Something inside me snapped too.

I charged, not thinking, just moving. My body slammed into the Reaper’s back, knocking it off balance. It released Naomi, who collapsed clutching her broken arm. The creature spun, backhand already swinging toward my face.

I ducked. The blow missed by millimeters. I drove my fist into its stomach with every ounce of strength I could muster.

Like punching a steel wall.

"Fall back!" Misato ordered, materializing three new clones. All four of her surrounded the Reaper and started attacking from different angles. "Jace, get Naomi clear!"

I wrapped my arm around Naomi’s waist and pulled her away from the fight. Her face was tight from pain, her breathing shallow.

"I’m okay," she lied through gritted teeth.

"Like hell you are." I propped her against the wall. "Stay here."

"We can’t beat it." She clutched her arm. "Not like this. It’s too strong."

She was right. The thing was shrugging off our best attacks. Misato’s clones were slowing it down but not stopping it. Jordan’s shadows couldn’t hold it for more than a few seconds at a time. Belle’s bolts weren’t penetrating deep enough to cause real damage.

And it was learning. Each teleport was more strategic than the last. It had already identified Misato as the biggest threat and was focusing on taking out her clones first.

We needed an edge.

I needed an edge.

My hand went to my belt pouch where I kept the essence bottles. I had one filled with Naomi’s milk from yesterday’s session. Silver tier. High quality.

Overclock.

I’d never used it before. The cost was steep—a full cup of essence for four minutes of boosted power. But right now, four minutes of Gold-tier Wave Motion sounded pretty fucking good.

"What are you doing?" Naomi asked, watching me pull out the bottle.

"Something stupid." I uncapped it. "Stay put."

I rejoined the fight, bottle in hand. The Reaper had destroyed two more of Misato’s clones and she looked strained, sweat pouring down her face. Jordan’s movements were getting sluggish. Belle had switched from her crossbow to a knife, the quiver at her back empty.

We were losing.

I raised the bottle to my lips and drank.

Naomi’s essence hit my system like lightning. Sweet and rich and powerful, it flooded my veins with energy. The System interface flashed in my vision.

[OVERCLOCK ACTIVATED]

[WAVE MOTION: BRONZE → GOLD]

[DURATION: 4:00 MINUTES]

[COOLDOWN: 6 HOURS]

The essence itself tasted like Naomi—like ocean salt and honey and something uniquely her. But what followed was pure power.

Wave Motion energy surged through my body, different now. Not just stronger—transformed. Where before it had been a stream, now it was a fucking tsunami. It coiled around my arms, my legs, crackling with golden light that illuminated the entire chamber.

"Jace?" Belle stared at me. "What the hell did you just do?"

"Bought us four minutes." I flexed my hands, feeling the energy respond to my thoughts. "Get clear."

"All of you back!" Misato ordered, recognizing what was happening. "Jace has this!"

The Reaper’s head swiveled toward me, sensing the change. Its eyes flared.

It teleported directly in front of me, hand already striking for my throat.

I caught its wrist mid-swing.

The Reaper’s black eyes widened fractionally. The only sign of surprise it could show.

"My turn," I said.

Wave Motion exploded from my palm into its chest. Not a spiral now—a concentrated beam of golden energy that punched straight through its torso and out the other side. The hole was the size of my fist, edges cauterized by the heat.

The Reaper staggered backward, black ichor leaking from the wound.

"It’s not dead!" Belle called. "Center mass won’t kill it!"

The creature’s eyes flared again. It teleported behind me.

I was ready. Gold-tier Wave Motion meant speed I’d never experienced before. I pivoted the instant it appeared, my fist already connecting with its jaw. The blow snapped its head back and sent it flying across the chamber.

It hit the wall, cracking the stone, then dropped to all fours. That glass-crushing scream echoed around us, loud enough to make my ears hurt.

"The eyes!" Misato shouted. "You have to destroy the eyes!"

The Reaper teleported again. This time it appeared above me, dropping from the ceiling.

I launched myself sideways with a Wave Motion burst, avoiding its grasp by inches. The Gold-tier propulsion sent me sailing across the chamber faster than I’d ever moved before. I hit the opposite wall feet-first, absorbed the impact, and pushed off again.

I became a missile, body wrapped in golden energy as I slammed into the Reaper mid-teleport. We crashed to the ground together, my momentum carrying us into a roll. I ended up on top, straddling its chest, hands closing around its throat.

Its arms whipped up, clawing at my face. I leaned back just enough to avoid the worst, feeling its nails rake across my tactical gear.

"Jordan!" I called. "Restrain its arms! Now!"

Jordan’s shadows shot forward, wrapping around the Reaper’s limbs and pinning them to the ground. His face contorted with effort, veins bulging at his temples. "Can’t... hold it... long..."

"Don’t need long." I channeled Wave Motion into both palms, the energy gathering in concentrated orbs of golden light. "Just need a clean shot."

The Reaper thrashed beneath me, its strength incredible even with Jordan’s shadows restraining it. I could feel the Wave Motion boost already draining my stamina at an accelerated rate. Gold-tier was powerful but inefficient—designed for short bursts, not extended combat.

I had maybe two minutes left. Maybe less.

I lifted both hands and drove them down toward the Reaper’s eyes.

Its head twisted at an impossible angle, avoiding the strike. My palms hit the stone floor instead, Wave Motion energy blasting craters into the rock.

"Fuck!" I readjusted, trying to track its movements.

"Jace!" Belle shouted from across the chamber. "It’s using the worms!"

"What?"

"The things that are moving under its skin! They’re controlling it! Target those!"