The Corrupted Warden moved faster than I expected.
Despite its hulking size, it closed the distance between us with a single, lurching step, glitching through space like broken code.
Its dozens of twisted arms reached for me, claws sparking with unstable energy.
I barely dodged the first swing — a wall of raw force that shattered the ground behind me.
> [WARNING: COLLISION DAMAGE DETECTED.]
[EVASION PRIORITIZED.]
"Yeah, no kidding!" I snapped, diving into a roll.
I came up firing a Patch Stream — a concentrated blast of stabilization energy from my Tool — straight at its chest.
The Warden roared as the beam carved a scar across its body, but it didn't fall.
If anything, it moved faster, its attacks becoming even more erratic.
---
> [BOSS FIGHT MECHANIC UNLOCKED: GLITCH PHASE.]
[DODGE TIMING REQUIRES ADAPTATION — PATTERNS UNSTABLE.]
Each strike bent the environment around it.
One wrong move, and I'd be erased like faulty code.
This wasn't a normal battle.
This was a survival test.
---
I circled the Warden, searching for an opening.
The Error Heart pulsed wildly above us, sending out shockwaves that distorted reality itself.
In the middle of dodging another slam, I noticed something.
The Warden's mask — the cracked faceplate — occasionally flickered.
When it did, its body briefly stabilized, revealing weak points: thin, golden threads woven into the corruption.
Targets.
I needed to hit those.
---
I baited it, darting close enough to force an overhead smash.
At the last second, I slid sideways, narrowly avoiding the blow.
The impact left the Warden's chest exposed —
and its threads visible.
I launched another Patch Stream, focusing all my remaining charge into a pinpoint burst.
The beam pierced through the threads, causing the Warden to stagger backward with a distorted howl.
Chunks of corrupted armor broke away, falling like burning debris.
---
> [PHASE SHIFT DETECTED.]
[NEW BEHAVIOR: MULTI-STRIKE MODE ENABLED.]
Suddenly, the Warden split into three afterimages — all semi-solid, all deadly.
Each one moved independently, attacking from different angles.
No time to think.
Only react.
---
I weaved between them, using every bit of speed and instinct I had.
One slash clipped my arm, sending warning signals screaming across my HUD.
> [DAMAGE TAKEN: 23%.]
[STABILITY DRAIN INCREASED.]
Pain flared, but I couldn't afford to slow down.
Dodging another barrage, I caught sight of the Error Heart again —
still pulsing, still vulnerable.
Maybe…
maybe I didn't have to defeat the Warden directly.
Maybe destroying the Heart would end this.
---
I made a snap decision.
Pivoting on my heel, I launched myself toward the floating shard.
The Warden roared behind me, sensing my intent.
Tendrils of corrupted data lashed out, trying to drag me back.
I slashed through them with the Patch Tool, burning precious energy reserves.
Closer.
Closer.
---
At the base of the Heart, a rift pulsed — an unstable seam where the corruption flowed thickest.
If I could overwrite it…
> [FIELD REWRITE — READY.]
[OVERRIDE CHANCE: 32%.]
Not great odds.
But better than nothing.
I slammed the Patch Tool into the rift and triggered a full-system Field Rewrite.
---
The world detonated.
White light erupted outward, shredding the corrupted tendrils, severing the Warden's anchor to the Heart.
The Warden shrieked, its body unraveling into fragments of broken code.
The Heart itself cracked, fissures running across its surface.
For a heartbeat, everything froze.
Then — with a sound like a thousand servers crashing simultaneously —
the Heart shattered.
---
> [BOSS FIGHT COMPLETE.]
[Error Heart Destroyed.]
[Stability Zone Secured — 40%.]
[New Skill Unlocked: SYSTEM WEAVE.]
---
I collapsed onto the ground, panting.
Above me, the sky slowly began to patch itself.
The rivers of glitch-code dissolved, replaced by faintly glowing pathways.
The world wasn't healed —
not yet —
but it was no longer actively trying to kill me every second.
Progress.
Small, painful, hard-won progress.
---
As I lay there, the remnants of the Warden's mask floated down beside me.
I picked it up, feeling its cracked surface under my fingers.
For a moment, I thought I heard a voice —
not distorted this time, but soft and clear.
"Well done, Patcher 117.
But this is only the beginning."
The mask disintegrated into motes of light.
And with it, my temporary peace ended.
---
> [WARNING: NEW ERROR BRANCH DETECTED.]
[WORLD LINE FRACTURE — 2%.]
[NEXT OBJECTIVE: LOCATE THE "SOURCE CODE VAULT."]
I sat up slowly.
Of course.
It wasn't over.
Not even close.
But for now…
I allowed myself a small, tired smile.
I was still standing.
And the world — broken as it was — hadn't beaten me yet.