CHAPTER 136: [CHASE US]

For some reason, Eli’s heart was pounding so violently against his ribs it hurt. Every thud echoed in his ears, drowning out the monster’s breathing, drowning out the cavern itself.

Kairo’s hand was still on his face, firm and unyielding, those black eyes locked onto him with a gravity Eli had never felt before.

The words he’d just heard—words he never thought would come from Kairo—burned in his chest hotter than the blood loss.

And yet... he felt flustered.

His cheeks burned despite the chaos, despite the shrieks of the beast above.

’Why... why does that sound so oddly...intimate...’

"Do you understand?" Kairo asked, his voice low, deliberate, dangerous if ignored.

Eli swallowed hard, throat raw. He forced himself to nod slowly.

But Kairo didn’t let him off that easily. His tone sharpened, a warning that left no room to hide."I need a verbal answer, Eli."

Eli’s lips parted, trembling. "O-Okay... yes."

The faintest pause. Then Kairo’s gaze softened a fraction—barely enough to see, but enough to strike Eli’s chest all over again.

"Good. Now—"

Kairo started to turn his head, ready to look back at his team.

But Eli’s body jerked.

A sharp, cutting pain ripped through him, deeper than the constant torment he’d been enduring. His fingers clawed into Kairo’s shoulder, nails digging through fabric with desperate force.

"K-Kairo—" His voice cracked, raw with panic. His yellow eyes lifted, wide and glowing faint through the haze.

And then the cave itself shuddered.

Not just the cave—the octopus.

The monster didn’t scream this time.

It was silent.

But the silence was worse.

Its massive body rippled against the stone above, and the cavern shook violently, dust raining in thick sheets, water sloshing into violent waves.

Zaira’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp and ragged.

"What now?!" She dragged Mel further toward the wall, struggling with his dead weight. Luckily, Mio had already rushed to her side, silver threads twitching weakly as he helped haul Mel’s body.

"Captain, Eli, what’s happening?!" Mio shouted, his voice raw with confusion.

Eli’s chest heaved. His heart felt like it was going to split open from how violently it thrashed. His danger sense screamed, sharper, hotter, louder than it ever had. The answer tore from his lips before he could even think.

"It’s... it’s about to come down."

Kairo froze, his black eyes widening just slightly, the faintest crack of shock breaking his usually impenetrable calm.

"...Come down?"

Eli nodded sharply, his grip still iron on Kairo’s sleeve. His voice broke into a ragged yell."Run! Let’s... let’s run!"

Kairo didn’t hesitate. Not even for a second.

His head snapped toward Mio and Zaira, voice cracking like a whip. "Both of you! Carry Mel and RUN!"

"Fuck!" Mio cursed, threads snapping to hook under Mel’s body as he and Zaira braced together.

The cavern groaned louder. Rock split overhead. And Eli’s danger sense flared so violently it felt like fire ripping through his skull.

’If we don’t move now—we’re all dead.’

The instant Kairo barked the order, Mio and Zaira moved like lightning.

Zaira hauled Mel under one arm, her aura flaring pink as if sheer willpower alone made the dead weight bearable.

Mio’s silver threads snapped out, anchoring them against jagged stone, pulling with sharp, desperate bursts to help drag Mel’s limp body forward.

They didn’t need words—their steps fell into perfect rhythm, feet splashing through the knee-high water in sync.

Kairo didn’t follow immediately. He waited. Waited for them to pass. His black eyes never left their backs, sharp and steady, until they cleared the stretch of cavern ahead.

Then his boots struck water, hard.

The impact splashed cold against Eli’s legs as Kairo broke into a sprint, his arm locked around him like steel, carrying him as if he weighed nothing.

The boy’s head lolled against Kairo’s chest, his breath shallow, his eyes barely holding open. Still—he forced the words out when Kairo’s low voice cut the roar of water.

"What’s it going to do, Eli?"

Kairo’s voice cut through the cavern like a blade, steady but tight.

Eli’s lips cracked as he forced them open. They were dry, blood-streaked, trembling. His voice was nothing but a rasp, but the word he managed to form carried like a death sentence.

"...Chase us."

And then—he saw it.

’It’s...’

The octopus.

Its massive body shifted, peeling itself off the jagged ceiling with grotesque, sticky suction. Inch by inch, it tore free.

The sound was wet and gut-churning—like sinew ripped from bone, like meat being dragged from the hook.

’...It’s bigger than how it presented itself.’

And then it began to fall.

Slow at first, its bulk dragging along stone, dislodging cracks, showering dust and gravel like rain. Each suction pad popped off the rock with a sound that rattled Eli’s teeth.

The thing was enormous—huge enough to blot out the cavern ceiling, its mass wide enough to cover the entire chamber floor. If they didn’t run fast enough... if they didn’t move now...

They would be crushed.

Eli’s chest seized. His yellow eyes widened in horror, glowing faintly through the haze. "Watch out!"

Ahead, Mio and Zaira cursed in unison, voices sharp and panicked. Kairo’s jaw clenched, his pace doubling instantly.

His boots pounded against the flooded stone, every stride throwing up splashes of icy water.

But the resistance was brutal. The liquid dragged at their legs like claws, every step a fight.

And then the monster hit.

BOOM.

The impact didn’t just shake the cavern. It detonated it.

The water didn’t ripple—it erupted.

Eli’s danger sense screamed in white noise, but his eyes were already locked on the wall of liquid rearing up ahead.

A tidal wave, born underground, roaring across the cavern, churning black, carrying shards of jagged rock and splintered stone like blades in its wake.

"Wave—!" Kairo’s voice cracked like thunder. "Brace yourselves!"

Mio cursed, silver threads snapping into the walls to anchor himself and Zaira. They locked Mel between them like a shield as the water surged closer.

But Kairo—

Kairo didn’t stop.

He shifted Eli higher in his arms with a single, deliberate motion. His grip tightened, fingers locking like steel around the boy’s trembling frame.

Eli’s wide, dazed eyes flicked up at him, confusion flashing through his blurred vision. "Ka—?"

He never got the rest out.

Kairo’s head lowered, his body curling forward, arms wrapping around Eli until the boy was completely hidden behind him.

And then the wave hit.

CRASH.

The world disappeared into water.

Cold swallowed everything—icy, suffocating, violent. Eli’s vision blurred into black and blue, his ears filled with the roar of the flood. His body jerked in Kairo’s arms, but the hunter’s hold never loosened.

Not once.

They were engulfed.

Eli blinked hard, panic clawing at his chest, bubbles bursting past his lips. His fingers clutched at Kairo’s sleeve with what little strength he had left.

His mind screamed even as his body grew heavier, his vision dimmer.

’Are we... going to drown?’