Adam didn’t hesitate. He surged forward, claws extended, dark energy coiling around his fingers.

"[Abyssal Claw]!"

He slashed at the Red Templar first, aiming for the gaps in its corrupted armor. The Templar raised its greatsword to block, the impact sending sparks flying through the darkness. Adam pressed the attack, his claws raking across the Templar’s chestplate, leaving deep gouges in the corrupted metal.

The Red Templar roared, swinging its massive blade in a wide arc. Adam twisted, Abyssal Step carrying him through the shadow of a broken pillar, emerging behind the Templar. He drove his claws into its back.

"[Abyssal Pierce]!"

The void energy exploded from his hand, tearing through the Templar’s armor. The creature stumbled forward, but it didn’t fall. Its greatsword swept toward Adam’s head, forcing him to leap back.

The Nightwraith materialized beside him, its spectral claws reaching for his throat. Adam’s Apex Instinct flared, his body twisting just in time to avoid the strike. He retaliated with a burst of golden light.

"[Prismatic Beam]!"

The rainbow lance shot toward the Nightwraith. It dissolved into shadows, the beam passing through empty air. Adam’s eyes narrowed as the Nightwraith reformed behind him, striking his shoulder. A cold numbness spread through his arm, sapping his strength.

"Tch!" Adam hissed, Abyssal Step carrying him away before the Nightwraith could strike again.

’They’re too coordinated. Every time I focus on one, the other two attack. I need to break their formation.’

He raised his hand, dark energy gathering in his palm.

"[Abyssal Pierce]!"

The projectile shot toward the Nightwraith. The creature dissolved, the lance passing harmlessly through empty air. Adam had expected that. He was already moving, Abyssal Step carrying him toward the Vacant Eyes.

The hooded figure’s single massive eye fixed on him, and a wave of shadow magic exploded outward in all directions. Adam’s Aegis of the Colossus flared to life, the shimmering barrier absorbing the brunt of the attack. But the force of it pushed him back.

’That Vacant Eyes is the real problem,’ Adam thought, his eyes narrowing. ’The other two are strong, but that one’s attacks are the hardest to predict.’

He tried to close the distance, but the Red Templar was already there, its greatsword sweeping toward his ribs. Adam’s claws met the blade, dark energy clashing against solidified shadow. Sparks showered between them.

"Persistent," Adam muttered, pushing the Templar back with a burst of strength. "But you’re not going to stop me."

He activated Abyssal Step, his body dissolving into the shadow beneath his feet. He emerged behind the Vacant Eyes, his claws already extended, ready to strike.

"[Abyssal Claw]!"

The Red Templar appeared between them.

Its greatsword intercepted his strike, the impact jarring Adam’s arm. The Templar’s corrupted eyes gleamed beneath its helmet.

"Heh..." Adam’s lips curved into a cold, sharp smile. "So you’re willing to sacrifice yourself to protect him? Or are you just that loyal?"

The Red Templar didn’t answer. It simply raised its greatsword for another strike.

Adam’s eyes narrowed as he faced down the Red Templar, the Nightwraith circling behind him, and the Vacant Eyes preparing another spell beyond them.

’This is taking too long. I need to finish this before my stamina runs out.’ He exhaled slowly, centering himself. ’Alright. I’ve been holding back. But now... it’s time to fight seriously.’

Adam’s aura surged. His eyes flared crimson-gold, and dark energy began to coil around his body like a second skin. Crown of the Hollow Glutton flickered on his brow, its hungry light pushing back the shadows around him.

He reached out with his will and activated his authority.

"[Domineering Will]."

The psychic pressure exploded outward, slamming into all three guardians at once. The Red Templar froze mid-swing, its greatsword halted inches from Adam’s head. The Nightwraith’s spectral form flickered, its claws retreating as if struck by an invisible wall. The Vacant Eyes’ single massive eye went wide, its shadow magic sputtering and dying.

Adam didn’t waste the opening. He lunged forward, dark energy gathering in his palm, and unleashed a devastating storm directly into the center of the frozen guardians.

"[Tempest Sovereign]!"

The vortex of cutting wind and crackling lightning tore through the chamber, shredding the shadows that clung to the walls. But just as the storm was about to consume them—

The Vacant Eyes’ body convulsed.

Its single eye blazed with sudden, violent light, and the paralysis shattered. A pulse of shadow magic erupted from its form, breaking the Domineering Will’s hold on all three guardians simultaneously. The Red Templar twisted, its greatsword deflecting the brunt of the Tempest. The Nightwraith dissolved into mist, the storm passing through its intangible form harmlessly.

Adam’s eyes narrowed. "Tch. It broke through."

The guardians didn’t give him time to react. The Red Templar surged forward, its greatsword sweeping toward Adam’s chest. The Nightwraith materialized behind him, spectral claws reaching for his throat. And from the shadows, the Vacant Eyes launched a wave of concentrated shadow magic aimed directly at Adam’s heart.

Adam’s Abyssal Step carried him out of the Templar’s strike, his wings snapping open to carry him upward, dodging the Nightwraith’s claws. He twisted mid-air, avoiding the Vacant Eyes’ shadow wave by inches. The attack struck the wall behind him, carving a deep trench into the ancient stone.

"Persistent," Adam muttered, his eyes fixed on the Vacant Eyes. "But I’ve had enough of you."

He shot forward, his wings propelling him toward the hooded figure with explosive speed. Abyssal Claw extended, dark energy coiling around his fingers, ready to strike.

The Vacant Eyes was ready. Its single eye glowed with malevolent light, and a sphere of concentrated shadow magic materialized before it, aimed directly at Adam’s chest. It fired. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Adam didn’t dodge. He didn’t even slow down.

"[Aegis of the Colossus]."

The shimmering barrier flared to life around his body just as the shadow sphere struck him. The impact was immense, the force of it driving Adam back, his boots scraping against the stone floor. But the Aegis held, the shadow magic dispersing harmlessly against its surface.

Adam’s regeneration was already working, the minor wounds from the impact healing almost instantly. He looked up at the Vacant Eyes, a cold, sharp smile spreading across his face.

"That was useless."

The Vacant Eyes’ eye widened in what might have been shock. Adam was already moving.

"[Monarch’s Pierce]."

His fist, wreathed in dark energy, drove through the Vacant Eyes’ chest. The hooded figure convulsed, its single eye going wide as the dark energy tore through its form. It tried to summon shadow magic, to defend itself, but Adam’s attack had already sealed its fate.

The Vacant Eyes crumbled to ash, its form collapsing into a pile of dark dust that scattered across the stone floor.

Adam straightened, his fist still smoking with residual void energy.

"Heh. One down."

The Red Templar roared in fury. The Nightwraith screeched, its form flickering with rage.

Adam turned to face the remaining two guardians, his crimson-gold eyes blazing.

"Two more to go."