SLITCH!
... In that split second, the Riftborn had dodged, adjusting its huge torso to the side with stunning speed. However, the moment the Resonant closed in on the distance between them, the tip of one of his streaks of bone swords, almost flawlessly, tore through the tiny gap between the upper arm plating and the forearm guard of the Riftborn's crystal covering, tearing slightly through the tender hollow of the Riftborn's elbow, where the arm bends. The remaining swarm of sword projected through the Riftborn's position a moment ago, striking into the ashen ground. The Resonant had to take advantage of that opening. Though it was simply a tiny scratch to the gaunt Riftborn, the Resonant was able to penetrate through its tardy skin because he was strong enough. Not even a diamond mundane sword could scratch a Class III Riftborn, whether Vile or Hazard. The Resonant's bone sword was infused with his neural energy and that was what made it strong enough to penetrate.
Seeming impervious to the slight tear, the Riftborn continued its attack. The next second, it raised its other arm, aiming to deliver a destructive blow to the Resonant's open back, but the Resonant was fast enough to turn his body around, facing it with a creepy grin on his face.
"Gotcha."
That though, didn't impede the blow's speed of the Riftborn one bit. Its clawish fist continued to surge forward, mere millimetres away from him, but then the swarms of bone swords plunged into the ground rose behind the Resonant... and surged forward without hesitation, flying over the Resonant and towards the Riftborn. They almost seemed to teleport over that distance. This time, the neural energy infused in them was stronger. This effect was a natural phenomenon for all Unbounds, based on their will at the moment.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! KRRSHKT! CLANG!
The swarm of improvised arsenal barraged the metal-like crystal covering of the Riftborn with extremely stunning speed, giving it no time but to dodge for the next few seconds. It even tried to flail its claws in fury, but the projecting swords seemed inoculated to that idea. Each of the swords was strong enough to pierce through the crystal covering with only little effort but somehow, the crystal armor held. However, amidst the barrage of attack, one of the swords sank into the Riftborn's chest, deep enough to tear through its heart–at least its heart was expected to be there.
... However, it didn't stop there. The Resonant was a Materion-type, one that can shift the atomic cohesion of matter, that is can change the thickness and shape of any form of matter., most especially solids. The plunged sword then suddenly expanded, shifting its shape. Its tio which had already been plunged into the Riftborn's skin was now growing extra sword balade tips on its sides, making it look like a three-tipped sword. The grown tips shifted onward by stretching deeper into the Riftborn's chest, tearing through bones, ribs, muscles, flesh and blood vessels, aiming for its heart. That was the most conventional method of destroying Riftborns, and obviously not the swiftest.
The Riftborn though, could not do anything to all of this because this process took only a split second and it was still recovering from the previous onslaught of swords. Most parts of its body had been damaged and were dire enough to pose a life threat to it–if what it had was life though, but the one incurred by the reshaping plunged sword in its chest was the most dire.
The Riftborn suddenly stopped moving, still retaining its graceful defensive stance. Then it looked at the plunged sword, and then at the Resonant.
Then it grinned eerily, a pained expression on its face, and its dual wet fangs ejecting out of its large mouth like split daggers. Its grin though, was far more creepier than the Resonant's.
Not even fazed by this, the Resonant's lips curled up as he walked forward slowly. Each step he took were graceful and elegant. He walked over and then stopped in front of the Riftborn, which was now kneeling, convulsing in its killing pain. The reshaping sword was now tearing through its core – or heart, technically. At that moment, the scene of the two felt painfully one-sided, like someone in power standing over a helpless person, ready to decide their fate with a kind of cold, pitiful finality. From a distance, outlined against the grayscale brightness of the abnormal world, the silhouette of a human was seen standing before a kneeling humanoid monster.
... And then, out of nowhere, everything changed — a sharp turn no one expected, the kind that flips the whole moment on its head. It happened in a flash. The Resonant was fast enough to sense the danger, but somehow, he had failed to.
The two surreal beings suddenly exchanged roles. The powerful master became the helpless person, while the helpless person became the master.
The Resonant suddenly widened his eyes in dismay.
"It can't be..."
But it was already too late. The next moment, the Resonant looked down at himself, and the shock hit him like a cold hand closing around his throat.
Something... had punched through his chest hard! A pair of jagged claws had burst out from his ribs, slick with his blood. For a moment, the world felt tranquil and quiet.. then the blood streamed down in steady rivers that pattered against the ground, gathering until the grey earth seemed to drink it with a quiet hunger. Then pain suddenly hit him. It was agonizing, excruciating and torpid that the pain felt too much for him to feel pain.
'Ah, what is this?'
A heartbeat passed, and then another. His gaze still hadn't shifted.
Then the bloodied claws receded from his body, drawing even more blood out from it, which streamed down to drown the grey earth once more before getting absorbed.
THUD!
The next moment, the monster... or body that wielded the claws fell to the ground behind him, like a pile of dead body. He struggled to take a look at what had just mutilated his body, and... and there...
What had just torn through his body, was oke of the Vile Riftborn's he had taken down about 20 minutes ago. But why...
'W–wh...'
Stifling a groan, a dangerous premonition ran through his body as he looked up to see...
... many more. Dead... no, undead ones. The Hazard was a Class III and so could control resonances like him too.
'Ahh... this is its power...'