LOTM: Seekers

54. Carapace Demon

"This is strange," Neph suddenly called out to me.

I had just smacked a carapace scavenger with my thread-woven staff when I turned to her. "What's strange?" I asked.

Thanks to Sunny's echo, I was relieved of my role as Cassie's escort, allowing me to join the fray. With all three of us actively engaged on the battlefield, we advanced swiftly without compromising our defensive line.

"The way you use your weapon," she said, her gaze sharp with curiosity.

She explained that longstaff techniques were mostly similar to spearplay—offering greater versatility, but generally less lethality.

"You said you don't have any training with it. Even so, instinct alone would usually make someone attempt a forward thrust. But you never once did. Why is that?"

As I listened to her reasoning, I glanced down at my hand and pictured the forward thrust she described—aimed straight at my head. "Ah…" Understanding dawned on me. That's why I had never used it that way.

"Right. I never showed you guys how I usually use it," I said, almost sheepishly.

As I spoke, white flames flowed along the staff, reshaping it in a flicker of heat and light—until the longstaff transformed into a scythe.

"A scythe?" Neph seemed momentarily distracted, her eyes following the way I shaped and controlled the flame.

Just as I was about to nod in response, she continued, "Even so, it's foolish not to use the tools you have. Even a scythe can be used for thrusting."

She went on to explain the technique in detail, drawing from what she knew.

Thanks to my investment of soul shards, I was now receiving a proper lesson.

Heh… I couldn't help but smirk.

I made a good investment.

By the end of the day, we had crossed the labyrinth and arrived at the looming presence we had seen from afar. Now, standing so much closer, you could truly grasp its scale—and just how small and insignificant you were in comparison.

When we think of colossal trees, our minds often drift to the World Tree—known by many names: Yggdrasil, the Holy Tree, or others depending on the legend. But they all share one thing in common: a majestic tree standing at the heart of a vibrant forest, its vast canopy sheltering and nurturing all life beneath it.

What we saw was the exact opposite. There wasn't a single trace of life near the tree.

All that surrounded it was a vast expanse of ash and dull, lusterless earth—silent, colorless, and utterly lifeless. It was strange to think how something as immense as a tree could even grow in a place like this.

In this barren wasteland, devoid of any structure or shelter, it was only a matter of time before the dark sea consumed us. And yet, despite that knowledge—despite the fact that sunset was approaching—the four of us made no move to climb the colossal tree.

Or rather, it wasn't that we weren't in a hurry…

It was that we couldn't.

Between us and the tree stood a towering creature—so massive that the carapace scavenger looked like a mere child in comparison. Even the echo of the carapace centurion, Cassie's formidable mount, didn't come close in size.

Following Neph's lead, we cautiously approached the colossal tree. And, as expected, the creature noticed us. With a low, rumbling presence, it slowly rose to its full height—its enormous body casting a long shadow, its gaze fixed on us like we were invaders destined to bring ruin.

"It's a Demon," Cassie whispered, her voice sending a chill down our spines as the full weight of the threat sank in.

I had heard about them from the others. Unlike the Star Stream, where strength is defined by level and ranks or my world with sequences, this world followed a different system. Nightmare creatures here were classified by tiers—starting from Dormant, then Awakened, Fallen, Corrupted, Great, Cursed, and finally… Unholy.

It was somewhat similar but different names—but they had something different: cores.

A creature with one core was called a Beast.

Two cores, a Monster.

Then came Demon, Devil, Tyrant, Terror, and finally, Titan.

Starting from Demon, those with three or more cores were considered intelligent beings—capable of thought, strategy, and malice.

More than their rank, it was the number of cores that determined their true power. A Dormant Demon with three cores could at least have a chance to kill a Fallen Beast.

The only reason humans rose to become the apex predators—despite being weaker, slower, and more fragile than wild animals—was intelligence. If those same animals had possessed human-level intellect, we might have been the ones living in constant fear.

And now, standing in our path, was an Awakened Demon.

While Neph, Cassie, and Sunny… They weren't even Awakened. They were still Dormant.

