Chapter 61: Summoner Kairos’ Reserves

Chapter 61: Summoner Kairos’ Reserves It was in a low-grade store where Kairos visited almost every day after his parents had died. He recalled the woman who had often given him free food, her warm smile and gentle voice echoing through his memory even now. He could almost hear her words again, the ones she had told him when he was at his lowest: ’No matter what your goals are in life, you will need friends to help you accomplish them...’ Her words had clung to him like an old scar he could never quite forget. Even after all these years, they lingered, refusing to fade. He had promised himself — when he graduated from the Academy, he would surprise her. He would shower her with money and gratitude for all she had done for him, for all those small acts of kindness that had helped him survive. However, the dream of graduation, of repaying her kindness, quickly slipped from Kairos’s mind as the brutal present crashed down upon him. Why was I even thinking about that now? he wondered. Was it regret? Pain? Or was it something worse? He had no clear answer. No time to think. As Rivet pulled out his sword and shoved him down with a brutal kick to the gut, the sharp agony ripping through him, the answer came to Kairos like a cold whisper. It wasn’t regret. It wasn’t even pain. It was the bitter realization that he had finally understood the "crap" that woman had been spouting all those years. ’However... it’s far too late.’ With that final thought, Kairos’s body collapsed backward onto the rocky floor, blood pooling beneath him, his chest growing stiller with each ragged breath. His fingers twitched once. Then twice. And then no more. This was it. His end. "No, you bastard!!" Carlos roared, his voice breaking with desperation. He immediately tried to summon his beast, but as the blue smoke began to swirl around him, it suddenly sputtered and dispersed into nothing. Carlos gasped in pain, clutching his chest. "Arrrgh!" he grunted, staggering. His body was already at its limit, his energy completely drained. Darnell wasn’t any better. He struggled even to lift his head. Summoning his beast was impossible — the brutal punch to his gut and the reckless overuse of integration had left him completely burnt out. Even Lina, laying sprawled against the cold, jagged ground, gritted her teeth. Anger flickered in her eyes as she slowly, shakily raised her hand. But the poison running through her veins made even that small movement feel like moving mountains. It was times like these that Rivet could not help but savor his feeling of invincibility. "I wanted to keep the bastard alive," Rivet muttered, shaking his head with mock disappointment. "But he sure overdid things." He swept his cold gaze over the rest of the broken team lying before him. "I guess I have no choice but to kill you all too," he said casually, as though commenting on the weather. There was no remorse in his tone. If anything, Rivet seemed to derive sick joy from it. Killing Kairos hadn’t satisfied him. It had only whetted his appetite for more blood. He turned his gaze to Carlos. "You lot," Rivet barked to his men. "Kill the others. And check the piles—if anyone’s alive, kill them too. I’ll handle Carlos myself." His men moved instantly, their weapons gleaming under the cave’s dim light. They closed in on Lina, Darnell, and Kaela, standing over them like executioners awaiting the final command. Rivet approached Carlos with a cruel smirk. He placed the sharp end of his blade against Carlos’s chest, pushing just enough to draw a bead of blood. "How does it feel to lick my boots, Carlos?" he sneered. Carlos didn’t respond. There was so much he wanted to say — to scream, to spit back into Rivet’s face — but right now he was powerless. Listening to Rivet’s provocations was pointless. All he could do was hope. Hope for a miracle. Rivet’s eyes gleamed with a twisted sense of respect as he said, "Goodbye, my one and only rival." He drew his sword back, preparing to deliver the final blow. "Kill them," he barked to his men. --- The soft sensation of warm, fluffy fur brushing against his skin drew Kairos back into consciousness. A low, familiar whimper filled the air. Kairos’s eyes snapped open. Before him stood the Shadow Wolf, its tail wagging eagerly as it nudged his shoulder with its head. Kairos gave a weak, dazed smile, gently pushing the wolf’s head aside as he sat up. ’Is this the afterlife?’ he wondered, his heart pounding uncertainly. The Shadow Wolf tilted its head, almost as if it could understand his thoughts. Then it turned its gaze toward something else — the egg. From a distance, it looked broken, its shell fractured into pieces, yet whatever was inside had not emerged. Kairos’s brow furrowed. Slowly, shakily, he rose to his feet, the echo of each step resonating in the strange silent world around him. His gaze remained locked onto the battered egg as he approached. Reaching it, he knelt down and ran his fingers over its rough, cracked surface. He pulled gently at the shards, but most of them refused to budge, almost as if glued by some unseen force. Frustration began to claw at him. Maybe this isn’t a normal egg... he thought grimly. Just as he was about to give up, one large jagged shard came loose under his touch, revealing a sliver of darkness beneath. Peering closer, Kairos found himself locking eyes with something — large, blood-red eyes stared back at him through the broken shell, unblinking and without expression. A message floated before his eyes: [Would you like to begin integration with your second summon?] Kairos hesitated only for a heartbeat before nodding firmly. In the next instant, power flooded through him — raw, overwhelming, unstoppable. --- Back in the real world... Kairos’s broken body, lying motionless on the cold rocky ground, twitched. In a flash, his hand jerked upward as his wound closed at an inhuman speed. Blood stopped flowing. Skin sealed. His heart, once still, thundered back to life. The healing was so fast it couldn’t even be classified as simple integration recovery. It was something far greater. A storm of strength surged through Kairos. He sprang to his feet in a blur, his senses sharpening, his mind snapping into clarity. He assessed the battlefield in seconds. Then His gaze locked onto the one person he hated above all others. Rivet. With a snarl of rage, Kairos launched forward. His body blurred with newfound speed as he threw a brutal punch, striking Rivet square across the face. The force sent Rivet flying backward, skidding across the ground and landing hard on his backside. "I told you already!" Kairos roared, his voice shaking the very walls of the cavern. "You talk too much!!!" The sheer shock of the sudden attack froze everyone in place. They stared in disbelief. Wasn’t Kairos dead? How was he standing? How was he alive and stronger than ever? Even worse, he was in an integration state — his body now adorned with large, curved horns protruding from his head. His very presence felt heavier, more suffocating, as if he had ascended into something beyond human. Rivet scrambled to his feet, rage and confusion battling in his expression. "How the hell are you still alive?!" he spat, pure hatred dripping from his voice. Kairos didn’t bother answering. His fists clenched. "I don’t give a fuck what you think," Kairos growled, summoning his energy. "But because you laid your filthy hands on my friends, I’ll make you all pay dearly." [Activating Second Summon.] The air grew heavy. Then with a ground-shaking roar, Kairos’s second summon materialized beside him — a mighty, brutal beast with a menacing snarl that echoed through the cavern, shaking even the stones themselves. This was just the beginning of the battle and Kairos’ Reserves had been initiated.