CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 38 – GAP (PART 1)

Chapter 38 – Gap (Part 1)

"What the hell is a kid doing there?"

Through the rifle scope, the soldiers could only make out a small, quick silhouette slicing through the monsters like a living blade. He wasn’t fighting like them—he was dismantling the creatures. Every motion was efficient, merciless, and frighteningly precise. The way he moved was nothing like their own desperate, clumsy struggle against these abominations.

"...H-He’s killing them..." one soldier muttered, his voice barely audible as his head lifted from the scope, mouth hanging open. The words felt foreign even as they left his lips. None of them could truly process what they were seeing. The sight ripped their understanding of reality apart.

How?

How could a mere kid kill these things—these things that shrugged off bullets, that ignored the blast of missiles? How could flesh and bone outperform military firepower? Something was very, very wrong.

"Retreat!" The sudden order blared through their radios. "The monsters are being held off! Fall back and take positions around the bunker! We must protect it at all costs!"

The command felt like salvation. The soldiers had been stuck at the frontlines for too long, locked in a grinding fight with no end in sight. Now they could pull back toward the walls—closer to safety. It was still deadly, yes, but at least it wasn’t the raw, exposed chaos of open ground.

***

Down below, Jack’s battle only escalated. Every second drew more monsters to him. They came from every direction—bounding from rubble, rushing from shadows, circling in from behind. Even with his eyes darting, tracking everything in his peripheral vision, the sheer volume of attacks pushed him back step by step.

’This... is only the weaker monsters...’ The thought ground against his mind as his teeth clenched. ’The stronger ones will make it so much harder.’

A clawed beast leapt and clamped onto his arm. Jack drove a brutal kick into its chest, tearing it off him before his blade split another attacker clean in half. Blood spattered across his face, arms, and chest—so much of it that he could no longer tell if most of it was his or theirs. Exhaustion was beginning to creep in, muscles growing heavier with each swing.

"Jack! Don’t push any further—the Chrono Borns are very close by!" Lune’s voice cut through the noise.

"I... Hng, know!" Jack grunted, stabbing into the ribs of another monster before ducking low under a wild slash and cutting clean through a leg. His sword was growing sharper by the second, the edge almost singing through flesh and bone. Each kill came with less effort, but more danger.

Then—

"RAAAAAAAR!!!"

The roar slammed into his eardrums like a physical blow. Jack’s head snapped upward, catching the sight of a massive silhouette lunging toward him.

The attack was instant—too fast to think. Instinct took over. His essence flared as he tried to retreat, but the creature’s reach was far greater than expected.

BANG

A crushing impact. It felt as if an entire truck had slammed into him at full speed, crushing his entire body in one split second.

The claws raked across his chest, ripping through skin and muscle, and sent him hurtling backward. He hit the ground hard, rolling over and over before sliding to a stop.

"JACK!!!"

Lune’s voice was panicked as she dove toward him, landing by his side. "Stand up, my love! I will hea—"

"Not now!" Jack barked, his eyes locking on the incoming blur of fur and claws. There was no time for healing—hesitation meant death.

Lune didn’t waste another breath. She pulled him upright, and his fingers closed around his sword again.

"ROAR!!!"

The monster’s growl was deep and vicious, carrying the kind of primal malice that churned the air. Then it slashed again—fast and brutal, the kind of strike meant to kill in one blow.

CLING!

Jack caught the attack with his blade, his feet bracing against the ground as the sheer force pushed him backward. It was like catching the weight of a falling truck. His arms trembled violently under the strain.

’This thing is strong.’

The creature stared him down with predator’s eyes. Out of all the horrors Jack had fought so far, this one looked disturbingly close to something born on Earth—a monstrous cross between tiger and wolf. Thick gray fur covered its frame, its eyes gleaming with cold intelligence. Standing easily seven feet tall, it towered over him.

Around them, the other monsters hesitated, keeping their distance from the beast, as if they feared it.

"Damn it..." Jack glanced at his chest. The wound was deep—blood poured from it in steady streams, each pulse of his heart sending another wave down his torso. He pressed a hand to it, trying to slow the flow, and drew in a steadying breath.

"I need to kill this thing... and get out immediately."

Easier said than done. This monster radiated raw power—it was, without question, the strongest opponent he had faced so far. Killing it would take precision and total focus.

"ROAR!!"

It lunged again, the ground trembling under its charge, jaws yawning wide. Jack anticipated this one, darting sideways and pivoting on his heel. In the same motion, he thrust forward, aiming for the beast’s shoulder—

—but froze for half a heartbeat as its paw whipped toward him out of nowhere.

His instincts screamed.

His grip shifted in a flash, blade angled defensively just as the blow connected. The hit was like being slammed by a speeding car—he was sent flying, rolling across the ground until he landed on one knee, panting.

’It’s fast... too fast. It can change its balance instantly...’

The fight was far too close for comfort, especially with other monsters still prowling nearby.

"Dire Tiger..." Lune’s voice was grim. "What a horrible encounter. These things are dangerous even for higher-ranked Chronists."

"So lucky," Jack muttered dryly.

"If you want to kill it, you just hav—"

"Don’t tell me." His voice was firm. "I’ll find its weak points myself. Only step in if I ask."

Even wounded, even outmatched, Jack refused the easy way out. He needed to learn. If he leaned on Lune now, he’d lean on her again—and again. That wasn’t who he wanted to be.

"ROAR!!!"

The Dire Tiger charged once more. Jack twisted aside, the monster’s fangs snapping shut where he’d been a heartbeat earlier. His sword came up in time to stop its next bite—the steel wedged between its jaws as the beast shoved him backward.

"Hnnnngh!" His muscles strained under the crushing force. Then, his eyes locked on its own, and a reckless idea flashed in his mind.

Ptuuh!

Saliva sprayed straight into the Dire Tiger’s eyes. The creature flinched instinctively, pulling back—

—and Jack’s sword lashed out in the opening, slicing across its face.

"RAAAAAR!!!"

The Dire Tiger reeled, blood splattering from the gash as it stumbled back. Then its rage exploded.

’Nobody said I had to play fair.’ Jack wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

The beast’s essence flared violently, its presence swelling to something almost suffocating. It roared again, the sound shaking the air.

And as if things weren’t bad enough, the other monsters—no longer cowed—began closing in once more.