Aurelius and his companions traveled for a day but couldn't locate the position of the 5th-tier abomination. After a while, they saw a path ahead: a long, narrow mountain pass with mountains on both sides. The only way forward was through the pass, as climbing the mountains would take too long.
Just as they were about to enter the pass, Aurelius suddenly stopped in his tracks. His companions, noticing this, also halted.
After waiting for half an hour, Aurelius and his companions ventured into the valley. As they moved deeper, everything seemed quiet. They journeyed halfway through the valley without sensing anything amiss. Just as they were about to continue, Aurelius suddenly dashed and appeared behind his companions, using his sword to block a claw-shaped hand.
In front of Aurelius was a peak 5th-tier abomination. Seeing this, Aurelius remarked, "My, my, I didn't expect a 5th-tier abomination to evolve to the stage where it can set a trap."
The peak 5th-tier abomination replied, its voice hoarse but sharp, "He he he he he... what did you expect? The moment I learned about the caves, did you think I, Rakish, the Great Supreme Daemon, wouldn't plan a counterattack? I've been waiting for you to fall into my trap."
Aurelius calmly responded, "Great Supreme Daemon? You're nothing but an accumulation of our negative emotions."
Hearing this struck a nerve with Rakish, who screamed, "Kekekekeke!"
Rakish then looked up with wide arms and said, "Let's see what you say when you all die."
Sensing something, Aurelius looked up. From both sides of the mountain cliffs, he saw many abominations.
Aurelius said, "I must commend you. You've not only prepared for something uncertain but even brought all the 5th-tier abominations here. With that little brain of yours, it's a well-crafted plan. But why do you think this is a trap for us and not for you?"
Rakish's eyes widened in shock. He asked in a creepy voice, "What do you mean by this?"
Just as he finished speaking, Aurelius' companions began to vanish into thin air, leaving him alone. Suddenly, the sound of fireworks erupted in the distance.
Seeing this, Rakish screamed in a broken, loud voice, "WHAT... DID... YOU... DO?"
Aurelius and Rakish both heard sounds from the top of the mountain. The fight had already begun on both sides of the mountain. Aurelius smiled and said, "Well, this is what you call a trap within a trap. Hmm, wait a second. It was your trap, and I created my trap within it. I really have no idea what the word for that is. Why don't you name it?"
Flashback
Aurelius stopped in front of the mountain pass. Just as he was about to walk, he felt a sensation unlike before, as if his entire body was screaming and warning him about the path ahead. Taking a deep breath, he calmed his mind and fell into deep thought. After a while, he turned to Jake and asked, "What do you think?"
Jake understood what he meant and replied, thinking about all the clues they might have missed. Arranging his thoughts, he said, "After eliminating the garrison, we noticed footprints. Since we've reached the 4th-tier in cultivation, we usually walk lightly to avoid alerting anyone. Similarly, the abominations, being energy lifeforms, also walk lightly, even unconsciously. The footprints we saw had deeper marks than usual, as if someone deliberately made sure we could see them."
Jake continued, "After seeing the footprints, we started following them. After a day, we came across a path between two mountains leading to the mountain valley. The path towards the two mountains seemed broken, as if some huge force had destroyed it."
"Since there was no path, and the footprints led towards the mountain valley, we arrived here," he concluded.
Hearing Jake's analysis, Chris asked, "Now that you mention it, I also feel something is suspicious about it. Do you think it's a trap?"
Before Jake could answer, Lana replied, "I think so too. We're dealing with 5th-tier abominations that can think like humans, which means they can also plan meticulously."
Aurelius listened and then said, "Since they have a pinnacle 5th-tier abomination among them, they must know about the entrance to the cave. They would have considered that we might already know about the caves and have a map. They can't afford to be caught off guard, so they've set a trap. If we fall into it, we could lose our lives."
Alexa asked, "Isn't that all what-ifs? Why would they create a trap when they're not even sure about it?"
Aurelius thoughtfully replied, "It doesn't matter to them. The distance from us to them is one day. Even if winding paths are present, it won't take more than two to three days. If they set a trap and wait for a month, it doesn't mean much to them. They're energy lifeforms; they won't get frustrated or tired like us."
Siri asked, "So what do you think is the best path to take?"
Aurelius didn't reply but looked at Lana and asked, "Lana, can you climb up one of the mountains for surveillance and check for any abominations and their levels? Please be careful."
Lana nodded and left. After 15 minutes, she returned. "Aurelius, I climbed the right side of the mountain. On that mountain, I observed a peak 5th-tier abomination along with two initial 5th-tier abominations and 20 4th-tier abominations."
