The smile vanished from Thmaz’s face; his trembling eyes fixated on the abomination before him. Like the other canines, he came to an abrupt halt, but unlike them, he resisted the urge to retreat.

“What the hell is that thing?” a canine commented, stepping back.

While the specifics varied, the shared horror among them was directed at the figure adorned in ominous yellow.

Simultaneously, Zara and Llorva sprinted into the administrative building with all the speed they could muster. Despite the urgency, the elf couldn’t help stealing occasional glances as she fled.

“What is that thing? Are they the same people?” Llorva muttered between breaths.

“Focus on running. Rendezvousing with the others is our priority,” Zara said, quickening her pace.

“But is he going to be okay?” Llorva asked, stealing another glance at the swirling darkness where Scott once stood.

“I honestly don’t know, but our job is to ensure we don’t waste this opportunity,” Zara replied. “Enough talking for now. Let’s join up with the others. We're lucky he predicted the trial could be brought forward.”

Zara cast a quick glance in Scott’s direction before disappearing down a winding hallway. In less than ten seconds, the feline and elf vanished into the darkness.

Meanwhile, at the administrative building's entrance, a standoff unfolded between the cautious canines and Scott, who had removed his mask.

Could this be an illusion? Thmaz wondered. He had never encountered a creature emitting such a baleful and murderous aura. For some inexplicable reason, he felt a deep-rooted suppression within his bones, as if his very essence was terrified of the figure in yellow.

In the ensuing silence, a canine howled fiercely, desperation clouding its eyes. Unsheathing his sword, he dashed menacingly toward the lone figure.

“I’ll kill you!” he roared, the silver luster bathing his sword.

Closing the gap in a flash, he arrived in front of the unknown being within seconds. He thrust his sword in a stabbing motion, exuding copious amounts of bloodlust. Each subsequent stab was fiercer than the last, the silver sheen exploding into radiant sword light, leaving behind immeasurable shards with each explosion.

“What the hell is going on?” Thmaz scowled, taking a step back for the first time. Everyone wondered why the canine stabbed himself repeatedly, each strike more intense than the last. Furthermore, the deranged canine laughed as if reveling in the brutal self-mutilation and impalement.

“Tinor, have you gone mad?” Oxxi cried out, unable to witness the chilling scene any longer.

Tinor, bleeding profusely, turned toward the Oxxi. The savagery in his eyes renewed.

“You think you can run away from me?” Tinor said, feebly pointing the sword's tip toward Oxxi. “I’ll have your head.” The canine coughed out a mouthful of blood before finishing his statement, falling to both knees. However, his deranged smile persisted as he struggled to apprehend the creature in front of him.

What sort of wicked illusion is this? Even at death’s door, it's still befuddling his senses. The hair on Oxxi’s back stood on end.

Tinor dragged himself along the ground, attempting to crawl toward his companions, but the canine barely moved within the bloody pool.

“Oxxi, do you see something in his eyes?” Thmaz suddenly said.

“Huh? What are you talking about? I don’t see any… hmm? What’s that thing?” Oxxi narrowed his gaze, staring at a flashing yellow sign in the eyes of the bleeding canine.

Where did that come from? As Oxxi’s thoughts wandered, the yellow sign in Tinor’s eyes cleared, and as if a switch had been turned off, the insanity in the eyes of the canine disappeared.

“H-Help me,” Tinor croaked softly, the lights in his eyes dimming by the second. “I don’t want to die. Please help…” a crunch echoed before the canine could finish his pleas, and his head exploded into tiny, meaty chunks while a geyser of fresh blood amidst other brain juices splattered in all directions.

However, the canines paid little attention to the headless corpse. A sudden chilling wind encompassed them. What’s more, dozens of lilac flames with a blackened swirl in the center floated above Tinor’s corpse, gradually increasing in size as the temperature fell.

“Is this another illusion?” A canine muttered aloud, echoing the sentiments of the other champions.

However, the brisk cold threatening to freeze their lungs, coupled with the eerie hum from the flames, told them their fears were real.

