LOTM: Seekers

55. End before it began

Time for Round Two.

Sunny swiftly commanded his Echo to confront the rampaging Demon. Though it thrashed about violently, its reduced mobility was unmistakable. Even so—

BAMM!

I watched as the Centurion was slammed into the ground once again, silently praying it hadn't been destroyed. We braced ourselves for the catastrophe that was about to follow.

I hurled a few more javelins made of poisonous thread at the Carapace Demon, but it dodged them with ease.

What a name, I thought, before deciding to stop wasting energy on another throw.

This time, Neph took the lead, deliberately placing herself in front to draw the Carapace Demon's attention entirely onto her. Meanwhile, Sunny did his best to inflict as much damage as possible, while I focused on holding it back—or at the very least, slowing it down.

However, unlike before, the Carapace Demon was learning—adapting to us. It no longer overstepped its bounds, choosing instead to attack Neph with restraint, never overexerting itself.

Whenever I tried to ensnare it with my threads, it would swiftly pull its massive body back, severing the strands before diving in again. It roared constantly, a deafening barrage meant to disrupt our coordination and drown out our communication.

Because of that, Neph was forced to endure the brunt of its relentless attacks.

Then, a moment later, I realized the truth—those roars weren't just outbursts of rage.

While attempting to catch the Demon, a scene flickered into my peripheral vision.

An army.

Well, calling it an army might be an exaggeration, but there were at least twenty—maybe more—Carapace Scavengers charging toward us at full speed.

"Groaaa!"

The moment it roared, the scavengers responded in unison, raising their pincers as if echoing its cry. The Carapace Demon was commanding them.

The realization struck all of us at once.

Without wasting a second, I swept my gaze across the surroundings, searching desperately for any sign—her silhouette, her presence.

Thankfully, the Ashen Barrow—or whatever this place truly was—lacked any high ground or obstructions that could block the view.

I quickly spotted her at the rear—Cassie was making her way toward us, carefully weaving her path away from the swarm of Scavengers.

Without hesitation, I activated my Evil Eye and forcefully repelled the nearest one closing in on her.

"Chris!!" Sunny shouted, his voice laced with alarm.

I turned—just in time to see a massive scythe arcing toward me, aiming to cleave my body clean in half.

***

Hearing the thunderous stampede of approaching footsteps, Cassie didn't hesitate—she pushed her body forward, racing toward the group.

She moved as fast as she could, struggling just to stay upright—because a single fall could cost her precious seconds.

But it wasn't enough.

She could feel it in her skin—in real time—the Scavengers were moments away from catching up to her.

As she pushed herself to the limit, something shifted. It wasn't a full revelation, just a fleeting glimpse—a fragment of the near future. 

The nearest Scavenger was suddenly hurled away by something… incomprehensible.

And at that exact moment,

"Chris," Sunny's warning echoed through her mind.

I conjured a longstaff, but unlike the usual rigid kind, this one was supple—its flexibility allowing it to absorb the blow and guard against the scythe's lethal edge.

I leapt backward just before the strike landed.

"Ghh!"

Yet, despite my effort, the force behind the swing was overwhelming. I was slammed backward, tumbling across the ground and sending a cloud of ashes swirling into the air.

The idea was sound, but my left hand—though it functioned like a real one—lacked the strength of my right. When I finally came to a stop, I noticed a wide, searing wound across my chest.

"Tch." I clicked my tongue, gritting my teeth against the pain.

"Aghh!" No, it wasn't possible. I screamed in pain as I put my hand closed to the wound. then quickly covered my wound tight with thread to avoid any more blood loss.

I cursed through the agony but didn't take my eyes off the Carapace Demon.

Thanks to its wide, sweeping strike toward me, Neph had seized the opportunity—leaving a cracked fissure in its armor across the chest.

She looked frustrated, having failed to inflict the deeper wound she aimed for near its face.

The Carapace Centurion was filling in for me at the moment, but it wasn't enough—its large, inflexible body had to absorb every hit. I dragged my aching, blood-warm body across the ground.

"Sunny," I called out. "Send the Echo to Cassie."

He could see for himself that his Echo wasn't functioning properly, so without hesitation, he obeyed and directed it toward Cassie.

"Time for Round 3, you filthy crab!"

My fake left hand revealed itself, unleashing a wave of threads as I tried to ensnare its legs once more. But the hand-scythe sliced through the threads effortlessly.

Even so, it caught the Demon's attention.

This time, Sunny launched a follow-up attack, aiming to thrust at its head—but another hand-scythe came crashing down, blocking the strike.

With two of its scythes temporarily out of commission, Neph seized the opening. She dashed between the remaining weapons, aiming to strike the Demon's head once again. But the Carapace Demon reacted swiftly, forcing Neph to change her plan in a split second.

Clang!

The clash of steel reverberated through the air. She missed the head as the Demon stepped back, but managed to shatter the cracked carapace on its chest.

Next, it would be either the head or the heart.

With victory in sight, the three of us moved in perfect sync—no words needed—as we prepared to execute the same strategy and sequence once again.

But it wasn't that simple. The Carapace Demon anticipated its downfall and avoided repeating the same mistake.

Unfortunately for it, that also led to a dead end.

The moment I pierced its eye, its fate was sealed. Its movements suddenly grew sluggish, allowing me to ensnare it once more. Then, Sunny and Neph moved in to finish the job.

As I watched it collapse, I too fell to the ground, utterly exhausted.

Sunny quickly rushed to his Echo, assisting it in managing the advancing swarm of Scavengers.

Meanwhile, Neph approached me, her gaze fixed on my injury.

Her white flame ignited, gently burning my body…