Extra's Rise: I Stole All The Women In The Hero's Party-Chapter 35: Plot Twist (III)

Zayn exhaled sharply, his boots skidding against the dirt as he barely dodged the thrashing tentacles.

The monster was relentless, each strike smashing into the ground with enough force to leave small craters.

He had expected this second one to fight smarter after seeing its kin fall, but damn — this thing was out for blood.

His back pressed against Bran’s, and for a brief moment, they both paused, catching their breath.

"Hell of a fight, huh?" Bran muttered, gripping his axe tighter.

Zayn let out a short, humorless chuckle. "Yeah, I’d rather not get tossed into the sky a second time, though."

Bran snorted. "You’re still alive, surprisingly so."

Before Zayn could retort, a tentacle slammed down where they had just been standing, forcing them to split apart.

Bran went left, raising his axe to cleave through another oncoming appendage, while Zayn dashed right, his mind already reaching for the Soul Forge again.

The golden glow from the goblin soul had faded.

That was disappointing — it lasted even less time than he’d hoped.

"Guess I need to work on my stamina," he muttered under his breath.

He had no time to linger on the thought.

As another tentacle came hurtling toward him, Zayn leaped out of the way and focused inward.

His vision flickered for a moment, the feeling of cold metal chains wrapping around his core.

Using the Forge was a strange sensation.

’I need another soul.’

His mind sifted through the ones he had stored.

He barely had time to choose, so he picked the first viable one — something fast.

The moment he activated it, a wave of power surged through his veins.

This time, the aura that wrapped around his body was dark green — swift and fluid.

His muscles tensed, lighter but more refined, and he moved.

With a single, powerful step, he dashed forward and vaulted onto one of the monster’s writhing limbs.

Zayn sprinted along the tentacle’s length, using his newfound agility to weave through its wild movements.

The creature flailed, clearly realizing its mistake too late — it had given him a direct path toward its main body.

He grinned. "Bad move."

Below him, Bran was tearing through limbs, his axe cleaving flesh like a hot knife through butter.

"Keep going, bro! We’ve got your back!"

A wave of wind magic roared past him, followed by a burst of fire. Tobias was further back, coordinating his attacks with surgical precision.

Each gust of wind redirected a tentacle, exposing weak points for Bran to cut through.

Kara and Elisse were safe behind a protective stone wall, but Kara’s eyes were locked onto him.

Zayn could feel it — the way she was watching, as if she was waiting for something.

’No pressure, right?’

He pushed the thought aside and kept moving.

The monster knew he was getting closer.

It tried to shake him off, but he was faster.

Every time it flung a tentacle, he dodged. Every time it thrashed, he adjusted his stance.

This wasn’t just about speed. It was about rhythm.

And Zayn? He was a damn good dancer.

As he neared the monster’s massive, pulsating head, a tentacle lashed out directly in front of him, blocking his path.

He didn’t stop.

Instead, he jumped, flipping over it and landing hard onto the monster’s slimy skin.

His sword was already in hand, and without hesitation, he plunged it deep into the beast’s flesh.

The monster shrieked, its entire body convulsing.

Zayn grit his teeth and twisted the blade, sending a spurt of black ichor spraying across his arm.

The tentacles went wild.

It was panicking.

This was his chance.

"Bran! Tobias! Now!" frёeωebɳovel.com

He didn’t need to say it twice.

Bran hurled his axe with all his strength, and the massive weapon spun through the air like a meteor, embedding itself in the monster’s side.

Tobias followed up immediately, summoning a fiery windstorm that crashed into the exposed wound. The heat burned through the already-ruptured flesh, sending flames deep into the creature’s body.

The monster screamed.

Zayn braced himself as the entire thing collapsed.

Zayn yanked his sword free from the dead creature’s flesh, its black ichor dripping onto the ground in thick globs.

He lifted his blade into the air like a statue, feeling the last embers of the Soul flicker out.

The burning energy that had wrapped around him was now completely gone, leaving behind only exhaustion and the dull ache of his muscles.

He let out a slow breath, rolling his shoulders.

’That soul lasted barely three minutes...’

Honestly, it was kind of disappointing.

He had expected more from these goblin soul, but at least it had given him a boost when he needed it most. He’d take what he could get.

Bran clapped him on the back, his grip firm. "Hell of a fight, brother."

Zayn smirked, shaking off the fatigue. "Yeah, well, next time, let’s try not to fight two of these things back-to-back."

Tobias, however, wasn’t smiling. The hero adjusted his glasses, his eyes narrowing in that way they did when he was deep in thought.

"I thought there was only one B-rank monster," Zayn muttered, wiping his sword clean on the dead creature’s body.

Tobias exhaled sharply. "So did I."

Then, his expression darkened.

"I’m sure the monster reproduced."

A chill ran through the group.

And sure enough — before anyone could even react — a figure emerged from the trees.

It was another one.

But this one was different.

The creature stepped into view with slow, deliberate movements.

Unlike the others, which had been massive, writhing masses of tentacles, this one had a humanoid frame.

Its torso was eerily similar to that of a human, covered in a slick, dark hide that glistened under the dim forest light. But its head...

Its head was a pulsating mass of twisting tentacles.

Zayn felt his stomach twist.

It was walking toward them.

That was the worst part. The others had been monstrous in a mindless, bestial way. They were predators — things you fought and killed without hesitation.

But this one?

It moved with intent.

It didn’t rush them like a mindless beast.

It didn’t lash out wildly.

It just walked.

Step by step.

The air around it felt heavy, thick with something unseen.

The group instinctively fell into formation.

Bran raised his axe, his usual cocky smirk gone. "Alright, what the hell is that thing?"

Elisse clutched her staff, standing behind Kara, who had already raised her stone walls.

Tobias didn’t answer immediately.

His hand hovered near his belt, where several vials of unknown liquids rested.

He adjusted his glasses again, his lips pressing into a thin line.

Zayn could tell — even Tobias didn’t know what this was.

The creature stopped a few meters away, its tentacled head tilting slightly, as if it were studying them.

Then, it spoke.

Not in a language they understood.

Not even in words, really.

The sound was a wet, gurgling mess — like something struggling to form syllables with a throat that had never spoken before.

But the meaning was there.

Zayn didn’t know how, but he understood.

"Why do you kill my kin?"