Chapter 266: The Mirror Guardian

The golden glow beneath the city grew brighter, and the moment Arthur’s foot touched the ancient stone road, the entire cavern trembled.

BOOM!

A shockwave tore through the ruins, the underground river surging, crystals shattering from the cavern walls and raining down like blue sparks.

"Everyone, move!" Vedas raised his spear.

[Guardian Shield]

A golden barrier appeared over the group just as a massive claw tore through the stone bridge ahead.

CRAAACK!

The bridge split apart. Arthur’s eyes widened. "That’s it."

The creature from before emerged from the ruins, enormous, its body covered in dark stone-like armor, but unlike the Duneplate Burrower, this one’s armor reflected the crystal light like polished glass. Six limbs dug into the ancient road, two enormous horns curving backward from its head, dozens of faintly glowing lines running across its body like cracks in a mirror. And in the center of its forehead, a circular mark.

A Mirror symbol.

Athena stared. "It’s a Guardian Beast."

Arthur tightened his grip on Dusk. "Guardian?"

"The ruins." She pointed toward the creature. "The statues. The roads. Everything we’ve found." Her expression hardened. "It wasn’t wandering through this city." The Beast lowered its head. "It was guarding it."

The Guardian roared, the sound shaking the entire cavern, and charged.

"Scatter!"

Mithra vanished, the Guardian’s first claw smashing into the road.

BOOM!

Stone exploded outward. Mithra reappeared behind its head.

[Flash Movement]

Her body became a blur, three slashes striking the gap beneath the Beast’s armor.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The Guardian twisted with shocking speed, its tail sweeping toward her, and she ducked beneath it. "Too slow!" She flashed toward its rear leg, but the Guardian’s armor suddenly shifted, a plate expanding, and her blade struck the newly formed armor instead.

Her eyes widened. "It changed."

Arthur noticed it too. "Again!"

The Guardian spun, its claws striking toward Mithra, and Arthur rushed in.

[Guardian Strike]

Golden light erupted from his mark, the Guardian spirit appearing behind him for an instant as he thrust Dusk forward, the shockwave slamming into the Beast’s chest.

BOOM!

It staggered. Vedas immediately followed.

[Hurling]

His golden spear shot forward, and the Guardian raised its foreleg, the spear piercing the armor, but the Beast twisted its body at the last moment, the attack only grazing it.

Vedas frowned. "It predicted the strike."

Arthur’s expression sharpened. "Don’t use the same attacks twice."

Kong didn’t hear him, or perhaps he simply didn’t care. The Stone Monkey charged. "RAAAH!" He leapt high above the Guardian.

[Point Shockwave]

His staff slammed downward, the shockwave striking the Beast’s back and driving it into the road.

BOOM!

Kong landed, and the Guardian erupted from beneath him immediately, its horn slamming into him before he could raise his arms.

BANG!

Kong flew across the plaza and crashed through an ancient wall.

"Kong!" Eden’s eyes widened, and she spread her wings immediately.

[Sharing]

Golden light spread from her body, and Arthur’s vision changed. Suddenly he could see everything she could, the Guardian’s movements becoming clearer, its body not simply moving but carrying energy through its armor. Eden’s shared vision showed him faint traces of movement before each attack.

"Left!" He moved, a claw tearing through the space where his head had been.

"Up!" Mithra jumped, another claw sweeping underneath her.

"Vedas, behind you!" He turned just in time to block.

CLANG!

The Guardian’s horn slammed into his spear, and he was pushed backward, his boots carving lines into the stone. "Strong!" He gritted his teeth.

[King Aura]

Golden energy exploded around him, his strength surging as he pushed the horn away.

[Blazing Spear]

Fire condensed around the spearhead, and he drove it forward, the burning tip striking the Guardian’s chest. The Beast roared, but instead of retreating, its armor changed, the section he’d attacked becoming darker and thicker.

Vedas stared. "It adapted to the fire."

Arthur’s smile slowly appeared. "Interesting."

Athena shouted from behind them. "Don’t let it keep experiencing the same attack!" She’d been watching the Beast carefully. "The armor changes wherever it receives repeated damage. Its body is reinforcing the areas we’ve already targeted."

Melo’s tails swayed, her expression turning serious. "Then don’t let it know where we’re attacking." Pink and blue dream mist spread across the battlefield.

[Dream Weave]

The entire plaza shimmered, and suddenly dozens of Melos appeared, one on a tower, another beside the river, three more behind the Guardian. The Beast turned its head, unable to determine which one was real.

Mithra smiled. "Nice." She disappeared, and the Guardian attacked one of the illusions. Nothing. She appeared beneath its jaw.

[Flash Movement]

Her blade flashed upward, and the Guardian recoiled. Arthur charged from the opposite side.

[Armor Piercing]

The golden spear struck the weakened section beneath its neck, and this time the attack penetrated. The Guardian roared, but immediately twisted, a massive claw coming toward him. He raised Dusk.

[Guardian Shield]

Golden light exploded between them.

BOOM!

The shield cracked, and he was pushed backward, the Guardian continuing to press until the barrier fractured. He gritted his teeth.

Then a bright golden beam struck the Beast’s side.

[Athy’s Brave Light]

The Guardian staggered. Athy flew overhead, golden eyes glowing. "Arthur!"

"I see it!"

Athena shouted. "The joints!" He looked. The Guardian’s armor was strongest where they’d already attacked, but its joints were different, the plates separating slightly every time it moved.

There.

He smiled. "Thanks."

Athy circled upward. "Don’t mention it."

Sun rushed toward the Guardian. "Move!" He slammed his staff into the ground.

[Ember Shock]

A burst of force struck the Beast’s front legs, and it stumbled. Kong emerged from the broken wall, looking dusty, very dusty, and looked at Sun.