Aurelius pondered carefully and looked at Siri. "Does anyone in the army know how to make a real-life clone?"
Siri replied, "Yes," and turned to Prithvi, introducing him to the others. "He cultivates water arts. He can create water clones that look lifelike and can be used as puppets, controlled from a long distance."
Aurelius nodded. "Since we know the right side of the mountain has abominations, it likely means the left side has abominations too. We're missing one mid 5th-tier abomination and a high 5th-tier abomination, so we can assume they are guarding the left side of the mountain."
"Jake, Alexa, and Siri, I want you to go to the left side of the mountain with your soldiers to deal with the abominations there. Lana and Chris, you will go to the right side to deal with the two initial 5th-tier abominations."
"I will take the mountain pass. With the help of Prithvi's clone, I will venture deep into the valley alone and try to attract the peak 5th-tier abomination. Once it takes the bait, I will limit the fight within the valley."
"Stay hidden and don't confront the abominations until the peak abomination moves and tries to kill me. When it disappears, wait a few minutes and release the fireworks. Once the fireworks light up, engage in battle immediately and, after finishing the battle, send another signal."
"Let's hope everything goes smoothly. Take care."
After saying that, Aurelius, along with the clone, moved towards the mountain valley, and the others moved towards their designated positions.
Back to the Present
Rakish glared at Aurelius with a crazed expression and shouted, "Ghaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Suddenly, his thin arms began to mutate, growing larger and sharper. With a wild look in his eyes, he said, "I... I... I am going to tear you apart!"
Rakish lunged at Aurelius with terrifying speed. Aurelius dodged the claws, but Rakish kept increasing his speed. Initially, Aurelius evaded the attacks easily, but it grew harder as time passed.
Relying on instinct, Aurelius let his body react before his mind registered the attacks. He attempted to master this technique to instinctively dodge and counterattack. Despite his efforts, he got scraped in the process. Seeing this, Rakish's eyes turned bloodshot, and he became even more frenzied in his assault.
Aurelius used the life-or-death situation to train his body further. However, most attacks still managed to injure him. Just as he was about to strike back, Rakish stopped and said, "You... you... are using me to train? I, the Great Supreme Daemon, used as a training partner? Ahhhhhhhhh, I will kill you!"
Rakish unleashed his full strength, his aura changing as a bloodlust filled the air. Aurelius got serious and released a similar bloodlust aura. Intimidation failing, Rakish resorted to a soul attack, followed by his envy technique. His fingers glowed with five circular formations, forming envy engravings.
Aurelius sensed the soul attack and used his soul armor to block it, but he was dazed for a split second. Rakish used this moment to strike, his claw attack barely blocked by Aurelius' sword. The envy engraving then moved swiftly towards Aurelius, marking his forehead.
Wild thoughts assaulted Aurelius' mind: "The abomination's attack is good, I envy it," "I envy their color," "I envy their eyes... body... skin...." Aurelius struggled to fight both the envy engraving and Rakish's relentless attacks. Injuries mounted as concentration waned.
Finally, Aurelius unleashed his Eagle Sword Technique, creating a chance to retreat and use the Soul Pincer Technique to attack the envy engraving. Cracks formed, and the engraving was removed.
Catching his breath, Aurelius heard fireworks from both sides of the mountain. He murmured, "It seems I have delayed enough; now it's time to end this."
Aurelius looked at Rakish and said, "I've never used this technique before. You are the first."
Rakish roared and charged. Aurelius gripped his sword with both hands, lifted it high, and commanded, "Slash." The sword glowed brighter and brighter with sword intent, and then Aurelius swung it.
Rakish sensed a threatening aura, like his very being was at risk. He tried to dodge, but the sword intent transcended space and time, slashing his body. Rakish laughed and sneered, "You call this a sword technique?" But as he spoke, his body began to tear apart, each atom breaking, causing the negative energy to dissipate.
Rakish gasped, "What... did... you... do?"
Aurelius replied, "Every abomination is a being of negative energy, held together by an invisible core. My technique just happened to slash that core. Once broken, your entire existence will vanish into thin air."
As Rakish finally died, Aurelius sat on the ground, tired and injured. He took a soul pill, which quickly released energy and began healing his wounds.
Hearing footsteps, Aurelius saw his companions approaching, all safe except for five who had perished. Although saddened, Aurelius sighed in relief; five casualties were better than many.
As soldiers of the King of the Underworld, the fallen would be reincarnated with good status and talent in their new lives, a benefit of their service. After a brief talk, everyone returned to the main headquarters.