[mass release 2/5]
As the Titan charged across the shattered platform, its imnse fra moved with a speed so unnatural it defied the logic of its colossal size. The ground beneath it cracked and trembled from each monstrous stride. Kairos, holding tightly onto Ravin and Kaela, narrowed his eyes. Without hesitation, he dissolved into shadow—his body turning weightless and ethereal. Kaela and Ravin followed suit, their forms consud by darkness thanks to the direct contact with him.
And just in ti.
The Titan tore through the building like a living battering ram, demolishing the far side of the structure in a deafening eruption of glass, steel, and stone. A violent gale followed in its wake, shrapnel flying like daggers.
The creature had been fooled again.
Infuriated, it released a cry so loud and primal it pierced the heavens—a wail that sent invisible ripples through the air, shaking everything nearby. Muscles rippled beneath its armored skin as it twisted its massive body, eyes darting left and right like those of a ravenous predator searching for the scent of blood.
anwhile, Kairos, Kaela, and Ravin reerged from the shadow of a protruding pavent slab on a nearby rooftop, the dark fog clinging briefly to their ankles before fading.
"Kaela, stay with this guy and protect him," Kairos said without turning. "I’m going after Darnell."
He didn’t even glance at Ravin. The questions burning in his mind—Why was Darnell trying to kill Ravin? Who really gave the order?—had to wait. There was no ti for answers. Only action.
It was all tangled up in his mind—a web of trust, betrayal, and the unspoken authority of Fex’s command.
’I’m not even sure who I’m supposed to support here,’ Kairos thought bitterly, folding his hands together.
From beneath him, the shadows coiled into motion. A pool of darkness spread across the rooftop like ink spilled over glass. Rising from the blackness, the shadow wolf erged—majestic and terrifying in the sa breath.
It opened its jagged maw and unleashed a roar of its own—deep, guttural, and filled with unrelenting fury.
The Titan paused.
As if recognizing the challenge, it turned its attention back to them, glaring at Kairos and the newly summoned beast. For a second, its rage was replaced by sothing more calculated—curiosity, perhaps? Awareness?
’Do legendary summons... identify each other on instinct?’ Kairos wondered.
He placed a hand on the shadow wolf’s coarse body. The shadows reacted imdiately, climbing up his arm, wrapping around his torso like living armor. His mask locked into place. His long black coat followed. Then ca the gauntlets—new and untested—snapping onto his arms with a final surge of energy.
The Titan now angled its entire body to face them fully. A deep groan escaped its armored fra as it stood tall and still, almost like it was waiting... or thinking.
Kairos clenched his fists and turned his eyes toward Darnell.
"Snap out of it, Darnell! Speak to first. Be rational—just this once in your life!"
No response. Not even a twitch.
Darnell stood blank-eyed. Emotionless. Absent.
Kairos knew he wouldn’t be getting through to him, not like this. His mouth parted to try again, but a soft voice cut into his thoughts.
"Kairos, are you there?"
He froze.
That voice—he’d recognize it anywhere. lvin.
"Yes, I’m here," Kairos whispered.
"I built a communication device into the mask," lvin replied. "I’m watching through a drone circling above. There are a few things you need to know."
Kairos nodded slightly, waiting.
"That summon... it belongs to Darnell. And from the information I’ve dug up, it feeds on his life force to stay manifested. The longer it stays in our world, the more it drains him. When Darnell dies... it’ll go on a rampage and destroy the entire academy."
The words hit Kairos like a punch to the gut.
"But why is it just standing there? Why hasn’t it attacked yet?" he asked, his voice hushed but urgent.
There was a pause on the other end.
"...It’s recharging," lvin said finally. "With every massive outburst, it needs ti to draw more life from Darnell. That’s what it’s doing now—pulling out his soul to power up again. This... this might be your only opening."
Just as those words landed, the Titan’s eyes ignited. Its body jerked back into motion with terrifying speed.
"It’s moving! SHADOW WOLF—GO!" Kairos commanded.
The shadow wolf responded instantly. With a burst of speed, it launched itself toward the approaching summon—over four tis its size—with no hesitation.
Its tail swung wide, releasing arcs of shadow in crescent blades that scread through the air. But the mont they t the Titan’s armor, they shattered like glass against steel.
The Titan’s defense was monstrous.
Yet the shadow wolf had strength to match.
It lunged, claws slicing across the Titan’s face with bone-shaking force. The beast stumbled, losing its charge and barely keeping upright. The impact echoed through the battlefield.
The wolf landed, snarling, and opened its mouth wide. A sphere of pure shadow energy churned violently in its throat, glowing hotter and darker with every passing second.
Then—it fired.
The dark ball shot like a teor, slamming into the Titan’s raised arms with a boom loud enough to shake the city blocks. The creature was pushed back, its legs skidding, footing faltering.
Kairos took his chance.
He leapt from the building, whispering under his breath: "Echo Walk."
His body zipped toward the Titan’s feet, barely more than a blur. Silent. Swift.
This had to work. lvin had said it once did. If he could just sever the bond between Darnell and the summon...
Kairos clung tightly to his remaining power. Fex’s words echoed in his mind: "Fight like a summoner. Not like a reckless child."
anwhile, the shadow wolf faced off with the towering beast.
But sothing had changed.
The Titan stood motionless, calculating. Then, it dropped into a running stance and launched forward—faster than before. Too fast.
The shadow wolf snarled, panicked for the first ti. It fired a barrage of dark spheres, desperate to halt the Titan’s charge.
The Titan weaved around them with unthinkable grace. It was no longer attacking recklessly.
It had learned.
’Shit... It figured the wolf out,’ Kairos thought, his eyes wide with dread. ’The Titan is a close-range fighter. The shadow wolf specializes in ranged attacks...’
Realization dawned too late.
The Titan had let itself get hit before—to bait Kairos into separating from his summon. To put distance between them.
’Because—’
Kairos extended his hand.
"SHADOW SWAP!"
Nothing.
Too far.
He tried again. The sa.
’No...’
He attempted to dismiss the summon.
Again, failure.
The connection had been severed. That had been the plan all along.
The shadow wolf, recognizing the futility of ranged attacks, charged with everything it had—jaws wide, teeth gleaming with venomous energy.
But the Titan... it accelerated again.
A blur of motion.
Its fist connected with the wolf’s abdon.
A thunderclap followed.
The shadow wolf’s eyes bulged, and a violent burst of air exploded from its back—slicing through a building behind it like a blade of wind. Blood sprayed from its maw.
The beast went limp.
Dead still.
The Titan raised its fist, the lifeless shadow wolf impaled upon it, then hurled its body to the ground like discarded trash.
It threw back its head and roared—long and victorious.
A ssage flashed across Kairos’ vision.
[Shadow Summon is losing consciousness]
[One summon at the brink of death]
[Failed to call back summon]
[Failed to call back summon]
Kairos didn’t read them.
He didn’t need to.
His eyes were on the Titan. His fists clenched. His jaw trembled.
His heart boiled with rage.
His thoughts—clouded by self-loathing and disbelief.
Where had I gone wrong?
How could I have let this happen?
Sothing cracked inside him.
And then—
Kairos snapped.
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