The city was dying.
Entire districts had been reduced to rubble.
Streets that once bustled with life were now littered with shattered stone and burning debris.
Towering structures leaned at impossible angles.
Some already collapsed.
Others waiting only for a final push.
The Blood Moon hung above it all.
Watching.
Silent.
Ancient.
Its crimson light bathed the ruined city in an eerie glow that made the destruction feel unreal.
Like a nightmare.
Like the world itself had become something twisted.
And at the center of that nightmare stood two warriors.
One looked unstoppable.
The other looked finished.
Rigor stood amidst the destruction like an unbreakable mountain.
His armor was damaged.
His body carried wounds.
Blood stained his skin.
Yet he still radiated overwhelming power.
Every step felt heavy.
Every movement seemed capable of shaking the earth.
Across from him...
Riven struggled to remain standing.
Blood dripped from his chin.
His left eye had swollen completely shut.
Several ribs were shattered.
His right arm trembled constantly.
His left knee barely supported his weight.
Countless cuts covered his body.
His armor had been reduced to scraps.
Every breath hurt.
Every movement hurt.
Every heartbeat felt like someone driving a blade deeper into his chest.
Yet somehow...
he still stood.
Wind blew through the ruined streets.
Ash drifted across the city.
Neither warrior moved.
For several moments...
they simply stared at one another.
The silence felt heavier than the battle itself.
Finally
Rigor laughed.
A low sound.
Not mocking.
Not cruel.
Almost impressed.
"You really are insane."
Riven spat blood onto the ground.
The effort alone hurt.
"That's rich coming from you."
Rigor grinned.
"Fair."
The giant warrior rested his massive blade against one shoulder.
The weapon was chipped.
Damaged.
Covered in blood.
Evidence of a battle neither of them would ever forget.
"You know..."
His voice echoed softly through the ruined district.
"When this started..."
He gestured vaguely.
"I expected another beating."
Riven said nothing.
"I expected the same boy from the Fourth Order Trial."
Another pause.
"The same kid who couldn't touch me."
The memory flashed through Riven's mind instantly.
The Trial.
The humiliation.
The helplessness.
The overwhelming gap between them.
Back then...
Rigor had looked invincible.
Untouchable.
Like a mountain Riven would never climb.
Yet here they were.
Months later.
Standing amidst a destroyed city.
Covered in blood.
Still fighting.
Rigor slowly nodded.
"You've come a long way."
Riven tightened his grip on Moonfang and Nightrend.
His knuckles whitened.
"So have you."
That earned another laugh.
Then silence returned.
The wind picked up.
Somewhere nearby a damaged building finally gave out.
The structure collapsed with a deafening crash.
Neither warrior even looked.
Neither cared.
Their entire world had narrowed to one opponent.
One objective.
One ending.
Rigor rolled his shoulders.
Bones cracked.
Muscles tightened.
His aura slowly began rising again.
The pressure spread across the district.
Windows shattered.
Loose debris lifted into the air.
The ground trembled beneath his feet.
Riven felt it immediately.
And cursed internally.
Because even now...
even after everything...
Rigor was still getting stronger.
The realization was terrifying.
Most warriors weakened during prolonged battles.
Most people slowed down.
Made mistakes.
Lost focus.
Rigor seemed to become more dangerous the longer he fought.
Like battle itself nourished him.
Like violence made him stronger.
The giant warrior lowered his stance.
"Ready?"
Riven laughed.
It sounded broken.
Exhausted.
Half-delirious.
"No."
Rigor's grin widened.
"Good answer."
Then he vanished.
BOOM!
The street exploded beneath him.
Riven's instincts screamed.
He barely crossed his blades in time.
Rigor's strike landed.
The impact felt like being hit by a charging train.
Pain exploded through both arms.
His feet left the ground.
The force launched him backward.
He crashed through a stone wall.
Then another.
Then another.
Each collision sending fresh agony through his battered body.
Before he could recover
Rigor appeared again.
A fist connected with Riven's stomach.
The air exploded from his lungs.
His body folded.
The second punch struck his ribs.
CRACK.
Something broke.
The third hit his jaw.
The world spun.
Blood sprayed through the air.
The fourth strike launched him into the remains of a merchant building.
The entire structure collapsed instantly.
Stone buried him beneath tons of rubble.
Silence.
Dust filled the air.
Nothing moved.
Several seconds passed.
Then
The rubble exploded outward.
Riven emerged.
Bleeding.
Panting.
Still standing.
Rigor stared.
Then sighed dramatically.
"Oh come on."
Riven wiped blood from his mouth.
"What?"
"You keep doing that."
"What?"
"Getting up."
Riven actually smiled.
A small one.
A painful one.
"Yeah."
Rigor pointed accusingly.
"It's becoming annoying."
The giant warrior charged again.
This time Riven met him.
Both disappeared into a blur.
Steel collided.
Again.
Again.
Again.
The city shook beneath them.
Shockwaves blasted outward.
Buildings already weakened by the battle finally collapsed.
Entire streets cracked apart.
Neither slowed.
Neither relented.
Riven slashed.
Rigor blocked.
Riven spun.
Nightrend carved across Rigor's shoulder.
Blood sprayed.
Rigor immediately answered with a knee to the stomach.
