Chapter 112: Came To Find…
creature moved.
David barely saw it happen.
One second, it was standing several meters away.
The next, it was gone.
"Watch out!"
Someone shouted.
David’s body reacted before his mind caught up.
He tightened his grip on his weapon and stepped forward.
Then—
CLANG!
A shockwave ripped through the street.
David froze.
Rliqs hadn’t moved.
He was standing exactly where he’d been, one hand raised.
The creature’s claw was trapped in his palm.
For a moment, neither moved.
The pavement beneath Rliqs’ feet cracked outward.
David stared.
’He caught it.’
Not dodged.
Not blocked with a weapon.
Caught.
The creature’s arm trembled as it pushed harder.
Its muscles tightened beneath the dark material covering its body.
Rliqs didn’t even lean back.
He looked at the claw in his hand, then at the creature.
"Still using the same trick?"
David blinked.
’The same trick?’
The creature suddenly twisted its body.
Its free arm swung toward Rliqs.
Rliqs sighed.
He released the first arm and stepped sideways.
The claw missed his chest by inches.
Before the creature could recover, Rliqs grabbed its wrist.
Then he pulled.
The creature’s enormous body lurched forward.
Rliqs turned his hips and threw it.
BOOM!
The monster slammed into the pavement hard enough to send cracks racing across the street.
Dust erupted around it.
Several Association members instinctively raised their weapons.
Rliqs didn’t even look at them.
"Don’t."
The single word stopped them.
David lowered his weapon slightly.
The dust began to settle.
The creature pushed itself up.
It wasn’t injured.
Not seriously, anyway.
But it was slower now.
Its glowing eyes remained fixed on Rliqs.
Rliqs watched it for another second.
Then his attention shifted.
Not toward the creature.
Toward the remains of the Gate.
David noticed immediately.
Rliqs walked toward the empty space where the barrier had collapsed.
He crouched beside the scorched pavement.
The air still shimmered faintly.
"What’s he doing?" April whispered.
David didn’t answer.
Rliqs extended one hand.
His fingers stopped just above the ground.
The remaining energy twisted around them.
His expression changed.
Only slightly.
But David saw it.
The faint amusement disappeared.
"That’s not right."
The commander approached carefully.
"What isn’t?"
Rliqs didn’t answer immediately.
He stared at the fading energy.
"The Gate."
The commander frowned.
"What about it?"
"It didn’t open naturally."
Silence.
David’s eyes narrowed.
Rliqs stood.
"Something forced it open."
The commander shook his head.
"Our instruments registered a dimensional rupture."
"Your instruments don’t know what they’re looking at."
The commander stiffened.
David almost smiled.
’That’s one way to insult someone’s entire department.’
But Rliqs wasn’t joking.
His eyes remained on the dead Gate.
"The energy pattern is wrong."
David stepped closer.
"How?"
Rliqs looked at him.
For a second, David felt that same strange pressure he’d noticed earlier.
Not overwhelming.
Just enough to remind him that the man standing beside him was operating on a completely different level.
Rliqs answered calmly.
"A Gate is supposed to connect two places."
He pointed toward the empty space.
"This one was pulled open."
David’s expression hardened.
"From this side?"
Rliqs shook his head.
"From the other."
David looked back at the Gate.
The creature behind them suddenly shifted.
Everyone turned.
It wasn’t looking at Rliqs anymore.
It was looking past them.
Toward the city.
David followed its gaze.
His stomach tightened.
’What is it looking for?’
Rliqs stood beside him.
For the first time since he’d arrived, he didn’t look bored.
He looked concerned.
"How many people live here?"
The commander’s expression changed.
"What?"
Rliqs didn’t turn around.
"I asked how many people live in this city."
The commander hesitated before answering.
Rliqs listened.
Then he went quiet.
David watched his face.
Something about the number had clearly bothered him.
"What?"
Rliqs finally looked at him.
"It didn’t come here to fight."
David glanced toward the creature.
"Then why did it come?"
Rliqs’ eyes followed his.
The creature slowly turned its head toward the city.
Rliqs’ voice dropped.
"To find something."
David’s fingers tightened around his weapon.
’Something in the city?’
The creature took one step forward.
Rliqs didn’t move.
Neither did David.
For the first time, the monster wasn’t looking at them.
It was looking beyond them.
Toward the people they had failed to evacuate.
And David suddenly understood.
The fight had never been the objective.
The creature took another step.
David’s grip tightened around his weapon.
It wasn’t moving toward them.
It was moving toward the city.
Rliqs noticed it too.
"Evacuate everyone."
His voice was calm enough that, for a second, nobody reacted.
Then the commander snapped back to reality.
"All units, move! Get the remaining civilians out of the eastern district!"
The Association scattered.
Orders echoed through the street as teams broke away toward the surrounding buildings.
David remained where he was.
His eyes stayed on the creature.
