Chapter 58: Three Summoners

Chapter 58: Three Summoners As Ny’kara began to make a move for Kaela, Carlos knew it was up to him to act — to protect her. His body was battered and far from recovered, but that didn’t matter anymore. Summoning the last reserves of his strength, he charged forward at full speed toward Ny’kara. Reaching him in a heartbeat, Carlos threw a powerful kick straight at Ny’kara’s torn stump — the wound still oozing blood from earlier. His foot slammed into it with a loud, sickening thud. But Carlos wasn’t done yet. In one swift motion, he surged lightning through his leg and into Ny’kara’s bleeding stump. The energy crackled violently, building to a sudden, explosive blast that erupted from the wound. The force of the explosion sent Ny’kara crashing to the ground. ’Now that he has wounds without his armor... I’ll be able to take over from here. After all, I’m the only one still standing.’ But Ny’kara wasn’t finished either. Almost immediately, the creature rose to its feet. Its bloodshot eyes locked onto Carlos, blazing with murderous rage. The beast looked less like a living creature now and more like a monster driven solely by bloodlust. Tightening its remaining hand into a trembling fist, a red energy began to spiral around it — a sickening, poisonous glow. Carlos understood instantly; Ny’kara planned to hit him with the same venomous strike that had taken Lina down. But Carlos was paying attention this time. He couldn’t afford to fall — not when he was the only one left— In a flash too fast for the eye to follow, Ny’kara disappeared from its spot, reappearing directly in front of him, its fist already mid-swing, aiming straight for Carlos’s face. The attack was ferocious, but Carlos had anticipated it. Reacting on instinct, he jerked his head left, narrowly avoiding the deadly blow. He had figured it out. Ny’kara’s ability allowed it to teleport — but it could only mark two positions at a time, and the only way it could mark a position was by getting hit there. It could then disappear and reappear between those marks. Carlos clenched his fists tighter. ’Figuring it out doesn’t guarantee a win... I still need a way to beat him.’ The only option that came to mind was to release his summon. But if he did... ’This cave is too narrow. A summon battle would collapse the entire place... We’ll all get crushed...’ His thoughts raced — options, consequences, risks — until a sudden voice broke through. "Stop overthinking things!" Before Carlos could even react, a figure lunged from the side. A strong, broken fist — covered by a torn, blood-soaked gauntlet — crashed into Ny’kara’s face. The force of the punch sent Ny’kara flying, smashing into a cave wall with such force the entire cavern shook as if an earthquake had struck. Carlos gasped, his heart hammering in his chest. He turned his head and saw him. Kairos. Blood trickled from his skull, fatigue painted across his face, but there he stood, grinning weakly. "Thinking in battle will get you killed," he said with a smirk. Moments later, Darnell arrived at his side, already in his integration form. But this time, he looked different — more terrifying. From his back, long, tentacle-like ropes of flesh and energy protruded, flowing ominously through the air. "It caught me by surprise," Darnell said, his voice heavy with restrained anger, "but let’s show this beast the full strength of the trio!" Hearing that, all three of them immediately understood. It was the skill they had practiced together — the one they had reserved for a real fight. "Yeah, let’s end this. Its core... it’s in the right chest. It can teleport between here and there... don’t get hit by its fist when it’s glowing red... and it has a strong shell," Carlos quickly explained, stepping to Darnell’s left. Kairos moved to Darnell’s right. Without hesitation, the three of them charged toward Ny’kara, who had begun to rise again, roaring in a feral, rage-fueled frenzy. The monster barreled toward them like a freight train without brakes. "Echo Walk!" Kairos whispered as he took the lead, his body blurring forward. In less than a second, he reached Ny’kara’s right side. Carlos followed in perfect synchrony, both of them closing in from opposite flanks. They attacked at once, fists flying — but Ny’kara’s brutal instincts kicked in. It teleported just before their blows could connect, vanishing from between them. But Carlos had predicted exactly where it would reappear. The second it materialized, Darnell was already there — spinning around swiftly. His two rope-like tentacles snapped forward, wrapping tightly around Ny’kara’s body, locking its arms and legs in place. "Carlos! Are you ready?!" Kairos shouted as he charged dark energy into his left gauntlet, black sparks dancing around his hand. Carlos responded with a fierce nod, arcs of blue lightning surging around his fists. "Do it!" In an instant, Carlos and Kairos switched places with Darnell, appearing right in front of the restrained Ny’kara. The beast had no time to react. Kairos struck first, his gauntlet crashing into Ny’kara’s right chest with earth-shattering force. The impact sent a deafening crack through the cave — the armor shattered, and the ribs beneath buckled. But it wasn’t enough yet. Carlos was already moving. Lightning engulfed his hand as he thrust it forward like a spear, piercing straight through the cracked armor. His fist burst through Ny’kara’s back, gripping something pulsing and hot — the core. The battle ended in a moment of sheer brutality. Ny’kara stood motionless, its body twitching slightly before it fell, lifeless, to the ground. Carlos pulled the core free, panting heavily. Exhaustion immediately overtook him, and he collapsed to the ground, sitting on his bottom. "Man... we just killed an Abyssal Ranked beast... What the fuck..." he muttered, breathless. Darnell laughed through gritted teeth. "That bastard hit me so hard in the gut... I can still feel it." Their laughter echoed against the trembling cave walls, the thrill of victory washing over them. But Kairos didn’t laugh. His eyes were locked onto something else. His shadow — it had moved without his command. It extended unnaturally toward the fallen Abyssal beast. "No," he whispered under his breath. But it was too late. The shadow wrapped around the corpse and began consuming it. And worst of all — everyone was watching. Carlos and Darnell stared, mouths agape, eyes wide with shock. Lina lay unconscious, and Kaela — Kaela was simply staring, her face unreadable. The consumption finished. Kairos felt the surge of power course through him, and notifications flashed in the corner of his vision. [You have successfully consumed a great source of power.] [Second summon hatchery has been completed.] [Evolution will soon take place.] But Kairos barely read them. His heart was sinking fast. He turned to face his teammates, the weight of what just happened crashing down on him. For a moment, there was only silence. Until — "Wow, absolute cinema!" A slow, mocking clap echoed from the end of the cave. Kairos’s head snapped around, his body tense with sudden dread. Standing there — illuminated by the dim, flickering cave light — was Rivet and his group. Their phones were raised. Recording. They had caught everything. Kairos’s secret was just exposed not just to them — it was captured. And soon... the whole world might know.