TISK's Battle: The Arena
The deafening clash of metal echoed through the enclosed arena. TISK swung his warhammer "Burning Vine" to block the giant bear Grum's sharp claws, the collision of the two colossal forces cracking the ground into spiderweb-like fissures. He felt a numbing sensation in his arms, but a thrilled chuckle escaped his throat—this kind of beastly grappling was the dwarven warrior's most fervent battle frenzy.
"Come on!" TISK smashed his hammer toward Grum's head, the warhammer spewing icy blue flames that formed a thin layer of frost on the bear's fur. However, Grum shook its head free of the ice, its razor-sharp fangs grazing his faceplate, nearly shattering the helmet. TISK seized the moment to retreat, but he heard a whooshing sound from behind—Dark Axe Rock had somehow flanked him, his dark axe glowing with eerie purple light as it cleaved down, clashing with TISK's warhammer and sparking embers.
"You bastard dwarf, let me show you true blacksmithing skill!" Rock roared, swinging his axe in rapid succession, each strike carrying the momentum of a collapsing mountain path. TISK gritted his teeth and parried, feeling a dull ache in his shoulder blades beneath his armor—this dwarven traitor's strength was no less than his own, and the dark axe's material seemed to absorb his metal magic.
Meanwhile, the blood elf Sist appeared on the spectator stands at the top of the arena. He ran his hands over the railing, and the metal bars instantly oozed dark red liquid, coalescing into two massive blood hands that swung down from above at TISK. TISK raised his warhammer in time to block, the corrosive force of the blood hands causing white smoke to rise from the hammer's surface; he smelled his own flesh burning beneath his armor.
"Three against one? Not lively enough!" TISK spat out the blood from the corner of his mouth, looking up at the dim dome. The ethereal figure of the soul body clan Cthulhu had perched on the light fixture unnoticed, waving his hands to summon several skeletal mages from the shadows. Their rotten staves waved, sending dark shadow arrows whistling through the air, grazing TISK's ear and scorching black pits into the ground.
The four enemies formed a perfect encirclement: Giant Bear Grum slashing claws from the front, Rock pressuring from the right with his dark axe, Sist's blood hands assaulting from above, and Cthulhu with his skeletal mages providing ranged suppression. TISK felt sweat mixed with blood sliding down his forehead, but he grinned even more fiercely—this kind of desperate situation was the true test of a warrior!
He suddenly activated his metal magic, the warhammer's surface surging with layered iron spikes, while he swung toward the ground with a flame burst. In the booming roar, the scorching airwave flung Rock and Grum away. TISK leaped into the air, his warhammer carrying icy blue flames as it smashed into Sist's blood hands—the collision of ice and blood erupted into thick mist. He seized the opportunity to sweep his hammer at the skeletal mages, shattering several into bone dust.
"Time to deal with the melee trash!" TISK landed and turned toward Rock, his hammer's iron spikes entangling the opponent's axe. "Your dark axe is just a rusty piece of scrap!" He erupted with brute force, hurling Rock away, but he didn't notice Grum circling behind him, its claws raking deeply across his back armor. The intense pain brought TISK to one knee, and looking up, he saw Sist forming seals with his hands, dark red blood pools surging from the arena floor, rapidly spreading toward him.
"Come on!" He swung his warhammer at the blood pool, the icy blue flames meeting the plasma in a violent evaporation, but unable to halt the pool's expansion. Cthulhu's shadow arrows struck again; TISK barely dodged sideways, only to be grazed by Rock's dark axe at his waist—his armor cracked open, and he saw his own blood dripping into the pool, absorbed by Sist's magic, widening the opponent's smug grin.
Surrounded on all sides, TISK felt his mana nearing depletion. He plunged his warhammer into the ground, pressing both hands against the metal floor, activating his final metal frenzy—the arena's steel structure instantly reinforced, countless spikes erupting from the ground, piercing toward Grum and Rock. However, this desperate counterattack only temporarily repelled the enemies; Sist's blood hands had already seized his warhammer, the corrosive force gradually softening and deforming the weapon.