It walked slowly.
Almost casually.
That bothered him more than if it had charged.
It wasn’t confused.
It wasn’t searching randomly.
It knew where it wanted to go.
’It has a destination.’
Rliqs stepped forward.
The creature stopped.
Those two glowing eyes shifted toward him.
"You aren’t going anywhere."
The creature tilted its head.
David frowned.
There was something strange about the exchange.
Rliqs sounded like he was speaking to someone who could understand him.
The creature raised one arm.
Energy gathered around its claws.
The air tightened.
David felt the pressure immediately.
’Here we go.’
Rliqs disappeared.
David’s eyes widened.
The next thing he saw was Rliqs standing directly in front of the creature.
His fist drove into its stomach.
BOOM!
The creature’s enormous body left the ground.
It flew backward and crashed through the remains of a concrete building.
Dust erupted across the street.
David stared.
’He punched it.’
That was it.
No technique.
No visible ability.
Just one punch.
Rliqs lowered his hand.
"That should buy us a minute."
David looked at him.
"A minute?"
Rliqs glanced over.
"Maybe two."
"That’s supposed to make me feel better?"
"It wasn’t meant to."
David almost laughed.
Almost.
The building shook.
Rliqs’ expression changed.
"Too slow."
The creature burst through the rubble.
It stood upright.
Dust rolled from its shoulders.
There wasn’t much damage.
A few cracks ran across the dark material covering its torso, but otherwise, it looked almost untouched.
David’s amusement disappeared.
’Right. Of course.’
The creature didn’t roar.
It didn’t charge.
It simply looked past Rliqs.
Toward the city.
Then something pulsed.
Faint.
Almost too faint to notice.
David felt it in the air.
The creature did too.
Its head turned sharply toward the eastern district.
Rliqs’ eyes narrowed.
"There."
David looked at him.
"You felt that?"
"Yes."
"What was it?"
Rliqs started walking.
"That’s what we’re going to find out."
David followed.
Behind them, the creature moved.
David glanced over his shoulder.
It was following the same direction.
’So whatever that pulse was...’
His eyes narrowed.
’That’s what it came for.’
Rliqs stopped at the end of the street.
The eastern district stretched ahead of them.
Buildings stood between them and the evacuation zone, their windows reflecting the fading light. Sirens echoed somewhere in the distance.
The creature stopped several meters behind them.
For once, neither side attacked.
They were both listening.
Another pulse passed through the air.
Stronger this time.
David felt it in his chest.
His breathing stopped for half a second.
He looked down.
Nothing.
No wound.
No visible change.
Yet something inside him had reacted.
’What was that?’
Another pulse.
His heart answered with another heavy beat.
David’s expression tightened.
Rliqs turned.
His eyes immediately settled on him.
"You felt that."
It wasn’t a question.
David hesitated.
"Yeah."
"What did you feel?"
"I don’t know."
Rliqs studied him.
David didn’t like that look.
It wasn’t curiosity.
It was calculation.
Before he could ask what was going on, the creature moved.
Its entire body blurred.
David barely had time to react.
"David!"
April’s voice came from behind.
The creature crossed the street in an instant.
Its claw came down.
Rliqs stepped between them.
CLANG!
The impact exploded across the pavement.
David stumbled backward.
Rliqs’ boots dug into the ground.
The creature pushed against him.
Its attention wasn’t on Rliqs anymore.
It was looking directly at David.
Rliqs noticed.
His expression changed.
He forced the creature backward with one arm.
"Interesting."
David steadied himself.
"What?"
Rliqs didn’t answer.
The creature attacked again.
Rliqs caught its wrist.
This time, the monster immediately tried to break past him.
It twisted.
Swung with its other arm.
Rliqs blocked it.
The creature tried again.
Every movement was directed toward one thing.
David.
Not the commander.
Not April.
Not the Association.
Him.
David’s stomach tightened.
’Why me?’
Rliqs finally shoved the creature away.
It slid backward several meters before stopping.
Its glowing eyes never left David.
Rliqs looked at the creature.
Then at David.
Something had clicked in his head.
"You."
David frowned.
"What about me?"
Rliqs’ eyes narrowed.
"I think I know what it’s looking for."
David’s grip tightened.
"What?"
Rliqs didn’t answer immediately.
Behind them, another pulse moved through the city.
This time, David felt it clearly.
Something inside his chest responded.
The creature reacted instantly.
Its entire body tensed.
Its eyes burned brighter.
Rliqs looked at David again.
His voice dropped.
"I don’t think it came here to find something."
David stared at him.
Rliqs glanced toward the creature.
Then back at David.
"I think it came here to find you."
Silence.
David’s mind went blank for a second.
’Me?’
The creature took one slow step forward.
For the first time, David wasn’t wondering whether they could stop it.
He was wondering something far worse.
’Why does that thing know I exist?’