Sun stared back. "You okay?"

Kong nodded, then pointed at the Guardian, his expression saying everything.

Sun sighed. "Fine."

The two charged together, Kong attacking from the front, Sun from the side, the Guardian unable to focus on either. Its claws smashed into Kong. He blocked. Sun struck its rear leg. It turned. Kong hit it again. The Beast roared, and then its entire body flashed, a wave of energy exploding outward.

BOOOOOOM!

Everyone was thrown backward. Arthur rolled across the ground. Mithra skidded several meters. Vedas drove his spear into the stone to stop himself. Melo’s dream mist scattered. Eden tumbled through the air before Athena caught her.

"Everyone okay?"

"Yeah," Arthur said.

The Guardian stood in the center of the ruined plaza, its armor changing, its eyes moving between them. Arthur watched carefully. It wasn’t randomly changing. It was observing. Remembering. Learning.

His smile widened. "It’s learning."

Mithra landed beside him. "Like the Water Mirror."

He looked at her.

She grinned. "Don’t tell me you forgot."

He laughed. "No." He tightened his grip on Dusk. "Then I know what to do."

Vedas looked at him. "What?"

He stepped forward. "We stop giving it the same answer."

The Guardian charged, and he didn’t meet it head-on, moving sideways instead. The Beast followed. He suddenly dropped low, and instead of using Guardian Strike, he used Magic Burst, a concentrated explosion striking the ground beneath the Guardian’s front legs. It stumbled, and he immediately switched directions.

[Blazing Spear]

Golden fire pierced its shoulder, and the Guardian shifted its armor. He didn’t attack that location again, moving instead.

[Guardian Strike]

The shockwave came from below this time instead of straight ahead, and the Guardian turned, but Mithra was already there.

[Flash Movement]

She struck three different joints before it could react, and the Beast tried to reinforce them, but Arthur was already somewhere else.

[Armor Piercing]

His spear pierced the opposite side. Then Vedas attacked.

[Hurling]

His spear flew toward the Guardian’s eye, and the Beast raised its head, the spear missing. Exactly as Arthur expected.

"Now!"

Eden’s shared vision revealed the Guardian’s exposed underside. Athy dove.

[Brave Light]

Golden light exploded against its chest. Kong charged through the flash, his staff slamming into its side. Sun struck its rear leg. Melo’s dream mist wrapped around its head.

[Dream Weave]

The Guardian’s senses distorted, and it swung wildly. Arthur slipped between its attacks, his feet barely disturbing the sand, the Sandstep trait he’d gained earlier letting him move across the loose ground without losing his footing. He ducked beneath a claw. Then another. The Guardian suddenly anticipated his next movement, and he changed direction. The Beast followed.

He smiled. "Too predictable."

He jumped. The Guardian raised its head. He twisted in midair.

[King’s Mark Authority — Piercing Light]

A concentrated golden beam erupted from his Mark, striking the Guardian directly between its armored plates.

BOOOOOOM!

The Beast screamed, its enormous body staggering, cracks spreading across its armor. Vedas rushed in.

[King Aura]

Golden energy surged around him, and he struck with his spear. Mithra followed from behind. Kong attacked from the front. Sun struck the exposed leg. Athy’s Brave Light came from above. Melo’s illusions surrounded it. Eden continued sharing the battlefield.

Athena shouted. "Now! The center of its chest!"

Arthur saw it, a faint Mirror symbol glowing beneath the cracked armor. The Guardian wasn’t protecting its heart. It was protecting something else.

He stepped forward. "Everyone!"

The entire group attacked at once. Arthur thrust Dusk. Vedas’s spear struck from the opposite side. Mithra’s blade flashed across its blind spot. Kong slammed his staff into its chest. Sun’s shockwave struck its legs. Athy’s light descended from above. Melo’s dream mist disrupted its senses. Eden guided every movement. Athena called the timing.

The Guardian staggered. Then collapsed.

BOOM!

Dust rolled across the plaza. Silence followed.

Arthur slowly lowered his spear. The Guardian was breathing. Alive.

Mithra looked at him. "Are you going to finish it?"

He shook his head. "No." He walked toward the fallen Beast.

Vedas watched him carefully. "Arthur..."

"I want to see something."

He placed his hand against the Guardian’s armor, and his Evolution Path Vision activated. The world disappeared, a massive Beast standing in darkness. He waited for the usual sequence, species, evolution, future forms. Instead, everything was broken, fragments of an evolution path appearing and vanishing.

[Species: ???]

[Evolution Path: ??? → Mirror Guardian → ???]

The image distorted.

[Warning: Evolution Path data incomplete.]

[Warning: Evolution Path structure corrupted.]

His eyes widened. "What?" He’d never seen this before. His Evolution Path Vision had always shown something, even for ancient species, even for strange creatures. But this, it couldn’t read the Beast.

The vision shattered, and he returned to reality. The Guardian was gone, not dead, its body simply dissolved into countless silver fragments floating upward like pieces of broken glass.

Mithra looked around. "Where did it go?"

He didn’t answer, staring ahead instead. The silver fragments had gathered together behind the place where the Guardian had fallen, revealing what had been hidden behind it.

A massive stone gate, several times taller than Arthur, five circular spaces carved across its surface. But at the center was a symbol they all recognized.

The Earth Mirror.

Luna stepped forward slowly. "It’s here."

Athena stared at the enormous gate. "The Earth Mirror..."

Arthur looked at the symbol, and his King Mark became warm. Then—

Pulse.

Golden light flickered across his hand. His expression changed. The gate remained completely still, but something on the other side seemed to answer.

He tightened his grip on Dusk. Whatever was behind that door, they had finally reached it.