Cyrus felt the chilling embrace of death beckoning him.
But then, a streak of orange light suddenly rushed in from behind, slicing past the pincer of the attacking crab and smashing into its head.
BANG!
The crab was catapulted backward, letting out a piercing shriek that reverberated through the air. It crashed and tumbled across the ground until it finally came to a halt.
Cyrus's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the golden armored crab that had nearly overwhelmed him. A long, diagonal gash marred its skull, the edges charred and blackened, extending back along its carapace and oozing red blood that stained its once-shimmering surface. To make matters worse, it had lost one of its pincers, blood seeping from the stalk like a broken faucet.
The crab let out another shriek, a haunting blend of anguish and fury, its eyes burning with madness.
"Snap out of it."
Cyrus' body froze.
'That voice… don't tell me…'
He slowly turned his head, and there she stood, in soul and flesh.
It was Helen, though she looked different.
"Creepy… stalker," he muttered, a chill slithering down his spine.
"Snap out of it. The knight armored is calling the rest of the pack. We need to finish it fast so that we can run away."
Cyrus regained his composure and rushed to pick up his sword, swiftly returning to Helen's side, despite finding her presence unsettling.
"I'll be the main offensive force, while you, Brandon, and Brian will support me. Brandon, don't let it get past you, and Brian, kite it if it slips by. Lily will keep it distracted," she rapidly issued commands.
Cyrus couldn't tell if she hadn't assigned him a role because she doubted his abilities or simply didn't recognize his skills. But he wasn't about to complain about being given free rein.
He turned to observe his surroundings.
Helen was clad in striking red armor, adorned with intricate black runes that gave it a sophisticated design, perfectly hugging her small frame. In her hand, she wielded a short sword wreathed in orange flames.
Brandon, the impatient one, wore sleeveless armor and gripped a double-handed axe. Brian, the calmer of the two, donned sleek black leather that accentuated his physique.
In the distance, Lily stood atop a boulder, an arrow nocked in her bow and her expression resolute. Yet her innocent, large eyes made her resemble a beautiful doll, creating a striking contrast to the tense atmosphere.
"Remember, we only have three minutes," Helen said before she dashed toward the injured crab.
Her speed was almost a blur to Cyrus.
With another furious shriek, the crab lunged at her, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.
As they neared collision, the crab performed a low vault, aiming for her chest. But Helen anticipated the move, twisting her body to narrowly evade it while swinging her sword to cleave off the crab's second pincer.
The crab bent its remaining pincer backward, blocking the attack as they passed each other. It landed on the ground with a thud, while Helen slid to a stop, quickly pivoting to continue the confrontation. However, the crab had other plans and rushed toward Cyrus's group.
At that moment, a silver streak cut through the air, aimed at the crab's eyes. The creature twirled, deflecting the incoming arrow with its carapace. The arrow shattered against the shell but did enough damage to create an opening. Helen seized the opportunity, closing the gap and driving her sword into the bleeding crack on its head.
An anguished shriek tore through the air, but Helen wasn't finished.
As she gripped her sword, the flames along the blade flared intensely, releasing a searing heat that vaporized the crab's blood. The fiery tongues surged into its body like a ravenous blaze, intent on incinerating it from the inside out.
The crab writhed in agony as the flames engulfed it, its eyes wide with terror and pain. It thrashed wildly, pincers flailing in a desperate attempt to escape the scorching heat. The air filled with the acrid scent of singed flesh as it let out a series of frantic shrieks, each one echoing its torment. In a frenzy, it tried to claw at the source of its suffering.
Helen dodged the attack but was sent flying by the creature's violent thrashing.
With its gaze clouded by madness and bloodlust—and Helen's sword embedded in its head—the crab charged at Cyrus's group with reckless abandon.
Brandon quickly positioned himself in front, his muscles swelling unnaturally as he gripped his axe. Yet Cyrus could see the tremor in his hands. Even Brian was quaking in his boots.