Riven coughed blood.
Moonfang slashed upward.
Rigor twisted aside.
His fist crashed into Riven's face.
The swollen eye finally closed completely.
Darkness consumed half his vision.
Still he fought.
Still he moved.
Still he refused to fall.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
Neither knew how long.
The city became their battlefield.
Their arena.
Their graveyard.
They crashed through buildings.
Across rooftops.
Through marketplaces.
Into courtyards.
Everywhere they went...
destruction followed.
Eventually
Rigor grabbed Riven's leg.
The world spun instantly.
Riven barely had time to react.
Then
BOOM!
Rigor slammed him into the ground.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Each impact created a crater.
Each one deep enough to swallow a house.
Then Rigor hurled him.
Riven became a blur.
Flying across the city.
Crashing directly into a massive government structure.
The building exploded inward.
Support pillars shattered.
The entire structure immediately began collapsing.
And from inside
Screaming.
Children.
Riven's eyes widened.
No.
Not again.
The damaged building groaned.
Massive sections of the ceiling began falling.
Dozens of children ran through the interior.
Trying desperately to reach safety.
Trying desperately to escape.
Riven forced himself upright.
His knee nearly gave out.
Pain shot through his entire body.
But he ignored it.
The children were more important.
Always.
The ceiling cracked further.
The collapse had already begun.
Then
Rigor arrived.
The giant warrior smashed through the front wall.
Dust exploded everywhere.
His golden eyes immediately found Riven.
Then the children.
Then the collapsing structure.
Understanding flashed across his face.
And slowly...
he smiled.
"You really can't help yourself."
Riven raised both blades.
His breathing ragged.
"You talk too much."
Rigor laughed.
Then attacked.
Their blades collided.
Shockwaves tore through the structure.
More cracks appeared.
The building groaned louder.
Rigor pressed harder.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Trying to force Riven back.
Trying to force him away.
Trying to make him choose.
The battle.
Or the children.
Riven refused.
Moonfang flashed.
Nightrend followed.
Steel screamed.
Finally
Riven landed a clean strike.
The impact blasted Rigor backward.
The giant crashed through multiple walls.
For one brief moment...
there was space.
Then the building began collapsing completely.
The ceiling gave way.
Thousands of tons of stone fell.
The children screamed.
Riven moved.
Ignoring pain.
Ignoring broken bones.
Ignoring everything.
He threw himself beneath the collapsing structure.
And caught it.
The impact nearly killed him.
His broken knee buckled instantly.
The earth beneath him shattered.
His feet sank into the ground.
Every muscle screamed.
Every bone felt ready to snap.
Blood poured from his wounds.
Yet he held.
The building stopped.
For one impossible moment...
a dying teenager held up an entire collapsing structure.
The children stared.
Frozen.
Terrified.
Riven's arms trembled violently.
His vision blurred.
The weight felt endless.
"Move..."
The children didn't.
Riven growled.
"RUN!"
That finally broke them.
They ran.
Past him.
Toward safety.
Toward life.
Toward tomorrow.
Riven held the building longer.
Longer.
Longer.
Until the last child escaped.
Only then
did he finally let go.
The structure collapsed.
The impact shook the city.
Riven staggered backward.
Completely exhausted.
Completely vulnerable.
And Rigor was already there.
The giant's fist crashed into his chest.
CRACK.
More ribs shattered.
Riven screamed.
For the first time in the entire battle...
he screamed.
The impact launched him across the district.
He crashed through ruined buildings.
Tumbled through debris.
Finally coming to rest inside a shattered avenue.
For several seconds...
he couldn't move.
Couldn't think.
Couldn't breathe.
The Blood Moon stared down at him.
Cold.
Silent.
Uncaring.
His core pulsed weakly.
Once.
Twice.
Then faded.
Riven laughed bitterly.
His body was done.
His core was done.
Everything was done.
And yet...
footsteps approached.
Heavy.
Steady.
Relentless.
Rigor emerged from the smoke.
His silhouette illuminated by crimson moonlight.
The giant stopped before him.
Looking down.
Not with hatred.
Not with anger.
But with respect.
"You protected them."
Riven coughed blood.
"Yeah."
"You could have attacked me."
"Yeah."
"You chose them."
Silence.
Then Rigor nodded.
Slowly.
Respectfully.
"Tyrella would've been proud."
Riven froze.
The words struck harder than any punch.
Harder than any blade.
His mother.
For a brief moment...
he wasn't on a battlefield anymore.
He was seventeen.
Standing beside her.
Listening to her laugh.
Watching her smile.
Feeling safe.
The memory almost broke him.
Rigor raised his blade.
The Blood Moon reflected across its edge.
"That's why you'll lose."
Riven slowly looked up.
"Why?"
Rigor's aura exploded.
The city trembled violently.
"Because you're still trying to save everyone."
The giant warrior lowered his stance.
Power flooding outward.
Wild.
Terrifying.
Monstrous.
"And I'm only trying to kill you."
Then bones began cracking.
Muscles expanded. Black fur erupted across his body.
Claws emerged.
Fangs lengthened.
The transformation had begun.
The Beast of the second Order was finally revealing itself.
And Riven realized something terrifying.
The true battle...
hadn't even started yet...