It was because Adrian had been waiting for this exact moment.


    As the monster waves thickened and the Ruin Guardian loomed, Adrian''s mind raced. He had anticipated the appearance of the cult-like group members—their glowing symbols and ominous presence confirmed it. It was time to put his next move into action.


    He sidled up to Aria, who was firing spells with unerring precision, and whispered, "Aria, I need you to cover us. We''re moving in."


    Aria''s keen eyes flicked to him briefly, understanding the unspoken n without needing more exnation. Her grip on the staff tightened. "Got it."


    Without missing a beat, Adrian gestured to Ardel, who had been standing nearby, ready for orders. "Follow me, we''re taking the assassination route."


    Ardel gave a subtle nod after a brief surprise. His newly developed assassin''s instincts kicked in, his body tense and ready to blend into the surroundings.


    Aria began to mutter a quick incantation under her breath. The ground trembled slightly as a thick earth wall rose, seemingly meant to block the approaching monsters.


    It looked solid and imprable, but in reality, it was a clever diversion. Behind the cover of the earthen barrier, Adrian and Ardel quickly donned their invisibility cloaks. The cloaks shimmered, bending light around them, but Adrian wasn''t taking any chances.


    "Just in case," Adrian murmured to Ardel.


    Ardel nodded, closing his eyes briefly.


    A faint ripple in the air around them signaled that Ardel had activated his ability, blending their presence even further with the surroundings. Their forms, already hidden by the cloaks, now became indistinguishable from the environment, like ghosts on the battlefield.


    "We''ll go with bait and strikebo," Adrian whispered. "Let''s go."


    With that, the two melted into the surroundings, slipping behind the wall and retreating from sight. Their maneuver would take them wide, around the battlefield, toward the massive Ruin Guardian and the men with the glowing symbols.


    Meanwhile, Dorian, still high in the air atop Bane, unleashed another icy barrage toward the cult-like men. The frost tore through waves of monsters, but the Ruin Guardian once again deflected the attack, protecting its masters. The symbol-bearing men stayed focused, oblivious to Adrian and Ardel''s silent approach.


    Well, it was also within Adrian''s calctions - why would they pay attention to two weak Neb Tier kids when there was a bigger threat such as Bane and Dorian?


    The two also did their job and kept the enemy distracted, giving Adrian the window he needed.


    Adrian and Ardel moved like shadows, inching closer to the towering Ruin Guardian. The closer they got, the more palpable its power became. The creature''s crackling energy and towering form were intimidating, but their focus remained sharp. He nced at Ardel, signaling it was time.


    Both leapt forward in perfect sync, their footwork wless. Adrian activated his ''Phantom Step'', a technique that allowed him to move with such fluidity and speed it was as though he was weightless and teleporting. Ardel mirrored him, using his own assassin''s footwork, his ability making him seem as though he were part of the wind itself.


    They scaled the massive guardian, slipping past its defenses, and using its own stone ridges to climb unnoticed. Ardel''s heart pounded as they neared the top, where the three men stood, still barking orders at the monster horde.


    As nned, Ardel was the first to move, his dagger gleaming in the dim light as he leaped to strike. As he reached the neck of the man in the middle, a crackling sound was made as his de met an unseen force—an intense red barrier that red to life around the men. The barrier reflected the blow with violent energy, sending Ardel flying back. He crashed into a stone ledge with a grunt of pain.


    "Good job."


    Ardel winced but gave a quick thumbs-up, signaling that he was still in the fight. Adrian took a deep breath, narrowing his eyes at the barrier. His mind raced. The barrier was too strong for a direct assault. But he already had a n.


    However, he would need to test it.


    Summoning the hidden yet obvious power inside him, Adrian focused his mind. The technique he was about to unleash was one of his aces, something he''d been practicing with the team and himself: ''Bright''.


    Light erupted from him, not just in a burst, but in a controlled, all-epassing wave. The area around him was bathed in pure, radiant light that consumed everything within a five-meter radius. It was an overwhelming, blinding glow that swallowed both him and the three cultists.


    To anyone outside the circle, the battlefield seemed to vanish in a sphere of white, but within, Adrian had perfect rity.


    Only he could see.


    This was the improved version of Bright.