"Dwarves... never surrender..." TISK growled lowly, even as his arms were nearly snapped by the blood hands. He knelt on one knee, propping himself with the warhammer, his flesh beneath the armor a bloody mess, yet his eyes burned with unquenchable battle fire. Until the illusion dissipated, he glared at the enemies before him, as if etching their forms into his soul—this was a warrior's pride, facing the enemy even in defeat.
Salsa's Battle: The Gloomy Cemetery
Salsa's soul form drifted above the chilling cemetery, the decaying aura nearly preventing her from maintaining her humanoid shape. Moonlight pierced through the dilapidated tombstones, casting spiderweb-like shadows on the ground. As soon as she coalesced into a solid form, a distant stone coffin burst open with a boom, and Dark Axe Rock leaped out wielding his dark axe, charging straight at her with a piercing screech as the blade scraped the ground, swinging with overwhelming momentum toward her head.
"Soul form? Perfect for my dark axe to taste." Rock's voice grated like rusted chains. Salsa floated upward in time to evade, the dark axe cleaving a granite tombstone in two. She waved her hand to summon shadow demon wolves, but found her mana conduction sluggish—this cemetery's dark energy seemed to suppress her undead magic.
Worse still, low chants echoed from the thick fog. The ethereal body of the soul body clan Cthulhu emerged through the grave mounds, waving his hands to crack open several fissures in the ground, from which countless skeletons crawled: crowned skeletal mages waving rotten staves to summon green poisonous mist; armored skeletal knights charging on bone horses, their spear tips dripping corrosive liquid; ordinary skeletal soldiers forming dense phalanxes with rusted swords and shields.
"Your undead are mere remnants of my servants." Cthulhu cackled darkly, waving his hand to split the skeleton army into two flanking groups, the mages chanting spells from the rear while knights and soldiers charged with waving weapons. Salsa gritted her teeth and summoned five shadow demon wolves, their eyes burning with eerie red flames, pouncing on the nearest skeletal knight. The wolves' claws easily tore apart the bone horse, but upon touching the green poisonous mist, they let out howls as their bodies gradually dissipated.
"Try this!" Salsa formed seals with her hands, and a muffled beast roar echoed from the cemetery depths. Five black shadows burst through the tombstone clusters and leaped into the battlefield—these were shadow wolf knights: twice the size of ordinary demon wolves, bodies formed from condensed shadows, carrying knight-like undead warriors wielding shadow lances. The shadow wolf knights howled to the sky, their voices laced with the sharp clang of steel friction, causing the surrounding skeletal soldiers to freeze in place.
"This is..." Cthulhu's voice wavered for the first time. The shadow wolf knights charged into the skeleton phalanx, their lances waving to create black ripples, disintegrating struck skeletons into dust. Salsa felt the mental link with the knights—these were undead nobles from the abyss, with an innate ability to suppress low-level undead. She seized the moment to summon more shadow energy, condensing dozens of shadow arrows around her and firing them at Cthulhu's core.
However, the blood elf Sist's intervention shattered the balance. He emerged from behind a broken wall, waving his hands to surge dark red plasma from the ground, coalescing into blood hands at Salsa's feet, their five fingers spreading to tightly grasp her soul form. Intense burning pain assaulted her; she was shocked to discover that Sist's blood magic could directly attack soul bodies, the plasma seeping in like boiling oil on skin.
"The blood of souls is sweeter than that of flesh." Sist smirked evilly, drawing the blood hands closer; Salsa felt her soul power rapidly draining. The shadow wolf knights attempted to return, but were entangled by Cthulhu's summoned skeletal mages with shadow binding spells, unable to move. Meanwhile, Giant Bear Grum crashed through a distant mausoleum door, roaring as it charged, its claws splashing gravel across the ground.
Salsa was trapped in a desperate siege. She waved her hand to release her contract with the shadow wolf knights, condensing her remaining mana into a shadow bomb and hurling it toward Cthulhu and Sist. The violent shockwave temporarily pushed back the enemies, but her soul form now showed clear cracks, like shattered glass.
