The creature's chest pulsed with violet light, each beat sending ripples of warped mana through the air.
The dungeon trembled around it, cliffs cracking, wind spiraling into violent whirlpools.
REI's voice sharpened.
"Carter—its attack is charging. Impact radius: lethal."
"I know," he muttered, sprinting forward.
The monster's eyes locked onto him—twin dying stars burning with malice.
Last time, this was the moment Carter died.
Not this time.
He dashed across the uneven stone, boots skidding on loose gravel. The creature raised its arm, violet energy condensing into a spear of pure annihilation.
Eli screamed behind him.
"Carter—don't!"
Carter didn't slow.
REI's voice echoed urgently.
"Energy Slash cooldown: ready. Disrupting Step: ready. Twin Arc: ready."
"Good," Carter growled. "I'll need all of it."
The creature thrust its arm forward.
Void Lance.
A beam of violet destruction tore through the air, warping space in its wake.
Carter dove sideways, activating Disrupting Step.
His body blurred, slipping through the edge of the beam as it carved a smoking trench into the cliffside.
Heat scorched his cheek.
His heart hammered.
He rolled to his feet, sprinting again.
The creature roared, turning its massive frame toward him.
REI's tone sharpened.
"Carter—its core is exposed during charge recovery. Now is your window."
Carter leapt onto a jagged rock, pushing off with everything he had.
"Energy Slash!"
A burst of kinetic force shot from his blade, slamming into the creature's chest.
The monster staggered, violet light flickering.
Carter landed hard, knees buckling.
The creature recovered faster than he expected.
It lunged.
Carter barely raised his dagger in time—
the impact sent him flying backward, slamming into a cliff wall.
Pain exploded through his ribs.
> [HP: 41/118]
He gasped, vision blurring.
REI's voice trembled.
"Carter—your vitals are dropping. You must retreat."
"No," he hissed, pushing himself up. "If I run, Eli dies. And then everyone else."
The creature charged again, claws tearing through stone.
Carter steadied his breath.
He remembered this moment.
The fear.
The helplessness.
But this time, he wasn't helpless.
He sprinted straight toward the monster.
Eli screamed.
"Carter, stop!"
Carter didn't stop.
He slid beneath the creature's swipe, sparks flying as claws scraped the ground inches above his head.
He twisted, slashing upward—
Twin Arc!
Two kinetic blades erupted from his dagger, carving across the creature's torso.
The monster roared, stumbling back.
Cracks spread across its smoky form.
REI's voice brightened.
"Structural integrity compromised. Carter—you're weakening it!"
"Good," he panted. "Because I'm running out of tricks."
The creature's body convulsed, violet energy surging wildly.
REI gasped.
"Carter—its core is destabilizing. It's preparing a self-destruct burst!"
Carter froze.
"What?!"
"Impact radius: thirty meters. Fatal to all students."
His blood ran cold.
This wasn't in the original timeline.
The creature hadn't exploded before.
"REI—how do I stop it?!"
Her voice trembled.
"You can't stop it."
Carter's heart dropped.
"But," she continued, "you can redirect it."
"How?!"
"Strike the core. Hard. Force the energy upward."
Carter stared at the monster—its chest glowing brighter, cracks spreading like molten veins.
He had seconds.
He tightened his grip on the dagger.
"REI… if I miss—"
"You won't," she whispered. "I believe in you."
Carter exhaled.
Then he ran.
---
The creature roared, violet light bursting from its chest.
Carter leapt, every muscle screaming, every instinct telling him to turn back.
He didn't.
He swung with everything he had—
Energy Slash!
The kinetic burst slammed into the creature's core.
For a heartbeat, the world froze.
Then—
BOOM.
A column of violet energy shot upward, blasting through the dungeon ceiling and into the sky.
The shockwave rippled outward, but the upward blast spared the students.
Carter was thrown backward, tumbling across the stone.
Silence.
Dust settled.
The creature was gone.
Carter lay on his back, chest heaving, vision spinning.
REI's voice was soft.
"Carter… you did it."
He blinked up at the fractured sky.
He was alive.
Eli crawled toward him, tears streaming.
"Carter—thank you—thank you—"
Carter managed a weak smile.
"Don't… mention it."
Students gathered around, stunned.
Lucas stared at him, pale and speechless.
"What… what the hell are you?" he whispered.
Carter pushed himself to his feet, wiping blood from his lip.
"I'm Carter Kane," he said quietly. "And I'm not dead last anymore."
REI hovered beside him, glowing softly.
"Divergence confirmed," she whispered. "The future has changed."