Chapter 96: Dozens Of Eyes

Together, the three of them rushed towards the distortion like crazed beings.

The moment they crossed the invisible boundary, the forest around them shifted. The trees did not disappear and neither did the ground beneath their feet, but the distance between everything became strange. A tree that looked twenty meters away suddenly appeared only five meters from Leo. Another that looked close became distant the moment he blinked.

The distortion was trying to confuse them, but unlike before, Leo could now see parts of it through the protection of the Shell of Dread. Thin cracks appeared within his vision every now and then, revealing that the entire area ahead was covered by some kind of illusion. He kept running while ignoring the false images around him.

Beside him, Lucien maintained his pace without speaking while Nightwalker remained slightly ahead, his sword already drawn. The silver-haired man looked completely focused now. The lazy attitude he had shown around the students was nowhere to be seen. Every step he took was deliberate, and every movement carried a sharpness that made even Leo feel slightly uneasy.

The eyes watching them suddenly multiplied. Two became four. Four became eight. Soon dozens of eyes floated between the trees, staring at them from different directions. Some were large while others were small. Some appeared close while others seemed to be watching from far away. Leo knew most of them were fake, but that did not stop the pressure from increasing.

The mental attacks became stronger the deeper they went. Images constantly tried to enter his thoughts. He saw himself lying dead in the forest. He saw Lucien being torn apart by goblins. He saw Nightwalker kneeling before an unseen creature. Every image lasted only a second before the Shell of Dread crushed it. Even then, Leo’s head began to ache. Whatever they were chasing was becoming aware of the danger they represented. It was no longer simply observing them. It was actively fighting back.

Lucien suddenly raised his hand and released a pulse of golden Aura. The nearby eyes flickered briefly before disappearing. A few seconds later they returned, but Leo immediately understood what had happened. Lucien’s Aura could interfere with the distortion, even if only slightly.

"Left," Leo suddenly shouted.

Nightwalker reacted instantly, moving his sword In a flash, he exploded a nearby tree.

The illusion surrounding that section shattered for a brief moment, revealing something hidden behind it. Leo only caught a glimpse before it vanished again, but that glimpse was enough.

There was definitely a body somewhere ahead. It was not just a collection of floating eyes. Something physical existed beneath the distortion. The realization increased his confidence. Creatures with bodies could be killed. Creatures with bodies could bleed. No matter how strange this thing was, it still existed within reality.

Nightwalker must have reached the same conclusion because his pace increased immediately. Lucien followed without hesitation. The three of them pushed deeper into the forest while the pressure around them continued to rise. The eyes twitched repeatedly now, appearing and disappearing in rapid succession. It was becoming harder for the creature to maintain the illusion while also dealing with their advance.

Then the attacks began. The first one came almost immediately. The shadow beneath a nearby tree suddenly stretched outward.

A black limb shot towards Nightwalker. The silver-haired man swung his sword.

The limb split apart instantly.

Instead of blood, the severed section dissolved into black smoke before disappearing completely. More limbs emerged immediately afterward. They stretched from different directions, appearing from shadows, tree trunks, and even empty air. Lucien stepped forward and struck one with his palm. The shadow shattered apart like glass. Leo thrust the Yielding Spine into another one and felt resistance before the blade punched through. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The shadow recoiled violently before retreating. None of the attacks were particularly strong, but they achieved their purpose. They slowed the group down. Every second they spent fighting allowed the hidden creature more time to maintain distance. Leo understood that immediately. They could not waste time destroying every attack. They needed to reach the source.

He activated Severed Link. Several segments detached from the Yielding Spine and floated around him. The moment another shadow limb approached, the floating segments intercepted it automatically. The attack was destroyed before reaching him. Maintaining the ability strained his concentration slightly, but it was worth it.

"Keep moving!" Leo shouted.

Nobody disagreed.

The three of them continued pushing forward while ignoring most of the attacks around them. Nightwalker remained at the front, cutting apart anything that blocked their path. Lucien dealt with anything that slipped through. Leo focused on tracking the distortions. The deeper they went, the easier it became to see the cracks hidden within the illusion.

The creature was getting desperate.

Several times Leo caught glimpses of a massive shape moving between the trees. He never saw the full body, but every glimpse showed something larger than expected. It was definitely bigger than a goblin. Bigger than a bear. The realization made him wonder how such a creature had remained hidden for so long.

Then again, if its ability revolved around distortion and perception, size probably did not matter. It could simply hide whatever it wanted others to ignore. A sudden wave of dread struck his mind again. This one was stronger than the others. For a brief moment he stopped running. His breathing became uneven. The image that appeared this time was different. Instead of showing death or failure, it showed the battlefield behind them. Every student was dead. Goblins covered the ground while Mira and Gareth lay among them. The image lasted barely a second before the Shell of Dread crushed it, but the damage was done.

Leo’s expression darkened.

The creature was cunning. Leo grinned.

Before now it had relied on random images. Now it was trying to target specific fears.

"You are getting smarter," Leo muttered.

Unexpectedly, a whisper responded immediately.

"Unlike you."

Leo nearly tripped but calmed figuring the voice was the familiar dreadful voice of his damned sword.

The Yielding Spine was talking again.

"Not now."

"Then stop being distracted."

For once, the annoying sword actually had a point. No, it always had points. It was pretty smart for a sword.

Leo ignored the voice and focused entirely on the path ahead. The distortions had become clearer than ever before. Large cracks now stretched through the forest like spiderwebs. They all converged toward a single location. The hidden creature was close. He could feel it.

Nightwalker seemed to notice it too. The silver-haired man suddenly accelerated. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he rushed forward. Trees flashed past them. The pressure in the air increased dramatically. The eyes surrounding them became unstable. Some exploded into smoke. Others vanished entirely. The illusion was breaking down. Then, without warning, the forest opened up.

A clearing appeared before them.

The distortion finally collapsed.

Leo and Lucien stopped. Even Nightwalker slowed slightly.

The creature had finally revealed itself.

It was crouched in the center of the clearing.

At first glance, it resembled a massive goblin.

Then the details became visible.

Its body was thin and unnaturally tall. Long arms hung beside its knees. Dark grey skin stretched tightly across its frame. Its head was completely wrong. Where a face should have been, dozens of eyes covered the surface instead. Some were large. Some were small. All of them stared in different directions. Several eyes blinked independently while others remained motionless.

Black veins stretched between them like roots. The creature’s chest moved slowly as it breathed. Around it, the air constantly distorted. The ground beneath its feet looked uneven despite being perfectly flat. Looking directly at it felt uncomfortable, like the mind refused to fully process what it was seeing.

"So that’s the ugly bastard," Leo muttered.

The creature’s eyes shifted.

Every single one locked onto them.

For the first time since they entered the forest, the distortion disappeared completely.

The creature rose to its full height.

And then it smiled.