Aaron silently stepped away from the battlefield.
Around him, the sounds of war echoed endlessly through the dark trial realm. Monsters roared. Steel clashed. Essence exploded in flashes of light and darkness. Yet amidst all the chaos, Aaron's expression remained calm.
Focused.
Determined.
Jade, hidden beneath layers of Obsidian Vine Shadow, noticed immediately.
The moment Aaron began moving away from the convoy, Jade's instincts stirred.
Something was different.
Without making a sound, Jade wrapped the black crystalline vines tighter around his body. The armor-like growth darkened until it blended almost perfectly with the surrounding shadows.
Then he followed.
Silent.
Invisible.
Like a ghost.
Aaron moved through ruined terrain, stepping over shattered stones and monster corpses without once looking back.
After several minutes, he finally reached a secluded section of the trial.
The place was strangely quiet.
No monsters.
No convoy.
No fighting.
Only darkness.
Aaron stopped.
Then slowly drew a knife.
Jade watched from behind a broken stone pillar.
The knife itself looked ordinary at first glance.
Yet the moment it touched the ground, Jade felt a strange pressure spread through the air.
Aaron placed it carefully before him.
Then he closed his eyes.
A deep violet aura erupted from his body.
The pressure was immense.
Jade instantly recognized it.
His God Body.
Aaron's body began changing.
Dark markings spread across his skin.
His muscles tightened.
His eyes glowed with terrifying purple light.
The surrounding shadows trembled.
Then Aaron did something Jade had never seen before.
Instead of attacking.
Instead of moving.
He began pouring his energy into the knife.
Every ounce of essence.
Every fragment of power.
Every drop of strength.
The knife absorbed it all.
Slowly.
Greedily.
Like a bottomless abyss.
Aaron's face paled.
Sweat dripped down his forehead.
Yet he continued.
The knife started glowing.
Dark purple.
Then black.
Then silver.
The surrounding air vibrated violently.
Jade narrowed his eyes.
"What is he doing?" he thought.
Suddenly—
Aaron raised his arm.
His movements became fluid.
Elegant.
Almost beautiful.
Like a swordsman performing a sacred dance.
His fingers traced strange patterns through the air.
Each movement seemed connected to invisible threads.
The knife responded.
Floating.
Spinning.
Transforming.
Jade's eyes widened.
The knife stretched.
Lengthened.
Expanded.
Within moments it was no longer a knife.
It had become a sword.
A massive sword.
Its blade gleamed with terrifying sharpness.
Then something impossible happened.
Aaron's body dissolved.
Not into light.
Not into shadows.
But into countless streams of essence.
The streams rushed toward the sword.
The weapon absorbed them instantly.
Aaron vanished.
Completely.
The sword floated alone in the air.
Jade stared.
His mouth slightly open.
"Did Aaron just turn himself into a sword?"
The floating blade released a terrifying pulse.
Then another figure stepped forward from the darkness.
Another Aaron.
Jade froze.
His Beast Sense immediately detected the truth.
This wasn't an illusion.
This wasn't a clone.
This wasn't a monster.
It was another Aaron.
The second Aaron repeated the process.
A knife appeared.
Energy poured into it.
The knife transformed.
The body dissolved.
Another sword floated into the air.
Jade finally understood.
His eyes widened.
"Reflections..."
Mike's reflections.
The gifts Aaron had received from his brother.
Each reflection possessed enough individuality to perform the same ritual.
One after another.
A third Aaron appeared.
Then a fourth.
Then a fifth.
Each transformed themselves into swords.
Soon several floating blades hovered in the darkness.
Their combined pressure was frightening.
Even Jade felt uneasy.
Then the real Aaron finally emerged.
Unlike the others, he remained standing.
His own knife floated around him.
The reflected swords revolved overhead like silent guardians.
Aaron slowly transformed into his God Body once more.
Dark purple essence exploded around him.
His eyes glowed.
His aura expanded.
Then suddenly—
He turned.
Directly toward Jade's hiding place.
"I know you're there."
Jade sighed.
Caught.
Again.
