Chapter 129 A Sacrifice

Chapter 129: Chapter 129 A Sacrifice

All of them were thrown out of the portal at once.

Luna barely had time to understand what was happening before she felt herself falling. The air rushed past her. Then—SPLASH! They landed directly in the black sea.

For one terrifying second, Luna was completely submerged. The freezing water swallowed her whole. She immediately kicked upward, breaking through the surface and gasping for air. "What the fuck?!"

She looked around. Dark water stretched endlessly in every direction. There was no land. No visible road. No buildings. Nothing. They had escaped the collapsing supermarket only to land directly inside their biggest threat. The black sea.

And that was where the real struggle began. Because two of them couldn’t swim.

Kai was one of them. Adrian was the other.

"Damn it all!" Luna screamed. "Why?! Why?!"

She couldn’t blame Adrian. He had only been trying to save them. He didn’t know where the portal would take them. He had simply opened it because they needed to escape the collapsing tunnel. He had been trying to carry them to safety. It just hadn’t worked out the way any of them had expected.

Kai was already swallowing huge amounts of water. His throat burned as the freezing liquid rushed into his mouth. He desperately paddled his arms, trying to keep himself above the surface. "I can’t swim!" He coughed violently. "I can’t!"

Luna immediately turned toward him. She was an excellent swimmer. She could get to him. But before she could move, Rowan was already there.

"Breathe!" Rowan shouted. He grabbed Kai and pulled him closer. "Stay with me! I’m right here. We’re here!"

Kai was shivering uncontrollably. The freezing water was making his already terrible condition even worse. "I am drowning!" He coughed again. "I am going to perish in the water!"

Rowan grabbed his shoulders and shook him hard. "You’re not going to die!"

Kai looked at him with terrified eyes.

"As I said, look at me. We’re getting out of here."

Kai finally began to calm down enough to breathe. But as Rowan tried to look around for their vehicle, Kai suddenly grabbed his arm. "Wait..." His face twisted. "My arm..."

His fingers began scratching at his skin. It was itching terribly.

Luna’s eyes widened. The bite. She had almost forgotten about it in the chaos. Kai had been bitten. And now the infection was progressing.

But there was another problem. "Where’s Adrian?"

Luna looked around. Her heart immediately dropped. Adrian wasn’t on the surface anymore.

"Fuck this!"

Without thinking twice, Luna dove into the water. She kicked downward as quickly as she could. The black sea was almost impossible to see through. But Luna forced herself deeper. Her lungs began burning.

Then she saw him. Adrian was sinking. His body was falling deeper into the darkness. He wasn’t moving.

"Adrian!"

Luna swam faster. She reached him and grabbed him around the head, cradling him carefully as she began pulling him upward. But suddenly—something caught him.

Luna’s eyes bulged. A powerful force wrapped around Adrian’s body and began dragging him downward.

"No!" Luna tightened her grip. She pulled with everything she had. The creature pulled harder. Adrian’s clothes began shredding under the pressure. Luna still couldn’t see what was beneath them. Only a gigantic shadow moving through the darkness.

"Ethan!"

Ethan had already followed her into the water. He grabbed Adrian’s body and began pulling alongside Luna. "Come on!"

The two of them pulled together. The creature below them became even more persistent. It wanted Adrian. And it wasn’t willing to let him go.

Luna’s muscles burned. Her lungs were screaming for air. But she refused to release him. "He’s not dying!" She kicked harder. "None of us are dying down here!"

Suddenly, something massive moved beneath them. A pair of deadly mandibles rushed toward Luna’s feet. Her reflexes kicked in. She twisted her body out of the way just in time. The jaws snapped shut inches from her legs. If she had been even a second slower, she would have lost them.

Luna’s eyes widened. Then she finally saw it.

A massive creature emerged from the darkness. A leviathan. It was enormous. Its body disappeared into the black depths of the sea, while its monstrous head was covered in jagged teeth and massive mandibles. And it was furious.

The creature opened its mouth and charged. It wanted to make them its meal.

Luna pushed herself harder. She took a deep breath and grabbed Adrian tighter. "Come on!"

The leviathan suddenly changed direction. It rushed toward Ethan.

Luna’s eyes widened. "Ethan!"

She immediately activated her uniform. The material around her body shifted. Her outfit unlocked and transformed, her entire body suddenly becoming enclosed inside a solid protective cubicle-like shape. Ethan’s uniform activated at the same time. Adrian’s did too.

The leviathan opened its enormous jaws. CRUNCH! Its teeth slammed against the protective structure. The force of the impact shook the water around them. But instead of biting through them, the leviathan’s jaw was crushed against the hardened barrier.

The creature stopped. It appeared stunned.

Luna didn’t waste the opportunity. She grabbed Adrian. "Move!" She and Ethan pushed toward the surface.

The leviathan quickly recovered. Its massive body twisted. Then it chased them. The pursuit became faster. And deadlier. The water churned around them as the leviathan followed. Luna could feel the creature getting closer. She kicked harder. Ethan pushed Adrian upward.

Finally—they broke through the surface. Luna gasped. Air filled her lungs. "Get up!"

