Tee witnessed her sword that could cut through metal, stop at Legion’s back after a swing at it.

  Was he wearing some form of impenetrable armor beneath his garments, shielding him from harm? The revelation sent a chill down her spine, one that unveiled the true depths of his power.

  Realization struck her like a thunderbolt, understanding how he effortlessly blocked Miko's sword strikes with a single arm. Perhaps she hadn't fully thought through her plan, but it was too late.

  Those fleeting thoughts raced through her mind in an instant as she tightened her grip on the hilt, readying herself for another attack. Maybe another swing would break through. But when she pulled on the handle, expecting it to yield to her command, a shock of pain shot through her heart when it didn’t.

  The sound of Miko's anguished scream sent a shiver down Tee’s spine, freezing her in place. She heard the sickening thud as Miko collided with the unforgiving ground, her body rolling over the jagged pebbles.

  At that moment, Tee knew that the adversary would now turn his attention to her. And as black flames erupted from the point where her sword touched his back, she released her grip on the handle, instinctively taking a step back.

  The fire began to devour the metal blade she once wielded, melting it away, leaving her mouth agape in shock. Her body jerked involuntarily, a primal fear gripping her as a tar-black hand emerged from his back, clenching the edge of the sword.

  What the hell?

  Her lips barely managed to form words, trembling with a mix of disbelief and horror. She squinted her eyes, questioning the reality before her. Maybe it was one of those weird things she saw now and then.

  The hand continued to emerge, stretching further from the adversary’s back as Tee distanced herself by a couple of steps. The pain from her shoulder flew from her mind as all sensation left her body from the terrifying sight.

  Cracks spread along the blade, like a web of impending doom, before the metal base shattered into countless pieces, devoid of blood. Something inside Tee shattered too, her composure crumbling in the face of such otherworldly power.

  The mysterious hand retracted into Legion’s back, vanishing from sight. The other members of her group, aside from Miko, managed to rise to their feet, witnessing the chilling display. They watched in disbelief as he vanished from in front of Tee, only to reappear beside her in the blink of an eye.

  With both hands folded behind his back, he effortlessly swept his leg, striking Tee's with precision, causing her to crash forward onto the unforgiving ground. Her nose bore the brunt of the impact, blood flowing freely as small pebbles adhered to her injured face.

  The torn muscles surrounding her shoulder added another layer of torment to her already excruciating ordeal. Every movement was met with a fiery protest, as if invisible claws were tearing and rending her flesh with each passing second. Would she be able to use that arm again? Someone had to pay!

  Struggling to lift her head, she extended her one good arm, reaching for the sword lying flat on the ground before her. But before her fingers could grasp it, his thick black boot swiftly kicked it away, forcing her to flinch.

  Raising his long sword, its lethal tip aimed directly at Tee's exposed back, he seemed poised to strike. Kie, Saeda, and Zod quickly grasped his intent. In that moment, the truth struck them all—it wasn’t only about killing the Harbingers. It was about surviving them.

  "We surrender!" Saeda's desperate cry echoed through the chaos, tears streaming down her yellow face.

  But the adversary showed no mercy—his hand lifted, poised to strike a fatal blow at Tee’s unguarded back, aiming to cleave her in two. In a split second, Zod and Kie summoned their swords, sending them hurtling towards the hooded figure's head.

  With lightning reflexes, the adversary swatted one sword aside with his bare hand, the clash of metal reverberating through the air. Yet, instead of snapping Tee's spine, his own sword pierced her side, eliciting a blood-curdling scream of agony. In a cruel twist, he swiftly withdrew the blade.

  In the same second Tee gasped for breath, he swung the sword with blinding speed, striking the other airborne weapon. It soared back in the opposite direction, narrowly missing Zod as it tore through the air, shattering a towering tree in a thunderous explosion of splintered wood.

  Miko, finally rising to her feet, cradled her injured shoulder, wincing in pain. But before she could even utter a scream, the adversary materialized beside her, snatching her upside down by the ankle with a vice-like grip, hurtling her towards Zod. The collision sent them both crashing to the ground, their bodies tumbling in a violent heap.

  In an instant, the dark figure vanished once more, reappearing to swat away Kie's sword with contemptuous ease. A powerful kick to Kie's side sent him rolling helplessly across the ground, his body skidding several feet before coming to a rest.

