Aaron brought ten warriors with him.
Not ordinary warriors.
These were among the strongest remaining members of the convoy.
Everyone understood the risk.
Everyone understood what stood before them.
The Great Monster.
The creature guarding the treasure.
The creature standing between them and freedom.
The creature that had already proven itself far beyond anything an Initiate should ever face.
Far away, hidden amidst the battlefield, Jade watched silently.
His obsidian vine armor blended perfectly with the darkness around him, allowing him to observe without being noticed.
The Great Monster stood motionless in the distance.
At first glance, it looked calm.
Too calm.
As if it had already predicted every possible outcome.
Aaron narrowed his eyes.
Something about the creature disturbed him.
Yet there was no turning back now.
The convoy had suffered for too long.
Too many people were exhausted.
Too many people had died.
If the Great Monster wasn't dealt with soon, everyone would eventually be overwhelmed.
Aaron slowly raised his sword.
"Attack."
The ten warriors moved immediately.
Their bodies exploded forward with incredible speed.
One controlled flames.
One controlled ice.
Another wielded lightning.
One possessed immense physical strength.
Others used different abilities obtained throughout the trial.
For a moment, it looked like a coordinated assault.
A perfect attack.
Then the Great Monster smiled.
The smile alone made Aaron's instincts scream.
Danger.
The creature slowly raised a hand.
Dark energy rippled around its body.
Then it split.
One body became two.
Two became three.
Three became six.
Six identical versions of the Great Monster stood before them.
The ten warriors froze.
The sight alone was horrifying.
Then something even worse happened.
Each clone began changing.
Their appearances shifted.
Their bodies twisted.
Their powers evolved.
Within seconds, six of the clones perfectly resembled six of the ten warriors Aaron had brought.
Not just their appearance.
Their weapons.
Their aura.
Their abilities.
Everything.
Aaron's expression darkened.
The creature wasn't merely copying appearances.
It was copying power itself.
"Fall back!" Aaron shouted.
Too late.
The warriors had already engaged.
The battlefield exploded.
Fire collided against fire.
Lightning clashed against lightning.
Steel struck steel.
For a brief moment, it looked evenly matched.
Then reality reminded them who they were fighting.
The Great Monster released its aura.
BOOM!
The shockwave blasted across the battlefield.
The ground shattered.
Cracks spread like spiderwebs.
Several warriors were launched backward instantly.
Blood exploded from their mouths.
Others crashed into broken stone pillars.
One warrior lost consciousness immediately.
Another's arm bent unnaturally.
The difference in power was overwhelming.
The clones moved.
One punch.
One kick.
One slash.
Each attack sent a participant flying.
Within moments the entire formation collapsed.
Aaron gritted his teeth.
His plan was falling apart.
The Great Monster had not only copied them.
It had become stronger versions of them.
Far stronger.
Suddenly a powerful cry echoed through the battlefield.
A massive shadow descended from above.
Aviana.
She had transformed into her gigantic bird form.
Her golden-black feathers shimmered beneath the crimson sky.
Her wings stretched wide.
Wind exploded around her.
The battlefield trembled beneath her arrival.
Without hesitation she dove toward one of the clones.
Her talons glowed.
Her speed became terrifying.
BOOM!
The clone exploded.
Pieces of its body scattered across the battlefield.
Several warriors cheered.
For one second.
Then their smiles vanished.
The scattered pieces moved.
The fragments merged.
The clone reformed.
Perfectly.
Completely unharmed.
Aviana's eyes widened.
"What?"
The Great Monster laughed.
Then it looked directly at her.
Its body shifted.
Its bones cracked.
Its appearance changed.
Moments later another giant bird stood before her.
An exact copy.
The copied creature spread its wings.
The pressure released from its body immediately surpassed Aviana's.
Then it spoke.
"Be gone."
The two word carried power.
Authority.
Command.
A terrifying force exploded toward Aviana.
Her own ability.
Her own power.
Used against her.
The air around her became violent.
Invisible pressure struck her body.
Her wings folded unwillingly.
Her flight destabilized.
She tried resisting.
She screamed.
Wind exploded around her.
