Chapter 22 – The Roar of the Shadow Colossus
[UTO – REAL TEST FIELD]
The ground was shaking.
Not a normal tremor. It was a pulse — like the heartbeat of something colossal forcing its way to the surface.
Trees swayed violently. Leaves flew like cutting blades. Dust rose in golden whirlwinds under the dim twilight.
With every step, the air grew heavier.
Romeu felt it first — pressure crushing his chest, making it hard to breathe. His fingers trembled on the bowstring.
— What… what is that?
Jack planted his sword into the ground, struggling to keep balance. His jaw clenched.
— Get ready.
S?nia tightened her grip on the staff, her fingers turning white. Selina adjusted her magical focus, hands shaking. Célia prayed under her breath, voice faltering. Dimitri breathed far too deeply, trying to suppress panic.
Gunja raised his shield, but the golden light flickered irregularly. Sensi evaluated escape routes before attack positions.
Haru melted into the shadows, shoulders tense.
Kuto remained still. Observing. Calculating. Expressionless.
Then the bear emerged.
It was a living mountain.
Four meters tall. Black skin like charcoal. Thick hide covered in deep scars crossing in chaotic patterns.
And the weapons.
Dozens embedded across its body. Rusted axes in its back. Broken spears in its shoulders. Shattered blades along its flanks. Each belonged to a fallen warrior.
Blood streamed constantly from its eyes, dripping in sizzling drops when they hit the ground.
Its breathing sounded like a living furnace. Every exhale visibly scorched the air.
— My God… — Célia whispered, nearly dropping her staff.
The group instinctively stepped back.
Jack forced himself forward, summoning courage he didn’t feel.
— Selina, S?nia, Sensi — high ground. Long-range attacks.
— Dimitri, right flank. Romeu, left.
— Gunja, Célia — keep everyone alive. Don’t let anyone die.
He turned to Kuto.
— You’re with me. We hold its attention.
Kuto inclined his head by a fraction.
The First Charge
The bear roared.
A physical shockwave exploded like an invisible bomb. S?nia collapsed to her knees, clutching her ears, screaming.
Jack charged, sword raised.
Kuto followed — silent — already activating his ability.
[ADAPTABLE CLASS: Elemental Flames]
His right hand ignited.
The paw slammed down.
BOOM!
Jack barely raised his shield in time.
The impact launched him violently through bushes and into a tree.
CRACK.
The sound of breaking ribs echoed.
Jack collapsed. Tried to rise. Screamed in pain. His right arm hung uselessly, shoulder dislocated.
— JACK! — Célia screamed.
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— NO! — Jack roared through the pain. — Stay with the others! I can handle it!
He pushed himself against the tree and stood.
Raised his sword with his left hand.
— Keep going!
Kuto didn’t look back. He dodged the second paw by millimeters, spun, and carved deep into the hind leg with his flaming blade.
Without stopping, a burst of fire blasted from his palm.
A blackened burn scar spread across the beast’s flank.
The Sky in Flames
— Bastard! — Romeu shouted, more rage than courage.
He fired while running. Ten arrows in five seconds. Half missed due to the tremors.
He planted his feet. Tears filled his eyes — not from fear, but fury.
— Twenty Inferno Arrows!
A flaming arrow shot straight into the sky.
The heavens opened.
Twenty blazing arrows rained down like converging meteors.
THUNK—THUNK—THUNK—
Explosions. Fire spreading.
The bear roared as flames engulfed its back. It spun violently.
Romeu smiled for a split second — pure satisfaction.
Then a paw smashed into his side.
He flew five meters and landed badly. His ankle twisted with a wet crack.
He screamed, rolling on the ground.
— Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!
He tried to stand. His leg wouldn’t respond.
I can’t run. I can’t reposition.
But I can still shoot.
Lying on his back, he drew three arrows at once.
— Then come! COME ON!
He fired blindly.
Two missed. One struck the eye.
Romeu laughed hysterically.
— I’VE STILL GOT ONE GOOD ARM, YOU BASTARD!
Manipulation and Destruction
Sensi floated above, sweat pouring down her face.
She raised trembling hands.
The axes and spears embedded in the bear began to shake.
A mental snap echoed behind her eyes.
She tore them all free simultaneously.
The bear roared — a sound that made blood trickle from Sensi’s ears.
The weapons hovered. Spun like a deadly dance.
Then launched.
Piercing flesh. Shattering bone. Each metallic impact echoing.
The bear staggered, bleeding from dozens of fresh wounds.
Sensi traced complex runes. Illusions of ancient warriors materialized, attacking from all sides.
Confused, the monster struck at empty air, wasting energy.
But the cost…
Sensi felt it. Nosebleed. Vision darkening at the edges.
Too much mana. Too fast.
The bear sensed the weakness.
It roared. A sonic wave expanded.
Sensi was thrown into a tree. Something snapped in her back.
She collapsed unconscious, bleeding.
Romeu was blasted away again, screaming.
Kuto was hurled back, rolling, coughing blood.
Desperate Healing
Célia ran, stumbling, tears streaming.
— No, no, no!
She knelt beside Sensi, hands shaking as she traced runes.
— Restorative Light!
A weak golden glow.
Sensi was still bleeding.
Célia gasped, sweat dripping.
[MANA: 180/300]
— Please, please work!
A second wave of light, stronger.
The bleeding stopped. Sensi breathed unevenly.
But Célia swayed, vision darkening.
Gunja grabbed her shoulder, planting his shield between them and the bear.
