Jin had exactly half a second to make a decision.
The wave of monsters bore down on them like a tsunami of twisted flesh and shadow, their otherworldly shrieks filling the chamber. Eren was still frozen against him, tears soaking into Jin's shoulder, completely oblivious to the approaching death that threatened to tear them both apart.
"Damn it," Jin hissed through clenched teeth. His arms tightened around Eren as he channeled every ounce of power he could muster into his legs. The ground beneath them cracked as he launched them both backward, barely avoiding the first monster's massive claws as they raked through the space they'd occupied moments before.
[System Alert: Multiple champions engaging hostile entities. Current survival rate: 87%]
They landed hard, Jin taking the brunt of the impact as he rolled them behind a partially materialized barrier. The sounds of battle erupted around them—screams, explosions, the wet tearing of flesh. Other champions had already engaged the horde, their powers lighting up the chamber like a macabre fireworks display.
"Eren!" Jin shook his friend roughly, trying to break through whatever mental prison still held him. "I need you here! Right now!"
But Eren's eyes remained distant, haunted. His lips moved soundlessly, forming words Jin couldn't understand. Whatever he'd seen in that illusion, whatever version of himself he'd confronted, it had shattered something fundamental within him.
A shadow fell over them. Jin looked up to see three void-beasts circling their position, their bodies rippling with unnatural movement. His power flared instinctively, golden energy crackling around his fists.
"Fine," he muttered, pushing Eren behind him. "Just... stay there. I'll handle this."
[System Alert: Champion Jin engaging multiple hostile entities. Support recommended.]
Across the chamber, Aria's battle cry rang out as she cleaved through a group of monsters with her light-infused blade. Fenguang's dragons of pure energy soared overhead, incinerating waves of creatures. But for every monster they destroyed, two more seemed to take its place.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The barrier behind them exploded inward as another beast tore through it. Jin spun to face the new threat, but he was already occupied with three others. He couldn't reach it in time.
"EREN!" he screamed.
The monster's claws ripped into Eren's back, sending him tumbling forward with a spray of blood. The attack seemed to trigger something in him—not awareness, but pure, primal fear. He screamed, the sound raw and broken, as memories of the illusion crashed over him.
"No," he whimpered, curling into himself as more monsters approached. "Not again... please..."
"Aria!" Jin's voice cracked with desperation as he fought through the horde. "We need healing! NOW!"
Aria cut down another beast, trying to make her way toward them. "I'm coming! Just hold—"
Her words cut off as a massive new creature materialized in the center of the chamber. It was different from the others—darker, more ancient, its very presence seeming to drain the light from the air.
[System Alert: Warning - Anomalous entity detected. Threat level exceeds previous parameters.]
"Round Two," the Nexus Core announced with cold indifference. "Begin."
The new monster's roar shook the entire chamber. Champions scattered as waves of dark energy pulsed from its form. Fenguang's dragons shattered like glass. Aria's light dimmed. Jin felt his own power flicker.
"Get to Eren!" Jin shouted to Aria, desperation clear in his voice as he tried to hold back the encroaching monsters. She nodded, her hands already glowing with healing energy as she fought her way toward them.
But as her healing light touched Eren's wounds, his screams only intensified. Tears streamed down his face as he thrashed, lost in some private horror.
"Please," he sobbed, his voice breaking. "Let them go... don't make me watch... not again..."
Jin and Aria exchanged worried glances as the chamber filled with more monsters, the ancient creature's presence growing stronger with each passing moment. Whatever battle Eren was fighting, it wasn't the one in front of them—and they were running out of time to bring him back.
[System Alert: Warning - Round Three approaching. Survival probability decreasing.]
The darkness grew deeper, and somewhere in the shadows, something began to laugh.