Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Kalamus House (12)
The chamber trembled with every step Elkid took, his body of steel and mithril reverberating like a hammer striking a forge. The warriors panted heavily, their battered weapons had barely scratched the colossus’s armor. Jax, leaning against the wall after losing his swords, closed his eyes for a few seconds.
"Temporal Evaluation," he murmured.
A bluish veil passed through his vision, and above Elkid’s figure a number appeared: Lv. 95. Jax clenched his teeth.
"No... it doesn’t make sense. At that level, he shouldn’t be this strong."
Elkid roared, his red eyes burning like embers. His fused-sword slashed in a horizontal arc that made the air crack. Jax dashed forward, dodging by a hair’s breadth, and raised his empty hands. A silver glow formed within them.
From nothing, a bow of pure lunar light emerged, ethereal yet solid, radiating pure energy.
"Moon Bow..." he whispered, aiming at the giant.
A blinding arrow appeared on the mana-made string. When he released it, it didn’t travel in a straight line: the arrow vanished mid-flight and, in the blink of an eye, materialized right at Elkid’s flank, exploding in light.
The colossus roared. Before he could react, more arrows assaulted him. Every shot Jax unleashed with Lunar Timeless Arrow reappeared at Elkid’s weak points: joints, cracks, inner gaps. The creature staggered—for the first time in the battle.
"Hold on!" Manaia shouted as she summoned a wall of healing to shield the group.
The others coordinated: Zela and Zyra charged with swords glowing in aura, Elnara fired enchanted arrows, Anya and Karely cast storms of fire and lightning. The air was filled with explosions, light, and steel.
But Elkid did not stop. Not for a second. He didn’t care about pain, defense, or even wounds. His gaze was fixed on Jax, as if only he existed.
The colossus rushed straight ahead, charging with the force of an earthquake. Jax barely managed to roll aside as the strike shattered the stone floor in a blast of dust.
"Damn it!" Riven growled, panting as he realized their attacks were useless.
Jax, the bow still glowing in his hands, drew another arrow of light. His breathing steadied, his gaze grew cold. Elkid roared and charged again, ignoring the girls’ desperate attempts to stop him.
Jax was breathing heavily, his hands trembling as they held the Moon Bow. Every arrow he released vanished and reappeared in Elkid’s weak spots, but the steel giant kept advancing.
"It’s not working...!" he snarled through clenched teeth.
Elkid raised his fused blade in a brutal arc. The impact split the ground open, sparks of mithril bursting out. The whole group barely managed to stay on their feet.
Jax closed his eyes, channeling all his energy, and the bow’s glow deepened into crimson, blending moonlight with twilight hues.
"If this doesn’t stop him... nothing will."
"Lunar Dusk!"
The arrow released with a sharp whistle and, upon impact, unleashed a burst of light and shadows that swept across the chamber. The waves of energy were so violent that even his companions were hurled against the walls, coughing and shielding themselves with what little magic they could muster.
Elkid stood at the center of the smoldering crater. His armor was half-melted, the metal dripping like lava, yet he remained upright. Then, a sound echoed from within him.
A laugh.
Deep, accursed, a chilling echo that crawled across their skin.
Cracks began spreading from his broken armor, and soon Jax realized Elkid was nothing more than a shell, a cocoon. The steel and mithril split open with a tearing snap.
From within emerged a horrid creature: a spider-shaped body made entirely of bones, eight bladed legs, and a twisted torso at its core. Its eyes glowed blood-red, and its jaw clicked with macabre sounds.
The air grew heavy. The entire group felt it.
Jax narrowed his eyes and activated his ability.
"Temporal Evaluation."
A name and a number appeared before him, freezing his blood.
Kalamus – Lv. 98
Jax’s eyes flared with fury, his voice thundered through the chamber:
"KALAMUS...!"
The monster finished unfolding its bony legs, shaking off the armor’s remains as if they were nothing but broken chains. The whole chamber trembled with every creak of its bones and its diabolical laughter.
"Th-that... that can’t be real!" Leila stammered, her staff trembling in her hands.
Zela raised her sword, but her arms shook despite her strength. "You said... Kalamus? The same demon from the chronicles?"
Manaia took a step back, her face pale. "Impossible! Kalamus was sealed and cast into space, he could never have broken free... he can’t be here!"
Zyra gritted her teeth, trying to hold her ground. "It doesn’t matter what he is, we’ll face him!" But even in her voice the tremor of fear lingered.
Anya whispered a spell, but her lips quivered. "His mana... it’s like an endless storm... I’ve never felt anything like it."
Karely stepped back, clutching her sister’s arm. "This... this is beyond us."
Elnara raised her bow with sweaty hands. "Jax, tell me you have a plan!"
Riven growled, his eyes locked on the monster. "That bastard... it feels like death itself is standing here."
Lyra collapsed to her knees, tears welling in her eyes. "How are we supposed to stop something like this...?"
Jayde, the quietest, moved back until she was beside Jax, claws ready, but her feline ears stood on end in terror. "That’s no ordinary enemy... that’s a king of the abyss."
The silence shattered when the monster arched its body and let out an inhuman roar, like a thousand voices screaming at once.
Jax gripped the bow of light, his gaze locked on the creature.
"Do not back down," he said, his voice dripping with fury. "It’s Kalamus, and if he’s here... then today we’ll bring him down!"
"Buy me a moment, I’ll use my ultimate skill."
Manaia gripped her staff and began chanting a spell she had prepared for an occasion like this.
Kalamus’s gaze locked onto her, as if sensing something, ready to finish off the annoying insect before him.