The ground trembled with every step of the monster.
Its tentacles — black, veiny, thick like ancient trees — cracked against the ruins like living whips.
Keita, his eyes pupil-less, stood in the center of the battle circle.
He breathed heavily. This wasn't his power. This wasn't his rhythm.
Behind him, the 17 awakened ones, still trembling from their transformation, looked at each other.
"Anyone… got a plan?" Malik asked.
"We attack, right? We're not just gonna stand here!" Tobias shouted.
But their steps were hesitant. They were powerful… but inexperienced.
The first assault came from the monster.
A tentacle slammed down violently.
Dayo, reactive, projected an explosive light.
The beast's arm retracted… but immediately came back, faster.
Kwame tried to absorb the sound, but the monster's scream made him collapse to his knees.
And suddenly… a flash.
Kubira appeared, leapt onto a piece of rubble, and drove his electrified arms into the base of a tentacle.
"Now!" he shouted.
Ayra made massive roots surge. Miro covered them with shadows, creating a camouflage.
Hiro, with a roar, struck with all his might.
Severed.
The tentacle fell, pulverized.
The monster roared.
Its body swelled slightly, and its skin darkened.
"What was that?!" Yuna cried.
"It… it grows when we hurt it," Keita whispered. "That's not a good sign."
And it was only the beginning.
The monster grew more violent.
Its attacks more chaotic, less predictable.
Tentacles hissed through the air, seeking to tear flesh and stone.
"Group up!" Oren shouted.
But it was too late.
Léana, retreating, was grabbed by the leg by a tentacle. She screamed… but a second later, she was thrown against a collapsed column.
The cracking of her bones echoed across the area.
"LÉANA!!!" Yaretzi screamed, tears in her eyes.
Keita charged, blinded by rage.
His body emitted an unstable electric aura.
He struck a tentacle, but the monster blocked it.
A ringing bell echoed in his head.
Meanwhile, Rhan solidified the air around two tentacles, blocking them for a few seconds.
Soojin slowed time in a small perimeter.
"Now!" she shouted.
Izel turned her skin to stone, jumped onto one of the creature's arms, and struck.
Tobias, behind, touched the tentacle with his hands: the flesh began to disintegrate.
And Hiro, once again, finished the job.
Two more tentacles fell.
But the price was heavy.
Another tentacle appeared in the blind spot… and pierced Sanae, who was focused on protecting the others with her spirits.
She didn't even see death coming.
She collapsed, a trickle of blood on her lips.
"Two dead…" Hiro whispered.
"And it's moving… even faster."
Only eight remained.
And each was stronger than before.
Oren, sweat-covered, turned around:
"It's going to become uncontrollable… We have to slow its growth."
But how?
Each severed tentacle made the enemy stronger.
Keita, standing in the center, faltered.
"It's… faster than my reflexes."
Kubira placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Hold on. You don't have to do it all alone."
"But Kael…"
"We don't care about Kael. You're Keita."
A scream tore through the air. Miro, too close, was swept by two crossed tentacles.
He flew through the air… and crashed hard.
He did not get up.
"Miro is… Miro is dead," growled Rhan, fists trembling.
Oren dashed. He became a white lightning bolt.
He passed between two tentacles and struck the heart.
A shadow blade sprang from the ground. It was a remnant of Miro, triggered by reflex.
The fifth tentacle fell right after.
Ayra, enraged, lifted a rock column that Hiro smashed into the giant's swinging arm.
But with every blow landed, the creature grew.
Its breath grew louder. Its eyes, redder. Its movements, more unpredictable.
Oren stepped back. For the first time, he looked worried.
"It no longer thinks. It no longer feels pain. It… it's transforming.
Not into a monster. Into an abomination."