CHAPTER 51: CHAPTER 51 – ETERNAL NIGHT (PART 8)

Chapter 51 – Eternal Night (Part 8)

Like snakes slithering in a frenzy, the vines crawled across the floor, rushing toward the two of them with terrifying speed. Their movements were almost alive—writhing, twisting, and converging in a tide of red death.

Jack was the first to react. His instincts screamed danger as his body moved on its own. With a sharp shove, he pushed Evelyn aside, his timing perfect—just a heartbeat before a vine lashed out where she had been standing.

"Run!" he barked, his voice echoing across the stairwell as he sprinted toward the exit.

Evelyn snapped out of her daze, biting down hard on her lip to anchor herself. Her legs felt heavy, the lingering numbness clawing at her muscles, but she forced them to move. Ignoring the dull ache spreading across her body, she bolted after him with everything she had. There was not even a second to regain her composure before rushing away.

But their situation was far from ideal. They were still on one of the higher floors of the crumbling building, and dozens of staircases remained between them and the ground. Worse still, every single flight was draped in vines—and all of them had begun writhing at once, as if they had awakened for the sole purpose of hunting them down.

The moment Jack leapt down the first set of stairs, he landed to find several thick vines waiting below like ambushers lying in wait. Without hesitation, he drew his sword and slashed.

Sparks flew, but instead of severing cleanly, the dull blade only pushed the vines aside. The edge wasn’t nearly sharp enough yet.

"Damn it!" Jack cursed, twisting away as another vine snapped at his leg. He barely avoided it, but in his haste, he missed one creeping up from behind. It shot forward like a striking serpent, wrapping toward his calf.

"Jack!" Evelyn’s cry split the air.

Swish!

A shimmering barrier burst to life at the edge of her hand. She swung it upward, deflecting the vine just before it coiled around his leg.

Jack blinked in surprise, glancing back briefly. He gave her a sharp nod of gratitude before springing forward again. Together, they leapt down another set of stairs, but there was no pause, no reprieve—every vine in the stairwell seemed to surge to life at once, lashing out from walls, railings, and ceilings.

They were surrounded from every direction. A sea of red was all they could see.

Evelyn thrust her hand outward, her Chronical barrier forming in sudden bursts to shove away the vines that came too close. Her knives were useless here—the thick growths were too tough to pierce—so all she could do was deflect and push them back.

Jack fought differently. Though his sword lacked a proper edge, he kept hacking, using sheer force to carve open small paths. His movements were desperate, frantic, yet precise enough to keep them moving forward. Whenever Evelyn faltered, he shifted his body to intercept, and when he stumbled, she covered his blind spots.

But it wasn’t enough.

’There are too many,’ Jack thought bitterly, slicing through another wave of vines as they barreled down the stairs. ’We won’t last at this pace.’

His eyes narrowed. There was only one option left.

He clenched his jaw, forcing his mind into focus. ’Time to use it.’

Activating his ability, he felt power surge through his arm. A translucent set of claws materialized around his left hand, glowing faintly as condensed energy formed razor-sharp talons. His other hand gripped the sword tightly.

Now, both arms were weapons.

With a low growl, Jack lunged forward. His clawed hand swept out—and vines that had resisted steel were shredded instantly, sliced apart as though they were nothing more than paper.

’Good.’ A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. His movements grew sharper, faster. With sword in one hand and claws in the other, he unleashed a relentless assault. Every swing cut down enemies with startling efficiency. He became a blur, hacking, slashing, and tearing his way through the suffocating labyrinth of vines.

"Wha—" Evelyn’s eyes widened. She could hardly believe it. The Jack she knew had always been resourceful and determined, but now he was something else entirely. His speed, his ferocity... it was astonishing. For a moment, she almost faltered, stunned by the sheer force he radiated.

’So strong...’

But she quickly shook off the thought and sprinted after him, her Chronical flickering around her hands as she kept vines at bay. Together, they descended floor after floor, carving a path down the tower.

