Nico, Victor, Veronica, Sophia and Nara stood against a giant with a powerful name behind him.
Hector, the Trojan Prince, was known for his strategic leadership as the de facto leader of the Trojan forces.
He was wise, responsible and concerned for his people, which made him an incredible leader.
He had also slain great foes, such as Patroclus and defended Troy with his life, the ancient city known as the setting of the Trojan War.
And, right in front of him were nameless people from a different zone. He was a deity and a danger to all he deemed as enemies.
Nico pulled out his Voided Xiphos and Steel Blade, attaching the two weapons before gripping them tightly.
'Looks like we have access to our weapons again. That's good to see,' he noted as he took a fighting stance.
'I can't cloak myself with Dancing Fire like I did with Antaeus. It's too draining and my mana isn't exactly in the best shape... I'll need to rely on my physical strength to make it to the next challenge...'
Victor curled his hands into fists and his mana glowed in brown. Then, his eyes turned gold and he stood beside Nico.
"What's the plan, genius?" he asked.
"Sophia, can you summon those tendrils of yours again?" Nico inquired.
"Sure. But, I won't be able to hold him down forever," replied Sophia as her blue eyes turned pink while she gathered her mana.
"V, I need you to possess Victor. And Victor, I need you to pull out your weapon. I don't care what it is, don't use your fists," Nico continued.
"Why not?"
"Because your hands won't do shit on him. There's a reason why Antaeus was fully clothed and he isn't. Only a weapon can hurt him," explained Nico.
"Guess I'll land the first hit on him since the four of you are so preoccupied with whatever it is you're discussing," Nara said as her mana flowed around her.
"Talk is cheap; just fight," she added as she grabbed a rock and turned it into a shadow before turning it into a spear.
"Physical attacks like that probably won't work. Summon your weapon-"
"Just shut up already, nerd," Nara retorted as she dashed towards Hector, who scoffed at her.
Then, he swung his spear in a wide arc and dug through the ground, sweeping up the floor and causing smoke to arise.
Debris and rocks flew in all directions, blinding the other players. But, from the smoke, Nara emerged and continued charging towards Hector.
She launched herself towards him and swung her spear the same way Hector did. He scoffed internally at the player's attempt to attack him.
'Does she really think she can actually hurt me with a short spear like that? It won't even be a scratch,' he monologued.
Nara smirked in mid-air.
Much to Hector's surprise, Nara's spear was enveloped in more shadows and suddenly became larger and wider.
When it closed in on Hector, she was able to pierce his lower left side and force him onto the wall. Rocks fell as Hector did, and he picked himself up and groaned.
"What was that?" Hector inquired.
"Shadow Manipulation and Density; I can change the weight, impact, purpose and shape of any shadow I touch," Nara explained proudly.
"You shouldn't have been able to carry such a large weapon if you changed its density," Hector retorted.
"Maybe. But, the shadow is my domain, and if I wish for it, it'll happen. I wonder what'll happen if I grabbed hold of your shadow?" she teased with a crazed smile and red cheeks.
Hector shook his head. "Nice try, but it'll take a whole lot more than that to scare me."
He stood up and spun his spear, his eyes glowing white once more. Then, he dashed for Nara and closed the gap between him and her, lunging with his spear pointed towards Nara.
In response, Nara reduced her spear into shadows and created a huge wall that Hector broke through effortlessly.
In response, Nara grabbed the nearest shadow and disappeared inside it, forcing Hector to swing his spear at nothing.
He then quickly turned around and dug his spear into the ground, causing Nara to fly out of the ground and hit her back on the wall.
She gagged on impact and fell on her butt before taking deep breaths.
"The shadows may be your domain, but they're nothing compared to the Sun," Hector taunted as he tried stabbing Nara with his spear, only for Victor to carry her out of danger and slide into safety.
He then put her back on her feet. She thanked him with a nod and summoned another shadow weapon, this time, a rapier.
"I landed a hit, but I didn't pass. No fair," she pouted.
"There's only so much you can do alone. Which is why I wanted you to summon your real weapon," Nico retorted.
"Don't have one," Nara nonchalantly replied as she shrugged. "I think my system's broken cos my shadow sorta acts like my weapon."
"Come on, genius. Don't you have a plan?" Sophia inquired as she pulled out a massive hammer from her Inventory.
"We don't need a plan, Sophie," Nara retorted as the dark mana circulating around her turned purple. "You have me, after all."
"Firstly, don't call me that. And secondly, I don't think your attacking on your own will prove successful," Sophia responded bitterly.
"Sophia, your tendrils; wrap them around his arms," said Nico. "Victor, where's your weapon?"
Victor flexed his fingers and boxing gloves with spiked knuckles enveloped his hands. Veronica then possessed Victor and waited for Nico's instructions.
"Nara, what else can you do with your shadows?"
Nara smirked as her shadows began covering themselves all around her body, allowing her to garner them.
She then extended her hand and a shadow blade the size of Hector's spear was formed. Nara tossed the sword to Nico, who grabbed it with ease and slumped it over his shoulders.
"I'll lend you a portion of my shadow. For now, I'll create an opening for you guys. Sophie!" Nara ordered.
Sophia gritted her teeth and sent her dark tendrils towards Hector, who deflected them while he spun his spear around, smacking each tentacle that threatened to approach him.
But, Sophia didn't stop and continued with the assault, forcing Hector to increase the ferocity of his defence, which would turn into offence if the team didn't pick up the pace.
Then, Veronica, who was still possessing Victor, ran towards Hector with Nara by their side. Nara ran her hands on the ground and increased the volume of her shadow expanse.
The shadow she formed races towards Hector and traps his feet, distracting him for a moment. This gave Sophia the opening she needed to hold him down.
She summoned the last of her tendrils and wrapped them around the distracted giant, who was trying his hardest to break free.
"I'll break through these shabby vines in no-" Before he could continue his sentence, Veronica jumped towards Hector and landed a devastating blow to his chest, doubling Victor's normal attack power.
He gagged but quickly recovered, only for the last key to their victory to show up.
After Veronica and Victor's combined attack, Nico ended up swinging the massive sword, that ended up slicing the giant in two pieces.
Hector gagged once more as his torso separated itself from his lower body, dropping violently onto the ground.
The players took deep and heavy breaths as they stared at the fallen giant, waiting for the message to ping towards their win.
{ Hector has chosen his people!
5/5 players have proved themselves to be worthy of the next phase!
-Reward: Instant Heal }
The players healed and their strength and mana were rejuvenated, preparing them for the next phase of the battle.
Hector's lower body stood up and he used his arms to climb back onto his body, healing almost instantly. He glared at the players and groaned.
"... Forward, no retreat!" he exclaimed before turning around to pick up his spear and returning to his stand, where he turned into a statue once more.
"How'd you know possessing Victor would give us double the attack power, but the system would automatically think we were two separate people?" Veronica asked as she left Victor's body.
"The system didn't know that, but Hector did. We didn't have to kill him; we just had to prove that we were strategic enough for the next phase," responded Nico.
Victor shivered and rubbed his arms vigorously, trying his best to keep himself warm. "Please... whatever you do, don't possess me ever again."
Veronica chuckled. "I won't. I promise."
"Whoo! I wonder what challenge we'll face next!" Nara shouted excitedly.
When she said that, the terrain around them repaired itself and the next statue began to move.