When the crab came within striking distance, Brandon swung his axe with a fierce roar, but the creature deftly dodged the blow, vaulted into the air, and thrust its massive pincer into Brandon's chest. The impact struck like a thunderclap, sending both him and the crab hurtling past Cyrus and Brian, crashing to the ground in a chaotic tumble. Brandon skidded on his back to a halt, the weight of the crab pinning him down.
A portion of the crab's pincer had pierced Brandon's chest, breaching his armor and sinking deep into his flesh. Blood oozed from the wound, seeping around the point of contact and staining the ground beneath him.
"BRANDON!!!" Lily screamed, her eyes wide with fear as she jumped off the boulder and raced toward them.
Brian staggered and fell on his butt, the rim of his eyes trembling at the sight.
Cyrus quickly assessed his surroundings to make the best decision—Helen was groaning as she slowly stood, Brian shivering as if he had come face-to-face with the devil, and Lily rushing toward Brandon without a care for her safety. Brandon lay unconscious, pinned to the ground by the crab, which struggled to retract its pincer from his armor, blood seeping from the wound.
Snapping his head toward the distance, Cyrus heard the ominous thud of many approaching footsteps.
'How did it come to this? Should I escape without them? Is this Doomed Fate?' he thought, uncertainty gnawing at him. 'No! If I escape, Helen can too. I don't want a murderous Eminent Elite on my tail. Besides, she will have connections being a teacher of the academy. There's only one choice left—kill this beast or create a path for all of us to escape! I have to try my best not to get into her bad book.'
Cyrus quickly calculated his options, swapping his sword to his left hand and grabbing Brandon's axe.
Helen had already risen, rushing to rescue Brandon, who lay unconscious on the ground, but she was too far away. Cyrus dashed toward the menacing crab.
The creature had retracted its pincer, poised to crush Brandon's vulnerable skull. But just then, Lily reached them, slamming into the crab and sending both of them tumbling away, right toward Cyrus.
Fueled by a frenzy of bloodlust, the crab scrambled to regain its footing.
When it spotted Lily standing, it let out a deafening shriek at the intruder who had interrupted its kill.
Lily, still catching her breath, found herself face-to-face with the crazed crab.
The monstrous crab was a grotesque sight, drenched in its blood, which painted part of its once-golden carapace a sinister shade of red. Blood dripped from the charred gash marring its skull, while a sword was embedded deep within its head.
It lunged at her, snapping its pincer with deadly intent. Lily raised her bow to block the attack, but the force of the blow sent her weapon flying, and she crashed to the ground like a ragdoll. The crab pounced, ready to finish the job.
Lily's eyes widened in horror as the crab descended.
'That's it! Freeze!'
Cyrus, already close, stretched his hand and activated [Chained Lock], the black thread running through and freezing the crab mid-air.
The creature hovered ominously over Lily, who was paralyzed with terror.
In an instant, Cyrus reached them and swung the axe, striking the hilt of the sword with the butt of the axe, driving it deeper until it was fully embedded in the crab's skull.
Even in its frozen state, the crab's tiny eyes bulged in agony.
The thread flickered out, and with a sudden release, the heavy crab fell onto Lily, who groaned in pain as the weight of the creature pressed down on her.
It lay dead atop her, and Cyrus let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
But then, a chorus of shrieks thundered from the distance.
Cyrus turned to see a swarm of crabs approaching, their eyes glowing with rage, their bodies exuding a palpable bloodlust. Their mouths unleashed a cacophony of crazed screams, and their footsteps sent tremors through the ground.
The sight sent chills down his spine and raised goosebumps on his skin. Brian, paralyzed with fear, fainted instantly.
"Don't drop your guard!" Helen's shout jolted him back to reality.
Cyrus snapped his head around, but it was too late—the swinging pincer was just an inch from his throat.
'It was supposed to be dead…' Those thoughts raced through his mind.