The vines around him slowly unraveled.
The shadow covering his body peeled away.
Aaron's gaze sharpened immediately.
"You've been watching me."
Jade stepped out from the darkness.
"I thought you came here to do something suspicious."
Aaron snorted.
"No."
He crossed his arms.
"I saw your fight with the Great Monster."
Jade's expression changed slightly.
Aaron continued.
"I watched everything."
"The copies."
"The mimicry."
"The Ant Demon."
"The way it countered every move."
Aaron pointed toward the floating swords.
"So I'm preparing a sneak attack."
Jade looked at the swords.
Then at Aaron.
Then back at the swords.
"You think that's enough?"
Aaron smirked.
"I think it gives me a chance."
Jade remained silent for a moment.
Then asked,
"How sure are you?"
Aaron shrugged.
"As sure as anyone can be against a creature like that."
Jade's eyes narrowed.
"Besides."
"It should be stronger than an Initiate Tyrant."
Aaron nodded immediately.
"You're right."
"It's stronger."
"Far stronger."
He looked toward the distant battlefield.
"But with this..."
He gestured toward the floating swords.
"...I think I can kill it."
Jade remained unconvinced.
The Great Monster wasn't merely strong.
It was absurd.
It copied abilities.
Copied powers.
Copied data.
Copied forms.
And somehow enhanced everything it stole.
Even now Jade wasn't certain how it could be defeated.
Aaron suddenly spoke again.
"I only need one thing."
Jade looked at him.
"A distraction."
The answer came instantly.
Aaron pointed toward the distant battlefield.
"The Great Monster won't sit there forever."
"It won't watch us slaughter its forces."
"Sooner or later it will move."
"When it does..."
Aaron's eyes hardened.
"...someone has to draw it away."
Jade immediately understood.
"You want bait."
Aaron nodded.
"I want someone weak enough to attract its attention."
"But strong enough to survive long enough."
Jade laughed.
A short laugh.
Humorless.
"You just described suicide."
Aaron shrugged.
"Maybe."
Jade shook his head.
"It won't work."
Aaron's expression immediately darkened.
"I'm the assassin."
"Not you."
The words came cold.
Sharp.
Like a blade.
"So stop trying to tell me how to do my job."
The floating swords trembled slightly.
Aaron took a step forward.
"I already don't fully trust you."
"Don't make me regret trusting you this much."
For a moment silence settled between them.
Jade stared at Aaron.
Aaron stared back.
Neither moved.
Finally Jade sighed.
There was no point arguing.
Aaron had already made up his mind.
And Aaron was the type of person who only learned through experience.
"Fine."
Jade raised his hands.
"You want to try?"
"Try."
Aaron nodded.
Satisfied.
Before either could speak again, another voice appeared.
"You know..."
Both turned.
Aviana stood nearby.
She had apparently arrived during their discussion.
Her golden eyes moved between them.
Then settled on Jade.
"I think you're right."
Aaron groaned immediately.
"Not you too."
Aviana ignored him.
"I also think Aaron's plan sounds terrible."
Aaron placed a hand over his face.
"Wonderful."
Aviana smiled.
"But that's exactly why we're a team."
She looked toward the battlefield.
Toward the countless monsters.
Toward the Great Monster waiting somewhere in the distance.
"If his plan fails..."
Her voice softened.
"...we'll make it work."
Aaron stared at her.
Jade stared at her.
Then she smiled brightly.
The same confident smile that somehow appeared even in the middle of disasters.
Jade couldn't help shaking his head.
Aaron sighed.
"You two are impossible."
Aviana laughed.
"Yet you're still stuck with us."
The floating swords continued circling overhead.
The darkness of the trial stretched endlessly around them.
Far away, monsters roared.
The final battle was approaching.
And all three of them knew it.
Jade looked toward the horizon where the Great Monster waited.
Aaron followed his gaze.
Aviana did the same.
None of them spoke.
Because there was nothing left to say.
Soon the plan would begin.
Soon they would discover whether Aaron's confidence was justified.
And soon—
they would learn exactly how terrifying the Great Monster truly was.