"What do you understand, Veronica?" Christopher asked as the woman slowly removed her hand from the rift.

Veronica’s brows furrowed as she turned to look at the man. "This...is the first time I’ve come across something so unnatural."

Christopher nodded. "Indeed." Letting out a sigh, he added, "Rifts have always been a subject with no concrete theory behind them. We could never truly determine how they worked or whether we could rely on history to predict their movements."

As the elder spoke, the two younger ones listened carefully.

"Indeed, sir. But even with all those countless variables, this is outrageous. A rift changing its danger level based on the threat it senses?"

Christopher nodded in agreement. "It is outrageous. We’ve always been told that beyond a certain limit, a Rift couldn’t withstand the weight of Genesis. And the amount you released just now should’ve either caused an outburst or shattered the gateway entirely."

Kyle silently agreed. Back during the resort incident, he had overwhelmed all four rifts with his immense Genesis presence, forcing them to disappear.

"Then Grandpa...is this an anomaly?" Charles asked, his voice heavy. Despite his young age, he seemed level-headed.

"Well, there have been a few rifts of the same nature around the world."

"What?" Veronica looked stunned. "Why haven’t I heard about this until now?"

Christopher explained, "The information was kept among the higher-ups because of the chaos it could cause."

Veronica hummed thoughtfully. "What kind of impact do they leave? Does raising the reading cause bigger fish to come out?"

Christopher barely needed a moment to answer. The report was still fresh in his mind.

"From all three observations, it was noted that the creatures that appeared were still within the same rank as the primary reading suggested."

Veronica crossed her arms. "So this change is some sort of countermeasure?"

Christopher tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"Like a protective mechanism so a high Genesis count doesn’t end up breaking the Gateway?" Kyle suddenly spoke, drawing everyone’s attention toward him.

He blinked after realizing he’d spoken out loud, but Veronica’s faint smile told him he hadn’t interrupted.

"That...sounds troublesome," Christopher muttered. "The only reason we could feel assured about younger Nightwalkers was because we believed a high-ranking Nightwalker could appear during emergencies and eliminate the problem at its root."

Charles asked, "Grandpa...are you really sure the deduction is correct?" 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Kyle nearly rolled his eyes at the suspicious boy.

Christopher, however, showed little doubt. "I believe that’s the most feasible explanation for what we’re witnessing." He let out a sigh. "So...they’re adapting. But why now? And what’s causing it?"

Kyle swallowed hard. He really, really hoped this had nothing to do with him.

Just then—

Crackle

The rift released a raven-colored spark, and the ground beneath it trembled.

"Oh, it’s already close to maturing, huh?" Christopher said calmly as he stepped back. "Well, I hope you’ll allow my grandson to join in on the fun. After all, I brought him out for some field experience, much like your trainee."

Veronica felt conflicted. She had wanted to give Kyle some peaceful time to deal with the Knull Residents without interference.

However, the Headmaster had done far too much for them recently for her to reject such a small request.

"Yes, of course." She glanced at Kyle before adding, "Try to work well as a team and deal with the danger."

Charles scoffed inwardly as he looked at the overgrown man.

Pulling out a thin metallic rope from his belt, he said, "Don’t get in my way. I’ll handle this."

Kyle scratched his head. Such youthful energy...ah, he already felt old.

Just then, two grotesque figures burst outward, tearing through the crack as if they had materialized from the energy radiating from the rift itself.

The other three made some distance, giving Charles the stage.

On the left stood a two-legged creature with a wide, snarling maw. Its sharp teeth snapped at empty air while its blood-red split eyes searched hungrily for human flesh.

On the right was a six-armed creature with a slim frame, and for a monster, it looked unnervingly calm. Its eyes remained closed, its body resembling scraped steel.

One radiated aggression.

The other, calculation.

Charles cared little about either.

"Here I come."

The rope in his hand ignited with a greenish hue as he charged forward.

His steps were light, each long stride bringing him closer to the calmer majin. Both his hands gripped the rope in a way that made his intention painfully obvious.

He was going to strangle the monster.

However, just as Charles reached the calmer creature, something moved behind him.

"Expected," Charles muttered with a grin.

He twisted on instinct and drove his leg straight into the attacker’s gut.

Graah!

The creature cried out as it slid backward, but it immediately sprang forward again. Armless and savage-looking, it appeared terrifying to the naked eye.

Charles, however, remained far too composed for someone his age. Even when the monster’s speed suddenly increased, he didn’t panic.

"Come at me," he muttered.

Then he released the rope from his left hand.

The Majin lunged at him, its maw stretching wide enough to swallow his entire head—

Only for Charles to vanish.

Its jaws snapped shut on empty air.

Before the creature could react, the burning rope suddenly wedged itself between its closing jaws.

"Hmm?" Veronica’s brows rose slightly.

Charles had reappeared above the Majin.

The rope was tightly wrapped around his hands while its middle part remained jammed deep between the creature’s jaws. Using his weight and momentum, Charles yanked downward, forcing the monster’s head toward the ground while keeping its maw pried open.

The rope burned through the creature’s flesh, drilling deeper as it began penetrating its skull.

At that exact moment, the other Majin suddenly moved, appearing directly on Charles’s shoulder—

"Huh?"

Shock flashed across the young man’s face. He hadn’t sensed it at all.

But surprise quickly turned into strain as the creature’s weight suddenly increased to a terrifying degree, enough to throw off his balance entirely.

Thunk

The ground caved inward beneath them, cracks spreading across the surface as the Majin’s ability revealed itself, exponentially increasing its own weight.

Yet the human it targeted wasn’t crushed.

Charles had vanished at the very last second.

Instead, the Majin pinned beneath it received the full burden of the impact.

The result was the downfall of one Majin.

The six-armed creature slowly turned toward the human standing nearby with a grin on his face.

Its presence shifted.

Clear frustration twisted across its expressionless face.

Charles snarled and lowered his stance, preparing himself.

What followed was a relentless exchange of attacks and counters.

The Majin was fast, a natural combatant. All six of its arms moved in perfect coordination, each strike aimed at Charles’s vitals with ruthless precision.

But Charles answered every move in kind.

He deflected strikes, took a few hits, and returned just as many. Neither side gave ground easily.

They seemed perfectly matched.

One excelled at reading the opponent’s next move.

The other fought like a savage beast, endlessly pressing forward without hesitation.

Thwank! Thwank!

Dents spread across the concrete while violent gusts whip through the air.

Genesis and Absence collided like two opposing tides crashing against each other.

Christopher asked the woman beside him, "What do you think?"

Veronica nodded, "He is good...quite aware of the surroundings and not giving the enemy enough space to exploit."

Christopher faintly grinned, "He just awakened two years ago...and has already become a council member already. We can see why."

Veronica nodded in agreement. For someone his age, he appeared much calmer compared to someone like Clara.

That’s when, the battle came to a standstill, and the two fighters seemed equally worn out.

That’s why, Christopher said,

"Alright, Charles. Let Kyle take the stage."

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. I swear my fighting scenes have improved much better than this. Just holding back for the bigger events.