Aaron crashed across the ancient stone floor, blood spraying from his lips as his body slammed against a broken pillar with a thunderous force. Cracks spread through the pillar before it collapsed completely behind him. Dust exploded into the air, filling the chamber with a suffocating haze.
For a brief second, silence reigned.
Then the vines attacked again.
They burst from the invisible boundary surrounding Sarah like awakened serpents. Thick black vines slithered through the air with terrifying precision, their movements too intelligent to belong to ordinary creatures. The moment they appeared, the temperature inside the chamber dropped.
Aaron reacted instantly.
His body dissolved into shadows.
The vines pierced through the place where he had stood a split second earlier and slammed into the ground, carving deep holes into the ancient stone.
Aaron emerged several meters away beside Jade.
"Those things predict movement," Aaron growled while wiping blood from his mouth.
Another vine shot toward his throat.
Aaron vanished again.
Boom!
The vine pierced through the wall behind him, causing ancient debris to rain downward.
Jade narrowed his eyes.
Mind Deceiver activated.
The world around him slowed.
He could normally predict attacks, analyze trajectories, and see openings before enemies moved. But the vines before him completely ignored logic. They twisted unnaturally, changing direction midway like living whips guided by an invisible consciousness.
One struck toward Jade's chest.
Jade reacted immediately, summoning his crystalline Ice Vine into a shield before him.
Clang!
The vine collided against the defensive web, but instead of stopping, it curved around the barrier and slashed across Jade's shoulder.
Blood splashed.
Jade staggered backward in shock.
"How…?"
Another vine pierced toward his leg.
Jade barely dodged, yet a second vine immediately followed the first, striking him across the ribs.
Blood rolled down his body.
Mind Deceiver was failing.
No matter how he calculated, the vines always found an opening.
Aaron suddenly exploded with purple radiance.
Light erupted from his body like a miniature sun.
His eyes glowed purple.
His hair slowly shifted into a dark violet shade as terrifying power spread from him. Purple wings burst from his back, formed from pure radiant energy that looked both fiery and divine.
His skin transformed into something harder than steel and smoother than crystal.
The inherited God Body had appeared again.
The chamber trembled.
Even the attacking vines hesitated briefly.
Aaron clenched his fists.
Purple mist spread around him, weakening the movements of the incoming vines.
"You really picked the wrong people today," Aaron muttered coldly.
He dashed forward.
Boom!
The ground shattered beneath his feet.
Aaron's fist smashed into one of the vines with overwhelming force, blasting it backward. Yet before he could continue, six more vines lunged at him from different directions.
They pierced his shoulders, arms, and waist.
The impact alone would have killed an ordinary aspirant instantly.
But Aaron merely frowned.
No blood flowed.
His wounds regenerated almost immediately under the effects of his God Body.
Still, the damage was accumulating.
Even his healing could not fully keep up.
On the other side, Jade was in a far worse condition.
Blood covered his body.
His Ice Vine had already shrunk considerably from overuse. Every regeneration consumed energy, and the constant suppression inside the ruins made recovery painfully slow.
Another vine slashed across his thigh.
Jade gritted his teeth.
His breathing became unstable.
Then—
Crack.
Jade froze.
He felt something inside his soul sea split open.
A golden light erupted within his consciousness.
The system whispered calmly.
"Young companion Little Gold has evolved."
Jade's pupils contracted.
"Little Gold is reforming."
"Little Gold Initiate Body complete."
"Displaying profile."
A radiant screen appeared before Jade's eyes.
Name: Aviana
Type: Companion Beast
Power: Sonic Attack
Rank: Unranked Initiate
Class: God Body
Ability: Human Transformation
Jade nearly lost focus.
Little Gold… evolved?
And not only that—
Human transformation?
Jade's thoughts spun rapidly.
The tiny golden chick that always perched on his shoulder could now become human?
But what confused him most was the word "Unranked."
Inside his consciousness, Jade immediately questioned the system.
"Why is she unranked?"
