The shadowed battlefield had become pure chaos.
Six hours.
Six entire hours of relentless fighting.
Six hours of blood, screams, shattered weapons, and endless monsters crawling from the darkness.
The convoy was exhausted.
The flute players could no longer maintain their healing aura properly. Their fingers bled. Their breathing was ragged. The beautiful melody that had once spread through the battlefield like a gentle mist had become weak and broken.
Now everyone was forced to fight.
Everyone.
Even the support units.
Even the healers.
The shadowed area had become a meat grinder.
Yet amidst that chaos, a single black figure moved through the battlefield like a phantom.
Jade.
Wrapped in his Obsidian Vine Shadow, his body resembled a terrifying humanoid lion sculpted from black crystal and living darkness.
The Beast God's blessing flowed through him.
Every monster.
Every movement.
Every weakness.
Every presence.
He could feel them all.
The battlefield no longer looked like a battlefield to him.
It looked like a giant board game.
A game of strategy.
A game of survival.
A game where every piece mattered.
And Jade intended to move every piece exactly where it needed to be.
Far away, Aaron rampaged through a group of initiate beasts.
His God Body covered him in dark energy.
Purple aura leaked from his skin like smoke from a volcano.
Every swing of his sword tore creatures apart.
Heads flew.
Limbs scattered.
Black blood painted the ground.
Aaron looked unstoppable.
Yet Jade's gaze settled upon him.
There.
The King.
The most important piece.
Without Aaron, the formation would collapse.
Without Aaron, panic would spread.
Without Aaron, people would die.
Jade crouched low.
Then launched forward.
BOOM!
The ground exploded beneath his feet.
Aaron immediately sensed something approaching.
He turned.
His dark eyes locked onto Jade's monstrous form.
The black crystal lion.
The unknown creature.
The thing that dared charge directly toward him.
Aaron frowned.
Then laughed.
A cold, furious laugh.
"What kind of stupid creature are you?"
Purple aura exploded around him.
Even nearby monsters retreated.
The pressure alone was enough to terrify weaker creatures.
Aaron pointed his black sword toward Jade.
"You saw me killing stronger monsters and still came after me?"
His voice was full of disbelief.
"What are you trying to prove?"
Of course, Aaron didn't know.
He couldn't know.
His memories of Jade were gone.
To Aaron, this was merely another monster.
Another enemy.
Another obstacle.
Jade felt a slight pain in his chest.
Not physical pain.
Something deeper.
Yet he suppressed it.
Now wasn't the time.
Aaron raised his sword.
Dark essence gathered around the blade.
Then—
SWOOOSH!
The sword descended.
The strike split the air apart.
Jade moved.
A single step.
The blade missed him by inches.
The shockwave shattered the ground behind him.
Aaron immediately followed with another strike.
Then another.
Then another.
His attacks became a storm.
Fast.
Heavy.
Merciless.
Jade retreated.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Each movement was perfectly measured.
Each dodge was calculated.
Aaron's attacks looked overwhelming.
Yet Jade wasn't trying to win.
He wasn't even trying to fight.
He was guiding.
Leading.
Manipulating.
Like moving a chess piece.
Aaron's frustration grew.
The creature wasn't attacking properly.
It wasn't fleeing either.
It simply kept moving.
Luring him.
Directing him.
Aaron growled.
Then rushed forward.
His sword came down vertically.
Jade sidestepped.
At the same time—
THUD!
His fist struck Aaron's groin.
Aaron froze.
For exactly one second.
Then his eyes widened.
The pain exploded through his body.
"You little—!"
Aaron roared.
The battlefield trembled.
His attacks became even more furious.
More reckless.
More aggressive.
Exactly what Jade wanted.
Aaron charged.
Jade retreated.
Aaron charged again.
Jade retreated again.
They moved deeper into the battlefield.
Toward the location Jade had chosen.
Toward the stronger monsters gathering ahead.
Then Aaron made a mistake.
A tiny mistake.
Barely noticeable.
But Jade saw it instantly.
His vine erupted from his arm.
