SSS Ranked Shadow Monarch: Summoning Infinite Shadows-Chapter 189: Do it over again

"So you’re telling me that, unlike us who have to survive the ruins, you have to chase people out of it?" Aiden asked Aren while they walked through the city. This particular place stank of rot, which was weird, considering the fact that everything in this place was long dead.

"Yeah, that’s what we were asked to do," Aren replied casually, but he couldn’t take his mind off the rotting smell that got worse the more they walked, so he decided to check what it was, using his shadow sense to scan the area, and what he found left him stunned.

Bodies littered the floor inside the buildings ahead, mangled badly, parts of their bodies eaten up. From their rotting state, he was sure that they had been there for at least a day.

He frowned as he looked. He couldn’t find a culprit. That was when he discovered one body that wasn’t like the others. It had mutations to its arm. It was far larger than normal and dark. Aren also saw the bracelet, and instantly he remembered the man he had taken down.

Eager to check this out, he charged ahead without saying anything. Using his tendrils, he swung into the air and fell through a gap in the roof of the building.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he was hit with a smell far worse than he could imagine. It slammed into his nose, the smell of rotting flesh mixed with a lot more.

Instinctively, he used his fingers to pinch his nose. He looked at the bodies there, but his eyes stayed on the one that had mutated.

’What is going on with those bracelets? Who is giving them out to people?’

The rest of the group made their way to the building. As soon as they entered, they stopped, stunned by the sight and the smell.

Aren looked at them. "Something is happening inside the city. We have to be cautious."

Just as he was saying that, he sensed something with his shadow sense, rushing forward at top speed. It was Elena and Luka, and chasing behind them was a massive group of awakened that had been turned into those mutated creatures.

"Get ready," Aren said. He rushed out of the building through the hole and got on the roof. The others followed immediately.

They looked ahead, and then they saw the creatures chasing the two.

"What in heaven’s name are those?" Aiden asked.

"I don’t know, but they are pretty dangerous," Aren replied.

Luka and Elena saw Aren and his group. Instantly, they felt a sense of safety.

Elena pumped the brakes. She turned around, lifting her hands into the air, and in one swift motion downward, gravity came crashing down like a meteor, slamming into all of them and destroying the house underneath.

That was meant to buy some more time. They rushed to meet the group.

"Aren," Luka greeted in a joyous tone, like he had not been running for his life.

Kira saw Elena standing there and instantly the air became tense. She looked at Elena, thinking Elena would have some bad blood between them, but Elena didn’t even look at her. She focused on Aren.

"Those things, they are mutated awakened, and they keep saying they’ll awaken the master. Also, they are extremely hard to kill. They keep coming back like roaches," Elena explained.

"Yeah, you have to cut off the arm that has the bracelet on it," Aren replied simply. He kept his eyes on the creatures with his shadow sense while he spoke.

"I’m guessing you have fought one," Elena said.

"Yes, I did. Go for their arms and rip it off, then destroy the bracelets. That should work," Aren said.

"Alright then, let’s do this." Luka turned around. He lifted off and headed that way. Elena followed, then Aiden, then Athena, who was dragged by Zero.

"You aren’t fighting?" Aren asked, looking at Kira.

"You seem chummy with Elena all of a sudden," she said.

Aren’s gaze went cold. He looked at Kira. "I met her when I killed the other chosen. Also, this isn’t the time for this," he said.

She was about to argue back, but then one of the creatures lunged into the air, climbing the roof and rushing at Kira, but a tendril wrapped around its neck and slammed it into the ground hard.

Aren looked at Kira. "Listen, I understand that you are mad or whatever, but if you choose to be this way all through, then I’ll not be responsible for the harm that comes to you."

He turned away and walked off.

She watched his back in anger, but she couldn’t say anything. She had broken up with him. She had no right to drag his attention or force him to speak with her now.

Deep down, she wished he would have chased after her. She wished that he would have begged for her forgiveness, explained to her that she was important and that he would never do something like that again.

In that desperate moment, she called out to Aren.

"Aren."

He stopped, turned around, and looked at her.

She gathered herself, then asked, "If it happened again, exactly how it did, knowing how I would feel, what decision would you make?" She asked, as her final hope lingered on his answer.

’Kira, you don’t understand it. Sigh. I wish I could give you the good response you want, but this isn’t a fairy tale. This is a story of death and survival.’

"I would make the same choice regardless," he said before leaping off the roof and landing in the midst of the battle.

She stood there for a few seconds. "I see," she muttered, before walking off the roof and into the battle.

"Arghhhhhhh!" She roared in anger as she created multiple ice lances. They all spun like vortexes as they stabbed down into the enemy.

Each one penetrated through the chest of the creatures, pinning them to the ground, giving enough time for someone to cut their hands.