The system responded instantly.
"She has surpassed the ordinary initiate classes."
"She must now fight higher-order existences to evolve further."
"Examples: Beast, Monster, Demon, and above."
Jade understood immediately.
Ordinary classes were no longer enough for her growth.
Which meant Little Gold was no ordinary creature anymore.
Another vine struck toward Jade's neck.
He barely leaned backward in time.
The tip sliced across his chin.
Blood dripped onto the floor.
Jade clicked his tongue in frustration.
Even with all his growth, he still felt powerless before these vines.
Ahead of them, Sarah remained suspended in the air.
Four massive vines bound her arms and legs tightly.
Her head hung downward weakly.
Her silver hair covered part of her face.
Her body looked extremely pale, almost lifeless.
Yet the vines surrounding her pulsed rhythmically like beating hearts.
It was as though the ruins themselves were feeding on her.
Aaron saw his sister's condition.
His expression darkened completely.
The playful attitude he normally carried vanished.
Cold killing intent exploded from him.
The purple radiance around his body intensified.
"Aaron!" Jade shouted.
But Aaron ignored him.
He rushed directly toward Sarah.
Dozens of vines immediately intercepted him.
Aaron dissolved into shadows repeatedly, weaving through the attacks with frightening speed.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Each missed strike tore through the ancient chamber.
Stone exploded everywhere.
The vines pursued him relentlessly.
One finally pierced through Aaron's side.
Another stabbed into his shoulder.
A third wrapped around his leg and slammed him violently into the wall.
Blood splashed this time.
Aaron coughed heavily.
Even his God Body was beginning to struggle.
Still—
He stood back up.
"You picked the wrong sister," Aaron said coldly.
A strange black ring appeared on his finger.
Shadow Thread Ring.
The moment it materialized, shadows throughout the chamber began flowing toward him unnaturally.
Darkness gathered around Aaron like streams of water.
The ring absorbed everything.
The shadows condensed into a sword.
A completely black blade.
The blade emitted no aura.
No pressure.
Yet the moment it formed, the chamber itself seemed to become quieter.
Aaron dashed forward again.
Slash!
The shadow sword cut through one of the vines.
But before the blade could fully sever it, the vine twisted away unnaturally.
It dodged.
Aaron narrowed his eyes.
The vines truly possessed intelligence.
Several more attacked simultaneously.
Aaron blocked some and dodged others, but wounds continued appearing across his body.
Even Jade could barely follow the exchange now.
The speed was terrifying.
Jade attempted supporting Aaron using Mind Deceiver and Ice Vine simultaneously.
Crystalline vines erupted from the ground and pierced toward the black vines.
This time, however, the enemy vines avoided them effortlessly.
Jade frowned.
"They're learning…"
The realization sent chills down his spine.
The longer they fought, the more dangerous the vines became.
Aaron suddenly changed tactics.
Instead of attacking the physical vine—
He attacked the shadow beneath it.
Slash!
The black blade sliced through the vine's shadow on the ground.
Instantly, the real vine trembled violently.
The creature convulsed.
Then it collapsed lifelessly onto the floor.
Jade's eyes widened.
"That worked?!"
Aaron smirked slightly despite the blood on his face.
"Everything has a shadow."
The system whispered immediately.
"You have destroyed a guardian vine."
That announcement alone confirmed it.
The vines were alive.
And they could die.
For the first time since entering the chamber—
Hope appeared.
Aaron raised the shadow blade again.
"If shadows are their weakness," he muttered, "then let's butcher every single one."
The remaining vines suddenly became enraged.
The chamber shook violently.
More vines erupted from the walls, ceiling, and ground.
Hundreds of them.
Jade's expression darkened.
"This just became worse."
The black vines surged toward them like an endless tide.
Aaron tightened his grip on the sword.
Jade summoned the remnants of his Ice Vine again.
Both of them prepared for another brutal clash.
And far behind the countless writhing vines—
Sarah slowly lifted her head for the first time.