Master Of Astral Summoner-Chapter 185: When power fails

"Heh? You think I'm scared of a cheap threat like that?" Theo smirked. "Wait until you feel the power of my lightning."

Sparks of electricity burst from Theo's palm, but they vanished almost instantly. He tried again, yet nothing happened.

"Damn it… What's going on?" Theo froze, his face turning pale. "W-why can't I use my power?"

"The gas you breathed in when you entered this room comes from a special compound that blocks your abilities," the man said with a satisfied smile. "The longer you inhale it, the weaker your body becomes. You won't use your powers here." He narrowed his eyes. "That should keep both of you right where you stand."

'Damn it… No wonder Theo can't use his power.' Shaan scanned the room. 'There has to be a way out of this.'

"Now, it's time for you to die!"

Shaan quickly looked around and spotted a glass bottle filled with a strange, deep red liquid nearby. As the tall man pulled the trigger of his gun toward Theo, Shaan immediately hurled the glass bottle straight at the man's face.

"Bang!"

The tall man's shot missed and shattered several glass bottles on the table instead. Theo seized the opening and slammed his fist into the man, knocking him to the floor. He stepped forward and pressed the tip of his sword against the man's shoulder as he lay there, half his face hidden.

"Damn it! What exactly do you want?" Theo glared at him. "What kind of potion are you making?!"

The man only smiled. "Of course, we will take over the Twilight Sanctum—just as our leader envisioned," he said, revealing a face scorched by the liquid. "With my creation, Project Eclipse, I will use the creatures of the Dark Realm to seize the entire Sanctum and wipe out weak, useless people like you." He spat on the ground and shot Shaan and Theo a furious glare. "The Resistance will—"

"Maniac! You're all insane!" Theo drove his blade deeper into the man's shoulder. "Eat this!"

Strangely, the man didn't react at all. No screams or groans. He just smiled and offered no resistance whatsoever. Shaan stayed silent as he watched. Something felt wrong. This man… he had to be planning something. But what?

"Theo, stop." Shaan grabbed Theo's arm, trying to hold him back. "We need to leave. That man might have something else planned."

Theo shot him a cold look. "Are you really going to let this savage live?" He moved the tip of his sword closer to the man's neck. "We should kill him while we still have the chan—"

"Stop it, Theo!" Shaan shouted. Silence fell instantly. "We're not killers. Remember that."

"…."

"Leave this bastard here. He's already injured, and this gives us a chance to escape."

Theo stayed quiet for a moment, then exhaled. "Fine. I get it."

But just as they turned to leave, something horrifying emerged behind the man. The same creature that had attacked them in the storage room appeared again—but it looked different now.

Its body had grown larger, with veins bulging across its skin. A murderous glare burned in its eyes, and thick, strange fluid kept dripping from its mouth, as if it saw Shaan and Theo as nothing more than prey.

"Kill them all!"

Without waiting a moment, the terrifying creature immediately leaped and launched a sudden attack toward Shaan. Fortunately, Theo quickly parried the creature's attack before it could injure Shaan.

"Hey, weakling, are you alright?" Theo said as he blocked the creature's attack. "Damn it… my strength keeps fading. I can't hold it back much longer."

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Shaan nodded quickly. "Theo, the longer we stay here, the gas will keep weakening us. We have to get out of here—fast."

"Distraction. We need to distract it so we can escape."

"Leave that to me."

Shaan grabbed several glass bottles filled with the same liquid as before and hurled them straight at the creature. Within seconds, the liquid splashed across its body and burned into its flesh, making its skin blister and sizzle.

"Theo, now's our chance!" Shaan grabbed Theo's hand as the creature writhed in pain. "We have to get out—now!"

Without wasting any time, they immediately ran as fast as they could, trying to find another door. However, as they searched for an exit, Shaan heard something fall behind him. He immediately turned around and saw that Theo's body had fallen to the floor.

"Theo!" Shaan immediately ran toward Theo, lifting Theo's body from the floor. "Hang in there, we're getting out of here."

"W-weakling…?" Theo slowly opened his eyes and gave a faint smirk. "Heh… looks like you're actually useful after all."

Holding his breath, Shaan supported Theo and staggered forward along the corridor until he spotted another door not far ahead. But the gas had already started to take its toll—his legs trembled and grew weaker with every step.

'No… I have to keep going.' He forced his body to move toward the door. 'Just a little more… just a little more.'

When he finally reached it, his body shook violently. His legs gave out under Theo's weight, and both of them collapsed. His vision blurred, and his strength drained away, making it harder to move.

'Argh… I can't stop. I must keep going, or both of us will die.'

With the last of his strength, Shaan grabbed the doorknob and twisted it. Luckily, the door wasn't locked. He pushed it open and stumbled out of the room just before losing consciousness.

"Thank God… finally…" Shaan drew in a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "Theo… I have to help him."

He grabbed Theo and dragged him out, but Theo's weight forced him to strain every muscle just to move him.

'Come on, Shaan… you can do this. You have to—'

Unfortunately, the terrifying creature from the room had caught up to them and was sprinting toward them. It was critical—Shaan had to act fast before the creature could kill them both.