Is this really a Game?!

For a moment, the battlefield was silent, the only sound being the labored breathing of the fire-wielding swordsman. His eyes darted around, searching for some way out, but Shadow's grip was unyielding. The dark blade gleamed with an ominous glow, pressing against the man's throat with the promise of a swift end.

"Why… Why are you all so strong?" the swordsman rasped, his voice trembling with a mixture of anger and desperation. "We all went through the same trials, we ... should all be as strong!"

Shadow's expression remained cold and detached as he swiped the dagger across the swordsman's throat. His eyes constricted as his blood started pouring out, his body turned weak, and he collapsed on the floor.

Shadow's barrier of darkness was undone as he now looked around, ready to join Mia who was fighting some enemies together with Laura.

But just as Shadow was about to join the fray, a sudden surge of energy made him pause. It wasn't coming from Reign, from the swordsman, or any of the combatants near him —it was coming from Jin.

Jin's battle against the tonfa-wielding warrior had reached its climax. The tonfa fighter, whose relentless attacks had kept Jin on the defensive for most of the fight, was now on the back foot. Jin's unique mark, though dangerous and unpredictable, had grown in power as the battle wore on.

The more intense the fight became, the more Jin's aura darkened and intensified, turning into something otherworldly.

The tonfa-wielder, sensing the shift in momentum, had tried to end the fight quickly, launching a flurry of attacks meant to overwhelm Jin. But each time, Jin had met him with cold, calculated strikes, his movements growing more fluid and deadly as his mark took greater hold.

"You're too slow," Jin muttered, sidestepping another of the tonfa fighter's wild swings. His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it that hadn't been there before—a cold, detached focus that seemed almost inhuman. "And now, you're out of options."

The tonfa-wielder gritted his teeth in frustration. He had never encountered an opponent like Jin, someone who seemed to get stronger, more dangerous, the longer the fight dragged on. His muscles ached from the continuous assault, and his breath came in ragged gasps, but Jin seemed unfazed, almost as if the battle had energized him rather than worn him down.

With a final, desperate roar, the tonfa-wielder activated his own mark to its fullest, causing a gust of wind to swirl around him as he charged Jin with everything he had left. But Jin was ready. As the tonfa-wielder closed the distance, Jin's aura flared, dark tendrils of energy wrapping around his body like a cloak.

His eyes glowed with an eerie light as he brought his hands together, channeling the full power of his mark into a single, devastating attack.

The attack landed, but the result was not what Jin had expected. The tonfa-wielding opponent had actually managed to somehow block his attack, and not only that, he had actually dispelled the force behind it.

"Got you." The man said as he suddenly attacked, striking Jin who was still confused and shocked at what happened.

The battle, which previously seemed nearly over, with Jin holding the absolute advantage, was now resuming with him holding a disadvantage.

'Just how did he do this?'

'Tch … will I actually need to go all out, to allow the mark to influence me even more?!'

Shadow had only briefly looked at the battle before shaking his head. He couldn't intervene, his dad was strong, and right now, he was probably the only one who could fight the tonfa wielder, the rest were all either busy with their battles or too tired after a battle.

Mia and Laura were not in a good position right now, thus, he went to join them.

As Shadow turned his attention to Mia and Laura, who were struggling against a group of determined opponents, he couldn't shake the worry for his father, Jin. The tonfa-wielder's sudden resurgence was unexpected, and Shadow knew that his father's mark had its limits.

But, he still had absolute faith in his father, not to mention that right now, he had to focus on the task at hand—helping his teammates secure victory.

Mia and Laura were locked in a fierce battle against three combatants who had managed to push them onto the defensive. One of the enemies wielded dual scimitars, moving with a dancer's grace and precision, while the other two were a spellcaster and a shield-wielding tank who kept blocking Mia's frost-laden strikes.

Laura was firing off bolts of demonic energy, trying to break through their defenses, but the spellcaster was skilled at countering her attacks with barriers and elemental magic.

