Chapter 71: S-Rank Anomalies II

"Leave that one to me!"

Evan shouted as he slammed the Anomaly in his grasp into the ground, driving its massive body nearly a metre into the cracked floor. Before the creature could even struggle free, he released his grip and flashed toward the Anomaly that had attacked the group earlier.

Electricity crackled around his arm as he appeared directly in front of the beast, catching it off guard before it could launch another attack.

"Didn’t I tell you to stay down?"

His fist struck the Anomaly squarely in the face.

BOOM!

The impact sent the creature crashing backward, its enormous body tearing through the already damaged ground. Evan followed without giving it a chance to recover, his movements so fast that the surrounding Sentinels could barely keep up with him.

"Get these things under control!" he shouted toward the others. "Don’t let another one get near them!"

"Understood, Young Master Caesar!"

The nearby Sentinels immediately regrouped, rushing to reinforce the containment line while Evan dealt with the two Anomalies on his side.

Meanwhile, Lumi was still crouched beside Leon, her hand hovering uncertainly over his chest. She had felt something strange earlier, but she couldn’t tell whether it had been her imagination or whether she had somehow done something to stop the Anomaly.

She didn’t have time to think about it.

"Lumi, focus on Leon!" Miss Walker reminded her, noticing her distraction. "Don’t worry about anything else. I’ll handle the rest."

Lumi quickly nodded and placed her hand back against Leon’s chest, trying to recall the strange sensation she had felt moments ago.

’Come on... I need to help him.’

She closed her eyes and concentrated, searching for that faint warmth beneath her skin. Yet no matter how hard she tried, nothing happened. There was no visible glow, no sudden surge of energy, and certainly no clear indication that she had any idea what she was doing.

Only the faint, uneven rhythm of Leon’s energy remained beneath her palm.

"It’s all right," Miss Walker murmured, noticing her growing anxiety. "Don’t force it. Just stay with the sensation."

Lumi took another breath and tried again.

Behind them, the sound of breaking stone echoed through the chamber as Evan sent another Anomaly crashing into the ground, but before he could follow up with another strike, a violent gust of wind swept across the chamber, sending dust and debris flying in every direction.

He glanced toward the other side, where Raphael was supposed to be handling the remaining Anomalies.

"Raphael! Are you fighting two of them?"

"One!"

Raphael’s answer came just as an enormous claw struck him squarely in the chest.

"Gah—damn it!"

His body flew across the chamber before slamming into the dungeon wall with a deafening crash. The impact sent cracks spreading through the stone behind him, and for a moment, he disappeared beneath a cloud of dust.

Evan’s expression changed instantly. "Raphael!"

"I’m alive!" Raphael’s voice came from somewhere inside the rubble. "Unfortunately!"

"Then get up and find the other one!"

"I’m trying, you lunatic rabbit!"

Evan clicked his tongue, but his attention had already shifted elsewhere. He swept his gaze across the chamber, counting the Anomalies still moving around them.

Evan clicked his tongue, but his attention had already shifted elsewhere. He swept his gaze across the chamber, counting the Anomalies still moving around them.

One was near him.

Another had just sent Raphael flying.

The third was the one he had slammed into the ground earlier, and the two Sentinels who had been restraining it were already rushing to pin it down again.

Evan’s eyes narrowed.

There were supposed to be four S-Rank Anomalies.

He had accounted for every single one when they first entered the chamber. One had been fighting him, another had been battling Raphael, and the remaining two had been restrained by the other Sentinels before one of them broke free and charged at Lumi.

So where was the fourth?

Evan’s gaze swept across the shattered floor, the broken pillars, and the scattered debris, searching for any sign of movement—nothing.

A cold feeling settled in his stomach.

"Everyone, watch your surroundings!" he shouted. "There’s still one missing!"

The nearby Sentinels immediately stiffened, their attention shifting from the Anomalies in front of them to the surrounding shadows.

"Keep your eyes open!" Evan shouted. "Don’t focus only on the ones in front of you!"

Before anyone could respond, another violent crash echoed through the chamber as Raphael sent his opponent skidding across the floor. The Anomaly rolled several times before catching itself on its claws, then immediately lunged at him again.

"Seriously?!" Raphael cursed, twisting aside to avoid its attack. "Does this thing have an endless supply of energy or something?"

"Stop talking and fight!" Evan snapped.

"I’m doing both!"

Evan clicked his tongue and turned back to his own opponent, striking it hard enough to send its massive body crashing into a broken pillar. Dust filled the air, and the creature remained buried beneath the rubble for several seconds before slowly dragging itself free.

Evan’s expression grew colder.

He had been fighting long enough to recognize when an opponent was reaching its limits. Even an S-Rank Anomaly couldn’t withstand repeated attacks from an SSS-Rank Sentinel indefinitely, yet these creatures continued recovering as though their energy reserves had barely been touched.

Something was replenishing them.

But from where?

Evan narrowed his eyes and watched carefully as his opponent staggered to its feet. A faint fluctuation passed through its body, and its energy seemed to stabilize almost immediately after taking another heavy blow.

The same thing happened across the chamber.

Evan’s gaze flickered toward Raphael’s opponent, then toward the third Anomaly struggling against the two Sentinels. For a brief moment, all three creatures seemed to respond to the same invisible signal.

His eyes widened slightly. "Wait..."

He hadn’t imagined it.

The three Anomalies were behaving too similarly. Their energy levels fluctuated at nearly the same time, and whenever one appeared to weaken, its energy would suddenly recover, allowing it to continue fighting.

They weren’t regenerating independently.

Someone, or something, was helping them.

"Darian!" Evan shouted into his communicator. "Check the energy readings of all three Anomalies. I want to know whether their fluctuations are connected!"

"Already checking!" Darian’s voice crackled through the device. "Give me a moment... Wait, that’s strange."

"What?"

"Their energy readings are fluctuating at almost identical intervals. It’s as though they’re drawing from the same source."

Evan’s expression hardened. "Can you locate it?"

"Not yet. The interference inside the dungeon is making it difficult to pinpoint the source, but I’m trying to isolate the readings."

Evan glanced toward the dark passages branching away from the main chamber.

So the fourth Anomaly hadn’t been missing after all.

It had simply been waiting somewhere they couldn’t see, using the other three to keep the Sentinels occupied while it continued supplying them with energy.

"Found you, you sneaky bastard," Evan muttered.