The battle with Gideon had taken its toll. Rheus, Luisa, and Alex stood panting, their bodies bruised from the relentless barrage of iron fists. Gideon's mocking laughter echoed through the forest.
"You can't win," Gideon sneered, flexing his iron-like muscles once again. "No one has ever defeated the Iron Body."
But as Rheus gripped his sword tighter, a new fire blazed in his eyes. He had been holding back until now. For too long, he had struggled with the overwhelming magic that resided within him, fearing it would spiral out of control. But now, as the need for survival became dire, he knew it was time.
"I've trained for this," Rheus muttered under his breath, steadying his mind.
In a flash, an intense blue aura surrounded him, his sword glowing with magical energy. The ground beneath him trembled as his magic surged outward. Alex and Luisa looked at him in surprise—they hadn't seen him channel such raw power before.
Gideon's smirk faltered as Rheus charged forward with blinding speed, his sword now infused with powerful energy. As their blades clashed, the force of Rheus' magic created shockwaves, pushing Gideon back, something no one had been able to do before.
"How…?" Gideon grunted, his iron body rattling from the impact.
But Rheus wasn't finished. With a roar, he unleashed a powerful blast of magic from his sword, striking Gideon square in the chest and sending him crashing into the trees. For a moment, it seemed like the tide of the battle had turned.
"I won't let you hurt anyone else," Rheus said, his voice steady despite the exhaustion creeping in.
Luisa, watching the battle unfold, knew it was time to reveal her own growth. She had been working on a new technique, drawing upon elemental magic to enhance her archery skills. Nocking an arrow, she whispered an incantation under her breath. The tip of her arrow glowed, then burst into flames. With a swift pull of the bowstring, she released it toward Gideon.
But before it hit, Luisa uttered another spell, and the single arrow multiplied into dozens, each one infused with a different element—fire, ice, lightning, and wind.
"Take this!" she shouted as the flurry of enchanted arrows rained down on Gideon, their combined magic creating an explosion of elemental fury.
As the smoke cleared, Gideon's iron form began to crack under the pressure, his strength visibly weakening.
"I've never seen anything like this before…" Alex whispered, awe creeping into his voice.
But just when victory seemed within reach, the air around them grew cold. A deep, sinister chuckle echoed from the shadows, freezing them in place.
Out of the darkness stepped **Shero**, the Shadowy Killer—one of Pandemonium's feared **Four Elites**. His cold, calculating eyes scanned the battlefield, and the sheer presence of his aura sent a chill down their spines.
"You've done well," Shero said calmly, his voice like a whisper of death. "But you're not ready for me."
In an instant, his body dissolved into the shadows, reappearing behind Rheus. Before anyone could react, Shero's blade was already at Rheus' throat.
"Shadowy figure," Luisa said, her heart pounding. "The one who attacked us in the shattered…"
"Don't call me that. I'm Shero the Shadowy Killer, one of the Four Elites—just like this guy you defeated." Shero smiled darkly. "It's a shame. You've shown potential, but in the end, you're just not strong enough."
Rheus tried to struggle, but Shero's grip was like iron, far stronger than Gideon's.
"Luisa!" Alex shouted, knowing they were outmatched. "We have to escape!"
Luisa's arrows flew, but Shero dodged each one with ease, his shadowy form phasing in and out of sight. Every attempt they made to strike him ended in failure.
"You're wasting your energy," Shero said coldly. "I'm not like the others. I exist within the shadows themselves."
In a last-ditch effort, Alex began chanting a powerful spell. "I won't let it end here!" he yelled as bright magic symbols appeared around them. "We're leaving!"
A portal of shimmering light opened beneath them, just as Shero's blade descended. The group was pulled into the portal, disappearing in a flash of light before Shero's strike could land.
As the portal closed behind them, Shero sheathed his blade, watching with mild amusement. "Run while you can," he whispered to the empty forest. "But Pandemonium's reach is long… and your time will come."
In this chapter, Rheus and Luisa's new abilities are highlighted, showing their growth, but they are still unable to defeat the powerful elite, Shero. Alex's spell provides the group with a narrow escape, leaving them to regroup and prepare for the future. The introduction of Shero adds more layers to the looming threat of Pandemonium.
**"Victory isn't always in the battle won, but in the strength to rise again after defeat."**