A darkness begins to creep across the canopy, blocking the light from the vines weaved across the roof of the Lingxi Grove. The black Qi spews from Kollik Zhian. "His mastery over Dark Qi is terrifying. Yan! Use your Fire Qi to strike at the canopy, the flame will produce light, causing his Darkness Qi to weaken," screams Xiara as she launches an explosive vial towards the canopy.

"I have very few of these vials left, I am about to become extremely useless in combat," she adds, moving into formation behind Azreal.

"Just sta-" Azreal attempts to respond, his words cut short by Kollik's sudden movement, his hands weaving in a complex pattern. Dark energy gathers around him, pulsing with a malevolent power. "Shadow of the Abyss! Consume!" Kollik screams, a wave of dark energy flies towards Azreal and his teammates at incredible speed.

"Fuck! Dodge!" Azreal shouts as he turns, grabbing Xiara and diving away from the dark wave of energy. Azreal and Xiara hit the ground hard, Azreal stifling a grunt of pain as he lands on his back, both of them rolling to a stop just as the wave of dark energy blasts through the space they just occupied. The ground of the Lingxi Grove, where they once stood, was green and lush, now blackened and consumed, the earth itself seemingly corrupted by Kollik's dark Qi.

Lilith, her axe raised in a defensive stance, manages to deflect part of the wave, but the force of it sends her skidding backwards. She grits her teeth, the strain of holding back the dark energy evident on her face.

Yan Renshu, his eyes widening at the sheer power of Kollik's attack, heeds Xiara's advice. With a roar, he sends a burst of flame towards the canopy, the brilliant fire illuminating the darkened grove. The shadows cast by Kollik's Qi seem to recede slightly, but the reprieve is short-lived.

Kollik, his laughter echoing through the clearing, seems barely fazed by the light. "You think a little fire can stop me?" His viperous words strike at their plan, his hands already weaving another pattern. "I am the Shadow of the Abyss! A Chosen Echo! Darkness is my domain!"

He thrusts his hands forward, and this time, instead of a wave, four spears begin to materialise and take shape, each one crackling with dark energy, causing everyone present to tremble. With his thrust forward, he sends them hurtling towards the disciples, their deadly points aimed at vital organs.

Azreal, still on the ground, rolls to his feet, Calista flashing in his hand. He manages to deflect one of the two spears aiming for him and Xiara, the impact sending shockwaves up his arm. His eyes lock onto the spear, which he is unable to block. This is it, huh?

Xiara, her face pale, using the last explosive vial, hurls it towards the spear. The vial, perfectly placed, connects with the spear that would have taken Azreal's head. But the effort takes its toll, and Azreal can see her stumble, her Qi already nearly exhausted, now truly pushed to the limits.

Lilith, with a roar of defiance, charges forward, her axe exploding with a warm yellow Qi as she tries to close the distance with Kollik. But one of the spears headed towards her finds its mark, piercing her arm. She stumbles, her axe dropping from suddenly nerveless fingers. Yan, desperation etched on his face, screams, "Flame Soul! Ignition!" as he sends burst after burst of flame towards Kollik, trying to disrupt his casting.

But Kollik's body seems to fade into the shadows as he easily dodges each strike, gracefully appearing and disappearing into the shadows in the small clearing. A single burst of flame finds its target, before Kollik uses his dark Qi to form a shield, easily snuffing the flame.

Darian, still slumped against the tree, can only watch in horror as his friends fight for their lives. He struggles to rise, to join the battle, but his body, under the intense pressure of the Golden Titan Body Arts backfiring and almost completely draining him of his Qi, refuses to obey his will. Azreal, seeing Lilith fall, feels a surge of desperation. Did we save her just to lead her to her own fucking demise? Azreal's thoughts crush him under an intense feeling of guilt. So quickly, the difference in strengths becomes apparent; they are losing, and losing badly. Kollik is simply too strong, his mastery of the dark Qi far beyond anyone's capabilities.

The system's message is wasted. Azreal knows retreat is not an option. If they flee, Yan and Lilith will surely die, and the cult's plan, whatever it is, will succeed. He looks at Xiara, a sense of grief washes over him as he can see she has the same realisation clear in her eyes. They are locked in a battle to the death with a man who will revel in their despair, they are the only thing standing between an unknown Cult and their unknown goal. Are we even fighting for the right thing? Fuck! It's too late to be concerned about that now. Azreal forcefully steels himself for the rest of the battle.

With a guttural cry, his throat dry, hoarse and painful, Azreal charges forward, Calista burning with the last of his lightning Qi. I need to learn more techniques and methods, I can't even fucking use my Blood Affinity! Azreal's last thoughts to himself are of self-hatred and uselessness. He continues his charge, knowing it's a futile gesture, and knows that he cannot hope to match Kollik's power. But he also knows he has no choice. He will fight, and he will likely die. But he will die standing. Kollik, seeing Azreal's charge, smiles, the expression cruel on his shadowed face.

Kollik raises his hand, Dark Qi pouring into the surrounding environment. Azreal, unable to see where his Qi is going, continues his charge. But just as he is about to release the Qi, a malevolent aura erupts and encompasses the area. A second after, a horrific scream pierces the clearing. Azreal, his charge faltering, turns to the direction of the scream. He can see Lilith, her face contorted in agony. One of Kollik's dark spears, its point emerging from her chest, has found its mark.

