CHAPTER 169: [SHUT THE F UP!]

"So..."

The tension snapped like a live wire.

Eli, still frozen in disbelief from seeing Caelen and his team appear out of nowhere, looked up as the man himself began to speak again.

Caelen’s smirk hadn’t faltered once. He stood tall, framed by the fading glow of the gate behind him—calm, composed, and absolutely unbothered by the collapsing cave or the furious glare aimed at him by his brother.

"...are you going to give us a recap of what’s going on here so we can help your sorry asses," he said, voice dripping with amusement, "or do I have to take a guess?"

Eli’s breath hitched. Kairo’s hold on him immediately tightened, his jaw clenching so hard the muscles in his neck tensed.

"What gives you the right to—"

Before Kairo could finish, Eli flinched, his eyebrow twitching from a sudden, sharp pulse of pain.

His Danger Sense flared—so violently it made his head throb.

Something was coming.

But before he could open his mouth to warn them, Caelen’s voice cut through the noise.

"Team, look alive." His tone was casual, but the shift in his expression was instant—eyes sharp, focused, assessing. "There’s danger."

He gestured toward Eli, as if to say go on, tell them.

Kairo’s head snapped toward Eli, who was already shaking, eyes widening as he turned—slowly, hesitantly—toward the source.

And then he saw it.

The water behind them rippled violently. The cave shuddered. A low, guttural rumble rolled through the air like thunder.

Eli’s eyes went wide. "The serpent!"

The words tore out of his throat before he could stop them.

The monstrous creature—the same one they thought they’d left behind—was moving again.

Its enormous body was slithering forward, scales scraping against shattered stone. Its head emerged from the darkness, eyes glowing faintly blue as it turned toward the newcomers.

It had sensed them.

"Shouldn’t we—shouldn’t we get out through the gate?!" Mio shouted, panic rising in his voice as he stumbled back. "There’s a gate right there! Why the hell did these guys come in instead of getting us out?!"

Punzo barked a laugh, even as his hands lit up with flame. "Once you come in a gate, you can’t come out, genius!"

The cavern shook again, louder this time.

"GATES ALSO CAN’T JUST APPEAR FROM NOWHERE!" Zaira yelled, the desperation in her voice cutting through the chaos.

Caelen’s smirk returned faintly, even as his team fell into formation behind him. "Well

," he said under his breath, his sword materializing in his hand, "there’s a first time for everything."

The serpent roared again—louder, closer—and the ground cracked beneath them.

Eli gritted his teeth, clutching at Kairo’s arm. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.

Despite the danger roaring just behind them, no one moved.

Instead, every eye in the cavern turned toward Caelen—and the tension snapped through the air like static.

Eli, still held tight against Kairo’s chest, could feel the sharp rise and fall of his heartbeat. The air around them felt charged—too heavy, too sharp—as Kairo’s jaw flexed beside his ear.

"Do you always have to be so damn cocky, Caelen?" Kairo’s voice came out low, rough—a threat disguised as a question, his exhaustion sharpening the edge of his tone.

Eli’s stomach twisted.

’Is Kairo... actually taking the bait? It’s obvious Caelen’s taunting him.’

Caelen tilted his head ever so slightly, expression unreadable except for the faint smirk that curled across his lips. His tone was calm, smooth—dangerously amused.

"And do you always have to be so damn uptight?" he fired back. "Considering you—" he paused mid-sentence, eyes flicking briefly toward Eli, then back to Kairo, "—all look like you’re near death. I would’ve assumed you’d be too busy begging for help to still be so proud."

The words hit like an insult dressed in silk.

Kairo’s aura flared, faint veins of red light tracing along his arm, the air thickening with pressure. "You think this is what near death looks like?" he said coldly. "We didn’t need your help."

Punzo snorted from behind Caelen, the grin on his face cocky and unbothered. "Didn’t look like it to us."

That was all it took.

"Watch your mouth," Mio snapped, his voice taut with irritation. Threads shimmered faintly between his fingers, catching the cave’s dim light. "We don’t need some pyromaniac clown throwing fire in a cave that’s literally collapsing."

Punzo raised a brow, snapping his fingers once—small bursts of flame sparking in midair like firecrackers.

"Oh, just admit it. You’re too prideful to say thanks. But if it’s a fight you want..." He grinned, teeth flashing. "I’m more than happy to warm things up."

"Enough!" Jabby’s voice cut through the noise, though her own patience was visibly thinning. Her expression hardened when she caught Mel whispering something under his breath. "What was that?"

Mel lifted his gaze, meeting hers head-on. "I said your team’s as noisy as ever," he muttered. "Fitting—since your captain’s full of hot air too."