Yet the pressure continued growing.
Stronger.
Heavier.
More terrifying.
Her muscles trembled.
Feathers scattered into the air.
The copied ability was overwhelming her completely.
Far away, Jade saw everything.
His fists clenched.
He wanted to move.
Wanted to help.
Wanted to save her.
But he couldn't.
Not immediately.
The battlefield between them was filled with monsters.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Yet as he watched Aviana struggle, something inside him snapped.
A memory.
A promise.
A bond.
Forgotten by everyone.
Yet still remembered by him.
"I have to save her."
The words escaped his mouth before he even realized it.
Then Jade moved.
His body exploded forward.
Monsters standing in his path were cut apart instantly.
His blood-red sword flashed repeatedly.
Creatures died before they could even react.
He moved like a crimson comet tearing through darkness.
Meanwhile, the Great Monster prepared the final attack.
Its copied authority intensified.
Aviana's body descended toward the ground.
Her resistance was failing.
Another few seconds and she would be crushed by her own power.
Then—
A sword appeared.
No warning.
No sound.
No visible attack.
One moment the Great Monster was smiling.
The next moment a blade pierced through its chest.
Aaron's sword.
The weapon containing the power of multiple reflections.
The Great Monster screamed.
The sound shook the battlefield.
Its body staggered.
Its concentration broke.
The pressure suppressing Aviana vanished instantly.
Aaron emerged from the shadows.
Blood flowed from his nose.
His face was pale.
The attack had cost him greatly.
But it had worked.
At least for a moment.
Jade arrived.
Without hesitation he caught Aviana before she crashed into the ground.
Her bird form disappeared.
She reverted into human form.
Her face was pale.
Her breathing uneven.
Jade landed softly before carrying her away from the battlefield.
The Great Monster reached toward them.
But Aaron's attack still distracted it.
Jade used the opportunity.
He placed Aviana behind a ruined stone structure far from immediate danger.
"Stay alive."
Aviana tried speaking.
No words came.
Her mind was still battling the lingering effects of the copied power.
Jade immediately turned back.
The battlefield still needed him.
When he returned, Aaron's sword was still embedded in the creature's chest.
For a brief moment hope appeared.
Then the Great Monster grabbed the sword.
And pulled it out.
Blood didn't flow.
The wound began healing instantly.
Muscles reformed.
Skin closed.
Within seconds the injury vanished completely.
Aaron stared.
Disbelief filled his face.
The attack that should have killed almost any Initiate-level creature had achieved nothing.
Nothing at all.
The realization struck him hard.
His plan had failed.
Completely.
Aaron retreated immediately.
A foolish hero died.
A living warrior could still fight.
Meanwhile the convoy continued battling.
Their situation grew worse every minute.
Six hours of combat had already pushed everyone beyond their limits.
Their muscles burned.
Their limbs felt heavy.
Their breathing became ragged.
Some collapsed from exhaustion.
Others died while trying to protect their companions.
A young warrior lost his footing and was torn apart before help could arrive.
Another continued fighting despite having one arm hanging uselessly at his side.
The survivors pushed forward.
One step.
Then another.
And another.
Everyone knew victory was close.
Painfully close.
Yet the closer they came, the more impossible it seemed.
Not far away, Aviana slowly opened her eyes.
Her body still trembled.
Her mind felt unstable.
The copied authority of the Great Monster had nearly destroyed her consciousness.
Yet she remained awake.
Alive.
She watched the battlefield.
Watched people fight.
Watched people suffer.
Watched people die.
A young girl screamed as she lost a companion.
A wounded warrior crawled forward despite his injuries.
Aaron continued fighting.
Jade continued fighting.
Everyone continued fighting.
And suddenly Aviana understood something.
If nothing changed—
they would all die.
Every last one of them.
The realization settled heavily inside her chest.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Aviana pushed herself upward.
Her legs trembled.
Her body protested.
But she stood anyway.
She looked toward the distant shadowed area.
Toward the darkness.
Toward the battlefield where death waited.
Her eyes hardened.
Then, without saying a single word—
Aviana began walking toward the shadowed area.