A dark Fiend.

As Eclipsed were categorized in two depending on whether or not they could use Umbra energy, there was another category to this,

Fiends.

Unlike normal Eclipsed, the ones categorized as Fiends seemed to possess some form of intelligence.

They weren't guided by instinct or simple hunger like Nightlings, nor were they brute-force monsters like the larger variants.

They studied prey, set traps, manipulated terrain, and sometimes even coordinated with lower Eclipsed.

And, according to academy records, any Fiend appearing inside a tier 1 or even tier 2 rift was a red-alert anomaly.

But there was no way of alerting the academy of its presence.

In short, they were fucked.

How so?....well,

Lorenne swallowed as she flipped through her book, her hands trembling slightly, she quickly scanned through until she stopped at a page with an illustration of the creature before them.

"A-according to this," she started, "I-It has the ability to freely control shadows."

As if the fact that they were about to fight an Eclipsed that was basically a tier 4 thanks to its ability to control umbra energy, it could also freely control shadows?

In short, pretty fucked.

"What's it doing?" Nox muttered as he looked down at the creature's hooves.

No one needed to say anything, as his answer soon came.

The shadows seemed to be extended from it and before the team could react, it enveloped the barrier and without much effort, crushed it.

Fortunately, Nox and Levi teleported the other two away just in time to avoid being crushed within.

"What's the plan?" Nox asked as he and Levi took a battle stance.

It was obvious enough that the creature was only toying with them but that didn't mean it would allow them to run either.

Elias gritted his teeth. "We can't face it head-on. Shadow manipulation means it can strike from anywhere, so we'll have to keep our distance."

Well, they weren't given the chance to finish planning, when Nox and Levi teleported away again as shadow hands rose from the ground, trying to grab them.

"It's… spreading its field," Lorenne whispered in horror. "That means the shadows inside its range are part of its body!"

"So it's basically everywhere," Nox muttered.

"Pretty much," she croaked.

A claw rose behind her.

Nox grabbed her shoulder and teleported them again, landing on the thick branch of a tree only for the branch's shadow to solidify and slice upward.

"Move!" Nox shouted, barely flickering away in time.

Levi reappeared beside Elias, only to immediately shove him aside as a spear of shadow tried to impale him from the ground.

Elias cursed. "Dammit, we can't keep dodging forever!"

"Then come up with something," Nox replied, his eyes darting around the battlefield in anticipation of where the next attack will come from.

Elias sucked in a breath and forced his brain to start calculating.

They needed an opening or a flaw, anything.

The Fiend stood in the distance, unmoving, only its spreading shadow pulsing with life as it stalked them across the terrain.

"Levi!" Elias called. "I need you to get me ten seconds with no shadows under me!"

Levi blinked at him. "There are shadows everywhere."

"I know," Elias said, "but your daggers release SE on impact. If you strike the ground around me in a circle, you can temporarily destroy the Fiend's coverage and force a disruption in its field!"

Levi narrowed his eyes. "Five seconds. I can only give you five."

"That's enough," Elias said as he quickly rummaged through his inventory.

Nox landed nearby with Lorenne in tow. "What are you planning?"

Elias held up a palm-sized device,a small metal disk with vents along the sides.

A prototype.

"One of my personal projects," Elias said. "A compressed SE shock detonator. If I overload it and stick it directly onto the Fiend, it should destabilize its shadow."

Nox's eyes widened. "Should?"

Elias gave a tight shrug. "Theoretically."

"Of course." Nox exhaled. "Fine. I'll get you close."

"No," Levi said, stepping forward. "You take keep the Fiend busy and keep Lorenne safe. I'll take Elias."

Nox blinked. "You sure?"

"Yeah," Elias muttered, "just don't die."

"Got it" Nox nodded before sprinting forward and teleporting in rapid bursts, drawing the Eclipsed attention with the golden trails he left behind.

"Now!" Elias shouted as Levi reached the Fiend and tossed the device to him.

Levi vanished, caught it, and slammed the device onto the Fiend's back.

The Fiend let out a guttural screech, twisting, claws quickly turning around to tear him apart.

But Nox teleported between them, blocking with Morphos in a staff form.

The impact hurled him backward, sending pain through his arm again, but the device was already attached and it started glowing bright.

"GET BACK!" Elias screamed.

Levi grabbed him and Lorenne by the waist and teleported both away just as the device detonated and a second later.

Boom!

The forest lit up in a bright shower of golden light momentarily blinding the four, but it soon dimmed, allowing them to witness the after maths of the attack.

When their vision returned, they saw a crater where the creature previous stood and in it was what remained of the dark Fiend.

Its entire upper torso was blown apart with chunks of it evaporating into wisps of darkness, almost as the Cyclops had.

"...D-did we win?" Lorenne suddenly asked as he looked at the creature's corpse.

"I think so," Elias breathed, his hand clutching his chest as adrenaline drained out of him. "We actually won against a tier 4"

But Nox didn't say anything, still keeping an eye on the disintegrating corpse. He was still getting a bad feeling from it, feelings that were soon proved right.

Shadows started gathering around the remains of the Eclipsed and slowly it patched itself together, its form taking shape again.

As if unaffected by gravity, the creature rose, causing the eyes of the quartet to widen. They watched as its body reformed good as new before its eyes locked on them.

"…Shit," Elias whispered.

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