—
It exploded.
Fragments of stone and crystal scattered across the valley as the beast collapsed into lifeless pieces.
Silence followed.
Kael stood there, breathing heavily.
The energy from the fragment slowly settled.
For a moment, he didn't move.
Then he looked toward the center of the crater.
The fragment remained.
Unclaimed.
Untouched.
Waiting.
Kael walked toward it slowly.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
Not from exhaustion.
From the pressure of what stood before him.
He reached out.
His hand hovered just above the glowing crystal.
The Broken Heaven Energy inside him reacted instantly.
Not violently.
But… eagerly.
Kael exhaled.
"…One piece at a time."
Then he grabbed it.
The moment his hand touched the fragment—
A surge of power exploded into his body.
And far beyond the broken sky…
Another chain shattered completely.