For Dustin and the others, passing through the five-colored light cocoon in the canyon was like leaving one nightmare only to find themselves trapped in a far older one, heavy with primordial dread.The stench of decay lingered, now mixed with the sharp tang of rusted metal and the dust of countless centuries. Faint light filtered through cracks in the towering rock walls above, casting patchy illumination that was enough to see what lay ahead. It was a battlefield long abandoned, stretching endlessly into shadow. There were no banners or fresh corpses, only crushing silence, worn down by ages beyond counting.Enormous ivory bones littered the landscape. Ribs curved overhead like archways, while skulls sat as large as buildings. They'd belonged to extinct colossal beasts, now resting among broken weapons and collapsed pillars. Despite the passage of time, the bones still radiated an oppressive presence.Rusted, fragmented weapons and armor lay among the relics of war. Their design

At the same time, Dustin's right fist shot out in a simple, direct punch with crushing force. His fist drove straight into the cyclop's weak point—the crimson eye at its center.The cyclop's body stiffened, and the glowing blue patterns across its body flickered and died. As if the earth and rock that formed its body had lost cohesion, it crumbled to the ground with a loud crash, leaving only a cracked, dull red crystal eye rolling free.Seeing that, the remaining two cyclops seemed to sense Dustin's overwhelming power. The red light in their eyes flared. Instead of attacking, they scrambled backward and tried to burrow into the ground."Trying to escape?"Dustin let out a cold snort. Using the tip of his boot, he flicked a piece of armor fragment from the ground into his hand. He infused it with true energy and snapped his wrist forward.The fragment split in midair, and the two resulting shards streaked toward the crimson eyes of the fleeing cyclops with deadly precision. With t

"Stay focused and take them down!" Grace shouted. Her dagger gleamed with a cold light, and a stream of sword aura slashed at a charging gray shadow. The attack made the wraith waver and thin out, its form growing fainter. It let out a piercing shriek but didn't vanish. Instead, it surged forward with renewed fury.The other guards weren't faring any better. Their sword aura proved pathetically ineffective against these mist-wraiths. It took multiple strikes to break apart a single one.However, the wraith's attacks were deadly. They could easily penetrate the guards' protective armor energy. The moment one made contact, a deep, soul-chilling cold set in, and the victim's life essence began to drain away at an alarming rate.One guard's attention slipped for just a second. A wraith grazed his arm, and his limb instantly turned pale gray and shriveled, as if every bit of moisture and vitality had been sucked dry. He groaned in pain and staggered backward, face pale as death."We c

The illusion formation had been forcibly broken, though not completely destroyed. The guards, who had been lost in the illusion, gradually snapped back to reality. When they took in their actual surroundings and their fallen comrades lying in pools of blood, their faces went pale with horror."That illusion formation was terrifyingly real… It could so vividly reflect the desires of the human heart," Grace said, her voice trembling slightly. Her gratitude towards Dustin deepened.His sharp gaze darted toward the far end of the valley, where the only real spring shimmered in the distance. The air above it twisted and warped until a faint figure slowly took shape.It solidified into a woman of otherworldly, almost unsettling beauty. Dressed in rainbow robes, her body was an illusory form of coalescing light and fog.She hovered barefoot above the spring, surrounded by a haze of seductive energy that tugged at the mind. Her eyes were deep and bottomless, reflecting a thousand images

As soon as Mirage escaped, the last remnants of the unnatural energy fluctuation in the valley had finally subsided.The survivors slowly opened their eyes and removed their hands from their ears. They looked at the real yet desolate scenery around them. Recalling everything they had just been through, everyone felt as if they were in another world.Several injured guards collapsed to the ground. They gasped for breath, and their faces were etched with lingering fear.Grace walked up to Dustin. Seeing his somewhat pale complexion, she asked with concern, "Are you alright?"Shaking his head, he looked toward the direction Mirage had fled. "I'm fine. Just drained from the mental battle," he replied. "Her core was damaged, so she probably won't dare show herself again anytime soon."Judith pressed a hand to her chest, still shaken. "That was terrifying. Those illusions were practically impossible to fight. If Mr. Rhys hadn't figured out her weakness, none of us would have made it."