The Cursed Extra: Bloodline of Sacrifice - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Escape in Blood and Shadows

Caspian’s breath came in ragged gasps, his lungs burning as if he had been breathing fire.

His grip on Bloodmoon tightened, the blade slick with blood-his, theirs, he wasn’t sure anymore.

His body was failing him.

His wounds screamed with every breath, every movement.

And yet, the monsters didn’t stop.

They knew.

They could smell the exhaustion clinging to him, could hear the weakness in his breathing.

Predators.

The six-legged beast, its crimson eyes glowing, let out a deep, guttural growl.

Its claws, already dripping with blood, dug into the earth, carving trenches as it prepared to lunge

The others followed, their twisted bodies forming a semicircle around him, each step deliberate, each second bringing them closer.

Caspian staggered back, his boots slipping against the bloodied dirt.

Zareth lay behind him-unmoving, defenseless.

Too many.

Too fast.

Too strong.

His mind screamed at him to think-to act-but every option led to the same conclusion.

He couldn’t win.

His eyes darted to Zareth. The slow, faint rise of his chest was the only indication he was still alive.

For now.

If Caspian fell, Zareth would follow.

No.

Caspian grit his teeth, forcing his battered body to move-one last time.

The six-legged beast lunged.

Caspian threw himself to the side, barely dodging as the monster’s claws slashed through the air, ripping through the space he had stood a second before.

CRUNCH!

White-hot pain exploded across his shoulder, a smaller monster’s claws tearing into his flesh.

“Gah-!”

The impact sent him stumbling, his vision flashing red as blood poured down his arm.

MOVE.

With a desperate snarl, he pushed through the pain, his body a blur of instinct and will.

Not away.

Not to fight.

To Zareth.

His boots pounded against the earth, muscles screaming in agony as he raced toward his unconscious friend.

A shadow loomed over him-another monster, lunging-

THUD!

Caspian dropped, shielding Zareth’s body with his own, his breath heavy.

And for the first time since the fight began-

He froze.

He couldn’t fight like this.

He couldn’t protect him like this.

His fingers trembled around Bloodmoon, his mind racing.

There had to be a way.

The answer came like lightning.

The dead.

Caspian’s gaze snapped to the battlefield.

The fallen beasts.

He didn’t hesitate.

With shaking fingers, he slammed his palm onto the nearest corpse, his mind reaching into the abyss of death itself.

“Evoke.”

A pulse of power erupted from his core, cold and suffocating.

The monster’s corpse shuddered.

Then, its eyes snapped open.

Unnatural. Hollow. Twisted.

The beast rose, its body stiff but very much alive.

The enemy monsters hesitated, their predatory instincts sensing the shift.

Caspian didn’t stop.

Again.

His hand lashed out, fingertips brushing against the second fallen beast.

“Evoke.”

Another pulse.

Another corpse twitched and stood, its jagged claws flexing.

One more.

Caspian’s head spun, exhaustion creeping at the edges of his mind, but he forced his trembling hand onto a third lifeless body.

“Evoke.”

The last monster rose, larger than the others, its breath a distorted growl as it staggered forward, awaiting its master’s command.

Caspian’s vision wavered, his body swaying from the drain, but he forced himself to focus.

The battlefield had changed.

The monsters that once hunted him hesitated, their gazes flickering between their former kin and the bleeding human before them.

The first evoked beast moved.

Fast.

It lunged, claws sinking into the throat of the nearest enemy, twisting with grotesque strength.

The second joined in, its attacks wild and unrelenting.

The third-Caspian’s strongest summon -stood beside him, its large frame bristling with power.

Caspian staggered to his feet, blood dripping from his wounds, but he didn’t stop.

He grabbed Zareth’s limp form, muscles burning, and hoisted him onto the back of the third beast.

His arms screamed in protest, but he didn’t let go.

No hesitation. No second chances

Caspian climbed up, his breath ragged, his gaze locking onto the chaos behind him.

The two evoked monsters still fought, tearing into the enemy with reckless abandon, their bodies enduring brutal hits but refusing to fall.

But Caspian knew the truth.

It wouldn’t last.

His domain was small.

His connection was weak.

He looked forward, at the darkness of the forest ahead.

Only one option left.

His fingers curled into the beast’s matted fur.

“Go.”

His voice was barely above a whisper, but the monster understood.

It bolted.

The world blurred around them, the wind howling past his ears as they escaped.

Every jolt of movement sent fresh pain lancing through his body, his wounds burning like open flames.

But he didn’t stop.

He couldn’t.

A flicker of movement in the distance—

The other evoked beasts.

For a moment, they still fought.

Their twisted, reanimated forms tore into the enemy with reckless abandon, ripping through flesh and bone.

Then—

They froze.

Their bodies convulsed violently, and their glowing eyes flickered—

Then snuffed out like candle flames.

Gone.

Like they had never existed.

Caspian’s stomach dropped.

“Shit”

His domain had collapsed, and with it, his summoned beasts had vanished—leaving nothing but torn corpses and hungry, bloodthirsty monsters in their place.

“ROOOAARRR”

A chorus of guttural growls erupted behind him, filling the forest with the sound of death itself.

The beasts were chasing.

Closing in.

Caspian clenched his jaw, forcing himself to look forward.

He couldn’t afford to hesitate.

His last summon—the strongest of the three—was still running.

Because it was still within his domain.

Caspian’s grip tightened around the creature’s matted fur as he shifted his weight, steadying himself.

His arms screamed in protest, his vision swimming from exhaustion, but he didn’t let go.

“Ugh”

Then, a groan.

A weak, barely audible breath against the howling wind.

Caspian’s head snapped downward.

Zareth.

The man’s body twitched slightly beneath him, his face contorted in pain.

He was still alive—but barely.

Caspian’s gut twisted.

“Hold on,” he muttered, voice hoarse. “Just a little longer.”

Zareth didn’t respond.

But Caspian knew.

He didn’t have long.

The monster beneath them let out a distorted growl, its legs pounding against the earth as it pushed forward.

The forest blurred around them, trees flying past in streaks of darkness.

But behind them—

The chasing monsters were gaining.

Caspian gritted his teeth, his pulse hammering in his ears.

He had to think.

He had to act.

The city.

They had to reach the city.

But they were still too far.

He turned his head slightly, forcing himself to assess the situation.

The six-legged beasts were closing the gap, their movements faster, sharper, more aggressive than before.

They knew.

They could smell weakness.

They could sense prey.

Caspian forced down the wave of desperation clawing at his chest.

He had to do something.

His gaze fell to the monster he was riding.

The only one left.

It hadn’t collapsed. It hadn’t fought the summon’s control.

And more importantly—

It understood.

Caspian exhaled sharply, realization settling like ice in his veins.

It understood him.

His words. His orders. His intent.

It wasn’t just a mindless corpse.

“Faster.”

The beast lurched forward, responding without hesitation.

“Toward the city.”

The monster shifted, altering its course.

Caspian took a shaky breath, forcing himself to stay focused.

He wasn’t out of this yet.

The hunt wasn’t over.

And the city were still far away.