Aren and the other three made their way to the hole that the other group had used to come at them. That was the best route to find the enemy, after all.

They walked in silence for a while before finally, Leon spoke. "What's the plan of attack when we arrive there?"

"We attack. I'm going right for the crystal when I get there," Aren said.

"I like it," Aiden replied casually. He was more of a direct person, so this was a good plan for him.

"There's a hundred of them and four of us. It's also possible that they didn't show us their full strength, hiding some people back at the camp in case they failed their initial attack," Leon stated.

"True, but it doesn't change anything. We can't sneak in because they'll be expecting us. Hell, they'll be at the end of this tunnel waiting for us.

But I am tired of this, this whole massive teamwork setup that they forced us into, it's not for me," Aren replied.

Leon frowned slightly. Aren was still rejecting working together at heart. He thought they had started to get real close, but Aren didn't see it like that. He clenched his fist quietly and then spoke.

"Fine, a frontal attack, but we should at least have some level of organization going into it," Leon insisted.

Aren, finally tired of Leon's pestering, decided to humor him.

"So what do you suggest?" Aren asked.

"Well, considering the ability of everyone, we need to try and one-shot the crystal the same way that they tried to. So while you all hold them back, I'll attack the crystal with a powerful metal lance from a distance," Leon said.

His plan on paper sounded good, but that wasn't what Aren heard. Aren turned and looked at Leon.

'Why does it have to be him that attacks the crystal? Something is off about that. Tsk. Regardless, I don't plan on doing that,' Aren thought.

"If that's the plan you have, then it's pointless, to be honest. I'll just go with the flow," Aren said and kept walking, not wanting to hear anything else that Leon had to say.

Leon frowned when he heard what Aren said, but he forced himself to smile, keeping his cool.

"There is definitely a reward for whoever cracks that crystal. I'm sure of that, and I think Leon is too. I might be projecting, but still, I want whatever is inside that crystal for myself."

As they continued their walk, Kira, who had been silent ever since, walked up to Aren, moving beside him.

"Are we really going to defeat them on our own?" she asked, her voice hinting that she didn't believe that.

"Not defeat them, destroy their crystal," Aren replied.

"Oh," she said, not saying anything else after that. The mood became heavy because it seemed like there was more she wanted to say, but she couldn't find how to say it. Finally, after a few more minutes, she let out a sigh. "Be careful when you are there. I'll do my best myself," she said.

It wasn't what she really wanted to say, but it was what it was.

Aren stared at her for a moment, a little surprised, was she worried about him? He didn't think much about it though. His focus was on getting to the other side and shattering the crystal. And honestly, he wanted to end this as fast as possible.

They kept walking for a few more minutes when suddenly, Kira stepped on something.

Click.

The sound was sharp and mechanical, like a button being pressed.

Aren heard it instantly.

His Shadow Sense exploded outward, stretching nearly two hundred kilometers in every direction. In a split second, he saw it, multiple people positioned at the far end of the tunnel, others hidden in pockets carved into the walls. The button was a trigger to inform them.

"Oh shit," he cursed.

"Everybody, step back!" he roared.

Aren, Kira, Aiden, and Leon immediately turned and sprinted in the direction they had come from.

At the same time, the young archer from the enemy team released a shot.

The arrow screamed through the air at terrifying speed, its tip glowing bright orange as it tore toward them.

Leon stopped abruptly and slammed his hands forward. A thick metal plate formed instantly, sealing off the entire tunnel.

The arrow struck it.

BOOOOM!

The explosion obliterated the metal completely, but it stopped the attack. The tunnel walls shook violently, dust raining down as the ground trembled.

From the swirling dust, enemies charged forward.

Aren could sense them all.

But he wasn't backing down now, and he wasn't wasting any more time.

"I'm shattering that crystal, even if they expect me."

"Step back," Aren said to the three of them as he took a step forward.

He summoned his millipede.

The massive shadow erupted into existence and surged down the tunnel, its enormous body filling more than ninety percent of the passage as it charged forward.

Screams followed.

Raw, panicked screams of pain echoed through the tunnel as the millipede crushed everything in its path.

Aiden, Leon, and Kira stared in shock at the new shadow Aren had summoned, but there was no time for explanations.

Aren glanced at them once. "Let's move."

He lunged forward, chasing after the millipede.

The creature burst out of the tunnel and into the enemy camp. Those who managed to react in time fled in terror, screaming as they scattered deeper into the camp.

When the people there saw the millipede fully emerge, fear spread across every face.

Then Aren walked out behind it, calm.

His eyes swept over the camp.

And there she was.

Sophia.

She stood with her strongest fighters, positioned directly in front of the crystal. The moment she saw Aren, her expression hardened into a deep frown.

"Attack the one in armor!" she shouted. "Stop him from getting close to the crystal, at any cost! Even if it costs your lives!"

Fear gripped the people in the camp.

But they understood.

This was the moment they either fought back or lost everything.

And so, they charged. Sadly, Aren wasn't here for any of that. He immediately summoned all his summons except the goblin. Ants, wolves, everything lunged forward, turning the scene into a full battle, while he himself readied his wolf guard, locked his eyes on the crystal, and bolted.

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