Like a living serpent.
Like a shadow brought to life.
The black vine wrapped around Aaron's ankle.
Aaron's eyes widened.
"What—"
YANK!
The vine pulled.
Aaron lost balance.
Then Jade twisted.
Using the momentum.
Using the terrain.
Using Aaron's own strength.
And threw him forward.
Aaron flew through the air.
His body rotated several times before crashing into the battlefield ahead.
BOOOOM!
The impact created a crater.
Dust exploded upward.
Aaron quickly stood.
Ready to continue fighting.
Ready to attack the mysterious creature again.
Then he noticed something.
Monsters.
Stronger monsters.
Far stronger monsters.
Dozens of them.
Waiting.
Aaron grinned.
His attention shifted immediately.
The unknown creature was forgotten.
Battle instincts took over.
He rushed toward the stronger enemies.
Exactly as Jade intended.
Inside his crystal-black lion form, Jade smiled faintly.
One piece moved.
Now the others.
His eyes swept across the battlefield.
Ella.
Henry.
Blake.
Cassie.
Little Gold.
The convoy.
Every one of them occupied a position.
Every one of them represented a piece.
A role.
A function.
A purpose.
To Jade's enhanced senses, the battlefield resembled a gigantic chessboard.
Aaron was the King.
Little Gold was the Queen.
Henry and Ant Demon were the Knights.
Blake was the Bishop.
The ordinary convoy members were Pawns.
And he—
He was the invisible player.
The one nobody remembered.
The one nobody acknowledged.
Yet the one moving everyone toward survival.
Jade rushed forward.
His vines burst from the ground.
One.
Two.
Five.
Ten.
Dozens.
The shadowed tendrils wrapped around ankles.
Legs.
Waists.
Wherever they could reach.
"WHAT THE—?!"
Someone shouted.
Before they could react—
YANK!
One warrior was thrown forward.
Then another.
Then another.
Ella suddenly found herself airborne.
She screamed.
Then landed dozens of meters ahead.
Blake crashed beside her.
Henry rolled across the ground before jumping back up.
Even Little Gold was dragged forward.
Confusion spread instantly.
The convoy thought they were under attack.
Yet something strange happened.
Every person thrown forward landed exactly where they needed to be.
Every person arrived near stronger monsters.
Every person arrived near critical positions.
Without realizing it, their formation improved.
Their battlefield pressure decreased.
Their advance accelerated.
Even Aaron began slaughtering stronger creatures ahead.
Ella blocked a monster's attack and shouted,
"Why are the monsters sending us forward?!"
Aaron split a beast in half.
Then paused.
Because she was right.
The creature wasn't trying to kill them.
It was pushing them.
Directing them.
Leading them.
A strange thought appeared in Aaron's mind.
A feeling.
A familiar feeling.
Like someone was helping.
Like someone was watching over them.
Like someone...
No.
The feeling vanished before he could grasp it.
Meanwhile, Jade remained behind.
Only he and Ant Demon occupied the rear.
The battlefield before him shifted constantly.
Monsters moved.
Humans moved.
Essence flowed.
Life and death danced together.
Yet Jade saw patterns.
Possibilities.
Outcomes.
Like a grand strategy unfolding before him.
Ant Demon stood silently nearby.
Her crimson eyes glowed beneath her cloak.
Her shadow sword dripped dark essence.
She looked toward Jade.
Waiting.
Obeying.
Following his commands without question.
Jade slowly looked ahead.
The darkness was thinning.
The pressure was weakening.
The shadowed area that had trapped them for so long was finally nearing its end.
Six hours.
Six exhausting hours.
And finally—
The edge of the shadow zone appeared in the distance.
Aaron saw it first.
Then Ella.
Then Henry.
Then the rest of the convoy.
A gap.
A boundary.
A place where the darkness ended.
For the first time in hours, hope appeared in their eyes.
And none of them realized that the forgotten warrior standing behind them had guided every step that brought them there.
Jade remained silent.
Watching.
Waiting.
The next move on the chessboard had yet to begin.