CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER 41 – GAP (PART 4)

Chapter 41 – Gap (Part 4)

There were many things a person could witness in a world as chaotic as Earth after the invasion—things no human imagination, no matter how twisted, could fully conceive. Monsters of every size and shape, horrors that could bend the minds of even the most resilient, creatures born from nightmares so deep they made reality itself feel fragile.

At this point, the possibilites were truly endless and no sane human could truly handle all of them with composure, not even someone as odd as Jack. However, even then, there were levels to it and Jack believed that at this stage, he shouldn’t be that shocked to see certain creatures or enemies.

And yet... even with their minds partially steeled against the grotesque, Evelyn was utterly unprepared for what appeared before her.

For a heartbeat, her entire body forgot how to move. Her breath halted. Her pulse felt distant.

All she saw was an eye. One big eye, almost as big as her own torso.

A single, enormous, slitted pupil—the unmistakable eye of a snake—glinting faintly in the darkness. It hovered there as if suspended in the void, unblinking, cold, and emotionless. Then, as her gaze adjusted, she began to see the sleek, black scales surrounding it.

Her lips trembled without sound.

HISSSSSSS...

The sound was strange—both deafening and muted, vibrating through their bones rather than their ears. A long, forked tongue slid into view, tasting the air between them. It was a very simple and slow movement, and yet the fear it struck in her heart was unlike anything she had experienced before in her life. Every fiber of her being shook to the core.

The eye contact stretched on for what felt like hours, though it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds.

Then—

"Move!"

Jack’s voice snapped her out of the trance as his hand struck her shoulder.

Evelyn blinked hard, breath rushing back into her lungs. She turned, adrenaline spiking, and yanked at Jack to move. Every instinct screamed the same command—run. Not once did the thought of fighting cross her mind. One look was all it took to know: they had no hope of killing this thing. It was way stronger than them and any possible clash was imminent death, no other possibility.

HISSS!

The sound came again, sharper this time, and the floor beneath their feet rumbled violently.

Jack’s expression darkened.

’It’s... wrapped around the entire building.’ The realization tightened his gut. ’It’s going to crush the place with us inside.’

They bolted, sprinting with everything they had. Jack kept glancing over his shoulder—the eye was still fixed on them through the gateway. Then, slowly, the head slid backward into the shadows and disappeared.

’Shit. Where’s it going to strike from? Left? Right? Above?’

Jack spread what little Essence he still had, trying desperately to track its movement.

"Nearest window—we’re jumping!" He pointed toward a shattered pane ahead. The rain of rubble was getting worse, chunks of ceiling and stone pelting the ground. Staying inside even a few more seconds was suicide.

Evelyn swerved toward the window. "You can jump, Jack?!"

"Yeah, I think I can!"

"On my count—three... two... o—"

The floor heaved under them again before she could finish. The violent shake sent them both sprawling. Jack’s head smacked hard against the ground, but he forced himself upright—only to freeze at what he saw.

The snake’s head burst through the far wall, stone exploding outward. Its massive jaws opened, tongue flicking as it scanned the room. Then, its gaze locked onto them.

"Goddamn it." Jack’s teeth clenched. He lunged for Evelyn, dragging her to her feet. "Stand up!"

HISSS!

"We’re jumping—now!"

The snake struck with impossible speed for something its size, surging forward like a bolt of living black lightning. Evelyn’s heart nearly stopped, but instinct overpowered fear. She hurled herself through the window, Jack right beside her.

BANG!

They hit the ground hard. A split second later, the monster tore through the wall they’d just occupied, spraying chunks of rock in every direction.

"AGH!"

Pebbles and boulders rained down. A stone the size of a head smashed into Evelyn’s leg. She gritted her teeth, kicked it off, and summoned her Essence.

"Hold onto me!" she shouted, pulling Jack close.

A shimmering purple barrier snapped into existence around them. Jack’s eyes widened—rocks bounced off it violently, ricocheting back into the air.

"Ugh!" Evelyn’s groan betrayed the strain the shield put on her.

HISSS...

The snake pulled back, looming above them. Its mere stare made sweat drip down Jack’s back. The crushing aura it exuded was suffocating.

"On your feet, Evelyn!" Jack yanked her up again.

"My leg—" She limped, but kept pace with him as they ran for the alley’s exit. The snake slithered after them, then struck again without warning.

"Jump!" Jack released her, diving sideways.

SWISH!

The beast shot past, missing them by barely a hair’s width.

"Jack!" Lune appeared suddenly at his side, pale but steady. "I’ll kill it. That thing’s two ranks above you."

"Can you?"

"It won’t take a single second," she said, conjuring a small, ominous red bead in her palm.

"Damn it..." Jack’s jaw tightened. He hadn’t wanted a scene, but there was no choice he could actually deal with this snake or even escape in his bad condition. It wasn’t optimal, but he knew that it was simply the only option left.

"Do it."

Lune raised the bead, aiming at the snake as it slithered obliviously toward Jack.

"Bye."

But just as she was about to release it, she froze. Her gaze snapped upward, locking on a nearby rooftop.

"Lune?" Jack’s brow furrowed. "What are you—"

"A Chronist is coming," she murmured. "A strong one."

"A Chronist?" Jack’s mind raced. ’Could it be...?’

Before the thought finished, a figure dropped from above, moving at incredible speed.

HISSS!

The snake whipped its head around, fangs bared, and spat a line of venom into the air.

SWISH!

The descending silhouette spun midair, slicing through the venom effortlessly, motion fluid like a spinning blade. Then, in one unreal instant, the figure passed through the snake’s body as if through paper.

Silence.

The figure landed lightly. For a heartbeat, nothing seemed different—then the snake’s head slid cleanly from its neck, as though melting off.

It hit the ground with a wet thud. The rest of its massive body followed, crumpling into a widening pool of dark blood.

"..."

Neither Jack nor Evelyn found words.

"Interesting," Lune said quietly. "He isn’t half bad."

"He..." Jack peered into the darkness, catching his first clear look at their savior.

The man muttered something irritably. "Tsk. Blood got on me."

Jack’s eyes narrowed. The stranger’s outfit was... pajamas. Not just any pajamas—soft-looking ones, paired with pink slippers.

"This was my favorite onesie... Goddamn it," the man sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Hm?"

He lifted his gaze, glancing left and right between Jack and Evelyn. The air went awkwardly still for several seconds.

Then, with an almost sheepish shrug, he raised both hands.

"I lost all my aura," he said. "No cool entrance in the world can save you from the reality of fighting in pink pajamas."