In the shroud of darkness, Reo watched from a distance, his sharp eyes fixated on the chaos unfolding on the battlefield. His presence was hidden, his aura suppressed to avoid detection. The Verdant Abyss Hydra, though grievously injured, still roared defiantly, its massive body thrashing as emerald flames erupted from its twin heads. The two Xeon Warriors under Lord Shen's command moved with relentless precision, their strength far surpassing what their middle-stage cultivation should allow.
"Something's wrong with them," Reo muttered to himself, his brow furrowed. The Xeon Warriors were unnaturally coordinated, their attacks deliberate yet devoid of personal intent. It was as if they were puppets being directed by an unseen hand.
Lord Shen, standing at a distance, shouted angrily, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Damn monster! Die already!" His frustration was palpable as he surveyed the battlefield.
Reo's golden eyes narrowed as he analyzed the situation. From his vantage point, he noticed a subtle yet chilling detail—the two Xeon Warriors seemed to share a singular focus: protecting Lord Shen at all costs. Their movements were almost mechanical, as though they were following a preprogrammed command.
The Verdant Abyss Hydra, though weakened, was not yet defeated. Its glowing eyes locked onto Lord Shen, sensing its true enemy. With a guttural roar, it began to rise again, its serpentine body coiling as emerald flames intensified around it.
The Xeon Warriors glanced at each other, and in that fleeting moment, an unspoken decision was made. The warrior who had lost his arm turned toward the monster, his face twisted in determination. The other warrior, still intact, moved toward Lord Shen, his expression eerily blank.
Reo's unease deepened as he observed the shift. "What are they planning...?"
Lord Shen, seemingly aware of the impending danger, cursed under his breath. "Retreat!" he barked at his guards, already beginning to back away from the battlefield.
Reo's instincts screamed at him to leave. The air around him grew heavier, charged with an ominous energy. Whatever was about to happen was beyond anything he wanted to be caught in. Without hesitation, he slipped deeper into the shadows, retreating from the area but keeping his senses attuned to the battlefield.
The Forbidden Art
The one-armed The Xeon warrior who had lost his arm moved toward the monster, smirking as he muttered under his breath, "Forbidden Art: Cosmic Sacrificial Nova."
The atmosphere shifted instantly. The wind howled with a deafening hum, and the ground cracked beneath his feet. The warrior's body began to emit an intense, blinding white glow, the energy around him distorting space itself. The Hydra hesitated, its massive heads tilting as it sensed the deadly energy converging on its position.
Reo, from his distant vantage point, felt the surge of power and shivered. "That idiot's going to detonate himself..."
A pulse of energy erupted from the Xeon Warrior's body, followed by a roar that shook the heavens. The white glow expanded rapidly, forming a massive sphere of light that lit up the night like a second sun. The sound of the explosion was deafening, the force so overwhelming that it flattened everything in its radius.
The Hydra let out one final, thunderous roar before its massive form was consumed by the light. The explosion's shockwave ripped through the land, leveling trees and structures, leaving a crater in its wake.
Reo shielded himself as the blast wave reached him, his purple flames forming a protective barrier. Even from his distance, the power of the explosion was staggering.
The Aftermath
As the dust settled and the blinding light faded, the battlefield was unrecognizable. The ground was scorched, and the air was thick with the stench of burning flesh and ash. The Verdant Abyss Hydra was nowhere to be seen—its enormous form had been reduced to little more than a shadow of its former self.
Lord Shen arrived at the scene with his remaining Xeon Warrior, the guard's face as blank and emotionless as before. They surveyed the destruction in silence, their expressions unreadable.
The Hydra's once-mighty body lay in pieces, its emerald flames extinguished. The explosion had been so intense that half of the creature's form had simply vanished, leaving only charred remnants behind.
Lord Shen scowled, his hands clenched into fists. "Fools. He sacrificed himself for this... pathetic display."
Reo, hidden in the distance, watched the scene with narrowed eyes. The loss of the Hydra was one thing, but the sacrifice of the Xeon Warrior had been calculated—deliberate.
"Lord Shen," Reo murmured, a faint smirk forming on his lips. "You're not just dangerous—you're desperate."
Though the monster was gone, Reo couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning. The forbidden art unleashed by the Xeon Warrior hinted at powers far darker than he'd anticipated. As he retreated into the night, Reo's mind was already racing with plans.
The aftermath of the explosion left the battlefield in eerie silence, broken only by the flicker of dying flames and the groans of the fractured terrain. Lord Shen's cold eyes narrowed as he barked an order to his remaining guard. "Bring me the core. Now."
The Xeon warrior nodded and rushed to the remains of the monstrous Verdant Abyss Hydra. Standing atop the charred serpent-like body, he methodically sliced into its flesh. Moments later, he unearthed a brilliant gem radiating a green, otherworldly glow—the monster's core. The warrior held it aloft, his gaze transfixed by its pulsating energy.
Before the moment could settle, a shadow flickered through the rubble—a blur of movement so quick it was almost imperceptible. Lord Shen stiffened, his senses tingling with an imminent threat. His eyes darted toward a nearby swirl of energy, and there it was—a sphere of purple flame forming near him, crackling with menacing intensity.
Lord Shen's face twisted in panic. Though a Veldor warrior by name, his cultivation was forcefully achieved through artificial means, leaving him with combat strength barely scraping the peak of an Elite warrior. Dodging an attack of this magnitude was beyond him.
"Damn it!" Lord Shen spat, his body paralyzed in a mix of fury and fear.
The Xeon warrior spotted the danger instantly. Without a second thought, he dashed toward Lord Shen, the glowing core still clutched tightly in his hand. "My lord!" he bellowed, throwing all his speed into his movement. His focus was solely on reaching his master, completely oblivious to the shadow creeping closer.
In the darkness, Reo watched the scene unfold, a sly grin playing across his lips. "Just as planned," he muttered.
As the Xeon warrior neared Lord Shen, a figure shot out from the gloom like a streak of darkness. Moving with inhuman speed, Reo darted toward the distracted warrior, his hand snaking out to snatch the glowing core from the warrior's grasp.
"What?!" The Xeon warrior froze for a split second, his empty hand clenching as realization hit. But it was too late—the core was gone, and the shadowy thief had already melted back into the darkness.
Even as rage boiled within him, the Xeon warrior didn't falter in his primary duty. He reached Lord Shen just as the sphere of purple flame descended. With a roar, the warrior summoned his full power, blocking the attack with his own energy.
BOOM!
The explosion tore through the battlefield, a violent surge of purple fire lighting up the night sky. The shockwave flattened nearby debris, and a deafening roar echoed across the landscape.
When the dust settled, Lord Shen stood shaken but unharmed, shielded by his guard's intervention. His expression twisted into a snarl as he scanned the shadows. "Reo… It's you again. I thought you'd already run off!"
His anger flared, and he turned to his remaining guard, his voice cold and sharp. "He didn't get far. Use that method—find him, now!"
The Xeon warrior, battered but determined, nodded. "As you command."
Meanwhile, Reo retreated into the shadows, the stolen core glowing faintly in his grasp. A triumphant smirk crossed his face as he whispered, "This core will tip the scales… Lord Shen, you won't even know what hit you."
The hunt was on.