The dome dissolved like liquid glass.
Kael stood alone, gripping a jagged shard of metal—his only weapon, conjured by Echo's system moments before she disappeared.
The Glass Widow screached and charged straight forward.
He didn't think at all.
He just reacted off pure instinct in the moment.
Claws missed by inches as he ducked and rolled, slashing upward with the shard—of metal scraping the creature's oily carcass.
It retaliated fast, tail whipping me through the air.
[Pain Response: +5 Resonant Charge]
"Echo, what do I do this thing's gonna kill me!"
[Your potential grows through pain tolerance. The more you survive, the stronger your system becomes.]
"That's the worst game mechanic I've ever heard!"
Kael barely dodged another strike barley missing, but quickly driving the shard deep into one of the beast's joints. It howled, staggering backwards.
A prompt appeared before his eyes:
[Weak Point Detected.]
[Resonant Boost Unlocked: Adrenal Surge I]
Heat flooded his veins. Time slowed not much but a tiny bit.
Kael: lunged forward , shard aimed at the beast's face. Barley hitting one of its eyes.
The creature shrieked, staggered—but was far from finished.
In a desperate charge, it leapt forward again.
Kael met it barehanded, barley holding it back now.
Pain radiated through him, lancing every nerve.
He screamed—this time with purpose—and he thrust forward.
Pushing it backwards
The beast fell back, than with one final two handed thrust into the beast made it perish.
Silence.
Then:
[Nexus Beast Defeated.]
[System Sync: 3%]
[Resonance Level: 1 → 3]
Kael sank to his knees, trembling.
Echo materialized beside him, more solid less digital than before. Her digital hair flowed like data in the still air.
[Echo]"You survived," she said softly.
[Kael]"No thanks to you," he gasped.
[Echo]"I gave you the shard. The dome. The data."
[Kael]"Next time, maybe a sword?"
[Echo] blinked. "…Noted."