"No!" Azreal screams, but it's too late. Lilith, her eyes wide with shock, crumples to the ground, her blood staining the earth beneath her. "FUCK!" Darian screams, his words weak, forcing himself to stand before the weight of a teammate's words causes him to crumble onto the ground. "Darian! Stop, you can't do anything in your state! You will die!" Xiara shouts, her voice cracking as the reality of the situation they find themselves in unfolds before her.

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"You're a monster! Molten Strike!" Yan screams. He moves with incredible speed towards Kollik, his attack taking Kollik by surprise and making a tremendous cracking sound as it connects with his body. For a brief moment, Yan believes the cracking is Kollik's rib cage, but the excruciating pain that radiates through his arm causes Yan's face to drop, his rage fading as his strongest strike only manages to burn a hole in his black robes, causing no physical damage to Kollik's discoloured grey skin. Yan's eyes scan for where the cracking sound came from, before intense disbelief falls upon him. His wrist, now hanging on by a few threads of skin and cartilage, the horrific cracking sound was none other than his own wrist ripping from the bone against Kollik's incredibly tough body.

A pained scream is all Yan can manage as he grabs his almost torn off wrist with his free arm. He forgets the situation he is in and begins to cry, tears streaming down his face as pain erodes his body and mind. Kollik, watching the scene, has stopped moving, truly enjoying the sight before him. "Yan, you could've achieved so much! Refusing us ensured your death, you even saved us the time of crippling you first!" Kollik's words are stifled by his laughter. He raises his hand to cover his face as he becomes unable to contain his crazed laughing.

Azreal, believing this to be a moment of weakness, dashes forward, Calista by his side, cracking and dripping with his Qi. With a swift movement, Azreal's blade descends. Kollik's laughter stops instantly. He raises an arm, expecting to block with ease. Calista, with Azreal's Qi flowing through it, slices straight through Kollik's arm. His crazed and laughing demeanour vanishes as he stares at his arm on the ground. To everyone's shock, there is no blood from his arm where Azreal made the cut.

"You, what is your name? We should've been focused on recruiting you rather than weaklings like Yan," Kollik says, his eyes fixating on Azreal, slightly shaking as he barely contains his excitement. "You have a very bright future, the perfect light to my shadow. I have no doubt you would become the greatest Echo the First Heavens have seen. I can see it in your eyes, your soul, your hunger for blood, your hunger for freedom, your hunger for vengeance. Join me, The Echoes of the Forsaken will give power beyond imagination," Kollik continues as he finally retrieves his sword. "Go away now, your voice is annoying," he says, striking towards Yan who's still screaming at his snapped wrist.

Kollik's blade makes connection with Yan's body, a sickening bone crunching sound splits the area, everyone's eyes going wide as Yan is turned into paste. Pieces of his flesh and blood fly a few feet before raining onto the floor. "Eat my shadow," says Kollik, shadow ethereal hands reaching from the darkness, wrapping around each piece of flesh and blood from Yan's body, dragging it through the darkness and into the floor.

Azreal falls backwards, lands on his ass and attempts to scurry back. I'm fucked, he deleted Yan, he will delete me. What if this kills me in the real world, what if this breaks my mind? Azreal's mind races as he scrambles backwards. Kollik, moving at incredible speeds, appears crouching over Azreal, stabbing his sword in the ground just behind his head, directly in the pathway of Azreal's escape. His body contorts as he leans over Azreal and lowers his head to be a few inches away. "You are far more interesting than any little root here. If we water you properly, you could bloom into our perfect little weapon. So, I offer you a choice, do you wish to join me now? Or should I kill everyone here and take you forcefully?" Kollik asks, an intense stare of fascination burning a hole in Azreal.

Help is on the way? They can't do anything, system. What can two disciples even do against this monster? Azreal questions, as Kollik continues his speech, "If you come with me now, I won't touch a hair on any of the disciples that are standing here, I give you my word."

"Azreal! Don't believe him, why would he ever need to concede anything to you? There has to be a bigger plan at play here," Xiara shouts.

She's right, what could he possibly gain by not forcefully taking me? Trust?

Azreal, a moment from making his decision to sacrifice himself, sees a notification appear from the system, one he does not expect to see mid-battle.

Will this be effective on Kollik? I should wait until the exact right time to surprise him. Azreal, deciding on a plan, ignores Kollik's words, intent to hold out until the two disciples arrive at their location, holding a tiny hope that they can turn the tide of the battle.

"I can see in your eyes, you've chosen to die alongside these pathetic friends of yours, such a shame," Kollik snarls, his voice dripping with venom. His face, now visible beneath his hood, is a mask of twisted rage. His eyes, black as the abyss he commands, fix upon Azreal with an incredible intensity.

With a roar of fury, Kollik unleashes a flurry of blows, his dark blade moving with a speed that defies comprehension. Azreal, his reflexes honed by the battles he's fought, is fast enough to deflect and dodge his strikes as he stands, yet his lack of experience at this level causes his reflexes to begin to fail him, each strike coming closer to finding its mark than the last.

Azreal, taking a few strikes to his upper body, grits his teeth as he pushes forward towards Kollik. "Pathetic!" he screams, as he drives his tempest venom blade towards Kollik's remaining arm. The swift strike is on target, as it reaches Kollik, the blade passes through, as if cutting smoke. Azreal falls further into despair, as his strike is perfect, yet all it takes is for Kollik to meld his arm into the shadows to nullify one of his strongest strikes.

A blinding light streaks across Azreal's vision, a thin sword striking at Kollik, narrowly saving his life from a dark Qi spear he hasn't noticed as it's deflected.