Scarlet knew that if she didn’t stop this phantasmal spirit, the team would suffer devastating losses. Her Wildfire Spear erupted in crimson flames more intense than ever before. She became one with her weapon and shot forward like a meteor, meeting the descending energy blade head-on.
“Scarlet!” Adam shouted, but it was too late to stop her. Spear and blade collided with a deafening explosion and blinding light.
Scarlet grunted as she was thrown backward, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. But her grip on the spear never loosened. The energy blade-wielding phantasmal spirit also staggered, its glow dimming slightly.
“It’s not a physical entity, and its power comes from the crystals! Attack the largest crystal clusters!” Scarlet shouted sharply as she steadied herself midair. Adam understood immediately and directed the remaining combat-capable members.
“Fire and lightning casters, focus your attacks on the third and fifth crystal clusters on the left. Everyone else, maintain defenses and provide interference.”
In an instant, fireballs, arcs of lightning, and rune seals rained down on the designated crystal clusters. The phantasmal spirit roared in fury, swinging its energy blade to intercept them.
But then, Scarlet charged forward again. Her spear shadow loomed like a mountain, binding the spirit in place and denying it any chance to break away.
Under the concentrated assault, two critical crystal clusters shattered one after another. The phantasmal spirit twisted and let out a silent roar of defiance before shattering into countless motes of light that scattered into nothing.
With the crisis resolved, everyone exhaled in relief. They nearly collapsed from exhaustion
Scarlet landed and braced herself on her spear, breathing heavily. The head-on clash had sent her internal energy into violent turmoil, leaving her with internal injuries. Adam rushed over with healing tablets and checked her condition
“Don’t be so reckless next time,” he scolded, though his voice was full of concern. She swallowed the tablet and flashed a bloody grin.
“If I hadn’t stopped it, everyone would’ve been in danger. Besides, I’m fine.”
She glanced around the team. After that intense battle, another seven or eight members had lost their fighting capability, with two critically wounded. The valley returned to silence, leaving only piles of shattered crystal fragments at its center.
Adam’s sharp eyes caught something beneath the largest pile of debris. He carefully brushed aside the fragments to reveal a perfectly preserved memory crystal and a sapphire-blue short blade emanating spiritual light.
“I found something,” he said. He pressed the memory crystal to his forehead. After a moment, his face lit up with excitement.
“It’s a high-level technique called the Phantasm Step that combines movement and illusion. This short blade appears to be the Azure Shadow Blade. It’s a matched artifact for the technique, and its quality is exceptional.”
The team’s spirits lifted at once. After paying such a heavy price, they’d finally gained something worthwhile.
Adam quickly copied the memory crystal’s contents several times. He distributed them to the core team members, while the Azure Shadow Blade would remain communal property for now.
“Rest here,” he ordered. “Treat the wounded and study the technique. We move out in one hour.”
He knew the path ahead would only get harder. But with this discovery, the team’s cohesion and confidence seemed to strengthen.
On other paths up the mountain that were invisible to them, similar battles, struggles, gains, and deaths were constantly unfolding. Mount Aethermoor, in its ancient and cruel way, was testing every visitor who sought to ascend to the top.
At the observation platform in the base camp, Dustin stood at the railing, gazing into the distance. Though he couldn’t see the specific events, he could faintly sense spiritual energy fluctuations coming from different areas of the mountain, sometimes violent and sometimes fading into nothing.
