Mike rushed forward without thinking. He was only an arm's length away from his father and Lily's father.

But the Stone Skin Troll was Rank 6—far stronger and much faster than Mike.

The troll's massive arm shot forward like a flying boulder. Its stone-covered hand opened wide, aiming to crush both men in a single grab.

Time seemed to slow.

Other's eyes widened in horror. Mike's parents froze. Lily screamed.

Before Mike could reach them—

"Blood Wall."

Roselia moved.

She stepped forward faster than anyone could follow and raised her hand. A thick, dark-red barrier formed instantly in front of Mike's father and Lily's father.

Boom!

The troll's claw smashed into the Blood Wall.

The barrier shattered almost immediately—but it lasted one second.

That one second was enough.

For Mike it was enough time to act, grabbing his father with one hand and Lily's father with the other. He dragged them backward with all his strength, throwing himself out of the troll's reach just as the stone claw slammed into the ground where they had been standing.

The impact shook the entire area.

They rolled across the ground and stopped several meters away.

"Dad!" Mike shouted, quickly checking him.

"I'm fine—just shaken," his father said, breathing hard.

Lily rushed to her father's side. "Father!"

"I'm okay," James said, pale but unharmed. "Thanks to you all…"

The Stone Skin Troll roared again, pounding its chest as cracks spread across its stone skin. Around them, screams echoed as more cages opened and monsters escaped.

Red alarms blared nonstop.

Roselia stepped forward, her expression calm but sharp. "They've all gone berserk," she said, looking at the Stone Skin Troll and the other monsters throughout the zone.

Every monster had glowing red eyes. They attacked everything around them—some even turned on each other.

"How dare you all!" Lily screamed in rage. She slammed her staff into the ground.

A massive magic circle spread out, covering almost half of the Rank 6 area of the zone.

From it emerged countless summons.

Death Lords rose one after another, followed by Eldritch Liches—mythical beings in their own right. They appeared in overwhelming numbers, easily tens of thousands.

"Kill all these monsters!!" Lily shouted.

There was nothing but pure rage in her eyes.

The Death Lords and Eldritch Liches responded instantly, their red and black auras flaring as they charged forward.

"Mom, Dad, Misty—Uncle, Auntie—please get inside," Mike said quickly.

He opened his Shadow Domain. Since he could store living beings inside it, he decided to let them go in as it will be much safer then outside, a dark portal spread open behind him.

"It'll be a bit dark in there," he added, "but it's much safer."

His parents didn't hesitate. Mike's mother picked up Misty, who was still frozen from shock, and stepped into the darkness. His father followed immediately. Lily's parents rushed in right after them.

Once everyone was inside, Mike closed the portal.

He turned back toward the battlefield. "So… should we run or help?"

"I will kill them all," Lily said coldly.

Mike shrugged. "Then I guess we're fighting."

His shadow stretched, peeled away, and formed into another figure beside him.

"Let's fight then," Shadow said calmly.

Shadow summoned Eternal Winter. Cold air exploded outward as Mike also summoned Cryace, the Ice Elemental Spirit.

"Huh?" Cryace said, looking between them. "Why are there two of you now? And why does the other one have such perfect ice affinity?"

"You'll fight with him," Mike said.

At the same time, Mike raised his hand and summoned Inferna too. Flames twisted together as the Inferno Spirit emerged.

Inferna looked at Shadow, then at Mike. "Do you have a clone-type skill?"

Mike nodded.

"Then why don't you let Cryace bond with that one?" Inferna suggested. "They're perfect matches. Together, they can create spirit weapons faster."

Mike turned to Cryace. "Can you do that?"

"Normally no," Cryace replied. "Once bonded, we cannot separate. But he is you… so I can shift."

A small snowflake mark detached from Mike's hand, turned into a thin silver light, and moved onto Shadow. It settled just above Shadow's eyebrow.

The moment it formed, Shadow's presence became more colder and sharper.

"Huh? Why did it go there?" Mike asked, looking at the mark in the center of temple of Shadow.

Shadow also touched it as he wondered if there is another meaning in it.

"There is no meaning," Inferna said flatly. "Cryace simply chose."

Mike nodded. Still… it looks kind of cool, he thought.

He drew his weapon—Emerald Heart Sword, the only Mythical sword he owned. At the same time, black crystalline armor formed over his body.

The Black Mithril Knight Set locked into place—jet black, crystal-like, heavy and solid. No blue markings like when Shadows wore it thanks to his new skill. Only pure darkness and Violet sharp edges. A matching helmet covered his face, leaving only his eyes glowing faintly beneath it.

Shadow stood beside him, ice mist rolling off his body as he also wore his armor.

In the distance, berserk monsters clashed violently with Lily's undead army. Roars, explosions, and magic shook the entire Origin Zone.

Mike tightened his grip on the sword.

"Alright," he said calmly. "Let's help the others."

There were many families still trapped inside the Origin Zone. While Lily's undead army took the role of tanks—Death Lords and Mythical Liches charging forward, spreading debuffs after debuffs that weakened the berserk monsters—Mike and Shadow moved separately.

Both of them activated Shadow Domain.

One by one, they pulled frightened families into the dark space, shielding them from attacks and moving them to safer areas.

"Where is the security? Why is no one stopping this?" Mike asked as he guided another family into the shadows.

No one answered him.

What Mike didn't know was that this wasn't limited to the Origin Zone.

All across Lionheart City, chaos had erupted.

Every dungeon within the city limits had exploded at the same time. Even though they were cleared daily, monsters were pouring out nonstop. It was clearly a coordinated attack.

In the sky above the city, terrifying presences clashed.

Rank 6 beings filled the sky of the Lionheart City.

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