Master Of Astral Summoner-Chapter 188: Protocol system

Shaan furrowed his brow, trying to stay calm and process Chelsie's stammering words. He had only caught part of what she was saying, so he tried to calm Chelsie down first.

"Chelsie, relax. Take a breath before you speak." Shaan gently patted her hand. "What do you want to tell me?"

She took a deep breath, following Shaan's advice. "The Resistance. They're going to attack the Twilight Sanctum right now."

Shaan's expression immediately hardened. "Wait—how do you know all that, Chelsie?"

"The leader of the Resistance," Chelsie said. "I heard him myself before I passed out. He plans to take over the Twilight Sanctum using a special potion he created."

Shaan fell silent for a moment. "It's called Project Eclipse… right?"

"W-why do you know that, Shaan?" Chelsie's face tensed, confusion clear in her eyes.

"I ran into one of the Resistance members earlier," Shaan said as he scanned the surroundings. "He told me that Project Eclipse can make dark creatures mutate at an incredible speed." He paused briefly. "Worse, the potion lets them control those creatures."

"Uhm… I read the same thing in the Resistance leader's journal. We have to stop them as soon as possible, Shaan." Chelsie's voice trembled. "Sh-Shaan… where's Lira?" Her expression turned anxious. "Is she okay?"

Shaan nodded. "Don't worry. Nalira and the others are safe. She's with Theo."

Chelsie let out a long breath. "Thank goodness. At least Lira is safe—huh? T-Theo? How is that possible?"

Shaan nodded again. "Yeah. Theo and Nalira are holding off the guards while I come to get you."

"Uhm… alright. That still sounds strange to me. Theo doesn't seem like someone who cooperates easily." Chelsie paused, then gently rubbed her chin. "Uhm… then we should meet them as soon as possible. I just hope nothing chaotic happens there."

'Looks like I'm not the only one thinking that.'

When they arrived, they saw every guard lying unconscious on the floor. Theo and Nalira had taken all of them down quickly. Impressive—their strength wasn't something anyone could underestimate. Even so, despite defeating all the guards, a fight still broke out between them, just like Shaan and Chelsie had expected.

"Hey, don't just barge in and take my fight." Theo shot Nalira a sharp look. "That last guard was mine. Why did you take him?"

"…What difference does it make?" Nalira replied with a flat expression. "We needed to take him down anyway. You just wanted to show off."

"What did you say?" Theo's face darkened as he tightened his grip on his sword, ready to swing. "Hey, ungrateful woman. I told you where to get your weapon back, and you talk to me like that."

"… You're such a weirdo. Get lost."

"Argh! Enough! This woman is really making me sick." Theo gripped his sword tightly, preparing to launch his attack. "I've had enough, and get ready for—"

"Theo, stop." Shaan stepped in and grabbed his arm. "What are you thinking? Control yourself."

"Hey, are you insane?" a brown-haired male participant said as he looked at Theo. "She's a woman. Apologize to her."

"Yeah, that's right," added a red-haired female participant. "How dare you raise your weapon against a woman? You're unbelievable."

However, not everyone agreed. Some of the other participants shook their heads and sided with Theo. They believed Nalira had crossed the line first. Her words sounded harsh and dismissive, as if she didn't respect Theo at all.

Within seconds, the argument exploded again, heating the atmosphere. Insults and curses flew freely as everyone clung stubbornly to their own opinions, turning the situation into complete chaos.

"Everyone, calm down!"

A woman's voice rang out from within the crowd, instantly silencing the room. For some reason, the voice sounded familiar to Shaan. It carried a firm, commanding tone—like that of a true leader.

Slowly, the woman stepped forward, passing the other participants. None of them moved or tried to block her path. With steady steps and a piercing gaze, as she walked, Shaan could feel her aura of leadership growing stronger and stronger, leaving him speechless.

"Miss… Miss Khaya?"

"Why are all of you arguing over something like this?" Miss Khaya swept her sharp gaze across the room. "You're wasting time. The Resistance has already made its move, and they're targeting the Twilight Sanctum. People there are in danger, yet you're still arguing over something so trivial."

"…."

"We need to figure out a way out of here before—"

'Attention!'

'Prisoners have escaped. Prepare to activate Level Two Security Protocol.'

Shaan fell silent. 'Second-level protocol? What does that mean?'

'All officers, prepare on the count of 3…2…1. Protocol activated!'

Strangely, when the guard announced that the protocol had activated, nothing happened. Everything looked completely normal. They had expected something terrible, but the room stayed quiet. Some participants even started mocking it, thinking the protocol was nothing more than a bluff to scare them.

"See? Even the Resistance has a stupid system," a blond-haired man sneered, breaking the silence. "If their system is this dumb, then their members must be idiots too."

Laughter quickly filled the room. The tension eased, and for a moment, things felt better. But that moment didn't last. A mysterious figure suddenly appeared behind the blond man and swung a blade without warning, severing his arm.

"Arghh!"

"Ky-kyaaa!"

A woman screamed as the man's severed arm dropped right in front of her. Everyone froze. The smiles on their faces vanished instantly. Then, without warning, the lights went out. Darkness swallowed the entire room. Chaos erupted once again. Low, terrifying growls echoed through the space, followed by the sound of many footsteps closing in.

"W-what the hell is happening?"

His heart pounded wildly. His breath came in short, tight bursts. Sweat poured down his body as it trembled uncontrollably. He couldn't see anyone around him—darkness blinded him completely.

"Chelsie? Nalira? Theo? Where are you?!"

Chaos escalated. Participants ran in every direction, crashing into Shaan again and again until they knocked him down. As Shaan tried to stand, he suddenly froze. He swallowed hard when a red glow shot toward him from the darkness.

'D-damn… what is that?'