  Saeda, wide-eyed and helpless, watched in horror as her comrades suffered grievous injuries within the blink of an eye. As the towering figure loomed before her, a fleeting vision flashed in her mind—A fleeting glimpse of her father beside her smiling mother—just an old photograph from years ago, when their family was still whole.

  Saeda’s memory ceased as the adversary's hand coiled around her neck, effortlessly lifting her body from the ground. Panic surged through her veins, for she knew in her core that that foe was no ordinary opponent instructed by the Commander. No, that was something far more sinister—and it was going to kill them.

  The searing pain that coursed through Tee's battered form as she lay helpless on the unforgiving ground only fueled her determination. She had never willingly chosen to be thrust into that nightmarish ordeal.

  A haunting chorus of voices, resounding in perfect harmony, reverberated in her mind, their words a chilling reminder of the grim reality they faced. "This is what you want. Come and get it."

  The fragment was what she was going to die for? In a flash of clarity, Tee's thoughts raced, piecing together the fragments of truth hidden within the labyrinth of deception.

  The facade of camaraderie forged over a month shattered, revealing a far more insidious plot. The training, the Commander’s guidance, and the enigmatic elders—mere pawns in a grand scheme. She and the recruits had all been exploited, manipulated for the perverse entertainment of corrupt Mid-Guard officials.

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  The notion of being chosen as Sentinels of the planet, defenders of justice, crumbled beneath the weight of harsh reality. It was a lie, a fabricated narrative to conceal the true nature of their existence.

  No, what they were caught in the midst of was far deadlier—run by corrupt Mid-Guard officials. It was a mass slaughter reality show. The Dark Web kind where they abducted Xeno-victims and killed them. Most knew them as Live Games.

  The dark reality Tee confirmed ignited a blazing anger within her. With sheer determination, she planted her left hand firmly on the ground and propelled her body upwards, defying the excruciating pain that radiated from her torn muscles and the blood oozing from her tummy piercing.

  Each breath she took stoked the fiery ache in her right shoulder, but she couldn't afford to stop breathing, even if suffocating seemed preferable to her dire circumstances. A familiar voice pierced through the chaos, causing Tee to instinctively hold her breath and look up.

  The sight that greeted her widened her eyes and allowed her to draw in a desperate gulp of air. The hooded figure who had brought her to that battered state had his hand abruptly severed, the clean cut sending shockwaves through her being.

  What the freck?

  While Tee remained perplexed by the sudden turn of events, her comrades understood the cause. It was Kie, propelled by his seething rage, who rose to his feet and seized the opportunity while their adversary was preoccupied with lifting Saeda off the ground.

  Moving with lightning speed, Kie swung his sword like a razor disc, slicing through the adversary's hand.

  The very same sword that had failed to penetrate the adversary's back when Tee had attempted it had accomplished what seemed impossible.

  The severed hand, still clutching the fragment, was sent flying through the air as Saeda, no longer strangled to death, kicked it away with her flailing feet. It soared several feet before crashing to the ground.

  Kie wasted no time and darted towards the fallen appendage. As Miko, who had been thrown into Zod during the chaos, regained her footing, a scream erupted from her lips at the sight of the black liquid oozing from the adversary's sliced-off hand, staining his lower arm like an ominous ink.

  What kind of freak were they battling?

  That's when Tee's gaze shot upward, witnessing Saeda's astonishing display of power. Summoning a sword with her one good hand, the lower ends materialized within the adversary's upper torso, evoking a menacing growl of rage as he glanced down, discovering the blade forged within his own body.

  Before he could react, Tee summoned every ounce of strength to rise to her feet, a sword materializing in her grasp, she sent its sharp edge whirling towards the adversary's legs. Simultaneously, two more swords emerged from Zod and Miko, each poised for action.

  With the adversary's other hand missing, a shiver ran down Tee's spine as she anticipated his attempt to use Saeda's body as a shield against the onslaught of swords. It mirrored a classic scene from bank heist movies, where hostages were employed to deter gunfire, but this was far more deranged.

  But Tee didn’t shut her eyes in time to prevent seeing the cruelty she anticipated. The adversary, still clutching Saeda, defied gravity, leaping into the air with a single purpose: to evade the onslaught of blades.

