Chapter 281: The Shaman's Grand Plan

“You need my help? How about you first get me off this damn claw before I fall to my death, and then we can discuss the terms?”

Max grumbled under his breath, uncertain whether the old woman could even hear him. Regardless, he could hardly contain his frustration.

Everything that had happened recently was beginning to take its toll on him. One catastrophe after another had pushed him closer to the edge, as though an invisible wall were slowly forcing him toward a bottomless abyss.

Yet Max had no intention of breaking.

There was still far too much left for him to accomplish, too many people he desperately wished to reunite with, and more than a few enemies whose lives he intended to claim.

As though sensing his emotions, the old shaman’s expression soured back in the village. Something difficult to discern flickered across her wrinkled features.

“Hold on tight, then.”

Her voice traveled along the crimson strands just as they suddenly pulled taut.

Before Max could react, his body was violently yanked away from the creature’s enormous claw and hurled into the air.

“WHAT THE—?!”

The world blurred around him as he shot through the sky, his legs kicking wildly in search of footing that no longer existed. Both of his hearts hammered against his ribs.

Far below, the forest was coming apart.

Enormous trees broke free from the rising slopes, tumbling down the creature’s pale, armored limbs before disappearing into clouds of dust. Entire sections of earth peeled away from its body, exposing an ancient shell that had remained concealed beneath centuries of accumulated soil.

Max caught glimpses of deep grooves running across the exposed armor, some broad enough to swallow an entire house. Within those crevices, stubborn roots clung to the shell, stretching and snapping as the creature continued to move.

Beyond the rising land, flocks of frightened birds scattered across the sky, struggling against the violent gusts sweeping upward from the collapsing slopes.

A tremendous cracking sound echoed from below.

Max twisted his head just in time to witness another portion of the creature’s buried shell emerge from beneath the hillside, sending loose earth and broken trees cascading into the forest.

As the crimson strands carried him closer to the village, the destruction became increasingly apparent. Several houses had collapsed entirely, while others leaned at unnatural angles. Villagers rushed between the ruins, desperately searching for those separated from their families.

And through it all, the ground continued to rise.

“I enjoy flying on my own, but this… this is terrifying,” Max muttered through clenched teeth.

He hadn’t even noticed when the speed increased. The world dissolved into a blur, and before he could register what was happening, his feet were once again touching the ground in the middle of the village.

The ancient beast’s roar continued to reverberate through the air, accompanied by the distant collapse of trees. The ground trembled so violently that Max briefly wondered whether clinging to the creature’s claw might have been the safer option after all.

“Now then, you owe me the assistance I require.”

The old shaman smiled at him with almost grandmotherly warmth.

She found this stranger rather intriguing. During the weeks he had spent locked away, she had examined him on numerous occasions, discovering enough peculiarities about his body to convince her that he was anything but ordinary.

Max rubbed his nose and turned toward her.

That warm smile immediately made him suspicious. In his experience, people who smiled like that usually wanted something unpleasant from him.

Strangely enough, none of the villagers seemed particularly interested in his arrival. Everyone was busy with something.

At first, Max thought they were constructing an enormous pillar in the middle of the village. Women rushed back and forth, carrying wooden beams, ropes, and materials salvaged from the collapsing houses.

But as the structure took shape, he realized it resembled a giant human-shaped dummy, crudely assembled from timber, cloth, and whatever else the villagers could find.

“What the hell are they building that thing for?”

Before he could investigate further, a wrinkled hand settled upon his shoulder. Every hair on his body stood on end.

“What exactly do you require me to do…?” Max asked cautiously, attempting to step away.

To his growing unease, the old woman’s grip remained perfectly firm. Her eyes narrowed with a distinctly sinister glimmer.

“You see, the Silver Crab is male, and only another male can serve as a vessel capable of absorbing his immense rage.”

Max went still.

His head slowly turned toward the enormous dummy, where the women were now fastening thick ropes around its wooden frame.

A dreadful realization began to take shape in his mind.

“And as it happens, you are currently the only male in our village,” the shaman continued, sounding almost delighted by the coincidence. “So, my dear visitor from distant lands, I sincerely hope you are as remarkable as I suspect.”

She leaned closer, lowering her voice as though sharing an interesting secret.

“Because surviving what comes next will be no easy feat. However, should you succeed, the immense power you absorb might even resolve that troublesome little problem with your magic.”

Max’s eyes widened.

“My magic…?”

“Of course, there’s also a considerable possibility that your body will simply fail to withstand it, in which case you’ll die.”

She delivered the warning with such casual indifference that Max momentarily struggled to comprehend what he had heard.

“Wait a damn minute! You can’t seriously expect me to—”

“Unfortunately, you don’t have much of a choice.”

The old woman’s fingers tightened ever so slightly.

For an instant, Max felt an unfamiliar sensation wash over his body. His thoughts scattered, his vision darkened, and the trembling world slipped beyond his reach.

Then everything returned.

Max blinked. Something felt terribly wrong. His arms were stretched outward, his legs bound tightly together, and thick ropes had been wrapped around his chest and waist.

He slowly lowered his gaze.

Far below, the old shaman stood among the villagers, looking up at him with the same warm, grandmotherly smile.

Max turned his head, finally realizing where he was. He had been tied to the enormous dummy.

And somewhere beneath the rising forest, the ancient Silver Crab roared once more.