Shadow materialized beside them, his presence like a cold wind that sent shivers down the spines of their enemies. "Need a hand?" he asked, his voice dripping with menace.

"About time," Mia replied, her breath ragged from the intense battle. "That tank's a nightmare to deal with. He's practically glued to the spellcaster."

Laura nodded. "The scimitar-user keeps slipping past my defenses too. He's fast."

Shadow assessed the situation quickly. The scimitar-user was agile, weaving in and out of attacks like a dancer, while the shield-wielding tank served as an immovable barrier for the spellcaster, who continued to rain down elemental attacks. The coordination between these enemies was impressive, and Mia and Laura had been struggling to break through their defenses.

"Alright, let's switch things up," Shadow said, his tone firm. "Mia, focus on the tank and spellcaster. Laura, keep the scimitar user occupied. I'll deal with the spellcaster."

Without waiting for a response, Shadow melted into the shadows, his body blending seamlessly with the darkness. The scimitar-user, sensing a change in the battlefield, darted toward Laura with renewed aggression. He moved with blinding speed, his twin blades cutting through the air in a series of intricate slashes. But Laura was ready this time.

With a burst of demonic energy, she created a barrier that repelled the scimitar-user's initial strike, forcing him to leap back.

"Not so fast!" Laura growled, her eyes glowing with a fiery red hue. She conjured a whip made of dark energy and lashed out, forcing the scimitar-user to stay on the defensive.

Meanwhile, Mia refocused her icy powers, aiming a concentrated blast of frost at the shield-wielder. The man grunted as the freezing energy struck his shield, encasing it in thick ice. He tried to push forward, but the ice made his movements sluggish. Mia followed up with a barrage of ice shards, aiming to pierce through any gaps in his defense.

The shield-wielder raised his shield to block the shards, but he didn't notice that the real threat wasn't Mia—it was Shadow. Emerging from the ground behind the spellcaster, Shadow struck with ruthless precision. His dark blade sliced through the air, aiming for the spellcaster's back.

The spellcaster managed to react just in time, conjuring a barrier of fire to block the strike, but Shadow anticipated this and adjusted his attack.

His blade phased through the flames, shrouded in darkness as it bypassed the barrier. The spellcaster's eyes widened in horror as Shadow's sword sliced into his side, causing him to stagger. Before the spellcaster could recover, Shadow followed up with a swift kick that sent him crashing to the ground.

"Stay down," Shadow hissed, raising his blade to deliver the finishing blow.

But the shield-wielder was quick to act, abandoning his defense against Mia to rush to the spellcaster's aid. He charged toward Shadow, his shield raised to bash him away, but Mia wasn't about to let him interfere. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a wave of frost toward the tank's legs, freezing him in place. The man roared in frustration, swinging his shield wildly in an attempt to break free.

"Focus on your own fight!" Mia shouted, unleashing another barrage of ice at the struggling shield-wielder.

Meanwhile, Laura's duel with the scimitar-user was growing more intense. The man was fast—too fast for her usual tactics to work. He darted in and out, his blades clashing with her demonic whip in a series of rapid exchanges. Every time she tried to land a solid hit, he would twist away, leaving only a faint blur in his wake.

"I've had enough of you!" Laura snarled, channeling more energy into her whip. The demonic energy coiled and expanded, transforming into multiple tendrils that lashed out in every direction. The scimitar-user was forced to backpedal, his confident grin fading as he realized he was losing control of the fight.

With the spellcaster down and the shield-wielder struggling to fend off Mia's relentless ice attacks, Shadow saw an opportunity to end the battle. He dashed toward the scimitar-user, who was now completely focused on evading Laura's whip. Just as the man prepared to counterattack, Shadow appeared beside him, moving so fast that he seemed to materialize out of thin air.

The scimitar user's eyes widened in shock as Shadow's blade closed in on him from the side. He attempted to twist away, but Laura's whip caught his leg, holding him in place for just long enough. Shadow's blade pierced through his side, and with a twist of his wrist, he brought the scimitar-user to his knees.