The city streets were a war zone. Smoke curled into the sky, buildings smoldered, and the cries of panicked civilians mingled with the shrill screech of millions of aberrant insects pressing forward. The weak units had been cut down in swaths, but the middle ranks and Abyss-Chaos units remained, their coordination terrifyingly precise. At the very center, the Hive Queen's chosen champion—a towering Abysmal Abomination infused with both chaos and abyssal power—stepped into the open. Its black carapace glimmered with violet veins, wings unfurling, eyes like molten orbs fixated on Lunaria.
Lunaria exhaled calmly, his silver hair flowing around him as he stepped into the center of the battlefield, the heat and energy of the swarm parting instinctively for him. The System's voice echoed in his mind:
> [Threat: Abyss-Chaos Abomination. Estimated power: Beyond City-Class. Recommended action: Full engagement.]
He adjusted his stance. His ultimate skill, the fusion of abyssal and chaos energy he had perfected, hummed in response. Shadows and fire intertwined around him like living silk. This was the culmination of every battle he had fought, every mission he had completed, every ounce of power he had earned.
Ash, Kael, Riven, and Juno arrived moments later, landing gracefully beside him. Their S-ranked aura radiated strength and precision, yet even they looked up at the towering champion with a flicker of concern.
"Lunaria," Ash said, gripping his weapon tightly, "we're with you. Don't hold back."
Lunaria's expression remained calm, almost serene. "We move together. Strike when I do."
The Abysmal Abomination roared, an ear-splitting sound that sent shockwaves across the plaza. Its six massive wings whipped the air into violent gusts, scattering debris and throwing weaker aberrants off balance. It charged, claws raised, energy flaring along its body, an aura of pure annihilation.
Lunaria moved first. Shadows coiled around him, lashing outward like serpents, cutting through the weaker soldiers that had pushed forward to guard the Abomination. Fire and darkness coalesced at the tips of his blades as he darted forward, a blur that rivaled even S-ranked hunters. The Abomination swung a claw in retaliation, smashing through stone, but Lunaria danced around it effortlessly, striking with precise bursts of his fused energy.
Ash, Kael, Riven, and Juno moved in perfect harmony with him. Ash focused on flanking strikes, Kael sent shockwave bursts to destabilize the ground beneath the monster, Riven's elemental manipulation lashed fire and lightning in waves, and Juno's rapid strikes targeted the joints and wings, slowing its movement.
The Abomination roared again, sensing the coordinated threat. It reared back, summoning chaos-infused energy in its chest, a sphere of pulsating abyssal fire that could level an entire city block. Lunaria raised his hands, merging shadows and fire into a protective barrier that absorbed and redirected the energy into controlled pulses, funneling the chaos back into the battlefield with precision.
The monster staggered but did not fall. Its six limbs crashed down in a synchronized assault, forcing the hunters to leap and dodge with acrobatic precision. Every step Lunaria took left scorched marks, every swing sent shockwaves through the ground.
"This is our chance!" Lunaria shouted, leaping onto a shattered rooftop to gain height. "Focus on its core—the Abyss-Chaos nucleus!"
Ash nodded, striking from above to tear open the monster's armor. Kael's shockwaves pounded at its sides. Riven's fire carved jagged openings, and Juno struck rapid, lethal combos into its legs to destabilize its stance. The Abomination screeched in pain, stumbling as energy from the attacks converged at the center of its body.
Lunaria descended in a sweeping arc, his fused ultimate skill igniting around him. He shouted the name of the move, his voice echoing across the battlefield like a herald of destruction:
"Abyssal Chaos Convergence!"
Shadows and chaotic fire coalesced into a single, massive strike. The energy exploded outward, consuming the Abomination's midsection in a blinding surge of power. The hunter's allies flanked with perfectly timed strikes, hitting every weak point exposed by the blast. The Abomination's claws flailed, its wings sliced the air, but every movement was slower, less precise, as Lunaria's fused skill shredded its defenses.
The battlefield shook violently. Concrete and stone cracked under the force, but Lunaria's movements were fluid, refined, as if the destruction itself danced to his rhythm. The Abomination's roar turned into a garbled screech as it tried to recover, only to find the hunters already converging on it from all sides.
Lunaria leaped onto its back, shadow flames wrapping around his blade, and struck at the core of its chest, where the chaos-abyssal energy pulsed strongest. The monster bucked violently, but Ash, Kael, Riven, and Juno anchored it in place with synchronized attacks, forcing it to stay within Lunaria's reach.
A final pulse of energy radiated from Lunaria, black shadows intertwining with crimson chaos fire. He plunged his blade into the Abomination's chest. The creature's scream cut through the air, reverberating like a nightmare. Energy erupted outward, but Lunaria's barrier contained it, redirecting the blast into the surrounding horde in controlled waves.
The Abomination shuddered, its massive form cracking from within. Its claws fell slack, wings sagged, and the Abyss-Chaos energy flickered and dimmed. With a final, earth-shaking roar, the creature collapsed, shattering on impact.
Silence fell for the first time on the battlefield, except for the distant cries of fleeing civilians and the dying chitter of lesser aberrants. The Hive Queen's brood froze, the psychic pulse of the fallen Abomination rippling through them. The swarm hesitated, as if sensing a fracture in the command structure at their center.
Lunaria landed gracefully beside Ash, Kael, Riven, and Juno, his blade retracting into shadow. Dust swirled around them as the four hunters exchanged exhausted but victorious glances.
"We… did it," Kael said, breathing heavily, surveying the fallen Abomination.
Ash exhaled through clenched teeth. "It was close. Too close."
Lunaria's expression remained calm, though his eyes glimmered with awareness. "This is only the beginning. The Queen herself remains at the heart of the swarm. This soldier was her test, not her war."
Juno, wiping sweat from his brow, glanced toward the distant center of the swarm where the Queen hovered, her Abyss-Chaos children surrounding her like living armor. "Then we prepare. We fight. And we don't falter."
Lunaria nodded, letting the shadows of his fused skill dissipate. His hair shimmered silver in the dying light, his calm composure grounding his allies amidst the chaos. The battle was far from over, but for this moment, they had struck the first blow—and they had succeeded.
The Abysmal Abomination lay in ruins, a testament to the hunters' precision and Lunaria's terrifying mastery of abyssal and chaos power. Around them, the city trembled under the looming presence of the Queen, but now, for the first time, the defenders had a spark of hope.
And above it all, the Hive Queen watched, her eyes narrowing, her brood trembling at the loss of her champion.
> The war had begun