Garbage Warrior System-Chapter 15 – The Shadow of Rift Origin

Chapter 15 – The Shadow of Rift Origin

The air weighed down, caked with ash and dust, as if the slum lungs were imploding under a pressure that could not be seen. Buildings tilted at twisted angles, glass snapped under survivors’ feet, and the skyline glowed with dancing firelight where the final monster push had ripped streets wide open.

Rai stood at the border of the broken wall, scythe in his hand still vibrating with the remnant of his previous strike. His gaze concentrated on the tear. What was once a gash in the sky had become something monstrous, like something living. It throbbed, a black-violet gland suspended in the air, its surface distorting like fluid blackness.

"Thummm... thummm... thummm..."

Every beat sent a vibration creeping across the slums, shuddering bricks, vibrating window frames, and sending weaker survivors to their knees, covering their ears as though the noise was burrowing into their bones.

This wasn’t another surge. Rai sensed it. Something more. Something that wanted to be seen.

Yuki followed after him, her walk uncertain but her presence unmistakable. Her hair glowed palely in the half-darkness, her eyes blazing an unnatural blue that left ribbons of light in the darkness. It was the first time Rai had ever seen them blaze like this.

"Rai..." Her voice shook, but not only hers. A second voice, thin and old, intertwined with hers. "The rift... it’s remembering."

Rai scowled. Sweat beaded at his temple. "Recalling what?"

Her lips trembled. "Not what. Who. A presence bound to the first awakeners... someone older than this age. It’s not a tear—it’s a door being flung open by sheer will."

Even before Rai could take in her words, the earth beneath them shattered with violence.

"CRRRRRAAACKKKKK!!!"

The road caved in, boulders and rubble flying as giant claws tore through the ground. Dust billowed into the air, smothering the atmosphere. Three creatures burst out of the gap—giant Lv.28 Mangler Beasts.

They were ugly creatures, bigger than any surge spawn Rai had encountered so far. Their hides were covered with bone-like armor, jagged spines down their backs like twisted swords. Their eyes glowed red, foam foaming in their mouths, their twisted teeth snapping with hunger.

"GRRRRROOOOOOAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

The noise was sufficient to break windows in the closest block. Victims screamed, running for shelter. Women and men grabbed makeshift weapons despite their trembling fear, children were dragged into alleys.

Rai gripped his scythe firmly. The blade, infused with nodes, hummed with a keen, hungry sound like a beast salivating for blood. In the background, the Automatic Garbage Absorber flared to life, its jaws whirring with a metallic scream.

"WHRRRRR-ZHHHHHH!"

Shattered wood, broken pipes, scraps of iron—everything loose within range was drawn in, compressed, and converted into energy streams feeding directly into Rai’s system pool.

The first beast lunged.

“THUNDDDD! CLAANNNGGG!”

Claws like spears slammed against Rai’s scythe, sparks spitting in blinding arcs. The impact sent a shockwave rippling outward, cracking the asphalt beneath their feet.

Rai turned, using the scythe in a crescent motion. "SSHHHRRRIIIPP!" The blade sliced into the beast’s chest, ripping flesh. Black ichor spurted, sizzling as it struck the ground.

The other beast struck him from the side. "BOOOMMMM!" The force sent him flying across the street, shattering him through a crumbling wall. Bricks fell in "KRRAAASSSHHH!" showers, dust filling his lungs.

But before he could stand, a whisper crept into his mind—dark, heavy, resonant.

"Child of the rift... you tamper with shards you do not understand."

The voice was not auditory but mental, intrusive and absolute. Rai lurched to standing, scythe scraping along the ground with a metallic scrape.

"Who are you?" he spat under his breath.

"I am the shadow of birth. I entered the first tear when your people were still blinded. I drowned armies in seas of bone. And now I come back."

The Manglers bellowed once more, charging. Rai hurled himself forward, wielding his scythe two-handed.

"SLLAASSSHHHHH! CRRRAAASSSHHHH!"

Bone cracked, flesh ripped. The front beast’s arm was cut off, flying through the air before crashing into the debris with a terrible "THUDDDDD!"

But the voice went on, smooth, taunting.

You believe trash and scraps can defy me? You are nothing. Each second you struggle, you nourish me more."

Yuki screamed. Her body twitched, radiating an intense glow. Blue-white energy flooded from her palms, latching onto Rai’s constructs. The Automatic Absorber revved, spinning at unnatural speed.

"VRRRRROOOOOOMMMM! WHHHHHHRRRR!

Compressed garbage burst out of its mouth like cannon fire exploding. "BOOOOMMMM! BOOOMMMM! BOOOMMMM!" Every blast ripped pieces of the creatures, sending pieces of flesh and bone flying through the street.

But the eyes of Yuki frightened Rai even more than the creatures. They no longer belonged to her. Swirls of ancient runes whirled around them, burning symbols writhing like chains.

"Rai..." her voice infused with the shadow’s voice, "it knows me... it’s inside me..."

The third monster attacked, claws ripping. "SLAAACKKK! THUUUNNDDD!" Rai dodged the blow, swinging his scythe in a spinning arc. The blade tore the creature from mouth to navel in a single savage stroke, spattering gore in a "SHHHLLLOOOSSSHHHH!" curve.

Survivors shrieked in terror as blood fell like manna.

Rai spun, gasping. His chest rose and fell, his knuckles white. His gaze fastened on Yuki—her body shaking as though with an outside force, her power no longer hers. The shadow wasn’t simply observing. It was embracing her.

The tear throbbed once more. Traces of black light shot out, etching their path across the heavens like shards in glass.

"She is mine. By her, the gate swings open. By her, I will come back."

Rai’s rage boiled. He could not let Yuki be consumed. He had already lost too much in this world.

His mind sharpened. He needed more than raw strength. He needed to scale. To evolve his constructs. His system’s crafting had advanced—node-infused weapons and defensive arrays. If he could integrate them into a hybrid construct, he might withstand the next surge.

But the danger was huge. It involved driving his system into a state of instability.

However, staring at Yuki bucking under the hold of the shadow, there was no other way.

He engaged dual synergy. The Absorber was overwhelmed, glowing red-bright, its core churning in turmoil. His scythe vibrated with node resonance, tendrils of purple energy jumping off the blade.

"VVVVVRRRRRR-THHHHUUUMMMM!"

The monsters charged in one last desperate blow. Rai bellowed, swinging his weapon in a cross-arc. The energy burst outwards.

"KRRRRRRAAAAASSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Ground shattered, walls fell, shockwaves ripped the street. Two of the monsters were split clean in two, bodies falling with soggy "THHHHUUUUDDDDDD!" thuds. The third was destroyed, chunks flying like ash in a tempest.

The quiet that followed was crushing.

Then—laughter. Cold. Echoing. From everywhere and nowhere simultaneously.

"Bleed. Struggle. Construct your barricades of garbage. It makes no difference. I am the source. And soon... I will walk through."

Yuki fell against Rai’s chest, out cold but softly radiating light. He clutched her to his heart, pounding with it, droplets of sweat running down his jaw. Survivors huddled in the darkness, their eyes wide with terror and agonized hope.

Rai glanced at the rift once more. It had grown larger, warping like a ripped smile in the sky. The shadow wasn’t posturing. It was gearing up to materialize.

He took a deep breath, his thoughts already strategizing. He would have to create his constructs into an network of slum-wide defenses, node-embedded cannons, hybrid Absorber technology—while keeping Yuki safe from possession.

The war was no longer against the

monsters. It was against the origin itself.

And it had already fixed its sights on them.

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[To Be Continue...]