The ruins of Lunaria City stretched as far as the eye could see. Smoke twisted into dark spires above shattered skyscrapers, the streets crumbled beneath the weight of countless fallen monsters, and the distant groans of dying aberrants echoed like a chorus of despair. The battlefield was silent only in the moments between attacks, the calm before an inevitable storm.
At the heart of the swarm, where the Queen hovered above the abyssal chaos of her remaining brood, the true confrontation began. The prodigy—the Abyss-Chaos child born with innate power—stepped forward. Its body, larger than any other child she had sent before, radiated energy that warped the very air. Shadows and crimson chaos intertwined around its form, pulsing with violent intent. Its eyes, bright with intelligence and rage, fixed on Lunaria.
Lunaria adjusted his stance, silver hair glinting in the dim light filtering through smoke and ruin. Around him, Ash, Kael, Riven, and Juno flanked him, weapons drawn, bodies taut with anticipation. They had fought the swarm before, but this… this was different. Every instinct screamed that the prodigy's power surpassed anything they had encountered. The air itself hummed, heavy with abyssal energy that made even S-ranked hunters' hearts race.
The Hive Queen's psychic voice carried across the battlefield, calm but laced with malice. "You have survived the first wave, hunter, but this ends here. My prodigy will reclaim what was stolen, and I will watch as the city burns in retribution."
Lunaria's voice was steady, even serene. "I don't want to destroy you. I want to end this without more blood. But I will not let your vengeance consume this city—or the people within it."
The prodigy hissed, wings fluttering with the force of an approaching storm. Its body coiled with potential energy, a vortex of abyssal and chaotic power that seemed to draw the ruined city toward it. The Queen hovered behind it, her psychic aura reinforcing the child, linking their powers as one.
Lunaria activated his fused skill. Shadows and chaos fire erupted around him, spiraling outward like a living armor. His aura flared, warping the air, bending light, and sending tremors across the battlefield. Abyssal Chaos Convergence, he whispered, his voice calm but deadly.
The prodigy lunged first. Its claws, infused with abyssal energy, slashed through the air at near-impossible speed. Lunaria dodged, shadow flames trailing his movement, leaving a streak of black and red in his wake. Ash, Kael, Riven, and Juno followed his lead, engaging the prodigy from multiple angles. Every strike, every dodge, every slash was a precise, choreographed dance—the culmination of their combined experience and Lunaria's preternatural speed.
The prodigy countered, unleashing a pulse of chaos energy from its core. The ground ruptured, sending jagged fissures racing toward Lunaria. He leapt, riding the shockwave over shattered concrete, shadow flames twisting around his form. He slashed, cutting through several smaller energy tendrils, but the prodigy's core pulsed again, releasing waves of pure abyssal force that forced all four S-ranked hunters to leap back.
"This thing… it's too strong," Ash muttered, gritting his teeth as he deflected a wing strike that would have crushed a building.
Kael's eyes glimmered with determination. "Then we become stronger."
Lunaria's silver eyes narrowed. He raised his hand, letting the fused skill swell outward. Shadows stretched into whips, chaos fire coiled into concentrated strikes, and the energy spiraled into a single, coherent form.
"Oblivion Eclipse!" he shouted, his voice cutting across the battlefield like a blade of sound itself. The fused ultimate skill erupted with the force of a nova, shadows colliding with chaos fire in a perfect spiral. The prodigy staggered under the impact, claws raised in a futile attempt to block the energy.
Ash, Kael, Riven, and Juno exploited the opening. Ash struck at the prodigy's right flank, slashing through chitin and energy. Kael followed with a seismic strike that shook the ground beneath the child. Riven's elemental assault tore jagged openings across the left side, and Juno's rapid strikes targeted joint and wing points, destabilizing its stance.
The prodigy screamed—a sound that resonated through bone and air simultaneously. It retaliated with a sweeping attack of claws and wings, sending shockwaves and debris into the hunters' path. Lunaria rolled through the chaos, his ultimate skill forming protective currents around them. Shadows and fire acted in tandem, blocking incoming strikes and amplifying his allies' attacks.
Above, the Hive Queen's psychic presence loomed. She fed energy into the prodigy, amplifying its movements, enhancing its strikes. "Do not falter!" she commanded. "Destroy the hunter. Reclaim vengeance."
Lunaria's gaze hardened. "Then we show her what we've learned," he said softly. He surged forward, fused skill flaring brighter than ever. Shadows coiled around the prodigy's body, binding its limbs, while chaos flames licked every inch of its armored torso. The child thrashed, psychic energy erupting in counterwaves, but Lunaria's control over the fused power was absolute.
He leapt onto the prodigy's back, shadows wrapping around its wings to prevent movement. His sword, glowing with black and crimson energy, struck at the core of the Abyss-Chaos child. The air warped, screams of psychic backlash radiating outward, shaking the remaining swarm around them.
Ash, Kael, Riven, and Juno pressed their attacks, striking simultaneously at weak points exposed by Lunaria's assault. The prodigy's defenses faltered under perfect coordination, and Lunaria drove his fused skill into the very center of its abyssal heart.
A blinding explosion erupted. Shadows and fire intertwined, consuming the prodigy in a storm of energy. The ground cracked violently, shockwaves rolling across the battlefield. The remaining swarm wavered, confusion rippling through their ranks as the psychic link from the center faltered.
When the dust settled, the prodigy lay broken, its body smoldering, the abyssal-chaos energy dissipating. The Hive Queen's brood trembled, the psychic link shattered, and the battlefield fell into a tense silence.
The Queen hovered, eyes narrowing. She had not expected such precision, such coordination, such mastery. For the first time, doubt flickered in her gaze, though it was quickly masked by regal fury.
Lunaria stood amidst the ruin, sword glowing faintly, silver hair cascading around him, shadows and chaos energy still radiating from his body. Ash, Kael, Riven, and Juno flanked him, battered but unbowed. The city had survived another wave, and the Queen's chosen had been defeated.
Yet above them, in the swirling storm of debris and psychic energy, the Hive Queen's voice was cold and unwavering. "This is far from over, hunter. You have delayed fate, but you cannot stop it forever."
Lunaria's silver eyes met hers, calm but resolute. "Then we will fight forever, if we must. But this city will stand."
The winds of battle swept across the city, carrying dust, ash, and the hum of unresolved power. The war was far from finished—but the first, decisive blow had been struck, and the hunters had proven that even the Abyss-Chaos children could fall before their combined will and sklls