    The three men shouted in surprise, their eerie eyes flicking around, unable to understand what had happened. They tried to rally the Ruin Guardian below, but it was toote.


    In one swift motion, Adrian''s sword arced through the light, silent and deadly.


    The first cultist''s head fell from his shoulders before he even realized what was happening. His eyes dimmed, and his body slumped to the ground, leaving nothing but a trail of fading light.


    The second man spun toward the sound, but he never had a chance to react. Adrian''s de sliced through the air, clean and precise, separating head from body in an instant. His sword moved so fast it cut through the very fabric of the light around them.


    The final cultist barely managed to raise his hand in futile defense, but Adrian was already upon him. The light illuminated the man''s terrified expression for a fraction of a second before Adrian''s sword shed one final time, cleaving through his neck with ruthless efficiency.


    It had taken no more than four seconds.


    As quickly as the light had appeared, it retracted back into Adrian''s body in a single, blinding sh, leaving the battlefield once again in its natural state.


    The scene was now eerily calm.


    Adrian stood atop the Ruin Guardian, his sword still gleaming with the faint residue of his bright technique.


    Around him, the three cultist-like men''s lifeless bodies copsed in unison, their heads rolling away from their limp forms. The eerie glow from their symbols flickered out as if snuffed by Adrian, not the light''s presence.


    While the red barrier had already shattered upon contact with the ''Bright'', just as he had suspected.


    The Ruin Guardian below trembled, its connection to its masters severed. The monstrous creature, which had been protecting the cultists with unwavering obedience, froze in ce for a moment before its eyes regained the rity that had been lost under the symbol-bearing men.


    Adrian barely had time to brace himself before the massive creature began to shake with such force that the three decapitated cultists rolled off its back and plummeted to the ground below.


    Adrian''s own bnce wavered, but his year of experience in the Survival Training Course kicked in, allowing him to adjust quickly. He spotted Ardel, who was struggling to hold on as the guardian convulsed beneath them.


    Without hesitation, Adrian lunged forward, grabbing Ardel by the arm just as he began to slip. His eyes darted upwards, quickly scanning the battlefield. Bane, Dorian''srge flyingpanion, was already soaring close by, circling like an ever-watchful sentinel.


    "Hold on!" Adrian shouted to Ardel, tightening his grip.


    With a swift, calcted motion, Adrian hoisted Ardel into the air and hurled him towards Bane. The momentum carried Ardel straight to the dragon''s back, where Dorian, quick on the uptake, reached out and caught him mid-flight.


    Dorian grunted from the impact, but quickly steadied Ardel, offering a reassuring nod before focusing back on the battlefield.


    Adrian didn''t waste a second. He spun around, feeling the golem-like guardian''s tremors intensify beneath him. The creature had realized the control on it was gone, and its rage was palpable. Its massive form twisted, its movements bing erratic and dangerous.


    Adrian leapt high into the air, propelling himself toward Bane with a precise jump. As he soared, he felt the Ruin Guardian''s attention lock onto them, sensing their presence.


    The creature roared, its guttural sound echoing across the battlefield. Its arm shot out, and from the very ground beneath its feet, jagged earth shards formed and shot toward Adrian and Bane with terrifying speed.


    ''Oh, shoot, I didn''t expect this!''


    "Dorian!" Adrian shouted mid-air, knowing they couldn''t outrun the projectiles without help.


    Dorian''s eyes widened as he nced back at the iing earth shards. With a determined grunt, he raised his hands, casting a powerful barrier of swirling fire in their direction. The firewall formed just in time to block the first wave of shards, but the sheer force of the impact caused cracks to spiderweb across the surface of the barrier.


    Adriannded on Bane''s back beside Ardel, who had just regained hisposure. The moment Adrian''s feet touched the scales, Bane roared and pushed himself into an even faster flight, wings beating powerfully to gain distance from the Ruin Guardian.


    The second volley of earth shards followed, sharper and faster than before.


    "Hold tight!" Dorian yelled, his face twisted in concentration as he summoned another burst of magic. Wind covered the air around them, reinforcing the barrier as the shards mmed against it.


    The barrier shattered upon impact, but it had done its job—buying them enough time to escape the range of the Ruin Guardian''s attacks.


    "Let''s pick up the rest of the team quickly."