***

Neph quickly understood—the gap in power was overwhelming. Sunny might be able to offer some support, but Cassie would be a burden in a direct confrontation.

Normally, in a situation like this, Neph would avoid fighting head-on at all costs. That was the logical choice. But this time… there was someone else in the group. An enigma even to her.

Neph wasn't sure how strong he truly was—but one thing she knew for certain: if she ever had to fight him, she wouldn't walk away unscathed.

Sure, just like he claimed, he lacked any formal training in weapon techniques or body movement. But the sheer number of soul shards he carried… it was far beyond what someone "unable to fight" should ever have. 

He also said he lived in this land. But Neph doubted that. There were two pieces of evidence that didn't add up.

First, he didn't seem to know anything about the surrounding terrain—no more than she did.

And second, there was the place he called his nest. 

From her recent interactions with him, Neph had come to understand at least one thing: he wasn't a careless person. He was prepared meticulously before adventuring into something unknown.

Someone like that wouldn't choose to stay in a place so exposed for long term—where dangerous Nightmare Creatures could launch an attack at any moment.

Perhaps the only person here who knows the answer... Neph's gaze briefly shifted to Cassie.

She's the one who always seems to know everyone's secrets, she thought, a hint of suspicion flickering in her eyes.

Shaking the thought away, Neph refocused, her mind already working through a plan—calculating the best way to subjugate the towering creature before them.

"It's a solid plan," I said, sharing my thoughts on Neph's proposal.

"It's for our survival. I don't mind," Sunny added. Since the plan required his echo to take the lead and absorb most of the damage, his approval was crucial.

"However," I continued, "there are two things I need to clarify first."

They all turned to me, silently urging me to go on.

"First," I said, turning to Cassie. "Do you believe you can hold your own?"

With Sunny's echo and me joining the front lines, protecting her wouldn't be possible.

Without a hint of hesitation, she replied firmly, "Definitely."

"Alright then. Just don't make us come back to collect your corpse—we're not looking for any noble sacrifices." I nodded at her will and besides me Neph and Sunny both nodded in silent agreement.

"Second… do we have enough provisions?"

It was an odd question, especially given the situation—we weren't laying siege to a fortress.

Realizing how strange it sounded, I quickly corrected myself.

"Sorry, let me rephrase… Is it fine if that thing ends up inedible after this?"

….

TAK. TAK. TAK.

The sharp, heavy steps of Sunny's Echo—the Carapace Centurion—rang out as it charged toward the Carapace Demon.

GROAA—

It might have roared like that if it were truly alive. But it wasn't. It was just an Echo, and no sound came from it. The roar only echoed inside my mind, and my imagination.

Despite being only about half the demon's size, the centurion charged with unwavering pride, raising its scythe-like arm and swinging it toward the towering creature.

It would be our tank—our frontline shield.

From the side, the scene could've been pulled straight out of an old Ultraman episode.

The moment the Centurion's scythe clashed with the demon's, I—who had been hiding on its back, stabilizing myself during the charge—leapt out, launching a surprise attack.

The Centurion quickly lost the struggle for dominance and was slammed into the ashen ground with a thunderous crash. But it had done its job.

It had bought me just enough time.

A thread shot out at incredible speed, weaving itself in midair—and just like before, a long shaft began to take shape in my hands.

However, instead of the usual blunt end, one side of the shaft tapered sharply to a fine point—like a pencil. Upon closer inspection, I noticed a viscous liquid dripping from it.

From this close distance, I could clearly make out its body structure: an eight-legged creature with a humanoid torso and jagged protrusions. But its carapace looked more like steel than the typical chitin—its natural armor forged through some brutal evolution. Its scythe was larger and far sharper than the Centurion's, gleaming menacingly.

It was unmistakably the next stage—the evolved form of the Centurion—like some fearsome Pokémon. Even so, I didn't flinch. I had been marking it all along. 

"I won't miss," I declared, steady and resolute.

Brsst!

A spray of blood splattered the moment I pierced its left eye.