"I... can't fail yet..." She struggled to float toward the cemetery depths, but was blocked by Rock's horizontal axe slash. This dwarven warrior's chops seemed clumsy, yet carried a eerie rhythm; each blade through the air created dark ripples that suppressed soul bodies. Salsa felt her soul on the verge of collapse, closing her eyes to await the end—yet at that moment, she heard a familiar summoning voice. Opening her eyes, she found herself back on the platform, her soul form intact, though her eyes revealed undisguised exhaustion.
Rex's Battle: The High-Tech Laboratory
Cold white neon lights flickered in the corrosive mist, Rex's mechanical feet stepping over rusted steel plates, a red scanning beam sweeping from his mechanical eyes. Distorted biological bodies floated in cultivation tanks deep in the lab, the walls covered in acid-eroded cracks, and his four enemies had already assumed attack formations—Blood Elf Sist stood atop the central console, forming complex seals at his chest, blood seeping from his fingertips to condense into a blood-red rhombic matrix in the air; Soul Body Clan Cthulhu perched below the ventilation ducts, surrounded by eerie green light points, three skeletal mages standing at his feet with rotten staves, while dense skeletal soldiers and knights surged from the ground; Giant Bear Grum crouched beside an abandoned mechanical arm, its claws deeply embedded in the steel-reinforced floor, a threatening growl rolling in its throat; Dark Axe Rock leaned against a furnace, gripping his dark purple axe tightly, the blade haloed with eerie light, clearly waiting for the right moment to charge.
"Scanning enemy life signals." Rex's mechanical tone was emotionless, his left arm drive shaft emitting a faint hum. "Skeletal units show no life signatures, giant bear body temperature 47 degrees Celsius, blood elf blood contains corrosive enzymes—"
Before he finished, Sist waved his hands, and the airborne blood crystal matrix exploded, countless blood needles raining down like a storm. Rex was prepared; his right shoulder launcher popped out a silver disc, dozens of nano-drones swarming out to weave a shimmering protective net around his body. The blood needles hit the net with sizzling sounds, some drones corroding and falling, but more immediately replaced them, demonstrating strong self-repair capabilities.
"Cthulhu, prioritize elimination." Rex said coldly, his left arm transforming into an ion cannon, blue energy gathering at the muzzle. The skeletal mages sensed the threat, raising their staves to release shadow arrows; meanwhile, Cthulhu waved to summon more skeletal soldiers, these undead charging over shattered glass, their rusted swords waving to stir green poisonous mist.
Rex activated his mechanical swarm. Hundreds of fingernail-sized silver bugs surged from his waist container, converging into a black wave in the air. "Self-destruct mode, three-second countdown." He ordered calmly, the swarm emitting fluorescent red dots as they rushed toward the skeleton army. In the booming explosions, the shockwave flung away most of the skeletal soldiers; Cthulhu's ethereal body shook, and the mages' spell rhythms were disrupted.
Seizing the opportunity, the ion cannon fired a focused beam, blasting toward Cthulhu's ventilation duct. A green energy shield rose in time, but the duct's steel couldn't withstand the high heat, collapsing with a boom and burying Cthulhu and the skeletal mages in steel rubble.
"Warning: Giant Bear Grum movement speed increased to 80 km/h." Rex's mechanical eyes flashed red as he sidestepped Grum's pounce. The giant bear's claws grazed his side, leaving three deep gouges in his armor. Retreating, Rex stepped into a blood pool released by the blood elf, the liquid instantly seeping into his mechanical joints, slowing his right leg by half a beat.
"Time to deal with you, robot." Sist's voice came from above. Rex looked up to see the opponent waving his hands, bursting the lab ceiling's sprinkler pipes; the gushing water combined with the blood elf's magic, forming tendrils wrapped in blood threads that descended to bind his arms.
"Lifeform attack patterns..." Rex analyzed calmly, jetting high-pressure gas from his drive shafts to break free, while releasing a second batch of nano-drones. "Target locked on blood elf hands—"
However, Dark Axe Rock's attack came unexpectedly. Taking advantage of Rex's distraction, he charged from the side with his dark axe, the blade whistling sharply through the air toward his head. Rex barely tilted his head, the blade grazing his mechanical eye, causing his vision to fill with snow-like static.
