As the group walked, no one spoke. The only sound was the crunch of gravel beneath their feet. Kurovika walked ahead, her body relaxed and her expression one of boredom.

Evelynn, walking beside Kurovika, couldn't hold her tongue any longer. "You know...I never expected you to be this sadistic. I knew you were ruthless, but not...cruel.”

Kurovika glanced at Evelynn, an eyebrow raised. "Oh, please, don't act so sanctimonious," she replied, her tone lazy. "I know you've killed creatures far more innocent than that Shadow Wolf. Don't pretend you're any better than me.”

Evelynn's face hardened, but she didn't argue back. Part of her knew Kurovika was right. She had taken many lives in the past, some of them more innocent than others.

"Besides," Kurovika added with a smirk, "all's fair in love and war...and this fight against Necromoon is most definitely a war.”

Draley bit her bottom lip, holding back a scathing response of her own.

The silence continued as the group pushed forward, the landscape becoming denser and darker. The air thickened with ominous energy, the shadows shifting and twisting.

Draley, her gaze still locked on Kurovika's back, found herself wondering just how deep Kurovika's twisted behavior ran. Was this simply the result of being raised in a brutal world, or was there something more sinister lurking beneath the surface?

Svenja, walking beside Draley, noticed her tense expression. "Whatcha thinkin’?" she asked quietly.

Svenja nodded in understanding, her eyes narrowing as she glanced at Kurovika's figure ahead of them. "She's dangerous, that much is clear," she muttered.

Draley gave a dry laugh. "Isn't that an understatement?”

Before Svenja could reply, the ground suddenly trembled beneath them. The world around them seemed to ripple and distort, and a low, ominous rumble echoed through the air.

"What the...?" Reagan muttered, stumbling slightly as he tried to keep his balance.

Evelynn's eyes darted around. "Is that...an earthquake...?”

"No," Draley said, her eyes wide as she looked around. "It's something worse..."

As if to emphasize her words, the tremors intensified, the ground shaking violently. The air crackled with energy, and a deep, menacing laughter echoed through the shadows.

The Alliance members all braced themselves, the laughter sending chills down their spines. It seemed as if the very shadow itself was laughing at their plight.

Kurovika, surprisingly, looked quite amused, a sly smile on her face. "Oh? It seems we have company.”

Draley's eyes narrowed at Kurovika's calm demeanor. "You don't sound concerned."

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Kurovika just shrugged and smirked. "Oh, I have nothing to be worried about. But you all might want to watch your backs."

As soon as she finished speaking, the shadow around them thickened, and creatures started emerging from the darkness.

The Alliance members prepared themselves for a fight as the creatures encircled them. The ground continued shaking, making it difficult to keep their footing.

Draley, her hand clenched tightly around her weapon, called out, "Focus! We don't know what these things are, but they're definitely not friendly!”

The creatures, which appeared to be twisted amalgamation of shadows and corrupted energy, moved with unnatural jerky movements. Their shapes were ever-changing, shifting from one nightmarish form to another. They didn't make a sound, but their malevolence was palpable.

Svenja, swinging her sword, cried out, "The hell are these things?!”

"Shadowspawn," Kurovika called back, her voice almost cheerfully. "A delightful nuisance."

She flung her hand, sending a tendril of darkness towards the nearest Shadowspawn. It impaled the creature, which let out a soundless shriek before dissolving into mist.

The other team members followed suit, launching their attacks against the shadows. Reagan, a surge of anger rushing through him, conjured and swung his whip, wrapping it around multiple Shadowspawn. He then jerked the whip, slamming them on the ground with a loud thud.

Evelynn rushed in, her claws slicing and dicing with supernatural speed. She slashed through several Shadowspawn with ease, her expression stoic as ever.

Draley, while still appearing taken aback by the ambush, was holding her own very well, conjuring blasts of light from her staff to repel the shadows.

The Shadowspawn, however, were relentless. Despite the team's best efforts, the shadows continued to swarm like an endless tide. Some of them started forming into larger, more powerful creatures, their forms becoming more solid and menacing.

Reagan, after knocking down another Shadowspawn, panted heavily. "There's no end to them!"

Svenja, dodging a sweeping tendril, agreed. "We can keep fighting forever at this rate!”

"Focus on the big ones!" Kurovika called out, her voice still calm and composed.

Draley, while engaging her own set of shadows, glanced over at Kurovika. Her eyes widened at the sight of her, seemingly enjoying the battle far too much.

Meanwhile, the large shadow creatures grew more fierce and aggressive, their movements becoming more coordinated and lethal.

One of these creatures, its form a grotesque blend of sharp claws and distorted limbs, charged at Draley. She managed to sidestep just in time, but the creature's claws grazed her armor, ripping into her shoulder.

Draley hissed in pain, stumbling backward. Reagan, noticing her injury, yelled, "Draley, are you okay?!”

Draley held her shoulder with a grimace, raising her staff to cast a healing spell on herself, erasing the injury. "I'm fine, thanks. Just keep fighting!"

Just then, another large shadow creature lunged at her from behind, its maw wide open, ready to strike.

Svenja, who had been fighting off shadows nearby, saw what was happening and yelled, "Draley, look out!"

But before Draley could react, a tendril of darkness shot out from behind her, impaling the shadow creature and sending it flying back into the shadows.

Everyone, surprised by the sudden intervention, stopped in their tracks and looked towards the source. There, standing tall and undisturbed, was Kurovika.

She lowered her tendril, the shadows writhing around her form. "Don't let yourselves be ambushed. Stay vigilant!" she commanded.

The team, still caught off-guard by her unexpected aid, quickly regrouped and continued fighting the shadows. Many souls floated in the air from the shadows being attacked. Draley decided to take advantage of this, gripping her staff tightly.

"Supernova!" she shouted.

Everyone moved out of the way immediately to clear the way for Draley's powerful skill. Draley then twirled her staff before hitting the bottom of it against the ground, and every soul in the vicinity detonated, demolishing the Shadowspawn in a brilliant, colorful explosion reminiscent of supernovae.

The explosion ripped through the shadows like a chain reaction, their bodies disintegrating into nothingness. Kurovika, who was somewhat out of the blast radius, watched the scene with a bored expression.

"Hm, not a bad strategy," she commented lazily. "A bit flashy, but effective.”

Draley, panting from the energy expended in her powerful attack, shot a glare at Kurovika. "I wasn't trying to impress anyone with it," she retorted.

Svenja, catching her breath, looked around the desolate area. "Looks like we cleared them all.”

Evelynn, standing near the edge of the clearing, nodded in agreement. "Seems so," she said quietly. "Let's move on before more show up."

Reagan looked around, his eyes wide. "I honestly didn't expect that ambush. Where did these things come from?”

Kurovika, a sly smile on her lips, replied, "Oh, they come from the shadows. It's their domain. Though I must say, that last one was unexpected."

Draley, still annoyed by Kurovika's presence, shot back, "Well, maybe we wouldn't have been caught off-guard if you hadn't been so focused on "studying" one of them earlier.”

Kurovika shrugged nonchalantly at Draley's jab. "Maybe. Or maybe you all just need to be more aware of your surroundings."

Reagan, trying to keep the peace, interjected. "Let's just...focus on moving forward, okay? We don't want to stay here any longer than we have to.”

Svenja nodded in agreement with Reagan. "Reagan's right. We're not going to accomplish anything by standing here and arguing."

Evelynn, as stoic as ever, started walking forward, indicating they should continue. "Let's go, then. And stay alert.”

The team fell into line, their formation more alert after the unexpected encounter.