Ex rank talent Awakening: 100% Dodge rate

Lens found himself utterly alone in the shadow realm.

Thick, oppressive darkness pressed in from every side, swallowing light and hope alike.

No allies stood beside him in the eerie silence.

"You are foolish if you think dealing with me alone will be an easy feat," Lens said calmly.

He stood tall and confident as ever, his posture unyielding despite the gloom.

Mirrors materialized around him in a shimmering circle.

Each one pulsed with the raw, overwhelming aura of his absolute concept, casting faint, distorted reflections across the void.

"Nope. The fool is you," Greg replied, his voice sharp and mocking as he moved with blinding swiftness.

Blade gripped firmly in his hand, Greg closed the distance in an instant.

He unleashed a precise, deadly strike aimed straight at his opponent.

Lens reacted instantly, forming a solid mirror directly in front of him.

The surface absorbed the blow with a resonant clang.

His absolute concept flared to life at once.

The attack reflected back toward Greg in a flash of mirrored energy.

Yet the strike had no effect whatsoever.

It simply phased through Greg's body as if he were made of smoke, leaving him untouched.

Lens's eyes widened in bafflement.

He believed it had to be some sort of fluke or perhaps one of Greg's ultimate skills at work.

Greg decided to press the assault once more.

This time his movements carried even greater purpose and deadly intent.

He lunged forward directly, sword pointed straight at Lens.

The blade gleamed with lethal promise in the dim realm.

Lens reacted fast, creating a fresh glass mirror to deflect the incoming strike.

The surface rippled under the force.

But Greg was quicker.

He twisted mid-motion, dodging the mirror entirely and driving his blade cleanly across Lens's chest.

"Urgh!" Lens groaned in sharp pain.

He staggered backward, one hand clutching the fresh, stinging cut that burned across his torso.

Greg offered no mercy and no moment to recover.

He pressed forward relentlessly.

In the next breath, he stabbed deep into Lens's thigh with the Heaven Defier.

The blade sank with cruel precision.

"Urgh!" Lens groaned again, the sound raw and strained.

His legs gave way, dropping him hard to his knees on the cold ground.

"What's the matter? No Arthur to come to your rescue?" Greg asked calmly.

His tone dripped with quiet satisfaction.

"Shut up!" Lens roared, fury igniting in his voice.

Mirrors erupted around Greg in a sudden, enclosing ring.

He pointed one finger at a nearby mirror and fired a concentrated blast of energy straight into it.

The surface absorbed the power with a bright flare.

The mirror reflected the attack instantly, doubling its strength.

It then bounced the amplified beam to another mirror that multiplied the force once more.

The deadly energy ricocheted again and again, growing fiercer with every bounce.

It raced through mirror after mirror until it reached the twentieth.

The final mirror hurled the devastating blast straight at Greg.

But the attack simply missed, passing harmlessly by.

"I forgot to inform you. I got an upgrade recently," Greg informed him coolly.

With a casual sweep, he shattered every mirror into glittering shards that rained down around them.

He seized Lens's neck in an iron grip, fingers tightening without hesitation.

"Now it's time for you to die," Greg said, his voice low and final.

Dark auras swirled into existence all around him.

"I'm not done yet!!!" Lens roared in pure rage. His entire body began to transform.

His skin rippled and hardened, shifting entirely into a reflective mirror surface that gleamed coldly in the shadows.

Greg was forced to release him.

He stepped back, staring at the mirrored form with calm, calculating eyes.

"If this is the game you wish to play, guess I should play it with you," Greg said coldly.

His words cut through the tension like a blade.

"Abyssal flames!" Greg roared.

He unleashed a roaring blast of dark fire straight toward Lens.

The flames struck the mirrored body and reflected back at once.

Yet they caused Greg no harm, washing over him like harmless mist.

"Again," Greg muttered.

He released another searing wave of abyssal flames without pause.

Once more, the attack reflected harmlessly.

The exchange quickly turned into a grueling battle of attrition.

Greg poured attack after relentless attack at Lens, each one bouncing back with growing intensity.

Slowly, fine cracks began to spiderweb across the mirrored surface of Lens's body.

The damage spread with every reflected strike.

"Damn you!!!!!!!" Lens roared in raw annoyance.

His mirrored form trembled as it inched closer to its breaking point.

Before long, the mirrored body shattered completely.

Shards exploded outward, leaving behind a weakened, exposed version of Lens.

"You are back," Greg said coldly.

His eyes held no pity.

"Greg. You can't do this!" Lens pleaded, his voice cracking with desperation.

"I can, and I will," Greg replied without hesitation.

He drove the Heaven Defier straight through Lens's heart.

Lens drew in a sharp, ragged breath.

The cold grip of fear finally took hold as death loomed close.

"Will…"

He tried desperately to summon his will manifestation.

But Greg had no interest in another clash of powers.

With a swift, merciless twist of his sword, Greg cut Lens's heart cleanly in two, ending the fight for good.

Lens's eyes grew cold and lifeless, staring blankly into the darkness.

[You have devoured the absolute concept, Reflection]

Greg stared down at the corpse with icy detachment.

He had achieved the true purpose of the expedition.

---

"Damn! And no one can access the shadow realm!

If only we had one with control over darkness!" Arthur complained bitterly.

He smashed a heavy piece of statue into fragments, sending dust and stone chips flying.

"Calm down. Destroying everything won't bring Lens back," Daniel said gently, trying to soothe the rising tension.

"How can you all act so calm? Lens might be fighting for his life right now—alone!" Arthur roared.

His voice echoed with raw frustration and worry.

"You don't have to worry. Lens isn't fighting. At least not anymore," Greg's voice reached them suddenly, calm and chilling.

In an instant, everyone spun toward the sound.

They unleashed their attacks without a second thought.

Merlin hurled powerful blasts of lightning that crackled through the air.

Arthur followed with furious sword strikes, while Lancelot launched a barrage of spears.

Yet every single attack missed Greg completely, passing through empty space.

"Now's not the time to be fighting," Greg informed them casually.

"The time will come soon enough when all of you will have to place your lives on the line against me. But that moment is not now."

He placed Lens's lifeless corpse gently on the ground before them.

The body lay still and heavy in the silence.

"He is dead.

As will the rest of you eventually—especially you, Daniel.

A bastard siding with the enemy to kill the son of the one who granted you all your powers.

I will be coming for every single one of you.

None will be spared.

Until then, live your fruitless lives with whatever little time you have left."

With those final words, Greg dissolved slowly into the shadows.

The darkness swirled around him like living smoke, swallowing his form until nothing remained.