Tower 1 — Floor Eighteen, The Thousand-Step Rift Bridge
The Blade-Centipede screeched, metal plates scraping like knives sharpening against each other.
Its dozens of legs clanged against stone as it lunged straight for Rio—
not the party.
Not DRM.
Not the strongest among them.
Rio.
Ragnor leapt forward.
"HEY—!! YOU WANT A SNACK? TRY ME—!!"
The centipede didn't even look at him.
Aetherion grit his teeth.
"It has a directive.
It's locked onto Rio specifically."
Lyra's Constellar Mark pulsed with warning as she drew her bow.
"RIO! MOVE!!"
But Rio didn't.
He froze.
Not out of fear—
But calculation.
He stepped back only after the creature was inches away from him, barely avoiding the razor mandibles.
Ragnor yelled:
"THAT WAS TOO CLOSE—!!"
Rio lifted his staff—
A glowing sigil appeared beneath the party, flickering faintly like a dying candle.
"B-Barrier Stitch—!"
A thin, shimmering veil wrapped around them.
It wasn't strong.
But it was timed perfectly.
The centipede slammed into the barrier—
sparks scattering across the bridge.
Lyra gasped.
"That barrier… it held just long enough."
Aetherion floated upward, cosmic energy radiating.
"He timed it with the strike.
That's advanced instinct, not support-level logic."
Rio stepped back, breathing hard.
"S-Sorry—
I'm not good in direct fights—!"
Iris grabbed his sleeve.
"You're doing great!"
The centipede screeched again—
blades unfolding along its spine like opening scissors.
Lyra aimed.
"Ragnor—go left!"
Ragnor sprinted around its coils.
Lyra loosed a volley of star-tipped arrows—
the Constellar Mark glowing brighter—
"CONSTELLAR SKILL—
STAR-BREAK SHOT—!!"
The arrow shattered across the creature's armor—
But left cracks.
Aetherion saw the opening.
"Ragnor—now!!"
Ragnor roared, punching into the cracks—
breaking them further.
The centipede writhed in fury.
But instead of fighting them—
It targeted Rio again.
Iris screamed:
"IT'S STILL GOING FOR HIM—!!"
Rio's eyes widened.
He raised his staff—
"R-Rapid Mend—!!"
A small burst of light healed Aetherion's cuts and boosted Lyra's stability.
Ragnor blinked.
"That's a lot of healing for a 'minor' spell—!!"
Aetherion narrowed his eyes.
Rio looked terrified—but his hands did not shake.
His spells were too smooth.
Too efficient.
Too deliberate.
Lyra shoved him aside as the centipede lunged again.
"RIO—DON'T JUST STAND STILL—!!"
Rio nodded quickly.
"R-Right—sorry!"
But as he dodged—
Aetherion noticed something.
When the centipede passed near Rio,
the fog beneath the bridge recoiled.
Not from Rio's barrier.
Not from mana.
From Rio himself.
Aetherion's heartbeat jumped.
"…that's not support magic."
The centipede shrieked, preparing a massive strike.
Iris closed her eyes, trembling.
"I-It's too fast—
we can't dodge—!!"
Ragnor stood in front of them.
"I'LL BLOCK IT—!!"
Lyra and Aetherion readied attacks.
Rio stepped forward—
far too calmly.
He placed his staff into the ground.
A soft light rippled.
"Everyone—please stay behind me."
Ragnor blinked.
"What—KID, NO—!!"
The centipede lunged down.
Rio whispered:
"True Stitch: Phase Weave."
The world around him bent—
just slightly—
as if reality folded for him.
The centipede blurred—
and passed straight through Rio—
Like he wasn't even there.
Iris gasped.
Lyra froze mid-draw.
Ragnor's jaw dropped.
Aetherion whispered:
"…that's not a support skill."
Rio stumbled slightly afterward, as if the spell strained him.
"S-Sorry…
I'm not good at that one yet…"
He turned back to the group with a shy, embarrassed smile—
as if what he just did
was nothing.
Ragnor stared.
"Kid…
you just dodged a boss-rank monster by PHASING OUT OF REALITY—!!"
Lyra's Constellar Mark flared again.
Aetherion stepped forward, voice sharp.
"Rio.
Who taught you that technique?"
Rio flinched.
"I…
I don't…
remember."
Iris lowered her voice.
"Like… DRM…"
The centipede shrieked again—
preparing a last, desperate attack.
It didn't matter.
DRM finally turned around.
He tilted his head.
Flexed his aura—
only a fraction.
Stage 3.6 — "Predator Breaker Pulse."
The centipede violently imploded—
a clean, silent collapse into dust.
The wind carried the remains off the bridge.
The party breathed out in exhaustion.
Rio watched the dust fade—
eyes trembling—
but not in fear.
In recognition.
Aetherion whispered:
"…Rio.
Why did the Tower target YOU?"
Rio's voice was quiet.
"I don't know."
But his eyes said otherwise.
Lyra placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You're safe now. Stay close."
Iris nodded eagerly.
"Y-Yeah… we'll protect you."
Ragnor grinned.
"Welcome to the team!"
Rio lowered his gaze.
"Thank you."
But deep inside—
Something stirred.
A memory.
A whisper.
A face with a mask.
Red eyes.
A child.
And a voice…
Rio blinked away the image and forced a smile.
"I'm… happy to be with you all."
But behind him, DRM had already walked ahead.
Silent.
Knowing.
And somewhere in the fog—
a shadow flickered.