“Defend yourselves!” Thmaz screamed. “Don’t let those flames touch you!”

After Tinor’s unfortunate demise, he wouldn’t let any of his companions meet a similar miserable fate.

The canine’s fist tightened around the hilt of his sword, and a crucifix flaming pattern appeared in his eyes.

“Those who seek the light shall not be abandoned, so I will forever trudge the path that leads to salvation! O’ keeper of light, harken to my words, let me extinguish the darkness before me!”

A blinding radiance shot out from the short sword, engulfing the area in a dazzling glow. The frightening cold disappeared, as well as the expanding flames.

A crude smile parted Thmaz’s lips. “Darkness has no place in the presence of light,” he chuckled softly while relaxing his grip.

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“I don’t know what kind of cheap tricks you used earlier, but it won’t work on me,” Thmaz said confidently as the light’s intensity started to dim. “No matter what you do tonight, you and the others will meet your ends here,” he declared proudly.

“Oxxi, you guys go ahead and eliminate those who entered the building. Leave the abomination to me,” Thmaz said, but there was no response.

The canine frowned as he turned to the side. Huh? Where did they go? Confusion replaced the canine’s brief irritation. He didn’t know when or how, but there wasn’t anyone in the area.

A chill suddenly ran down the canine’s back. The previous cold had returned, stronger than ever. However, Thmaz was more concerned when he recalled what happened to Tinor. He watched his subordinate lose his mind while attacking himself, making him wonder if he was doing the same to himself or his companions.

“Fear is only the beginning. There’s still much more to come,” a sickening voice suddenly filled the ears of the canine.

“Who said that? Show yourself!” Thmaz reeled, turning from side to side as he searched for the owner of the voice.

Damn it! Did I fall under his illusion too? Thmaz frowned.

The canine pressed both of his thumbs together, and the crucifix brightened in intensity. “I will not be swayed by the darkness; darkness has no place in the dwelling of light. For he who seeks light shall prevail over darkness, and so shall I prevail over darkness. O' ye bringer of light, show me the path to my salvation.”

A resplendent glow covered the praying canine, and the world surrounding him distorted, with the earth and skies coalescing into one. Then a crisp crack followed, and then silence. However, the silence only lasted a moment. A cacophony of disgruntled grunts, shrill screams, and incessant explosions filled the ears of the canine; and a thick, nauseating stench filled the air.

Thmaz stood there, staring at his companions who mutilated their bodies or attacked illusionary foes. His cold eyes roamed in all directions, before pausing at a figure who stood close to the entrance of the administrative building.

“You really fooled me,” Thmaz took a step forward with both thumbs still pressed against each other. “I promise you; you’ll pay dearly for what you have done to my people.”

A shrill laughter filled the ears of the canine, and the eerie voice returned like a wandering wisp. “Why blame me? They did all this to themselves.”

Thmaz’s visage darkened as he took another step. The light coating his body expanded, forming multiple tentacles that raced toward the canines who hadn’t succumbed to their insanity-fueled attacks. A hiss filled the air as the tentacles raced towards the incapacitated champions, and crimson-blackish fumes scattered where the tentacles passed.

Thmaz narrowed his gaze. Is that poisonous gas? No wonder he was able to trap so many of us under an illusion at the same time. Where did this bastard find a gas that is odorless, colorless, and able to drive one into madness?

“Bringer of light, please dispel these wicked fumes!” Thmaz screamed. The light cocoon pulsated for a moment, then expanded in all directions. The hissing reverberated louder than ever, and even more crimson-blackish fumes filled the air. The yellow sign flashing in the eyes of the canine slowly dimmed, and a modicum of sanity had returned to their consciousness. However, most of them remained on the ground, suffering from their self-inflicted injuries.

“Nizo, can you use your abilities?” Thmaz asked, eyeing the champion with three fox tails.

“Y-Yes, I know what I need to do. But give me a few seconds; my head is still a mess,” Nizo replied.

“Take all the time you need. Patch up the others when you’re ready.” Thmaz took quick but cautious strides towards the figure in yellow. “Leave that abomination to me.”

