The ruins trembled again as if the world itself was rejecting what was happening within. Dust floated through the air, glimmering faintly under the twisted light. The ground pulsed with corruption, and even the fallen beasts that once lay still began to twitch and convulse. The air turned heavy, the atmosphere darker than before.
In each terrain, the heroes stood ready, weapons raised, but this time, they weren't the ones who would decide how this fight would go. Something far greater had entered the field.
---
First Terrain
Lila and the others stood surrounded once more as new waves of Scorvex and Needlestrike burst from the ground, their screeches echoing across the broken land. The team prepared for another long fight, but before they could act, the wind shifted , unnaturally calm and cold.
A faint song began to echo, soft at first, like a whisper in the storm. Then it grew louder, reaching into their minds, twisting memories, showing glimpses of their greatest regrets. Lila froze for a moment, her vision swimming with the image of flames consuming her old home.
From the mist ahead, a woman stepped forward, draped in spectral veils that shimmered with faint faces, the souls of the lost. Her eyes held sorrow, her every step leaving ripples in the corrupted ground.
She was Yera'el.
She raised one hand, and the air screamed. A massive gust of wind exploded outward, slicing through the Scorvex like invisible blades. Water formed around her in spiraling ribbons, each drop carrying the faint shimmer of spectral energy.
The beasts tried to attack, but they were caught in her melody, their movements slowed, their strength fading. Then, with one graceful sweep of her arm, Yera'el summoned a tidal wave that crashed through them, erasing everything in its path.
The heroes could only watch as silence fell again.
Lila's sword lowered slightly. "Who… is she?"
No one answered. The spectral veils drifted like fog around Yera'el, her eyes distant, her expression unreadable.
---
Second Terrain
Caelus and his group had just regained their stance, breathing hard from the continuous fight. But as more beasts began crawling out of the bone-strewn ground, the air filled with an acrid scent , smoke and metal.
A loud clang echoed through the ruins. Then another. A rhythmic hammering, like a blacksmith at work.
From the haze stepped Tzarkhul. His body was massive, four arms blackened with soot, and from his chest, dark smoke billowed as if a forge burned within. His voice rumbled like distant thunder.
"Imperfections… need to be reforged."
Before anyone could react, molten fire erupted from his palms, sweeping across the battlefield. The beasts screamed as their forms melted and cracked, but then waves of corrupted water rose to smother the flames, all under his command.
Tzarkhul raised one of his other arms, and the bones scattered across the field began to tremble, drawn toward him. They fused together, forming massive spikes that impaled the charging beasts. Then vines of dark nature energy sprouted from the ground, wrapping around what remained and crushing them to dust.
Hugo watched in disbelief. "He's… using every element?"
Tzarkhul simply turned his head, eyes glowing faintly under the smoke. "Every element burns, bleeds, and bends to will… when forged in sin."
A final explosion of molten earth consumed the last beast. The battlefield fell silent again, the air thick with heat and the faint stench of charred corruption.
---
Third Terrain
Lucien's blue fire burned bright as he and Lunis stood side by side alongside the rest of the group, the corrupted forest around them groaning under the pressure of the spreading energy. But as more beasts began creeping through the trees, eyes glowing faint green , a presence flickered above them.
Something moved fast, too fast to track. A chain whistled through the air, wrapping around one of the corrupted panthers and tearing it apart before the others could react.
Lucien's eyes narrowed. "That's not one of us."
A figure dropped from the trees, a lithe humanoid form that shimmered like glass under faint light. Her emerald skin reflected her surroundings, bending the light so her body appeared half-invisible. Her eyes rotated separately, each focusing on a different part of the group.
She was Zhyra.
Her chains slithered behind her like living serpents, snapping and coiling around beasts with cruel precision. One moment she was gone, the next she reappeared, pulling apart a corrupted tree like it was made of paper.
"Weaklings should die quietly," she said softly, her voice almost amused.
Adriana swung her hammer, smashing down another beast , but even before the dust cleared, Zhyra's chain struck it midair, pushing Adriana back.
Adrian looked around, unable to sense her movements properly. "She's… everywhere at once."
Lucien's flames flickered. "No. She's toying with us."
And indeed, she was. The battle ended within seconds , not with chaos, but with precise, deliberate destruction. Every beast lay torn apart, the forest eerily silent again.
---
Fourth Terrain
Near the pond, the water rippled violently as more aquatic beasts surged from beneath. The heroes stood ready, but before they could strike, a shadow fell across them.
From the corrupted fog stepped a giant, blackened armor fused into flesh, molten light glowing through cracks across his body. Each step he took left a deep mark in the earth.
A massive hand reached forward, and with one motion, he slammed his fist into the ground. The shockwave alone disintegrated dozens of beasts. Another group charged him, but his body split, his arm detaching, flying forward like a living cannon, crushing them flat before rejoining his torso.
It was Gor'Mak.
Sera's vines, still coiled around a few trapped monsters, burned away instantly under the force.
Clara whispered, "What… is he made of?"
Roland stepped in front of her, tense. " Doesn't seem like an ally for sure."
Gor'Mak didn't even glance their way. He ripped apart a turtle-like creature, molten blood spilling onto the ground. His voice rumbled low, mechanical yet sorrowful. "Orders given. Orders fulfilled."
The pond boiled from his heat, the remaining beasts reduced to nothing but steam and ash. Then, like a statue, he fell still again ,silent, unmoving.
---
Fifth Terrain
Tovern, Doran, Rok, Movern, and Gepa stood among piles of defeated beasts, breathing heavily. The ground trembled again, and this time, the corrupted bull-like and horse-like creatures reappearer, more numerous than before.
Tovern cracked his knuckles. "More of them? Fine, bring it—"
He stopped mid-sentence as a blur cut across his vision. A crimson streak tore through the battlefield, followed by explosions of red energy.
Rynara, landed in front of them, eyes glowing gold, her hands pulsing with power. The air vibrated with every movement she made.
Without hesitation, she leapt into the air, slamming her claws into the ground. The explosion that followed was deafening, wiping out dozens of beasts instantly.
Her movements were almost impossible to track, one moment she was tearing through a bull's neck, the next, she spun midair, kicking another creature into dust. Every strike detonated on impact, each shockwave more violent than the last.
Movern watched quietly, blade in hand, but unmoving. "She's not fighting… she's performing."
Rynara grinned, standing among the remains, blood-like energy dripping from her claws. "That all you had?" she muttered to the corpses before her.
Then she turned slightly, glancing toward the horizon, as she turns towards our heroes.
---
Who are these people? Why are they here? What do they want? Are those are enemies? What is this strength?
Question runs wild as always, but for now all they can to is be ready and wait.