Then Kai began to introduce himself with his usual smile: "Well, why don't we get to know each other? I'll start. I'm Kai Nova. You've probably guessed, I'm already an anomaly. My guide is the Copy Guide. My innate ability is to copy other abilities as long as they aren't anomalies themselves, up to a limit of 3, and copy skills up to a limit of 6. And I have a special skill called Eyes of Truth, which allows me to display information about a monster, person, or material at the cost of mana, but there are some people whose information I can't see if they possess high power or mental protection. Oh, and I have a trait that makes me gain a secondary mana core at the same rank as my primary mana core when I copy an ability. There are other traits, but that's for another time." Kai smiled, winking.
Liana stared at his face, her eyes wide, then immediately calmed down because she knew that anomalies were a force to be reckoned with. She crossed her arms and said in a confident tone: "I'm Liana Weaver. I'm also an anomaly. My family specialized in runes, arrays, and spells, and so on. My guide is the Rune Guide. My innate ability is that I can use runes freely unlike everyone else, as I can inscribe them in the air and use them in face-to-face battles unlike the rest. There are many runes in the world, from air, earth, fire, water, space runes, etc. But there are also ranks for runes, as I can only use runes at the Spark rank, and the higher I go in ranks, the more powerful runes I can use. I have many traits, but the most important are the Rune Eyes. I can easily understand runes I've never seen before, and I can also understand written languages. With every major breakthrough, I get a rune called an Origin Rune, which no one else can learn except me, and I have one Origin Rune called Devour. When used on the corpses of monsters or people, it restores my mana, stamina, and vitality by a certain amount." Liana looked at Kai with a challenge, as if comparing their abilities.
It was Kai's turn to be surprised by the amount of information Liana revealed, but he calmed down and looked at Orion with curiosity and astonishment. "Well, it seems we all have trump cards. Your turn now, my gloomy-looking friend." Kai smiled expectantly.
Orion sighed softly, not one for boasting about his abilities, but the situation called for it. "I am Orion Terra, an anomaly. My guide is the Shadow Guide. As for my innate ability, it's easier to show you." Orion released Anarak, Severus, Legolas, and his army of shadows. The shadows gradually emerged from nothingness, forming into terrifying and diverse shapes, from giant beasts to wandering specters.
Liana and Kai were shocked by the enormous number of shadows. Liana took a step back, her eyes cautiously scanning the vast numbers of shadowy beings. Kai opened his mouth in astonishment and whispered, "Oh my god... how many are there?"
Orion began to introduce his shadows in a calm tone: "This is Anarak, my Shadow Companion." Orion pointed to the short shadow with glowing purple eyes who had his hands behind his back and greeted them. "Hello!" Anarak said in an ancient voice. "Severus and Legolas are shadow creatures I summoned from the shadow world." Orion pointed to the Shadow Executioner with a terrifying form and the Shadow Hunter with a sharp gaze, who nodded their heads to Kai and Liana. "As for the Shadow Specters, they are the shadows of creatures I have killed." Orion waved his hand to indicate the massive army of translucent specters that flickered in and out of existence. "I possess a skill that allows me to manipulate shadows." Then he added after storing his shadows within him: "I possess many traits, but the most important are Shadow Whisper and Shadow Instinct." Orion looked at Kai and Liana seriously. "Now that we know each other's abilities, perhaps we can work together to understand this place."
Kai and Liana nodded in understanding. Then Kai said, rubbing his chin curiously, "Alright, now which path should we choose? There seem to be a lot of options." He looked at the branching corridors ahead of them.
Orion approached each path separately, closing his eyes for a moment, trying to feel what the Shadow Whisper and his instinct were telling him. He listened to those faint voices in the depths of his consciousness, searching for any indication or direction. After a brief moment of silence and concentration, he stopped at a path that looked ordinary like the rest and said in a confident tone, "This way."
Kai and Liana looked at each other for a moment, then nodded confidently at Orion's decision. But as they moved towards him, suddenly, Orion raised his hand and signaled Kai and Liana to stop. The two froze in their places immediately, their eyes fixed on Orion expectantly. Orion summoned Anarak, Severus, and Legolas from his shadows. He felt a strange disturbance in the shadows ahead, not just ahead but from all the paths. It wasn't just a fleeting movement, but things were approaching them, and with force. The Shadow Instinct screamed within him, warning of imminent danger. Then Orion and his shadows, along with Kai and Liana, stood in the middle of the hall, ready for what was to come.
Less than a minute passed before creatures they couldn't comprehend, distorted and repulsive, emerged from the end of the dark corridor.
The first to appear was a monster walking on six slender, winding legs, carrying a huge, bloated body. It had a wide, serrated mouth like a shark's, and six dull red eyes randomly placed on its head. Attached to its body was a deformed human torso, from which protruded ten thin arms with long, hooked fingers, and four tearful eyes irregularly set on its twisted face, emitting muffled cries of agony that cut through the silence.
It was followed by another monster resembling a giant spider, but its head was that of a lion with long yellow fangs and dull gray fur. Its eyes glowed with a savage, bloodthirsty look, and its long, spider-like legs moved swiftly across the stone floor.
Then a third monster appeared, with the body of a massive, muscular gorilla, but its head was the head of a huge elephant with a drooping trunk and broken yellow tusks. It had a long, scaly tail like a serpent's, coiling around its massive body menacingly.
This was just the beginning. They were followed by countless numbers of other monsters in stranger and more repulsive forms. Some had eyes that held a mad gaze, rolling irregularly, while others had eyes filled with pure hatred, looking at them aggressively. There were tearful eyes looking at them with misery, and others glowing with rage.
