CHAPTER 53: INTO THE 8TH FLOOR PART VI - FINAL WAVE

[Entity Detected: "Thryssal, the Null-Titan"]

[Classification: Rift-Born Cataclysm | Apex Variant | Shard-Cursed]

[Warning: Entity classified beyond standard threat models.]

Then I saw it.

And for the first time in a long, long while, I hesitated.

Its body was split down the center by a blazing Rift Core, visible through its cracked chest—a Shard Heart. It wasn’t just born from magic.

It wasn’t just tall. It towered, casting a shadow that reached across the entire chamber. A vaguely humanoid silhouette made of void-cracked obsidian plates stitched together by glowing scars of Rift corruption. Its head bore no features—just a jagged crown of pulsating crystal that hummed like a dying sun.

There was no heat around it.

Only hunger.

Magic bent around it. No—magic fled.

And then I saw the truth.

"That thing is... devouring reality around it."

I dropped into a stance. Emberfang ignited. My fists burned bright. My breathing was sharp. My focus, absolute.

I launched forward first.

BOOOOM!

Hit it clean in the chest—burn igniting immediately.

Burn Stack: 1

And then I realized, nothing happened.

Not a flinch. Not a stagger. Not even a scratch.

The mark fizzled off its body like chalk on water.

It turned its head, slowly—acknowledging me. Not threatened.

Just... annoyed.

I backed up a step.

"What...?"

Then its hand moved.

One backhand. I didn’t even see it fully wind up.

CRACK—!!

The world turned sideways. My body flew, skipping across the marble like a ragdoll. Blood sprayed from my mouth. My ribs are shattered.

I stood—barely. Staggering. Eyes wide.

"That wasn’t magic. That was just... raw force."

I tried again. I activated Emberfang Burst. Hit it three more times in rapid succession. The floor cracked under the force. My muscles tore.

Burn Stack: 2

Burn Stack: 3

Burn Stack: 4

Burn Stack: 5

Still nothing. No damage. No wounds. Nothing held. It was like punching an indestructible god-shaped wall.

And then, Thryssal opened its chest.

A Rift Core exposed. Except this one was fractured, unstable.

A Shard Heart, but fused with a Null Core—void magic leaking from it like vapor.

And it did something horrifying:

[Mimicry: Emberfang Style – Corrupted Variant Uploaded.]

"WHAT?!"

I stumbled backward as its hands caught fire—my fire—but wrong. The flames were void-black, crackling with entropic inversion. It rushed forward, moving just like me—stance perfect.

We clashed.

Punch met punch.

Flames collided.

And I realized, It wasn’t mimicking my style.It was overriding it.

Every hit I threw, it copied one frame faster. Every counter it made, it learned mid-motion. Every tactic I had—it already knew.

My breathing sharpened.

I activated my movement skills. I tried redirecting momentum, bursting sideways, flickering in and out of range. I even tried an Erasure Pulse, hoping to dispel the cursed energy.

[Erasure Pulse Triggered.]

[Null Resistance Detected: 78%]

Even that was nearly ineffective.

"This is bad. This is the worst it’s ever been."

I gritted my teeth. Blood in my mouth. Pain in every nerve.

"Damn it... Astral Overdrive’s already burned out." I clenched my fists, heart pounding like a war drum.

’How the hell am I supposed to hurt this thing—let alone kill it?!’

I continued punching. My fists struck like meteors.

Fire trailed behind every motion. Emberfang Style was burning at max output—every strike built to tear through mana circuits, to ignite marrow and sear nerves.

I slammed a flaming uppercut into the Null-Titan’s chest.

BOOM—!

It didn’t even stagger.

[Burn Stack: 15]

[Status Resistance: Suppressed]

[Debuff Denied]

’Denied?!’

I twisted low, launching a spin-kick right into the Titan’s knee—enough force to crack enchanted steel. A normal monster would’ve folded. Shattered.

The Titan glanced down amost like it was curious why a mosquito just tapped its leg.

Then came the retaliation. A backhand of solid Rift-forged mass. I blocked with both arms—bracing, grit grinding in my teeth.

CRACK!

My body launched back, slamming into the wall with bone-jarring force. Dust and debris scattered like shrapnel.

"Gah—!"

I dropped to one knee, coughing blood. My arms were numb. Skin burned from the magical feedback. My regeneration could barely keep up.

"Tch... Look at you now." I wiped the blood trickling from my mouth, eyes burning from exhaustion.

"Acting cocky in front of something way out of your league... Real brilliant, Nile." A bitter smirk tugged at my lips. "What a damn joke."

Thryssal marched forward. Its obsidian-like feet cracked the ground with every step. Its arms flared again—my technique, corrupted into something monstrous.

Another Emberfang volley came, but this time—it came from the Titan. Black fire. Twisting. Each hit ate space itself.

I dodged, ducked, rolled—my movements sharp, reactive.

But I was slowing down.

"I’m burning out..."

A palm strike caught me in the ribs.

WHAM!

The impact cratered the stone beneath me. Runes lit up around the Titan’s arm as if mocking my Emberfang inscriptions. The fire inside me flared—but the moment I struck again, it was like hitting a ghost in armor.

No real weight behind the damage.

Only effort.

Only pain.

I gritted my teeth and fired Erasure Pulse again.

[Erasure Pulse Activated]

[Null Resistance: 81%]

’My trump cards weren’t working anymore.’

I froze. "Wait."

[Skill Upgrade Available: Emberfang Style → Crimson Recast: Ember Conversion Form]

[Status: Pending Fusion.]

My eyes widened, my heart thudding harder. "Damn it—I never confirmed it..."

Through grit teeth, I reached inward. I didn’t even need the system prompt—I’d memorized the effect.

Crimson Recast: Ember Conversion Form

Rarity: Epic

A volatile fusion designed to convert Emberfang Style into an adaptive, stance-based martial art. Allows shifting between:

• Precision Flame – Focused on stacking Burn rapidly through sharp, piercing strikes and DOT.

• Explosive Ember – Emphasizes burst damage and overwhelming pressure after full stack buildup.

"Confirm evolution."

"Do it. Now."

[Skill Evolution Initiated...]

[Fusion Successful.]

[New Style: Emberfang – Crimson Recast]

Stance Modules Installed: Precision Flame / Explosive Ember

[Warning: Transition between stances during combat may cause backlash if improperly timed.]

My body responded before the system finished. The fire inside me shifted—burning brighter, narrower. My stance lowered—blades of flame twisting at my elbows, forming arcs like drawn bows.

Precision Flame.