"System error: Visual module damaged." His mechanical tone wavered for the first time. Rex switched to infrared scanning, seeing Giant Bear Grum charging again while Cthulhu had escaped the rubble, the skeletal mages resuming their chants. Calculating remaining energy, he decided to handle the melee threats first, switching the ion cannon to scatter mode and blasting toward Grum and Rock.
The blue beam struck Grum's chest, icy blue flames instantly spreading—that was Rex's temporarily accessed freezing module. Grum's movements slowed immediately; Rock jumped away in time, his dark axe cleaving through several ice cracks. But this brief restraint wasn't enough to turn the tide; Sist's blood hands assaulted from behind, corrosive blood seeping into Rex's circuits, causing his mechanical arms to twitch uncontrollably.
"Final command: Mechanical swarm full self-destruct." Rex's voice grew faint, thousands of mechanical bugs surging from all directions toward the enemies, erupting in blinding light. However, Cthulhu's summoned skeletal knights formed a shield wall in time, their shadow shields blocking most of the explosion's impact.
As Rex's mechanical eyes neared shutdown, he saw Sist forming seals, the blood crystal matrix condensing into a spike form at his chest. "Analysis failed..." he whispered, before being engulfed by the blood-red light.
When the illusion ended, Rex opened his eyes to find himself back on the platform, his mechanical body intact as before.
Kayla's Battle: The Stormy Grasslands
Torrential rain poured down as Kayla stepped onto the damp grasslands, her beast ears perking up to catch anomalies in the wind. The distant grass waves rolled like a green ocean, hiding dangerous prey—the first to enter her view was the beastified Giant Bear Grum, its massive form five times that of an ordinary bear, cyan-black fur plastered wetly to its body, claws clanging like metal against stone as they raked the ground, splashing mud.
"Roar—!" Grum's bellow shook the grass blades. It charged on all fours, cracking the ground into spiderweb patterns. Kayla calmly entered her three-stage transformation, her thunder claws sparking blue electricity and white frost, her beast pupils locked on Grum's movements—its attack pattern was singular, tilting its torso during charges to expose the soft fur on its abdomen, the perfect vulnerability.
When Grum was just ten meters away, Kayla suddenly activated "Lightning Step," her figure turning into blue electric light to dodge the impact. Grum couldn't brake in time, its huge body crashing into the mud, plowing deep furrows with its claws. Seizing the chance, Kayla leaped onto the bear's back, her thunder claws waving to spray frost power, forming ice on Grum's nape and temporarily freezing its muscle activity.
"Your turn, dwarf." Kayla turned to the other enemy. Dark Axe Rock stood in the wind and rain, gripping his dark purple axe, each step splashing water and displaying immense arm strength.
"Little beastkin, let me show you real combat!" Rock roared, cleaving his axe with mountain-crushing force. Kayla sidestepped, her thunder claws grazing the axe and sparking fire on the iron surface. She noticed Rock's attacks were slow in rhythm but tremendous in power, each swing shifting his center of gravity to expose his waist defense gap.
"Too slow." Kayla chuckled lightly, activating Lightning Step again to circle behind Rock. Her thunder claws condensed frost power to strike his back, ice patterns instantly climbing his armor and lagging his movements by half a beat. Meanwhile, Grum broke free of the ice, turning to swipe its claws; Kayla borrowed the force to leap onto Grum's head, both claws striking its brow—blue electricity coursed through its fur, causing Grum to grunt and collapse twitching.
Rock seized the moment to swing his axe again; this time, Kayla didn't dodge but raised her thunder claws to block. Frost and electricity exploded on the blade, forming a powerful shockwave that knocked both back several steps. Kayla felt the vibration in her arms, but her claws' alloy material surprisingly wasn't severed—this was the first time she discovered her gear could withstand the dark axe's evil energy.
"Just this much strength?" She raised an eyebrow, taking the initiative. Her thunder claws alternated strikes, electricity and frost forming continuous attacks, forcing Rock to defend with his axe. When the axe blocked her claws for the third time, frost seeped through the armor seams, freezing Rock's wrists. He panicked trying to break free, only to see Kayla's tail whip forward, the tip's lightning blasting his chest and sending him flying several meters, his back slamming into the soft mud.