"Oh?" Jabby tilted her head, her tone dropping to an icy whisper. "Can’t believe I actually worried about you. This is why every woman who talks to you ends up swearing off men."

Mel blinked. "...The fuck did you just—"

Eli’s headache spiked like a blade being driven through his skull. The noise—the overlapping voices, the clash of mana, the serpent’s low growl echoing from the shadows—it all blurred into one overwhelming pulse of chaos.

His danger sense was going haywire—flaring, fading, then flaring again—like a warning he couldn’t quite decipher.

’How can they still fight at a time like this?’ he thought, clutching his head. ’The monster’s right there—it’s waiting. Planning.’

But no one was listening.

Kairo and Caelen had already stepped closer to one another, their voices low but heavy with venom—the kind only brothers could perfect.

"You showing up here uninvited," Kairo muttered, every word deliberate, "as always. Just stay out of the way and let us handle this. This is our

dungeon."

Caelen’s smirk deepened, spinning his sword once in his hand, the crimson blade glinting faintly under the dim light.

"You make it sound like you had things handled," he said smoothly. "But looking around..." His eyes flicked toward the destruction, the exhausted faces of Kairo’s team. "I’d say someone needed saving."

Kairo’s teeth clenched, his aura pulsing again. "Don’t test me."

Caelen chuckled under his breath, voice dark with satisfaction. "I’m not testing you, little brother."

He leaned forward just slightly, the smile on his face sharp enough to cut.

"I’m proving a point."

Their auras clashed like colliding storms—crimson and gold, flaring so violently that the very air seemed to ripple between them.

Kairo’s bloodlight shimmered like liquid fire; Caelen’s radiance burned cold and sharp, cutting through the red haze.

The ground vibrated under the weight of it.

Mio and Punzo’s voices overlapped—angry, relentless.

Jabby and Mel were shouting too.

Zaira’s voice rose somewhere between them all, strained and desperate, trying—and failing—to calm them.

The noise was unbearable.

The air buzzed with energy, footsteps, shouting, and the low hum of mana vibrating through the cracked cave floor.

"Enough..." Eli muttered under his breath, clutching his head. The pulse of his danger sense was already pricking at the back of his skull.

No one heard him.

’You’re all being so fucking immature.’

"Enough—"

’We have more pressing matters to attend to!’

Still nothing.

The pressure built—inside his chest, his head, his throat—until it finally broke.

"CAN YOU ALL JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP?!"

The shout cut through everything.

The sound slammed into the walls and echoed back at them, louder than any spell or explosion.

Every head turned.

Every voice stopped.

Even the serpent’s distant rumbling seemed to hesitate.

Kairo blinked, his aura dimming slightly in shock.

Caelen’s smirk faded.

Everyone froze—silent, unmoving, as if the entire cave held its breath.

Eli’s chest heaved, his breaths shallow and uneven. "The serpent—"

The words caught in his throat as a sharp, violent pulse of pain exploded in his skull. His danger sense screamed—louder, stronger—like sirens tearing through his mind.

"—is still here, and it’s about to—"

He didn’t even finish.

The world went white.

From the shadows, the serpent struck.

Its massive head shot forward, blindingly fast—faster than anything that large should’ve been able to move. The air warped from the force, the water below them erupting like a bomb as its jaws cut through the darkness.

Eli barely saw it—a flash of blue scales, the glint of teeth—and then motion.

Kairo’s arm snapped around him, blood shields flaring up too late.

CRACK.

The impact was deafening. The ground split beneath them, stone and debris flying in all directions.

"Fuck," Kairo hissed, tightening his hold around Eli as the shockwave tore through them.

Eli’s stomach dropped.

His vision spun—stone, water, light—everything blurring into one chaotic smear.

And then—

Silence.

No pain.

No crushing pressure.

Just the dull ache of landing hard, the air ripped from his lungs.

He blinked, dazed, his head pounding. The world slowly came back into focus—dust, smoke, faint light.

And then he saw him.

Someone stood between Eli and the serpent.

Not Kairo.

Caelen.

His sword was buried deep into the serpent’s scale, glowing faintly from the heat of impact. Steam hissed from the wound, the scent of scorched blood thick in the air. Crimson light danced along the blade’s edge, flickering against Caelen’s face.

A thin line of blood trailed down his cheek, but his posture didn’t falter—shoulders squared, steady, composed.

He looked back over his shoulder, his eyes cutting toward Kairo—calm, taunting, infuriating.

"Now see," Caelen said evenly, his voice cool but laced with smug satisfaction, "I was right. You do need help, Kairo."

Eli’s breath caught.

’Is he... serious right now?’

His pulse thundered in his ears.

’How can he—’

Ding.

The sound rang in his head—sharp, unmistakable.

’NOW?’