This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange-Chapter 585: ’Surprise!’

Realizing that it was useless to attempt to damage the spire, Bridge changed tactics. Perfectly synergized with the Vespid guard he was riding, Bridge nimbly dodged an errant attack from the projectile throwing Obelisk far above before jumping and landing on the platform of his target.

Kain was once again astonished by how well his tertiary contracts were listening to Bridge. Without his direction the Vespid guards even swarmed the area around Bridge, intercepting any new threats aimed at Bridge by the Obelisk in front of them or those around.

He landed cleanly, planting both hands on the Obelisk's surface.

A wave of spiritual force hit him hard enough that Kain could see the ripple from here, but Bridge only staggered slightly, his teeth bared in a defiant grin.

He's got it. Good.

Kain looked around to monitor the others.

Bridge still clung stubbornly to the Obelisk, radiant bolts of spiritual energy arcing around him as he wrestled for control.

Feather Sweater and Leonara guarded him fiercely, Their winged contracts diving and slashing at any remaining threats.

Addison and Aiden regrouped, starting their flight toward the next Obelisk linked to the one they'd just claimed.

Michael, blood running from one nostril, hauled himself upright again beside Big Axe Guy, ready to continue.

All around him, the others fought, struggled, bled.

And they were winning.

Even against these near impossible odds, they were winning.

But Kain's relief and pride was short-lived.

A howl unlike anything he'd ever heard—low, rattling, almost wet—rose from the fissure beneath the ground.

Something was coming.

And it wasn't going to wait politely for them to finish. No matter what time was technically left on the clock, Kain knew their real deadline was about to be smashed to pieces once that thing escaped.

[13:39]

"Ooof"

Suddenly, Vauleth banked hard to the right as another flying Obelisk changed trajectory and came for them like a guided missile.

Kain clenched his fist. Enough. He was tired of these annoying fly-like missiles pursuing him. Although he had decided against partaking himself, faithfully sticking to his role as support, Kain felt as though he wasn't leaving his task when the prey was coming to him.

He ordered three Vespid guards to intercept the slightly slower flying Obelisk that had saw-like blades along its sides and was circling back around to target Kain. They threw themselves bodily into the path of the Obelisk, dozens of stinger-like appendages stabbing at the spinning weapon.

Sparks and shrapnel flew.

One, two, three Vespids were shredded instantly—but they slowed it just enough.

Vauleth roared, tilting his wings at the perfect angle for…Kain to make contact.

The second his hand brushed along its side, the whirring blades slowed to a stop, Kain's eyes took on a hazy quality, and Vauleth beat his wings slowly to maintain his position of floating next to the large object.

The world distorted. A pressure like an invisible ocean crushed down on Kain's senses. Instead of the familiar surroundings, a vast emptiness stretched before him—an endless darkness where only one thing existed: a large red sphere emitting crimson light. It lashed out at him, tendrils of spiritual energy attempting to pierce into his mind.

There was no intricate path, no delicate finesse. No careful parsing or clever weaving of spiritual power through a maze. It was a collision of wills—a raw, unfiltered brawl. Every time Kain shoved his spiritual power forward, the relic slammed back harder, each blow sending a spike of agony rattling through his bones. Memories blurred past his vision: fragments from his past life, fragments from his present one, snippets of the orphanage in his youth... and darker ones, more recent, soaked in violence while fleeing through ancient ruins.

And amid them all—one vivid, shattering image. A kiss.

Disorienting images meant to knock him off balance.

But Kain gritted his teeth, dug deep into the marrow of his spirit, and yanked harder. He overwhelmed it, pouring his spiritual force like a flood until the crimson core began to sputter and dim, its resistance faltering. He could feel its struggle—like a living thing drowning under a tsunami.

Kain didn't let up.

The instant the crimson core faltered, he seized it, folding the last remnants of resistance inward until the sphere collapsed into a dull, pulsing amber coloured stone.

A rush of spiritual force surged outward, buffeting Vauleth's wings and sending ripples through the air—but Kain stood firm, hand still pressed against the now-motionless Obelisk.

The whirring blades on its side, originally spinning like hundreds of chainsaws, groaned, then retracted seamlessly into its body with a series of mechanical clicks.

Relieved of its violent duty to destroy Kain and all other 'invaders', the Obelisk floated docilely beside him, as harmless as a piece of driftwood bobbing in a still pond.

Kain released a slow, shallow breath, feeling the tremor in his arms.

He glanced outward immediately—searching—half-hoping to see some chain reaction, another Obelisk sputtering or greatly weakening.

But nothing.

The other Obelisks continued their brutal assault unhindered, no sign that his victory here had lessened the burden of his allies elsewhere.

Kain clicked his tongue once, short and sharp. Annoyance flickered behind his eyes, but he quickly smothered it. Taking another down was at least progress.

Almost simultaneously, a fourth and fifth chime rang out.

[Obelisks Claimed: 4/9. 2 more required to pass]

[Obelisks Claimed: 5/9. 1 more required to pass]

Bridge had finally taken control of the one he'd targeted, leaving 4 more Obelisks remaining in total.

[13:12]

'Only one more!' The terrifying creature struggling to break free below was constantly on his mind. Knowing that only one more was needed, Kain began to have confidence that they could succeed.

But, almost like the relic could here his optimistic thoughts and wanted to stomp them into oblivion—

BOOM!

Below, the ground shattered.

A colossal, gleaming coil surged upward from the crack, a beast of impossible proportions.

Its flesh looked half-fossilized, half-metallic, covered in jagged plates that hummed with malevolent spiritual power.

One unblinking golden eye, the size of a house, opened—and fixed directly on Kain.

He felt something ancient and hateful brush against his mind.

It wasn't even a proper attack—it was just... attention from it.

And it made his blood feel like it was freezing in his veins.

[Relic Surprise Event: RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! Activated!]

A booming voice echoed from nowhere and everywhere all at once. Kain could almost swear the mechanical voice, usually flat and clinical, sounded almost…jovial.

If it were an entity in front of him, Kain felt like he could almost hear the wide, gleaming grin behind it, as if the entire relic was wriggling in giddy excitement at the chaos it had unleashed.

'This isn't the kind of surprise anybody would want!'

The floating screen with the timer flickered—

[New Time Remaining: 4:59]

Kain's heart dropped.

They'd lost more than half of their remaining time in an instant.

"Shit!" he barked aloud, eyes narrowing.