Apocalyse: Marked by Chaos-Chapter 21 - SS Monster

The ground beneath Olivia trembled as she sprinted through the winding tunnels. Jagged rocks cut into her palms as she caught herself from falling. The roar of the collapsing chamber behind her sent vibrations through her bones, dust clouding her vision.

She could still hear the screech of the creature, its furious wails reverberating through the cavern walls. It was still alive and it was angry.

Her lungs burned as she pushed herself forward, her mind frantic. Where was Diana? Had she taken the wrong path? She knew Diana must have been searching for her, since she must have realised that something was amiss.

The thought sent a new wave of fear surging through her. She couldn't leave her behind. Not like this.

Then, she heard it.

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A whisper.

"Olivia..."

She froze. Her heart pounded like war drums in her chest.

'Who was that?'

The voice came from everywhere, bouncing off the cavern walls, wrapping around her like unseen hands. The air turned colder, the whispers layering upon each other, growing louder.

Her breath hitched.

The darkness ahead seemed thicker, shifting unnaturally. A presence lingered, watching. Waiting.

Then a hand gripped her shoulder.

Olivia spun, her blade unsheathed in an instant—only to stop inches from Diana's throat.

"Woah, easy!" Diana's wide eyes locked onto hers. "It's just me."

Olivia's arms shook. Her blade lowered. "I... I thought..."

"Never mind that," Diana interrupted, glancing behind Olivia. "What the hell was that? I heard gunshots and..."

BOOM.

The walls shuddered, and a deafening screech tore through the cave.

The monster was coming.

Diana grabbed Olivia's arm. "We need to move. Now."

They ran. The echoes of their footsteps mingled with the sounds of falling rocks, growing more erratic.

The ground quaked beneath their feet as Olivia and Diana sprinted through the cave's winding tunnels.

Behind them, the monster's enraged screeches echoed through the passage, its massive tentacles slamming against the cavern walls, sending tremors through the ground.

It's chasing us.

Olivia's legs burned, but she couldn't stop. She clutched her side, her ribs screaming in pain from the earlier impact. Beside her, Diana glanced over her shoulder, her face tight with fear.

"We can't outrun that thing forever!" Diana shouted.

A distant roar sent Olivia's stomach twisting into knots.

Not just one monster.

The Bowolfs are still outside.

Diana's eyes widened as she came to the same realization. "We're trapped."

The cavern opened into the main chamber where the others were waiting. Luke, Bella, Tyler, Henrik, Liam, and Ellie stood in a tense circle, weapons drawn, confused by the rumbling earth.

Olivia barely skidded to a stop before them. "We have a problem..."

BOOM.

The tunnel behind them collapsed inward, chunks of stone tumbling to the floor.

A massive tentacle burst through the rubble, slamming down with a wet, heavy thud.

They all recoiled in horror.

"What the hell is that?!" Bella shouted.

"The thing Olivia woke up," Diana snapped.

Olivia's breath hitched, her heart pounding at the accusation. She hadn't meant to wake it up. But there was no time to defend herself.

The ground shook again.

From the tunnel leading outside, low growls rumbled through the air.

The Bowolfs threw themselves against the barrier, rabid and relentless. Bones cracked under the force, yet they kept coming, their hunger blinding them to death itself.

The students whipped around, realization dawning on them.

They were trapped between two nightmares.

"What do we do?" Ellie's voice wavered, her fingers tightening around her staff, which lengthened when she clicked a button, her brown eyes turning to shades of purple.

Tyler's jaw clenched. "If we run outside, we're dead. If we stay here, we're dead." He hissed, he took out his two arc sword shrouded with black energy.

"We fight," Luke said, his voice firm. He held his heavy sword with both of his hands, his legs bracing for the fight.

Henrik scoffed. "Are you insane? You saw what happened to that thing's tentacle! That thing is way beyond our level. We'll be slaughtered." But he still drew out his sword blazing with blue energy.

"Better than being torn apart by Bowolfs!" Luke snapped.

"Are you sure about that?" Henrik gestured to Olivia. "She barely survived one attack. You think we can handle it?"

Bella sneered. "We wouldn't be in this mess if she hadn't wandered off." Her pink bracelet turned into a long whip, pink energy cracking around it.

Olivia flinched. She only had one of her twin swords, her weight shifted. She blinked her eyes, shaking her head as she tried to stay focused. Blood dripped into her eyes, her ears ringing.

A low growl came behind them. The Bowolfs were getting flooded in, the barrier rippled from the impact.

Tyler brows furrowed, the barrier... it was getting weaker. His thought was disrupted by Diana.

Diana stepped in. "Enough! We don't have time for this. Either we work together, or we die."

A heavy silence fell over the group.

The tentacle twitched. The cave entrance rumbled.

They had seconds to decide.

Luke exhaled sharply. "Fine. We take the octopus monster first. If we weaken it, we might have a shot at escaping."

"But we can easily get trapped in here, the space is too small." Olivia reasoned.

Tyler glanced at her, but he turned to Luke. "Agreed."

Henrik cursed under his breath, his knuckles white around his sword. "We're actually doing this?" He let out a bitter laugh. "Great. We'll be shredded to pieces." But he still raised his sword, blue energy crackling around it.

"Formation!" Diana barked.

"We're really doing this...?" Liam asked calmly, with a flick of his hand, white energy surrounded him, he floated in the air, a white halo formed around his head.

"Yes." Tyler said. This monster wasn't an S level beast. It was a SS monster. Even elite hunters struggled against these. They had no chance.

The students fell into place. Olivia gripped her blades, her pulse hammering.

They had no idea if they could win. But there was no other choice.

The cave trembled as the creature's mass pressed against the walls. The air reeked of salt and rotting flesh. Tentacles coiled and uncoiled, some as thick as tree trunks, others slithering like vipers through the dust filled air.

The monster let out a deafening screech, the walls trembling under its rage. A shockwave blasted through the cavern, sending loose rocks plummeting. Then, a tentacle lashed out, it was faster than a whip, and as powerful as a thunderbolt. The ground exploded on impact, sending shards of stone flying.

The battle had begun.