Outside the ruins of City F, space groaned and buckled. A jagged rift tore open the sky, and a staircase of solid light descended from the void. Three figures stepped down first, followed quickly by two more.

  Elisse and her team stood frozen, taking in the nightmare landscape of the Negative World. The sky was a vault of perpetual, starless ink. Not a single cloud drifted in the gloom. Beyond the skeletal remains of the city in the distance, the world was a dead wasteland of jagged stone and obsidian mountain ranges that stretched into infinity.

  "So this is the Negative World?" Zack whispered, his voice trembling. "The birthplace of the Umbralux Draco?"

  Archibald offered a thin, knowing smile. "Where we are isn't the problem, Zack. It's what lives here."

  Elisse’s silent nod silenced the group. According to Aegis’s data, a Category 6 monster was common prey in this dimension. The real threats—the ones that could end worlds—were the Category 7s and above.

  "First, we will—"

  Elisse cut herself off, her body tensing as she felt a piercing gaze from the shadows. The others immediately dropped into defensive stances.

  A massive rhinoceros-like beast emerged from the gloom a few hundred yards away. Its hide was a deep, bruised red, sprouting jagged horns from every joint. It was clear they had stepped into its territory. Thomas stepped forward, a savage grin spreading across his face as he licked his lips.

  "A native monster... let's see if it’s actually worth the effort!"

  Archibald moved to restrain him, but Elisse raised a hand, stopping everyone except Thomas.

  The rhinoceros charged, its hooves churning the gray soil into dust. But the moment its central horn made contact, Thomas didn't dodge. He caught the beast with his bare right hand. With a roar of primal strength, he hoisted the multi-ton creature into the air and gripped its jaws. With a sickening crunch, he tore the monster in half, splitting it from head to tail.

  Thomas’s robe was instantly drenched in black, clotted gore. He shrugged the garment off, revealing a bronzed, hyper-muscular physique. Beneath the robe, he wore only reinforced leather greaves, leaving his scarred torso bare.

  "The monsters here are nothing, Elisse," Thomas spat, wiping blood from his chin. "Capturing Allen will be a joke. I’ll handle it myself."

  Without waiting for approval, Thomas bolted toward the city. Archibald stared at the intricate tattoo on Thomas’s back: the symbol of Taurus.

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

  "The 'Zodiacal Berserker of Taurus'... for all that bluster, he’s still just a Category 6," Archibald muttered.

  "Think of it as an experiment, Archibald," Elisse noted coldly. "We’ll use him to calibrate Allen’s current strength."

  Archibald let out a mischievous chuckle. "Allen killed Marc using the Earth element. Now that he’s fueled by Darkness and breathing the air of this realm, his power has transcended logic. I suspect only a Category 7 could match him now."

  A chill ran down Elisse’s spine. Among the hunters, she was the only one officially ranked as Category 7. She knew exactly what Archibald was implying: Thomas was walking into a slaughter. If she didn't fear the secrets Archibald held, she would have killed the old man for his insolence right then and there.

  Suddenly, an explosion rocked the city, followed by a pillar of crimson light. As the glow faded, a gargantuan Minotaur with blood-red skin and obsidian horns roared, the sound echoing for miles.

  "Thomas is as reckless as ever," Archibald said, walking toward the city. "Using his Gigax Form right out of the gate..."

  "Are you really going to let him act like this, Elisse?" Zack asked, glancing between his leader and the old man. He paused. There was something in Elisse's eyes he hadn't seen before as she watched Archibald’s retreating back. Was it... fear?

  The Gigax Taurus rampaged through the ruins, leveling what few buildings remained. Several heroes struck at its hide with various weapons, but their attacks didn't even leave a scratch.

  From a safe distance, Shinobi and Titan watched the beast with mounting dread. This was the fifth attack today, and by far the most violent.

  "How many abilities have you tagged, Shadow?" Shinobi asked into his comms.

  <"Pyrokinesis. Pure fire element,"> Shadow replied, his voice strained.

  "Is it just a Category 1?"

  <"It’s... complicated. I can't explain it, but that's the only signature we're getting.">

  Shinobi and Titan exchanged a look of confusion. Categories usually measured the number of distinct abilities. A Category 6 should have a diverse arsenal. But there was a secret about "Zodiacal" subjects they didn't yet understand: singular, absolute mastery.

  "We’ve deployed B-Ranks, and they can't even draw blood," Titan growled. "How is this thing classified in the database?"

  After a long silence, Shadow’s voice came back as a scream. <"Get everyone out! It's a Category 6! Gigax Taurus! Run!">

  But Shinobi didn't run. He watched as a lone figure walked calmly through the dust toward the hulking Minotaur.

  When the Minotaur saw Allen, it let out a low, vibrating snort, twin plumes of white steam erupting from its nostrils.

  "How are you, Thomas?" Allen asked. His voice was soft, devoid of its usual warmth. "It’s been a while."

  Thomas didn't answer. Instead, he summoned a pillar of white-hot flame directly beneath Allen’s feet, incinerating the ground.

  "I’ve been... well, I’d be lying if I said I was fine," Allen’s voice drifted from within the fire. "No one likes killing. But Calibur and your Lord Aegis didn't give me much of a choice."

  A pulse of black energy erupted from the center of the flames, snuffed them out instantly. Allen stood there in his opaque gray suit—so dark it was almost black. He looked at Thomas with eyes that were hollow, filled only with a crushing, infinite grief.

  "The other day—or week, time is a lie here—Marc forced my hand. I had to kill him. Do you want to end up the same way?"

  A sinister, jagged smile spread across Allen’s face. He flicked his right wrist, and the black-glowing scythe materialized in his grip.

  To the eyes of Thomas, Shinobi, and the cowering civilians, Allen didn't look like a hero anymore. With his black tears and obsidian blade, he looked like the God of Death, patiently waiting to harvest the soul of the bull.