Free Web NovelChapter 78: Yes master
The next morning, the trio broke camp in silence.
The fire had long since collapsed into pale ash, leaving only a faint warmth in the stones where it had burned. The cave mouth exhaled cool air as they stepped out, carrying the damp scent of earth and mineral rock behind them. Outside, the wasteland stretched wide and uneven, its cracked ground still holding the memory of night’s cold.
For a brief while, the temperature was forgiving.
A thin veil of morning light washed over the terrain, soft enough to dull the harsh edges of the rocks and ridges that scattered across the land. Yuto knew it wouldn’t last. The sun here had a habit of turning patience into punishment.
They moved west.
The map taken from the Cave of Sadara guided them forward, its inked lines and markings folding their path into something at least understandable. Every so often, Yuto would glance at it, then up at the land ahead, comparing symbols to distant formations that barely resembled anything safe or welcoming.
Tami walked with an easy rhythm at first, rolling his shoulders as though trying to wake his body fully. Maya kept slightly behind them, her hand occasionally brushing her pendant without thinking, as if checking whether its presence still held.
The world around them remained quiet in a way that felt deliberate.
No wind beyond a slow, dry breath. No movement except the occasional scatter of grit shifting underfoot. Even the sky above them felt distant, pale and watchful.
It was the kind of quiet that didn’t reassure.
It waited.
Then the land broke its stillness.
Two shapes rose ahead from behind a low ridge of fractured stone. At first they looked like part of the terrain, jagged and unmoving, until the light caught them at the wrong angle and revealed the hard, segmented shine of metal beneath.
Steelplated beetles.
Their bodies were broad and low to the ground, armored in overlapping plates that reflected the morning light in dull flashes. Each step they took left a faint scrape across the stone, claws grinding against rock as they adjusted to the open space.
Tami’s posture shifted instantly.
He cracked his knuckles once, the sound sharp in the open air.
"Finally."
Maya’s hand drifted to her sword without drawing it, fingers settling against the hilt as her stance lowered slightly.
Yuto lifted a hand.
"Wait."
Both of them paused and turned toward him.
"I’ll handle it."
Tami blinked, then let out a short breath through his nose.
"You alone?"
Yuto didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he exhaled, as though checking something only he could feel, then gave a small, calm smile.
"Yeah."
The beetles continued advancing, unaware or unconcerned with the brief exchange.
Yuto stepped forward.
The air around him shifted.
Shiny appeared first.
A ripple of light and distortion split the space beside Yuto before his familiar form solidified, standing upright as though he had always been there. His armor caught the morning light in clean, polished reflections.
Then Beetle appeared.
Its smaller frame emerged next, shell intact and smooth, every crack from the previous battle gone as if it had never existed. It shook itself once, claws scraping lightly against the ground.
Yuto blinked.
Both summons looked restored.
Completely.
No sign of the cryptid fight remained on either of them. Even the wear that had lingered before was gone, replaced by a strange, almost unnatural completeness.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
He hadn’t seen them since the battle.
Not once.
He walked closer to Shiny.
"Hey buddy. Long time no see."
Shiny straightened immediately, as if recognizing the tone more than the words themselves.
"Long time no see, Master."
Yuto gave a low chuckle under his breath.
Then he turned and pointed ahead.
"I’ve got a job for you two."
Shiny followed his gesture. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
The two steelplated beetles were already accelerating, their heavy bodies gaining speed with surprising force as they closed the distance.
Shiny nodded once.
"Yes, Master."
Beetle let out a short, sharp sound of agreement beside him.
The enemy reached them fast.
Too fast for hesitation.
Shiny moved first, sprinting straight toward the nearest beetle. Beetle peeled off to the side, circling wide through uneven stone, its smaller frame slipping between cracks and debris with practiced ease.
For a moment, the shape of the plan was clear.
Beetle would draw attention.
Shiny would strike from the flank.
It failed almost immediately.
The first steelplated beetle ignored Beetle entirely and drove straight into Shiny with brutal force. The impact rang out like metal colliding with metal, a heavy, hollow sound that echoed across the open wasteland.
Shiny was launched backward, armor scraping across rock as he tumbled.
Before he could recover, the second beetle slammed into Beetle mid-movement. The smaller summon was caught cleanly, sent rolling across the ground in a flurry of dust and disjointed motion.
Both enemies regrouped without hesitation.
No pause. No confusion. Just immediate adjustment.
Shiny pushed himself upright, dust clinging to his armor, then spat a mouthful of grit onto the ground.
"Damned beast."
Yuto let out a quiet sound that might have been amusement.
The second attempt came faster.
This time Beetle surged forward first, claws scraping against armor as it targeted the faceplate of one enemy. Shiny followed close behind, dropping low and angling in for a strike beneath the main body where the plates met.
His sword came up.
It struck cleanly.
Clang.
The sound rang out, sharp and useless.
The blade bounced off the armor as if it had hit solid stone rather than a gap between plates.
No damage followed.
The beetle reacted instantly.
One of its legs snapped sideways with violent precision, catching Shiny under the torso. The force lifted him cleanly off the ground before hurling him away like something discarded.
At nearly the same moment, the second beetle surged forward and slammed into Beetle, pinning it beneath its weight. The smaller summon struggled briefly, claws scraping against stone, but the pressure held it in place.
Another failure.
Shiny rolled to a stop and forced himself upright again, shoulders rising and falling slightly with the impact still settling through him.
Beetle shoved hard against its opponent and broke free, retreating a few steps to reset.
For a moment, the two summons stood apart, facing the enemies with a brief pause between them. Dust drifted through the air, caught in the sunlight.
Then something shifted.
A shared understanding passed between them without words.
The third attempt began differently.
Beetle moved first, but not to attack.
It darted forward, then veered away at the last moment, weaving through broken stone and uneven ground. Its movements became erratic, unpredictable, forcing the beetles to adjust constantly as they tried to track it.
They followed.
Exactly as intended.
Both steelplated beetles turned their attention fully onto Beetle, their heavy bodies accelerating as they attempted to trap it between them. The ground trembled faintly beneath their movement.
Shiny sprinted behind them.
Timing tightened.
One of the beetles shifted its weight to turn.
That was the opening.
Shiny closed the distance in an instant, blade angled low.
The strike was precise.
The sword slipped into a narrow gap behind the rear leg joint, where the armor failed to overlap completely.
A clean break in structure.
For a fraction of a second, nothing happened.
Then the joint gave way.
Metal and flesh beneath it buckled inward, the leg folding at an unnatural angle.
The beetle lurched violently, its balance collapsing as the wounded limb failed to support its weight.
It staggered.
And for the first time since the fight began, the rhythm of the battlefield changed.
Yuto exhaled slowly.
A faint smile touched his face.
Now they were getting somewhere.