Grum attempted to rise then, and Kayla turned to engage, merging her claws to pierce its throat. The frost power froze the bear's blood vessels on contact, Grum emitting a muffled sound before its massive body collapsed motionless once more.
Rock struggled to stand, only to find his axe frozen solidly to the ground. Kayla approached step by step, electricity crackling on her thunder claws: "Want to continue?"
The dwarf panted heavily, wiping rain from his face, suddenly giving a bitter smile: "Enough, the beastkin's brute strength is indeed not to be underestimated." Before his words finished, the illusion began to crumble, the pouring rain turning into specks of golden light. Kayla felt her feet back on the solid platform, her body dry as before, electricity still leaping on her thunder claws.
Reunion and Reflection
The golden light of the illusion gradually faded, and the six felt the solid touch of the platform underfoot. Fa stroked his short blade while gasping, his gaze sweeping over his teammates' faces, marked by lingering shock yet resolute—"Arya's broken Storm Bow had miraculously restored itself, TISK's armor cracks had vanished, even Salsa's weakened soul form appeared full and luminous. Most astonishing was Kayla, her beast ears standing straight, thunder claws still pulsing with unspent battle intent.
"No one chose to surrender." Fa wiped the lingering cold sweat from his forehead, his tone laced with relief. "In this illusion battle, we've proven our courage."
"But the price of proving courage is realizing our own weakness." Arya caressed her Storm Bow, her fingertips brushing over faint scorch marks on the strings. "My elemental fusion isn't proficient enough; the blood whips and poisonous mist nearly broke me."
"My warhammer almost corroded into scrap!" TISK slapped his chest armor heavily, producing a hollow ring. "That dead traitor Rock's strength was unlike any dwarf, and that blood elf's blood hands..."
"The suppression of undead magic was stronger than imagined." Salsa hugged her arms, shivering as if still feeling the blood hands burning her soul. "My shadow demon wolves couldn't maintain form in the poisonous mist."
"My mechanical swarm's self-destruct damage was blocked by 67% with the skeleton shields." Rex adjusted his goggles, red light flashing in his pupils. "The enemies' coordination patterns were targeted, clearly pre-analyzed from our combat styles."
The group exchanged sighs, only Kayla leaning on her thunder claws with a light chuckle, her beast tail swishing arcs of light behind her. Fa turned to her: "Kayla, you seem... much more composed? How did you defeat four enemies?"
"What four enemies?" Kayla raised an eyebrow, her ear tips' fur trembling with the motion. "I only dealt with Grum and Rock. As for that blood elf and floating ghost you mentioned..." She shrugged. "Never seen them; they didn't appear in the illusion."
At these words, the other five were stunned. Rex's goggles suddenly lit up blue: "Data shows the illusion enemies generate based on the challenger's memories. Kayla has never encountered the blood elf or Cthulhu, so the illusion excluded those two."
"I see." Arya sighed. "We were all fighting 'recognized strong enemies,' while you faced 'known threats.'"
Kayla brushed over the frost remnants on her thunder claws, her lips curling in a confident arc: "Anyway, when a beastkin faces brute force, the only thing needed is to be stronger than the opponent." She paused, her gaze sweeping over her teammates. "But you all persisting to the end against four enemies' siege is truly praiseworthy."
TISK laughed roughly, slinging an arm over Kayla's shoulder: "Don't get cocky, little girl! Next team fight, if we coordinate well, won't we crush those scum to dust?"
"TISK is right." Fa raised his short blade, the tip reflecting golden light. "Individually, we each have weaknesses, but the final test—team synergy—is our chance to cover those shortcomings."
Their voices grew unified, momentum surging on the platform. Suddenly, a deep murmur echoed from the void, like waves crashing on reefs: "Courage lets you face fear, but unity will decide if you can reach hope. Prepare for the final test; your synergy will be your only shield."
Golden light appeared again, their robes fluttering. Fa gripped his short blade tightly, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his teammates. This time, they were no longer lone warriors, but a sharp blade about to swing—the blade's strength might depend on its material, but the power of the strike always belonged to every hand gripping it tightly.