After The Fall: Awakening

The static-filled transmission crackled in Azrael's communicator, the voice on the other end laced with sheer panic.

"S-Sir… we need your help!" The frantic breathing of the caller was evident. "Two Hollow Rifts have opened at a school!"

Azrael's expression darkened. "Two?"

"High-rank Hollows, sir!"

Azrael's eyes narrowed. He had been investigating a Hollow Rift at a different location, but this was serious.

"Which school!?" His voice was sharp, demanding.

There was a gulp on the other end.

Then—

"St. Valeria Academy, sir!"

Azrael's pupils shrank. St. Valeria?

For a split second, the world seemed to slow down.

Then—

With a sudden gust of wind, his figure disappeared from where he stood.

The other agents at the site looked around in confusion.

"Where did Azrael go?" one of them asked, scanning the area.

"He just vanished..." another muttered in disbelief.

---

-St. Valeria Academy-

The school grounds were nothing short of a warzone.

The bodies of Abyssals littered the hallways and courtyard, their grotesque forms torn apart by claws, fangs, and Hermes' unrelenting attacks.

Blood splattered across the cracked pavement. The air was thick with the stench of death.

Slash.

Hermes' blade tore through a Warlord-class Abyssal's chest, its monstrous scream cut short as it collapsed into a lifeless heap.

Crunch.

The Siberian Tiger sank its massive fangs into the neck of another Ravager, shaking its head violently, ripping through bone and muscle.

The Black Panther moved like a shadow, striking with deadly precision.

The Jaguar, swift and brutal, clawed through another enemy's torso, sending Abyssal limbs flying.

The battlefield belonged to them.

But even monsters could be cunning.

A Ravager, wielding a jagged hammer, moved silently behind Hermes, raising its massive weapon for a devastating strike.

The students watching gasped in horror.

"Hermes, behind you!" someone screamed.

A deafening roar split the air.

Before the hammer could swing down—

The Siberian Tiger lunged.

Its powerful jaws clamped down on the Ravager's arm. Crack. The limb severed completely. The monster shrieked in agony as the tiger crushed its bones, tearing through flesh with relentless ferocity.

With one final bite, the Abyssal's head disappeared into the beast's maw.

Blood dripped from its fangs.

Hermes exhaled sharply. "Good job."

Despite their efforts, the battle wasn't over.

The Abyssals from the field were still approaching—slowly, steadily—pushing the students and teachers back, forcing them into a corner.

Fear gripped them.

A trembling student clutched his chest. "S-Sir… they're getting closer!"

A girl clung to her friend, tears streaming down her face.

"I just want to go home!"

The teachers, exhausted and wounded, struggled to keep standing.

Even Hermes was feeling the toll. His breaths were heavy. His muscles ached.

"Shit… I'm running out of energy." He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "How many more of these things are there?"

And then—

Silence.

The Abyssals stopped coming.

The rift wasn't spitting out any more of them.

Hermes let out a shaky breath, his blade dripping with dark ichor.

"Ha… ha… fuck." He barely had the strength to stand.

"There's still more on the field." His grip on his weapon tightened.

He turned to his beasts, signaling them to move—

Thud.

Hermes froze.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The ground trembled.

A deafening stillness overtook the battlefield.

The students stiffened. The teachers stopped breathing.

Hermes turned his head slowly toward the entrance of the Hollow Rift.

And then—

Three massive Abyssals.

Towering, grotesque, their forms casting monstrous shadows over the battlefield.

High-Rank Abyssals. Giants.

Hermes' eyes widened.

The students were paralyzed with fear.

Even the air felt heavier.

Oliver and his gang, who had been watching from the sidelines, looked like they were about to piss themselves.

Jay's voice cracked. "H-Holy sh*t… what the f*ck is that?!"

Vince grabbed Oliver's shoulder.

"Dude. I think we're actually dead."

Oliver couldn't even speak. His entire body was shaking.

Hermes clenched his fists.

His body was screaming at, him to stop.

But he couldn't.

Not yet.

He glared at the three colossal figures before him.

Then, with a heavy breath,

he muttered—

"F*ck."