All their bodies were hideous and deformed, covered in festering wounds oozing yellow and green secretions. But the common thing among them all was their pale gray skin, the same color as the environment they had entered, and the disgusting, repulsive odor that emanated from them intensely, a smell of a mixture of rot and old blood.
The trio froze for a moment at the horror of the sight before them, but Orion, thanks to his Shadow Heart, regained his composure instantly. "Get ready!" he shouted in a firm voice.
Kai and Liana returned to reality immediately. Orion released his full army of shadows, and they formed a black wall before him. He summoned his gleaming black Shadow Katana and reinforced himself and the shadow trio with flowing shadow energy. Then he dashed forward with lightning speed, leaving a trail of dark shadows behind him.
Kai summoned his gleaming silver spear, which began to glow with dancing blue and red flames, the hot and cold Star Flames. Kai also dashed forward, using his spatial power to teleport, disappearing and reappearing behind the monsters, and using gravity to pull and push enemies, causing them to fly and collide with each other.
As for Liana, she began to draw complex runes in the air with her nimble fingers. The bright golden runes glowed and then launched as burning fireballs that devoured the monsters, sharp ice spears that pierced their bodies, water spheres accompanied by glowing yellow lightning bolts that paralyzed them, sharp wind blades that severed their limbs, and solid earth pillars that rose from the ground to strike them. Liana also skillfully used the Devour Rune, where a huge black mouth appeared from nowhere to devour the corpses of the slain monsters, absorbing their energy and restoring a portion of Liana's mana, stamina, and vitality.
The battle was bloody and brutal. Orion collided with the six-legged monster, his Shadow Katana easily piercing its gray skin, leaving long, deep wounds. Anarak moved swiftly and skillfully among the monsters, his spear piercing left and right, and he used his shadow manipulation to form spears from the ground or spears to throw at the monsters, or to create pillars of shadow that struck the monsters or platforms, etc. Meanwhile, Severus moved with lightning speed among the monsters, his shadow claws tearing through the rotten flesh, while Legolas fired a volley of deadly shadow arrows, accurately aiming at the weak points of the deformed monsters.
Kai danced among the monsters, his spear stabbing and burning, and his spatial power made him an elusive phantom. Liana rained down magical runes on the area, turning monsters into ash, ice, or shredded pieces.
The monsters emitted cries of agony and rage, but they couldn't stop the coordinated and powerful attack of the trio and their shadow allies. Rotten blood and foul secretions splattered everywhere, staining the walls and floor. The stench of death and decay grew stronger, filling the air and increasing the feeling of disgust.
But Orion, Kai, and Liana were determined to advance, determined to understand the nature of this terrible place and survive its horrors. Their nascent alliance was being tested in its first real battle, and the first sparks of a great power began to form in the heart of this cursed place.
The battle raged for long hours, and the vast hall turned into a true slaughterhouse. The numbers of the corrupted monsters seemed endless, pouring out of the side corridors as if the earth itself was vomiting them up. Every time a monster fell, two or three more appeared in its place, with the same deformed appearance and foul odor.
Orion fiercely led the front lines, his Shadow Katana moving like black lightning, cutting through the limbs of the monsters and opening a path through the hordes. Anarak was always by his side, moving with deadly agility with his spear, and Severus's claws tore through rotten muscles and decaying tendons. Legolas stood slightly behind them, providing continuous ranged support, his shadow arrows piercing the deformed heads and multiple eyes with deadly accuracy.
But the numbers were overwhelming. Shadow specters began to fall under the weight of sharp claws and fangs. Each loss of a specter was a blow to Orion's power, but he didn't hesitate. Every time a monster fell, Orion extended his hand, extracting the remaining shadows from its corrupted body, turning them into new shadow specters that immediately joined the fight. The scene was horrifying, an endless cycle.
Kai spun in the heart of the battle like a tornado of blue and red flames. His spear stabbed and burned, and his spatial power allowed him to appear and disappear in the blink of an eye, ambushing monsters from behind and the sides. He used gravity to pull monsters towards each other, creating gathering points for Liana to target easily, or to push them away when they got too close.
Liana stood slightly behind, raining magical runes on the area. Her hands didn't stop drawing in the air, creating an endless series of destructive elements. Fireballs ignited and exploded, ice spears pierced and froze, and lightning bolts shocked and paralyzed. She constantly used the Devour Rune, devouring the corpses of the slain monsters to maintain her energy and stamina, but even the Devour Rune didn't get rid of the massive numbers of corpses.
The stench of rot and blood grew stronger, and the air grew heavy with moisture and stickiness. The ground was covered with a thick layer of the deformed remains and corpses, oozing blood and secretions. The cries of agony and rage emitted by the monsters echoed in the hall, creating a terrifying symphony of madness.
At one point, Orion found himself surrounded by a group of ten-armed monsters, waving their thin limbs hysterically, trying to grab him. He deftly avoided their attacks, then unleashed a series of rapid strikes with his katana, cutting off many arms in the blink of an eye. But more of them were rushing towards him, and he realized he would soon be drowned in a sea of deformed limbs.
At that moment, Kai appeared beside him, waving his spear which released a massive heat wave and another wave of cold, burning many of the monsters and pushing the rest away. "You alright?" Kai asked, panting slightly.
"I'm fine, but their numbers are endless," Orion replied sharply, his eyes scanning the dark horizon of the hall where more monsters were appearing.
The fierce fighting continued. The trio worked with increasing harmony, covering each other's weaknesses and exploiting their abilities effectively. But fatigue began to creep in. Mana was dwindling, and small wounds began to appear on their bodies.
However, they didn't give up. Their determination grew stronger with each fallen monster. They knew that something important awaited them at the end of this place, and they had to overcome this bloody test at any cost. The battle continued, until their numbers gradually decreased after hours, until they finished this massacre.