Chapter 31: The Rift’s Embrace

Although he didn’t know if his method would work, Liu Xingluo could no longer afford to dwell on it.

There was no time for hesitation; the Abyssal Beast was on the verge of emerging from the rift.

Any further delay would put the people on the street in grave danger.

Fixing his gaze on the rift, Liu Xingluo pushed off with all his might, launching himself forward.

He delivered a powerful kick directly towards the Abyssal Beast as it began to emerge.

Sensing something hurtling towards it at high speed, the Abyssal Beast turned its massive head towards the perceived threat.

Just as it registered Liu Xingluo charging at it, the beast was met with a brutal kick.

The impact sent its body reeling uncontrollably, forcing it back into the depths of the rift.

[Good, it worked.]

[A few more successful attempts should be enough to pin it inside the rift.]

During his attack on the Abyssal Beast, Liu Xingluo had managed to get a clear look at its appearance.

It resembled nothing less than a colossal black tyrannosaurus.

It was fortunate he had managed to kick it back; if it had fully emerged, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Yet, true to its tyrannosaur-like nature, even Liu Xingluo’s full strength had only managed to push it back slightly.

That very same kick, he knew, would have been enough to instantly kill the Drill Rat he had fought previously.

While his power couldn’t send it hurtling to the other side of the rift in a single blow, keeping it continuously suppressed within the rift, preventing its escape, would be sufficient.

“Everyone, please remain calm.”

“Proceed in an orderly fashion to the underground shelter, and assist any elders and children nearby.”

“Thank you.”

He couldn’t forget that the people on the street were still in a state of panic.

It was imperative to calm them down quickly and guide them into the underground shelter.

Thus, Liu Xingluo mimicked an official tone, allowing them to mistakenly believe he was a government-dispatched esper.

This assurance would provide them with a sense of security, enabling them to regain their composure.

Just as Liu Xingluo had anticipated, having witnessed firsthand his feat of sending the Abyssal Beast back into the rift, the onlookers below became utterly convinced that he was an official esper.

With an esper now on the scene, their lives were assured of safety, making further panic unnecessary.

They resolved to follow Liu Xingluo’s instructions, assisting those in need as they moved towards the underground shelter.

Watching the people revert to their usual orderly state, Liu Xingluo felt a sense of relief.

His gaze returned to the rift, where the Abyssal Beast he had just kicked back was now attempting to re-emerge.

But Liu Xingluo had no intention of letting it succeed; another forceful kick would send it right back!

However, the Abyssal Beast was far from unintelligent.

Liu Xingluo’s initial success had been purely due to the element of surprise.

Now that he was exposed in the beast’s line of sight, achieving a second successful strike would prove far more challenging.

Nevertheless, Liu Xingluo remained unconcerned.

The Black Tyrant Dragon was currently preoccupied with forcing its way through the rift, leaving it no opportunity to retaliate against him.

It could only be sent tumbling back into the rift, kick after relentless kick.

“Get back in there, you!”

Regardless of whether the Black Tyrant Dragon understood his words, Liu Xingluo roared his defiance as he launched another flying kick at it.

This time, however, the Black Tyrant Dragon was not content to simply take the blow.

It opened its enormous maw towards him.

Was it perhaps waiting for Liu Xingluo to charge directly into its mouth, only to then snap its sharp teeth shut and crush him?

After all, Liu Xingluo appeared utterly unstoppable in his current momentum.

Liu Xingluo initially thought as much, but he swiftly realized his mistake.

The Black Tyrant Dragon had no intention of waiting for him to plunge into its mouth.

It was preparing to breathe fire; he could already see a fireball coalescing within its jaws.

[Damn it, I didn’t expect this thing could breathe fire.]

Having had limited encounters with Abyssal Beasts, Liu Xingluo possessed scant knowledge of them.

Naturally, he was unaware that this particular Abyssal Beast, known as the ‘Tyrant Dragon,’ possessed the ability to unleash a volley of fireballs.

While the fireball might not be powerful enough to claim Liu Xingluo’s life, it could certainly knock him out of the air.

Should Liu Xingluo be knocked down, the beast would gain ample time to fully emerge from the rift and manifest completely in the human world.

At that point, the people still seeking refuge underground would be left defenseless, subject to its indiscriminate slaughter.

[What do I do, what do I do? Is there any way to counter this?]

Liu Xingluo frantically searched for a way to deal with the incoming fireball.

However, even if he conceived a solution, he lacked the means to execute it.

He was still suspended in mid-air, locked in his flying kick posture, able only to watch helplessly as the fireball fully coalesced and hurtled towards him.

Yet, in the very instant the fireball was about to make contact with Liu Xingluo, it was cleanly split in two.

It perfectly bypassed him, flying off to either side, as if severed by something incredibly sharp.

Undeterred by the near miss, Liu Xingluo continued along his original trajectory, his kick striking the Black Tyrant Dragon’s lower jaw.

Once again, he sent it reeling back.

[What was that just now? Did someone help me?]

Having successfully landed his blow, Liu Xingluo replayed the recent event in his mind.

The power that had cleaved the fireball was undeniably not his own.

Had another esper arrived on the scene to assist him?

If so, that would be ideal; he could leave the rest to the professionals.

He should swiftly withdraw from this battle, for combat was hardly his forte.

[What? What’s happening to the rift? Damn it, I’m being sucked in!]

He had just resolved to disengage and retreat when, precisely at that moment, the rift abruptly mutated.

It not only pulled the Black Tyrant Dragon, still struggling to emerge, back inside, but also exerted a powerful suction force on Liu Xingluo, who was still airborne near its periphery.

What a cruel joke! That was a rift, an incredibly perilous place.

Even after thirteen years, humanity’s understanding of rifts extended only to their function as conduits for Abyssal Beasts into this world.

As for what lay within the rift, or what landscapes existed on its other side, people remained utterly ignorant.

One thing, however, was certain: it was no benevolent place.

Given that only Abyssal Beasts emerged from them, Liu Xingluo was absolutely desperate to avoid being pulled inside.

Yet, confronted by the rift’s immense gravitational pull, Liu Xingluo would have struggled to keep his footing even on solid ground.

To say nothing of his current predicament, suspended in mid-air with nothing to grasp onto for stability.

Thus, his fate was sealed: to be swallowed by the rift.

Moreover, immediately after drawing him in, the rift swiftly closed and vanished, severing him completely from the familiar human world.

“Wait, hey! Let me go back! Let me go back!”

The rift, it seemed, was deliberately targeting him.

Liu Xingluo could only watch helplessly as the very rift that had consumed him sealed itself shut.

Meanwhile, he was carried relentlessly backward by the powerful suction within its depths.

[What the hell is this?! My luck has been absolutely terrible lately.]

This was far worse than yesterday’s misfortune.

Though he had encountered an Abyssal Beast on his first day of work, at least he had managed to escape unscathed in the end.

Now, however, being drawn into the rift was a far more serious predicament than anything he had faced before.

He had no idea if he would ever be able to return to the human world.

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