— You’re at your limit.
— It doesn’t matter! — her voice trembled. — There are still others! I can’t let anyone die!
[MANA: 120/300]
The Shadow Falls
Haru materialized behind the bear.
Silent. Without warning.
— Stealth Shadows.
Daggers pierced the base of its skull. He vanished. Reappeared. Struck again.
Thirty cuts in five seconds.
Blood sprayed.
But a paw slammed like a hammer.
It struck Haru in the chest.
CRACK.
He flew, hit the ground, rolled, and lay still.
Célia screamed and rushed forward.
She knelt, hands glowing faintly.
— Haru! Haru, answer me!
He coughed blood. Ribs shattered. Lung punctured.
His eyes met hers.
He tried to smile. Failed.
— Kuto… protect… Kuto…
He passed out.
Célia traced runes with trembling hands.
[MANA: 50/300]
The light flickered, nearly fading.
Then S?nia knelt beside her.
— Let me help.
She placed her hand on Célia’s shoulder.
[MANA TRANSFER: 100]
The light stabilized. Haru’s ribs fused.
Célia collapsed into S?nia’s arms, unconscious.
— Rest. — S?nia whispered. — You did your part.
Pure Adaptation
Kuto observed.
The bear was wounded. Its patterns now predictable.
He advanced without hesitation.
Dodged a claw. Cut a tendon. Retreated.
[ADAPTABLE CLASS: Stealth Shadows]
He vanished.
Reappeared behind it. Slashed. Vanished.
Reappeared to the side. Burned. Vanished.
The bear spun in confusion, striking empty air.
Kuto never stopped. Expressionless. Relentless.
A killing machine.
Transformation
The bear stopped.
Still bleeding. Still burning.
It rose slowly.
And roared differently.
Not an attack. A transformation.
The blood flowing from its eyes hardened into crimson armor covering its body.
It grew larger. Muscles expanding.
— Shit. — Jack whispered. — Second phase.
The bear charged.
Faster than before.
Its claw tore through Kuto’s guard.
Slammed into his chest.
Kuto flew back. Crashed. Blood sprayed.
He lay still.
Jack tried to move. His leg gave out.
The bear ignored everyone and locked onto S?nia drawing runes.
Easy prey.
It charged.
Kuto stood up.
Slowly. Blood dripping.
He gripped his blade.
No expression. No fear.
He crossed the distance.
Appeared between the bear and S?nia.
He didn’t raise his weapon. He simply stood there.
Empty eyes staring at the monster.
The paw came down.
It smashed into Kuto brutally.
He was thrown again, slamming hard, bleeding more.
But he bought three seconds.
S?nia completed the circle.
— ARCANE CURSE!
A purple circle opened beneath the bear.
The Final Blow
Selina raised her staff, tears streaming as she saw Haru fallen.
— Arcane Circle!
A black-and-white glowing sigil formed. A massive fireball took shape above.
Dimitri stopped laughing for the first time.
He looked at Haru. At Sensi. At all the wounded.
— Enough games.
He raised both hands. Flames danced.
— Time to burn this thing into ashes.
A second fireball formed.
S?nia trembled.
Not from fear — from hatred.
— You chose wrong. — she whispered to the bear.
Her staff glowed purple-black.
— You never should have touched them.
— ATTACK!
Both spells descended like meteors.
The field exploded.
The bear roared as flesh burned under the curse.
Damage multiplied fivefold every second.
Its legs buckled.
It dropped to its knees.
Tried to rise—
Haru emerged from the shadows.
Despite having shattered ribs moments ago.
His daggers pierced the base of its skull.
— It’s over.
The bear collapsed.
Its body disintegrated into shining ashes carried away by the wind.
Silence After the Storm
No one moved for ten seconds.
Then Jack laughed.
Low. Hysterical. Disbelieving.
— We… we did it?
S?nia dropped to the ground and laughed too.
Selina collapsed to her knees, crying.
Dimitri raised a trembling fist to the sky.
— WE DID IT!
Romeu shouted from the ground:
— SOMEONE CARRY ME, I CAN’T WALK!
Laughter. Exhaustion. Relief.
Gunja helped Célia wake up.
She looked around.
— Everyone… alive?
— Everyone. — Gunja confirmed.
Célia cried in pure relief.
[FULL HEAL APPLIED]
[HP/MP: 100%]
But even healed…
Jack still felt phantom pain in his arm.
Romeu tested his leg. It worked — but he remembered the bone snapping.
Haru touched his ribs. Solid — but remembered the punctured lung.
This was real. Death was real.
[LEVELS INCREASED]
Jack: 20 / Kuto: 22 / Others: 18–20
Jack walked over to Kuto, who was cleaning his blade.
— You saved S?nia. And Haru. Thank you.
Kuto didn’t look up.
He simply nodded slightly.
— You’re part of the group now. Whether you like it or not.
Kuto paused.
For a second, he looked at the others.
Selina and Dimitri arguing.
Romeu teasing S?nia.
Gunja helping Célia.
Then he went back to cleaning his blade.
No answer.
But he didn’t walk away.
In the pavilion, Zenk observed.
— They evolved quickly.
— But they almost lost. — the king said.
The princess watched Kuto.
— That one is different.
The king’s voice echoed:
— Congratulations. You passed the first test.
Silence.
— First? — Romeu murmured.
— The second begins tomorrow.
The platform vanished.
Leaving the group alone.
Realizing.
This was only the beginning.