She looked around. Her amphibious vehicle! She immediately summoned it. The vehicle appeared on the water. It was enormous now, much larger than before. It looked almost like a luxurious bus designed to travel across both land and sea.

Luna pointed toward it. "Quickly! All of you, get inside!"

An alert rang through the vehicle.

Rowan was already helping Kai. He had Kai’s arm over his shoulder and was dragging him toward the vehicle. "Come on!"

Kai could barely move. His face had become frighteningly pale. The skin around his mouth was beginning to take on a strange greenish color. He looked almost like a leaf. "Rowan..."

"Keep moving."

They were almost there. Rowan reached toward the vehicle. Then—WHOOSH! A massive wave slammed into them. Both men were violently pulled backward.

"Fuck!" Rowan fell into the water. Kai was dragged with him.

Rowan immediately resurfaced. He grabbed Kai again. But Kai was barely fighting anymore. His body shook uncontrollably.

"Save yourself."

Rowan frowned. "What?"

"Let me go." Kai pushed weakly against him. "I am a burden."

"No."

"If we both continue like this, we won’t make it." Kai’s voice trembled. "You’re healthy. I’m not." He coughed. "The infection is already spreading."

Rowan shook his head. "Man, you’re part of our team." He grabbed Kai’s hand. "And I won’t let you go."

Kai looked at him.

"Anywhere you go, I will." Rowan’s voice became firm. "We’re in this battle together with Luna." He squeezed Kai’s hand. "Always and forever."

Kai’s eyes softened.

"So get rid of that self-righteous act and help me get there."

Rowan began paddling harder. He dragged Kai toward the vehicle. But when they finally got close, Rowan looked around. His expression changed. There was nothing around them anymore. No roads. No buildings. No skyscrapers. Nothing. Only water. The entire city was gone. The ocean had swallowed everything again as though the land had never existed.

Rowan stared in disbelief. "Where the hell did everything go?"

There was no answer. Only the sound of the waves.

Rowan reached for the vehicle door. His fingers were almost touching it. Then—a gigantic mouth erupted from beneath the water.

"ROWAN!"

The leviathan slammed its massive body against both of them. BOOM! The impact sent them crashing against the side of the amphibious vehicle. The entire vehicle staggered violently.

Rowan struggled to hold onto Kai. But the creature wasn’t finished. It turned toward Kai. Its massive jaws opened. The leviathan slammed against him and dragged him away.

"Kai!"

The creature threw Kai toward a huge floating rock. His body nearly crashed directly onto it.

Rowan’s eyes widened. He reached into his uniform and pulled out a dagger. He activated it. The weapon immediately grew longer. Rowan swung. The blade pierced through the back of the creature. A deafening roar exploded across the sea.

The leviathan thrashed violently. Rowan was nearly thrown away. But his eyes moved toward the others. Luna and Ethan were fighting through two gigantic leviathans. Adrian was still unconscious. Luna was trying desperately to protect him.

Kai watched them. His breathing became slower. His body was already failing. He knew what he had to do.

He closed his eyes. Power began gathering around him.

Rowan immediately understood. "No!" He rushed toward him. "Don’t go that far!"

Kai opened his eyes. "I can do it."

"You can’t!"

"I’m a Frost user." Kai’s voice was weak. "But you’re a beast tamer." He looked toward the leviathans. "You could control them."

Rowan shook his head. "That’s not the point."

"Your powers should be saved." Kai looked at him. "We aren’t fully charged yet. This is only from the little rest we’ve had." His voice became softer. "What happens if those things come back when they’re on their way?"

Rowan froze.

"I can’t do much anymore." Kai looked down at his infected arm. "I’m dying anyway." He smiled faintly. "But you have a lot to do." His gaze moved toward Luna. "Protect Luna."

Rowan’s eyes became red. "Don’t you dare say that."

"Kai—"

"Please." Kai’s expression softened. "Take care of yourself."

Rowan screamed. "No!" He tried to reach him. But a massive blast of Frost exploded from Kai’s body. Rowan was thrown backward.

"KAI!"

Kai turned toward the sea. Luna was still fighting. One of the leviathans opened its gigantic mouth. It was about to swallow her.

Kai closed his eyes. Then he unleashed everything he had left.

The sea rose. The entire ocean surged upward. Massive walls of water towered over the battlefield. The sea split violently. A gigantic division appeared across the water as if the ocean itself had been torn apart. The leviathans were seized by the force. They struggled. They twisted. They roared. But the water dragged them downward.

A violent storm formed around them. Then—Frost exploded across the sea. The leviathans froze. Their enormous bodies became covered in ice. The creature that had attacked Kai and Rowan was frozen too. The monsters turned into massive sculptures.

For one breathtaking second, they remained suspended above the black water. Then they fell. CRASH! They disappeared into the sea.

The storm continued raging. Then suddenly—silence.

Kai’s body went still. The last trace of power disappeared from him. His body turned pale. His eyes closed.

Luna stared. Ethan stared. Rowan stared.

"No..." Luna’s voice broke. She immediately screamed. "KAIIII!"

E

than shouted with her.

Rowan’s entire face twisted in horror. "Kai, no!"

The three voices echoed across the endless black sea.

But Kai didn’t answer. He simply floated there. Still and silent.