It could see the mana signatures clearly.
But when five identical signatures surrounded it from different angles, all moving with the same fluid grace, all carrying the same light-infused scythes, the spirit couldn't determine which to target.
Liora's eyes widened as she recognized the problem.
Her beast was being overwhelmed not by superior power but by superior tactics.
The field filled with multiple mantises, dozens of copies moving simultaneously in patterns that weren't synchronized but deliberately varied.
And the real mantis was hidden somewhere among those clones, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Some jumped through shadows as the original had been doing.
Others ran physically using speed amplified by wind.
Several remained immobile in threatening positions, suggesting preparation for ambush.
The Will-o'-Wisp, which had been relying on its capacity to track energy directly to counter the mantis's invisibility, now faced a completely different problem.