For reasons he couldn’t understand, the light couldn’t dispel the darkness shrouding the being. Thmaz pondered whether he was truly out of the illusion.

“I wonder,” a whisper drifted into the ears of the canine as it had read his thoughts, forcing him to a halt. Cold sweat covered the champion's back as his brows tensed. Simultaneously, a cacophony of shrill laughter filled his ears, and the figure in yellow vanished.

There’s no way this is still an illusion. No illusion is capable of remaining intact under the brilliance of the light, Thmaz thought. Doubts, however, slowly consumed his mind.

“I will not be swayed by darkness; darkness has no place in the dwelling of light. For he who seeks light shall prevail over the dark; and so, I shall prevail over darkness. O’ ye bringer of light, show me the path to my salvation.”

The light covering the canine hummed in sync with the champion’s prayers, becoming even more resplendent. This time, however, no changes occurred to the surroundings, and the figure in yellow had reappeared.

It wasn’t an illusion. That bastard had me fooled, Thmaz’s tensed features relaxed a bit as his eyes remained focused on the unknown creature. Unlike before, however, he refrained from recklessly approaching the figure in yellow.

“Are you really sure this isn’t an illusion?” The voice echoed again, sounding closer than ever before.

Thmaz realized the figure in yellow had disappeared again. Before he could ponder where the abomination went, a hand fell on his shoulder, forcing the canine to involuntarily jump over twenty feet away.

With his heart in his mouth and thick beads of sweat dripping down his face, Thmaz searched for the one who touched him, but he saw no one.

What sort of wicked ability is this? Why can’t the light dispel it? Thmaz struggled to control his breathing as he searched for Nizo and his other subordinates, but they had also disappeared like the figure in yellow. The surroundings had changed, a grayish mist threatened to devour the world, while thunder echoed from the blackened skies.

“You realize that none of these tactics will work, right?” Thmaz suddenly shouted. “Even if, by some miracle, you do end up killing me, you would only be digging a bigger grave for yourself. That I can assure you.”

Thmaz’s keen eyes prowled the gray, but he still couldn’t find the figure in yellow.

“I don’t know how you infiltrated my thoughts, but this illusion of yours will soon dissipate. Then, nothing will shield you from me,” Thmaz roared into the mist.

This time, footsteps reverberated from the east, and the canine pivoted towards the approaching sounds.

“You overestimate yourself,” a voice resonated in the canine's ears.

Instinctively, Thmaz turned to his right, finding a towering figure in yellow. He willed his limbs to move, yet inexplicably, they remained fixed. The figure, however, moved freely.

“Your annoying ability will make your demise challenging, but not impossible.”

A faceless humanoid materialized before the immobile Thmaz.

“Who do you think you are? You, kill me?” Thmaz scoffed. “Try it if you can. I don’t fear death,” he added with a defiant smile.

The humanoid's head tilted. “I know,” it responded emotionlessly. “However, there are fates far worse than death.”

Seizing the canine's jaw, the humanoid stated, “Don’t assume invincibility due to your Divine abilities.”

Fear clouded Thmaz’s vision. He couldn’t fathom how he fell under the illusionist's sway, and now, even his trump cards had been exposed.

Could this be a ruse? Thmaz pondered.

“I assure you it’s not,” the emotionless voice replied without hesitation, lifting Thmaz by his neck.

“It’s unfortunate our paths crossed. Now, you won’t return to your mundane life.”

“What do you mean?” Thmaz managed to say. He kicked at the humanoid, wrapping his legs around its arm.

“I told you there are fates worse than death, and you're on your way to experiencing it. Luckily, I've already entrusted your life to someone else.”

The humanoid momentarily faced west, then turned back to Thmaz.

“No need for this charade. I anticipate our next meeting, Thilo, son of Thioz.”

“Huh?” Thmaz's pupils widened. “W-Who are you, and how do you know that name?” A strange buzz interrupted the champion, and the misty world churned.

The Sentries have awoken! The path to Parla is now open!