Lancet backpedaled fast enough that the heel of his boot skidded through wet moss before his back struck the wall of vines behind him.

The tangled growth was thick, damp, and springy, but it did nothing to ease the pressure of the moment. It only trapped the air around him tighter.

The beasts had not closed in all the way yet, but they did not need to. Their unbelievable size made the jungle feel smaller, and the low growls rolling out of their throats made it obvious that they had no intention of letting him slip away.

"Ugh, guys," Lancet called out, keeping his voice as steady as he could manage. "A little problem here. I’m being surrounded by some really huge gorilla beasts."

Panic immediately erupted from the other side of the wooden wall.

"Cut faster!" Min Tu’s voice rang out with urgency. Her Skeleton Soldier obeyed, cleaving through the enchanted wood with doubled speed.

Lancet could hear the pressure in it, the desperation of them trying to tear through the barrier faster. The vines shuddered. Bits of bark and leaves rained down from above.

"What kind of beasts?" Dane yelled back.

"You’re the Beast Tamer, Dane! I can’t recognize these things!" Lancet shouted back, his eyes darting between the three towering monsters as they slowly closed the semi-circle.

"Just describe them! What do they look like?"

Lancet swallowed hard, his grip tightening on the unlit hilt of the Radiant Guillotine.

"They’re primates," he said quickly, forcing the words out, "but built like freaking armored siege engines. They’re huge. Fifteen feet tall, maybe more. Their fur is this matted metallic silver, and their chests are covered in bone plating. At least I think they’re bone platings."

Grrrrrrrr! One growled louder, spit flying out its mouth.

"Their arms are ridiculously big," Lancet continued. "Their fists are like charged with lightning and they’re Level 48!"

Dane went silent for half a beat. Then his voice came back, lower and far less casual. "Thunderback Gorillas."

Lancet’s brow tightened. "You know them?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Of course I know them," Dane snapped. "They’re dangerous. Very dangerous. They’re one of the nastiest beast types in the jungle routes. They hit like siege hammers, they can channel thunder through their bodies, and if there’s more than one, they’ll tear apart formation lines before you can blink."

The largest of the Thunderbacks slammed its fists into the earth again, a wave of red electricity surging through the mud. Lancet hastily sidestepped, feeling the static raise the hairs on his arms.

"I can’t wait any longer! They’re closing in!"

"Are you going to use your Grace?!" Min Tu yelled through the wood, her stoicism defeated by her fear for Lancet’s safety. "Don’t fight with it! If your Grace cuts off mid-attack, you’ll be left completely defenseless and they will kill you!"

Lancet gritted his teeth. He knew she was right.

"If you have to use it," Min Tu continued, "summon one of your legends! If your Grace cuts out while they’re out, they just disappear back to your Summon Space. It’s the only safe play!"

Lancet’s eyes narrowed. Min Tu was right about everything.

Lancet’s channels were unstable. If he tried to push too hard with the sword or used the Phantom Ring, he risked the same unpredictable collapse that had been haunting him since the Gloom Spear explosion.

But a Summon... a Summon was different. If the Grace cuts out, the Summon would simply return.

He saw the Thunderback Gorillas shift again. One of them lowered its head, the crimson lightning in its fist growing brighter.

No more time. Lancet drew in a breath.

"You’re right, Min Tu," he said. Suddenly, he pushed an arm towards the beasts, causing them to charge at him.

SHKREEEEEEEEEE!

"Summon!" Lancet commanded.

A thick, swirling cloud of dark crimson smoke erupted from the mud directly in front of him. The gorillas were all launched backwards, yet all landed on fists and feet.

When the red vortex cleared, Spectra remained.

She hovered inches above the muddy ground, as though she didn’t want to stain her elegance with the mud. Her lips curved faintly once she locked eyes with Lancet, and the smile that followed was more teasing than surprised.

"Well, well," Spectra purred, her voice dripping with dark honey. She floated closer, tracing a manicured finger in the air just inches from his cheek. "Isn’t this surprising?"

She folded her hands below her bosoms. "You chose me, and not the golden girl. Are you that nervous to see Astensia again?"

Lancet’s eyes widened, breath hitching in his throat. "You... you know?"

Spectra’s smirk deepened triumphantly. "I suspected. Now I know."

She laughed like music, turning her back to him to face the three towering Thunderback Gorillas. The massive beasts had paused, trying to understand the new being that had entered their territory.

Spectra seemed unimpressed and sighed to show it. "What do you require?"

Lancet did not waste words. "Those things. I don’t have much time."

Spectra glanced at the Level 48 beasts with utter boredom. "Child’s play."

She didn’t even bother to take a battle stance. Spectra simply raised her right hand and snapped her fingers.

The crimson smoke that had heralded her arrival suddenly materialized around the three Thunderbacks like living chains. The beasts roared, raising their crackling fists to smash the smoke, but it was useless.

Spectra twisted her wrist. The red mist solidified into razor-thin geometric planes of dark energy that sliced effortlessly through the gorillas’ bone-plating, metallic fur, and dense muscle.

In a fraction of a second, the three massive beasts were cleanly bisected. The thunderous roar of crimson lightning died out instantly as the monstrous carcasses hit the mud with thick splashes.

The entire process took only a few seconds.

"Holy fucking shit," someone murmured in the crowd.

Outside, on the platform, the cheering had died. The murmurs ceased. Every student, every professor, and the millions watching from home stared at the massive floating screens in paralyzed disbelief.

The Announcer stood frozen, his microphone slipping slightly in his grip. He had no words.

At the golden table, Danistasia watched the screen with the most amazed eyes she’d ever shown. Her smile was still there, but it had become a distance thing, adding to the fascination on her face.

Ordenance feared that fascination.

At the golden judging table, several administrators went rigid. Their faces lost color. One of them actually leaned forward, as though his eyes might force the image to become something else if he stared hard enough.

"Is that...?" The murmurs moved like wind in the crowd of students.

"No way. He actually summoned her?"

"It’s really her. It’s Spectra Hexerra. The Mother of Gehenna."

Back in the jungle, Spectra floated back over to Lancet, stepping delicately over the steaming remains of the Thunderbacks. She tilted her head, her eyes flashing curiously as she studied him.

"So," Spectra murmured, floating close enough that he could feel the cold radiating from her form. "This is why our tether feels so remarkably weak. Your Grace is fluctuating."

She leaned in, her gaze seemingly piercing straight through his chest. "Is it because of that Gloom Spear detonation? Your core is fractured."

Lancet nodded slowly. He quickly explained the situation, detailing how his Grace retention was unstable, how it would randomly drop to zero and climb back up, leaving him exposed.

"Hmm. I see," Spectra mused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "I have a solution. If you’re willing to hear it."

She smiled. A troublesome smile if anything.

"A solution from you?" Lancet looked at her mistrustfully. "I don’t think that’s a really good idea, but... I’ll hear you out."

Spectra swayed her shoulders then floated closer as if she was going to whisper. "Well," she purred, "if you cannot use your Grace channels... then use Gloom."

Lancet physically recoiled, taking a step back. "This again," he frowned. "I told you I’m not doing that."

Spectra smiled at him, almost kindly, almost wickedly. She enjoyed his presence in a way she couldn’t explain.

"Besides," Lancet spoke now with a calmer voice. "I only have one channel. And like I said, it’s broken."

Spectra enjoyed his naivety; his little virgin mind. She leaned closer now to whisper, her smile ever-present.

"You have so much to learn, little lamb."