As soon as Rain took a step, the entire space around them along with the forest distorted, creating an indistinguishable image.
It was similar to the moment when they went through the portal into the rift, but this time it lasted longer, making Aelorian feel a slight prick of unease.
With each passing second, the space around them grew more turbulent, and the vortices surrounding them grew more stormy, as if threatening to engulf them at the first opportunity.
Aelorian glanced at Rain's still calm and confident face, without any trace of worry. She had noticed how calm he had been when the monster had suddenly attacked them, allowing him to react first, and now that they were in such an uncertain situation where anything could happen. Somehow, it was his confident face that made her feel calm, despite everything that was going on around her.
She became even more convinced that there was something more to him and only clung tighter to him.
Even through her battle suit, Rain could still feel the warmth and softness of her body, not to mention her breasts that were pressed tightly against him. Rain looked at the girl in his arms with complicated emotions.
Aelorian was originally the one who helped the hero find his way to this place and brought him here. So throughout the first day, Rain had been waiting to see if she could sense something again and lead them here. But when he saw that she wasn't even planning to go towards this place, he had to take matters into his own hands and do everything himself.
Even the way she was acting now, pressing herself hard against him, was very different from when she had walked in here with the hero. Cale was still weaker than her, so she tried to cheer him up and assure him that there was nothing dangerous in this place and they'd get through it all.
'The changes from my intervention are becoming more and more noticeable.'
With a faint smile, Rain thought, but soon dismissed those thoughts and continued to stare ahead.
'Anyway, I was already prepared for it when I went this path.'
Finally, the violent swirls of space around them began to subside and gradually the outlines of their surroundings began to appear.
It seemed to be the same forest they were in, only with the difference that it was night and there were many stars in the sky. But something else about this place was different, giving them a strange sensation.
Before they could look around and realize what exactly it was, something glittered in front of them at lightning speed. With Aelorian clinging to him, Rain no longer had time to dodge, so all he had to do was raise his sword to protect them.
*Clang*
The next moment, a ringing sound from the clash of his sword and sharp claws echoed through the surroundings.
Even with his improved physique, Rain felt his hands go numb from simply blocking that blow.
Once Rain recovered from that, he saw the one who had delivered that blow. The one true monster and the master of this rift stood in front of him.
Each collision between the sword blade and the hard tempered claws of the huge wolf sent bright sparks flying through the night air.
Using his innate fighting sense along with his sword techniques, Rain was able to level out the difference in brute strength between the two and not give the advantage to his opponent.
They moved around the battlefield, seeking to cut off their opponent's life with every blow. Perhaps because the monster was under the influence of the seal, its movements became stiff from time to time and Rain always used this moment to give it a couple of clear blows. But even though the monster's fur didn't look rough, it was enough to stop most sword and arrow attacks hitting it.
Although Rain was able to handle the brute strength of this ferocious wolf, it was still much larger than him, which sometimes put him in a predicament.
When it happened once again, the monster noticed it and immediately swung its jaw at his exposed shoulder. The moment its threateningly sharp teeth were a couple of centimeters from the young man's shoulder, an arrow whizzed by Rain's ear, snapping in and throwing the huge wolf's jaws away from him.
While the monster was confused, Rain took advantage of this moment and ruthlessly attacked it, first inflicting a tangible wound just below its neck.
The monster let out an enraged howl as its attack failed and instead it itself was hurt.
'For a pile of points, you're too loud.'
With these thoughts, Aelorian released another arrow.
With the support of his partner, Rain gradually got used to his opponent and honed his fighting style with it, occasionally changing stances and using different sword techniques to adjust to his enemy. However, this monster also possessed intelligence and excellent combat sense, so it quickly adapted to Rain's attacks, preventing him from taking the advantage.
Still, over time, from the concerted teamwork of Rain and Aelorian, the damage on the monster's body began to accumulate, putting it at a disadvantage. When Rain finally felt that he had gained an advantage over it, a system warning sounded in his head.
[Spatial anomaly detected.]
Before Rain could realize the meaning of those words, the huge wolf was out of his sight, and the next second Rain felt a pair of sharp claws on his side, and then he was violently torn from the ground and thrown aside. He only stopped when his body hit the first tree with a loud thud.
Despite the pain, Rain didn't make a sound and instead looked at the monster in front of him, whose turquoise eyes had a mystical tint in them and its fangs seemed to grin in a smirk.
[Bloodline: Wanderer of the Cosmic Void (fully sealed) → (99% sealed)]
'Damn, it's too early for that.'
Rain cursed to himself, spitting up blood and only gripping the hilt of his sword tighter.
***
Thanks for reading, everyone.