Sparks

Suddenly, the rift pulsed, the red band flared brighter. Ash blinked. Before he could think further, the rift snapped shut with a burst of pressure. It slapped across space and silence rushed in. For a heartbeat, nothing moved.

Then with a blast. The rift reopened, gaping wide again. A wave of energy pulsed out, tossing Ash backward. Out came a worm. A massive, armored worm. It moved fast, its maw stretched wide and had rows of fang-like teeth as it lunged straight for him.

"Damn it," Dev muttered from nearby.

Ash twisted in the air, sword drawn, but the worm was upon him. Its body slithered around him, trying to crush him against empty space. He fought to push back, but a plate slammed into his side and something inside him cracked, one of his ribs shattered. Pain crashed through his torso. He saw a star's faint glow ahead, but nothing else mattered. His sword found his grip again and he buried the blade straight into one of the worm's six pale eyes. The worm howled, groaning as slime drifted out.

Ash barely stopped himself from tumbling off its body. The worm writhed but didn't die fast; it twisted around him. The star loomed ahead, red and bright. Ash screamed in pain but slammed the sword downward into the worm's buccal flap, its soft flesh at the base of its mouth. The blade sank deep. The creature's long body was flooded with red blood. 

He hit a burst of jet from Dev, who hovered in formation. Ash latched onto a floating body of a big creature to steady himself. He looked back to see the worm's body jerking, then going limp. One more creature down.

As the rift pulsed again, more monsters poured out: tall, spindly beasts with spines; creatures that dripped acid; twisted, horned brutes. They split off, heading toward a nearby planet. Ash felt adrenaline flood through his veins again and held the sword steady.

Dev's voice cut through the comm. "Ash, stay close. I'm handling the others." Dev unsheathed his sword, and something changed in the air. A giant knight formed in space, armor shimmering with blue-black hues, a huge sword in hand. It hovered over Dev's head. Dev raised his arm and the knight brought the sword down in a devastating swing.

'Crippling Sunder.'

The knight's sword struck a massive creature tall as two of them. Armor broke, the creature's limb shattered. Ash watched them collide as bone and blood drifted apart.

He exhaled a ragged breath. He couldn't stay back any longer. He surged forward. He struck a horned beast with a violent slash across its chest. It staggered and Ash punched straight into its rib cage, bone snapped beneath his fist, meat tore, black blood sprayed. The beast tumbled into the void. 

He saw Dev's knight swing again, crushing another creature's skull against shards swirling around. Ash gritted his teeth, pain stabbing his side with every breath. He saw another worm heading his direction, skimming him like a wave of hunger. He held his sword straight. The worm's tail lashed. Ash caught it with the flat blade, redirected its strike. The tail slammed into one of the horned beasts behind him, destroying its skull in a sick crunch.

Ash spun and stabbed. The worm whipped its head, jaws snapping. Ash leapt backward, thrusting again into the worm's shoulder plate. The blade sank and the creature shrieked. He twisted the sword to break off the armor and stabbed again straight through its arm joint. The beast collapsed into the red glow.

Ash felt a sharp sting in his side where armor had chipped off. His movements slowed, but he fought to focus. He saw another beast rearing up to strike Dev's knight form. Ash glanced over as Dev's sword glowed bright and met the beast's blow, sparks scattered. But Dev's knight then drove the blade deep into the creature's back.

Ash felt his suit leak. He shook out the pain and planted himself on a drifting fragment of debris. He could taste steel in his mouth from biting down too hard earlier.

Dev hovered close, breathing steadily. "Good," he said quietly. "Keep flowing."

Ash nodded, panting. "Thanks."

"Now," Dev said, voice low but firm, "we clear the rest, no stopping."

Ash steadied his grip. He saw the rift close a little, easing. More creatures were still pouring out. Some skittering spiders, some stomping brutes, others human-like demons with wings.

He took a step forward, even though there was no ground, and repeated the steps Dev taught: flow, spin, slice, shift. He moved like a ring around his enemies, putting distance, then closing in, stringing deadly arcs and precise thrusts.

The creatures fell. The acid dripped off his blade. The horned beasts slumped into empty space. The spidery ones burst like wet paper. Behind him, he heard Dev shout—something furious. Ash heard Dev's knight spin and smash through a cluster of creatures in a devastation of metal and bone.

Ash pivoted, flowing to intercept a creature that charged. He twirled the sword from above. It dug deep into its back. He pulled and vaulted over it midair, landing on another creature's shoulder, sliding down and slicing its tendons, toppling it. 

He looked above to see the rift finally closing. He spotted Dev, a giant orc-like creature loomed over him, raising a massive club with muscles rippling in the dim light. Dev staggered back.

"Why? why don't I see your summons coming to help?" Ash hissed. His mind flicked to the empty space, they were alone.

Dev didn't waste words. He recovered his stance, but an edge of pain rolled off his face. He touched the hilt of his sword, and without a word, summoned the spectral knight again. The knight. tall, noble, slowly materialized above Dev, its armor glowing faint blue. A powerful presence in the weightless void.

Ash couldn't just stand there. He kicked off a debris shard and surged forward. He needed to fight, to move. His sword glowed with a soft light, the first pulse of the raw form of the Dance of Halo.

He flicked his wrist and swept the blade sideways. A creature snapped at him, but Ash spun fluidly, steel kissing its neck. It dropped, limbs twitching as it drifted off into darkness.

Ash landed on a chunk of rock, but the moment he did, he saw them: more creatures left behind during the closing, bigger and hungrier. 

In the chaos, Ash's sword flickered. Shadows crawled across the metal and pooled at the tip. The soft glow died. A deep, bloody red took its place. Ash bit his lip. 

The creatures turned toward him with a knowing roar, and Ash attacked, his body performing the dance. He slashed downward, the red aura igniting the moment the blade touched them. Flesh tore. Bones cracked. Shadowy fluid spilled and vanished. The creatures were shredded before they touched him.

He looked up, blinking. A tremor ran down his arms. He took a moment to breathe, searching inward for the calm he needed to regain control. Dev roared as the giant orc stumbled back from the knight's attack. With a swing that shot out a shockwave of energy, the Berserker Gear. "Vortex Sever" Dev slammed the orc backwards. The giant's arms and legs snapped in half, limbs flying in opposite directions while space itself tore around the blow.

Ash watched, breath shaking. The knight vanished as Dev stood ready. He saw his chance. He kicked off again, buzzing toward the orc's broken halves. His sword snapped into action, slicing through leftover flesh, splitting bone until each chunk tore apart.

He backed off, panting. Blood trickled down his forearm, but his hand stayed steady around the sword.