  Relieved, Tee summoned another sword, ready for a renewed attack. However, her astonishment grew as a blade streaked towards the adversary's head from an unexpected source—Miko, moving with lightning speed, hurled the weapon with precision.

  In a breathtaking twist, the dark hand darted out from the back of the adversary’s head, swatting the sword aside. As his feet made contact with the ground, the impact causing a trembling tremor, he callously tossed Saeda aside like a discarded piece of wood.

  Saeda's anguished cries echoed through the air, like shards of broken glass tearing at the senses, a heart-wrenching symphony of pain that threatened to shatter the very fabric of their resolve. Tee clenched her jaw tightly, yearning to be deafened by the deafening chaos that surrounded them.

  Tee recoiled, momentarily overwhelmed by the visceral sound of despair. She shifted her focus away from Kie, who forcefully ripped the fragment from the detached limb, flinging the lifeless hand disdainfully to the ground, casting it away like worthless trash. He thought that if they couldn’t defeat the foe, then at the very least, they had to retrieve the fragment.

  The terrifying chorus of thousands reverberated through the air, but even their ominous voices couldn't tear Tee's gaze away from the suffering figure of Saeda.

  "Again?" the hooded adversary questioned, a mixture of surprise and curiosity in his tone.

  A hushed moan escaped Saeda's lips, her squirming ceasing as if realizing that her agony only intensified the pain or that an authoritative voice commanded her silence.

  "Even without the ability to manipulate reality, you have managed to land a blow upon us. It has piqued the interest of my friend, who now desires to join the fray," the adversary proclaimed, his words sending a chill down Tee's spine.

  Almost spraining her neck from the speed of her turn away from Saeda, Tee locked her gaze upon the tall, dark figure.

  What did he just say?

  His friend was about to join them?

  A surge of apprehension washed over her as she realized she had momentarily forgotten about the other two figures, dressed in their full black attire. They had been observing the entire ordeal, and it sounded as though one of them was preparing to enter the battle.

  Could it be Sade?

  Was he going to fight her? The thought made her question where his loyalties truly lay. Her mind spun in confusion—the line between them and us had blurred beyond recognition.

  A sharp, zipping noise pierced the air, snapping Tee's attention back to the hooded adversary. He had shifted from his previous position, forcing her to frantically scan her surroundings.

  Saeda remained on the ground, writhing in pain.Kie knelt, head bowed, his black bangs hiding his face, the black goo on his hands inflicting a pain she couldn’t see. Meanwhile, Zod's gaze fixated on something behind Tee, his expression laden with concern.

  Following Zod's line of sight, Tee spun around, only to catch sight of a black blur moving with extraordinary speed in tight circles. The height of the blur ruled out Miko's presence, but he could not be chasing himself could he? Miko was nowhere to be seen, leading her to surmise that the adversary was in relentless pursuit of Miko.

  Seizing the opportunity presented by their rapid but aimless circling, Tee realized it was her chance to strike. Was that part of Miko's plan? Or was she desperately evading the adversary, with him struggling to catch up?

  As she pondered, doubt crept into Tee's mind, filling her thoughts as she searched the blur relentlessly, seeking an opening to strike. The notion of causing harm to Miko seemed foolish when she herself was wracked with intense pain.

  Summoning her resolve, Tee steadied herself, summoning a sword and carefully planning her next moves. She held her breath, willing herself to endure the stabbing pain in her side. Convincing her mind that it was a severe cramp, one that would eventually subside, offered a modicum of relief.

  While Zod rushed to attend to Saeda, attempting to calm her, Kie remained rooted in place. Realizing that she was the only one standing, Tee knew that she alone must confront the adversary.

  As Tee sought her moment to strike, a torrent of questions flooded her mind, threatening to divert her focus. How could someone run with such searing pain coursing through their body? And why did the adversary appear unfazed by the absence of his hand? It was as if he were immune to the agony it should have caused.

  Despite being wounded and Kie holding the fragment, which should have triggered the expected surrender, there was no plea for mercy. Furthermore, the adversary spoke not with the peculiar Vergant accent but instead referred to himself in the plural form, defying convention.

  Suddenly, something wet splashed against Tee's face, abruptly halting her advance. She tilted her sword to catch her own reflection, her eyes widening in shock as she beheld the blood splattered across her features.

  What had the adversary done to Miko?

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