As expected, the demon's scythe immediately swung toward me in retaliation. Using its massive body as a springboard, I leapt, somersaulting gracefully over its towering form.

At the same time, another thread sprang to life—anchored to the Centurion as its fulcrum—already weaving a deadly trap.

I landed and quickly jumped back several times as the enraged demon wasted no time, charging fiercely toward me.

I stared at my work. One of its eyeballs was destroyed, but the wound was shallow. Threads were never designed for piercing; their durability wasn't enough to penetrate deeply.

But this was already enough.

With its eye exposed like that, there was no way the demon could avoid the corrosive liquid coating the thread—allowing the toxin to seep easily into its system.

The demon ignored the Centurion completely. It twisted its massive body and unleashed a full-frontal attack aimed directly at me.

The moment it swung, I slid swiftly beneath its sweeping strike, narrowly avoiding the blow.

Sensing my intention, the Carapace Demon released its grip on the ground and attempted to crush me beneath its heavy bulk.

"Shit," I cursed as the demon's speed outpaced me—I'd have been crushed to nothing but my lower body if it kept up.

My iris split into four, glowing briefly. Thanks to that, I barely escaped being crushed to death. After a quick spin, I pulled my hands—and sure enough, a thread looped tightly around the demon's body snapped taut.

The cutting edge sprang into action.

Shiiiiing... Tas!

It snapped clean through.

"Tch," I clicked my tongue in frustration as the thread failed to make a dent. Its durability simply couldn't match the demon's steel-like carapace. But killing it wasn't my job.

Swiftly, I followed up with another thread—a javelin coated in poison—and hurled it toward an unguarded joint. The demon shifted effortlessly, deflecting the attack with its armored shell.

From the left, Neph appeared, and from the right, Sunny emerged like a flash of light. Seizing the small window of opportunity, Neph swung her sword at the demon's ankle—snap!—just like that, it broke.

Without hesitation, Neph struck again, slicing off both of its left legs.

Meanwhile, Sunny couldn't match Neph's precision. Instead, he lodged his sword firmly at the demon's right ankle, aiming to restrict its movement.

Then, under Sunny's command, the Centurion rose once more and charged at the demon. Despite the size difference, the impact was enough to create a small shockwave.

BAMM!

At the same moment, I pulled the thread I had been preparing all along. The loose wire tightened around the demon's leg. If it had been at full strength, I might not have been able to shift it—but with three legs lost, the demon had lost its center of gravity and was dragged off balance.

Unable to recover from the combined impact of the Centurion's charge and the sudden pull, the demon had no choice but to collapse heavily to the ground.

Sand burst into the air as the demon's massive body crashed to the ground.

Neph, Sunny, and I didn't hesitate—we knew this moment was critical. It was just like a boss fight in a game: the shield was down.

Time to unleash the damage.

Sunny focused on the leg where his sword had been lodged, hacking at it with all his strength. Neph went for the kill, aiming to behead the demon, but it wasn't enough. Even with a deep gash across its head, the demon still had both of its scythe-like arms, making it too dangerous for her to finish the job.

Meanwhile, I joined Sunny, targeting its legs. Using my thread and igniting it with Uriel's flame, I managed to blow one of them apart. Together, Sunny and I then destroyed another leg in a coordinated strike.

With our burst complete, the three of us quickly disengaged and retreated to gain some distance.

The Carapace Demon had lost two legs on its left side and three on its right, along with a deep, gaping wound near its head.

"Gkroaaa!" It let out a guttural roar and rose unsteadily to its feet, turning its furious gaze toward the three of us.

Each of the demon's legs had three sections: the part connected to its body, the one that touched the ground, and the joint in between.

Because of the height difference, we'd only been able to sever the lower sections—the parts that made contact with the ground. But that had been enough. With its balance broken, weight and gravity had done the rest.

Then, to our surprise, the demon raised its own scythe—and swung it at itself.

With a brutal precision, it severed the lower section of each of its remaining three legs, mimicking exactly what we had done. Now shorter, but stable, it had regained its balance.

"GROAAAA!"

Time for Round Two.