Yet the deeper they went, the worse it became. The number of vines only multiplied. It felt like fighting through an endless forest—every path sealed by twisting, writhing branches. Even with Jack’s newfound edge, they were being overwhelmed.

"Jack! To your left!" Lune’s sharp voice echoed from above. The mesmerizing companion of his zipped through the chaos, warning them of ambushes.

"Tsk!" Jack clicked his tongue and spun, slashing—but he was half a beat too late. A vine lashed around his leg and yanked violently. His balance shattered.

"Jack!" Evelyn and Lune cried at once.

He was dragged across the floor with brutal force, pulled toward a shattered window at the edge of the stairwell. Jack kicked furiously, stomping against the floor, but more vines snapped forward. They coiled around his arms, his torso, his other leg. Within seconds, his body was bound.

A sharp sting pricked his skin. Then came the pain—white-hot, searing. The vines had pierced him, and with horrifying strength they began sucking the blood from his veins.

’You... bastards!’ Jack roared in his mind, his teeth grinding as he flooded every muscle with power, trying to resist the pull.

"Jack!" Evelyn sprinted after him, her eyes wide with panic. She grabbed his arm, refusing to let him be dragged away. Her Chronical blade flashed, slicing at the vines with desperate precision.

"Here! Take my sword!" Jack shouted, tossing the weapon toward her as his claws tore at the bindings.

She caught it mid-run and swung hard, severing several of the vines around his body. But the pull was monstrous. The broken window loomed closer, the night sky yawning wide beyond it.

"Don’t let go!" she screamed, clutching his clothes with one hand while hacking at the vines with the other. Her arms trembled violently as she felt her own body being dragged toward the edge with him.

"Forget me—just cut the vines!" Jack barked back, his tone unyielding.

"If I let go, you’ll fall!" she argued, her voice breaking.

"Do what I said!" His glare was sharp, commanding.

Evelyn’s jaw clenched. Cursing under her breath, she released him and swung the blade with renewed fury. Each strike severed another vine, but more appeared, latching onto him like hydras regrowing their heads.

Jack’s back scraped against broken glass, blood mingling with the shards. His fingers clawed desperately at the floor, anchoring himself even as the vines kept sucking at his limbs, draining his strength.

"They’re not stopping!" Evelyn shouted, panic rising as she cut down another wave. Her barrier flickered frantically as more vines lunged.

Despite her efforts, Jack was dragged farther until his torso slipped past the edge. His body dangled in the open air, only his bloodied fingers clinging stubbornly to the ledge.

"Agh..." A ragged groan escaped him.

"I got you!" Evelyn cried, grabbing his arm once more. But the vines’ pull was relentless. She couldn’t haul him back—not while they drained his life away with every passing second.

Jack glanced down. The ground was still dozens of meters below. A fall from this height meant certain death.

’Think, Jack. Think!’ His mind whirled at impossible speed, but the conclusion was the same: there was no way out. His strength was failing, Evelyn couldn’t pull him free, and the vines wouldn’t stop. He was losing.

And then—

"Ignite."

The voice was soft, almost a whisper. Sweet, melodic... yet it cut through the chaos like a blade of light. Jack’s eyes widened, a shiver running down his spine.

Beside him, a pair of golden eyes materialized—mesmerizing, divine, impossible. He gasped as the air around them ignited.

Blue fire erupted across the vines.

In an instant, the flames spread, racing along the writhing tendrils and consuming them whole. Their screeches filled the air as they burned to ash, the suction force vanishing at once. Evelyn yanked with all her strength and pulled Jack back inside.

They collapsed onto the floor, both of them gasping for breath.

A shrill screech echoed from the distance as the blue fire spread farther, leaping from vine to vine. The entire stairwell lit up, bathed in a ghostly azure glow as the cursed growths disintegrated one after another.

"...Hah... hah..." Evelyn’s chest heaved as she raised her head, her eyes wide in disbelief. "What... what just happened? Are those... flames?"

Jack coughed, blood dripping from his wounds, his body trembling. He forced himself upright, his gaze flickering uncertainly.

"...Was that... you?" Evelyn whispered, her voice wavering as she looked at him.