Jade and Aaron's convoy moved like a living tide through the forest.
Thousands of survivors advanced in formation, their footsteps shaking the ground in uneven rhythm. The path ahead split into two major routes—one long and dangerous, leading toward both the ancient ruins and the shadowed area, and another shorter but narrower route that led directly into darkness.
As planned—
Jade and Aaron took the longer route.
Henry led the shorter one.
It was a strategic split.
If one group failed… the other might still survive.
---
At the front of the convoy—
Jade and Aaron walked side by side.
Neither spoke.
Both observed.
The air itself felt tense, like something was watching them.
Jade's eyes scanned the forest constantly.
Aaron's presence flickered faintly, as if he wasn't entirely there.
Behind them—
Rows of survivors marched in formation.
Disciplined.
Alert.
Ready.
Any creature that appeared in front—
Jade and Aaron handled it.
Any creature that slipped past—
The survivors behind finished it.
It was efficient.
Clean.
Relentless.
---
Day Two.
That was when everything changed.
The forest… reacted.
A strange stillness fell.
Then—
A sound.
Skreeeeeeee—
From above.
Followed by—
Tick… tick… tick…
From the trees.
And then—
A low, rattling noise from the ground.
Jade's eyes narrowed.
"…Here they come."
---
They appeared all at once.
Like a coordinated assault.
From the sky—
Blood Vultures.
Their wings were massive, their feathers stained dark crimson, their beaks sharp enough to tear flesh instantly.
From the trees—
Shadow Spiders.
Dozens—no, hundreds—crawling silently, their bodies blending into darkness, their webs already forming mid-air.
From the ground—
Bone Crows.
Grotesque creatures made of bone and decay, moving in packs, their hollow eyes glowing faintly.
---
"FORMATION!"
Jade's voice cut through the air instantly.
The convoy reacted.
Fast.
Practiced.
---
Ella stepped forward.
Her voice was sharp and commanding.
"Archers—prepare!"
She raised her hand.
"First row—FIRE!"
WHOOSH!
A rain of arrows shot into the sky.
Several blood vultures shrieked as they were pierced mid-flight.
"Second row—FIRE!"
Another volley followed.
More creatures dropped.
But—
It wasn't enough.
---
"Eighth row—FORWARD!" Jade commanded.
"Seventh row—RETREAT!"
The formation shifted instantly.
Like a machine.
Some survivors stumbled.
Some screamed.
Some—
Died.
A shadow spider's web shot forward—
THUD!
It pierced through a man's chest like a spear.
Another was dragged upward, disappearing into the trees.
Blood splattered across the ground.
But the formation held.
---
Jade moved.
Vines burst from his chest—
Ice Vine.
Crystalline.
Sharp.
Alive.
They whipped through the battlefield like blades of frost.
SLASH!
A blood vulture was cut in half mid-air.
PIERCE!
A shadow spider was skewered against a tree.
CRACK!
A bone crow shattered under pressure.
---
The system whispered endlessly in his mind:
"You have slain Blood Vulture."
"You have slain Shadow Spider."
"You have slain Bone Crow."
"You have received data."
"You have received data."
"You have received data."
---
Jade's eyes glowed faintly.
The whispers—
They fueled him.
Each kill sharpened his focus.
Each notification pushed him further.
Faster.
Deadlier.
---
He moved like a storm.
Swinging through the battlefield using his vines—
Landing—
Striking—
Moving again.
His body flowed seamlessly between attacks.
Sharp Punch.
Every strike landed with precision.
Every hit meant death.
---
His vines absorbed blood as they moved.
Dark red streaks flowed along the crystalline surface—
Fuel.
Energy.
Power.
---
A bone crow lunged at him from the side—
Its claws aimed directly at his neck.
Too fast for most.
But not for Jade.
His armor activated.
The claws struck—
CLANG!
They were repelled instantly.
The creature froze for a split second—
That was enough.
Jade's vine pierced straight through its skull.
---
Above—
Ella had changed the battlefield.
Wings spread behind her.
A new data.
She soared into the air like a commander of the skies.
"Focus the Bone Crows!"
Her voice echoed.
Arrows rained down from above now.
Other survivors—those who had gained similar data—joined her.
Flying.
Shooting.
Killing.
The sky became a battlefield of its own.
---
The Bone Crows were strong.
But—
Under continuous assault—
They began to fall.
One by one.
---
Aaron…
Was something else entirely.
He wasn't leading.
He wasn't shouting.
He wasn't even fully visible.
He moved through shadows like a ghost.
Appearing—
Disappearing—
Killing.
---
Shadow spiders—normally the most dangerous—became his targets.
Their webs shot forward—
But hit nothing.
Aaron would vanish before impact.
Then—
He appeared behind them.
A single strike—
Clean.
Silent.
Dead.
---
The spiders tried to adapt.
They failed.
Aaron was faster.
Smarter.
Deadlier.
---
Meanwhile—
Jade was overwhelming the battlefield head-on.
His vines formed shields—
Barriers—
Weapons.
They blocked incoming webs.
Deflected claws.
Then struck back instantly.
---
The clash between spider webs and Ice Vine created sparks in the air.
Sharp.
Violent.
Unforgiving.
---
Jade shifted his approach.
Instead of just attacking—
He began controlling space.
His vines spread wide—
Like a net.
Anything that entered—
Died.
---
The battlefield tilted.
Slowly—
But clearly.
In their favor.
---
"You have received data."
"You have received data."
"You have received data."
---
Jade didn't stop.
He couldn't.
The more the system spoke—
The deeper he sank into battle.
He wasn't just fighting anymore—
He was evolving mid-combat.
---
By the time the last wave broke—
The ground was covered in corpses.
Blood.
Shattered bone.
Broken webs.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Breathing echoed across the battlefield.
---
Jade stood still.
His vines slowly retracted.
His chest rose and fell steadily.
The system whispered one last time:
"You have received data."
---
He had gained over 30 data fragments.
But he didn't smile.
Didn't relax.
Because he knew—
This was just the beginning.
---
Far away—
On another path—
Henry's convoy faced their own battle.
---
The forest there was different.
Darker.
Denser.
And filled with—
Blood Wolves.
---
They moved in packs.
Coordinated.
Relentless.
But—
Henry stood at the front.
Sword in hand.
Calm.
Focused.
---
"Hold formation!" he shouted.
The survivors obeyed instantly.
---
The wolves charged.
Fast.
Savage.
---
Henry moved.
His sword flashed.
SLASH!
One wolf fell.
TURN—CUT!
Another.
---
His movements were clean.
Precise.
Every strike lethal.
---
Behind him—
Archers fired continuously.
Spears clashed against claws.
Survivors fought desperately—
But bravely.
---
The wolves were strong.
But—
They were of lower rank.
And Henry—
Was stronger.
---
One by one—
The wolves fell.
---
Blood soaked the ground.
But the convoy held.
---
Back with Jade—
The battlefield had gone quiet.
Too quiet.
Jade lifted his head slowly.
His instincts screamed.
This wasn't over.
Not even close.
---
Somewhere in the forest—
Something stronger was watching.
Waiting.
---
And soon—
It would come.