Thantos didn't laugh.
It echoed.
A hollow, distorted sound that bent the air itself as darkness bled into the chamber.
"You came… carrying light."
The glow from the Keystone flickered.
Not fading—
being consumed.
"Then I will take it."
It moved.
No warning.
No signal.
Just absence.
"Ivandoe—!" Lucas shouted.
Too late.
Darkness surged across the chamber like a living tide. Ivandoe barely raised his weapon before the impact hit—his body thrown backward as the air itself seemed to collapse.
The ground cracked beneath him as he skidded.
Pain flared.
His vision flickered—
64%… Energy 58%… Mana 86%…
The Hyperbook pulsed violently within him, its holographic display glitching in and out of focus.
Then—
A second reading forced itself through.
THANTOS – DEVOURER'S GRASP
STATE: DEVOURER
STRENGTH: 92%
AGILITY: 95%
VULNERABILITY: CORE
Ivandoe's eyes narrowed.
"So that's it…"
"Spread out!" Jax barked.
The team moved instantly.
Aria's Hyperbook shimmered as soundwaves pulsed outward, distorting the space around Thantos. Jax followed—gravity twisting under his control, attempting to pin the entity in place.
Narissa didn't wait.
She dashed forward—faster than before, her blade cutting through the dim light with precision.
"Then stop moving."
She struck.
For a split second—
The blade connected.
A sharp crack of light spread across Thantos' chest.
"I hit it—!"
The crack vanished.
Silence.
Thantos tilted its head.
"Irrelevant."
It moved.
Narissa's eyes widened—
Impact.
Her body slammed violently into the far wall, the force echoing through the chamber.
"NARISSA!" Ivandoe shouted.
Lucas rushed in, launching a barrage of attacks, energy flaring wildly. "Get away from her!"
Thantos didn't even turn fully.
The attacks bent—
Then disappeared.
"Light… is fragile."
It raised its hand.
"And I consume it… freely."
A wave of dark energy exploded outward.
The team was thrown back—again.
Aria crashed to one knee, her breathing unsteady.
"38%…" she muttered.
Jax steadied himself, but barely. "40%… this thing isn't slowing down…"
Lucas clenched his fists, his aura flickering. "32%… damn it…"
Ivandoe forced himself up, his body heavy.
42%…
They were dropping too fast.
"We can't keep taking hits like that," Aria said, voice strained. "We need something—anything—to turn this around."
Jax's gaze sharpened. "The core. That's our only shot."
"I tried," Narissa said weakly from where she had fallen, pushing herself up despite the pain. "It doesn't stay exposed long enough…"
Silence fell—brief, but heavy.
Then—
Lucas spoke.
"We don't have a choice. We keep pushing."
Thantos stepped forward.
Each movement felt heavier than the last—as if the space itself rejected its presence.
"Struggle," it said calmly.
"It changes nothing."
Its aura surged.
The pressure in the chamber spiked.
Cracks spread across the floor.
The Keystone flickered again.
Ivandoe's eyes snapped toward it—
Then his vision shifted.
A new interface forced its way into his sight.
YOUR TEAMMATES STATUS
Aria – 38%
Jax – 40%
Narissa – 35%
Lucas – 32%
Then—
More names appeared.
Elara – 21%
Ryker – 43%
Thane – 14%
Lila – 23%
Bert – 14%
Ivandoe froze.
"They're… not even here…"
His grip tightened.
That meant one thing.
The others—back at the castle—
They were fighting too.
And losing.
A cold realization hit him.
This wasn't just one battle.
It was all connected.
"We don't have time…" he said under his breath.
The others looked at him.
Ivandoe stepped forward, forcing his body to move despite the strain.
"We end this now."
His voice wasn't loud—
But it carried.
"We don't stop here. Not after everything it's already taken."
Jax cracked his knuckles, a faint grin breaking through the tension. "Heh… finally talking like yourself again."
Lucas steadied his stance. "Then let's finish this."
Aria rose slowly, her Hyperbook glowing faintly. "Together."
Narissa wiped the blood from her lip, her eyes locking onto Thantos.
"I'm not done yet."
The air shifted.
The team regrouped.
One last push.
Across from them—
Thantos stood unmoved.
Watching.
Waiting.
"Hope," it said quietly.
"A temporary light."
Darkness began to gather once more around its form.
"And I will extinguish it."
Ivandoe raised his weapon.
This time—
They charged together.
And the light… began to break.