The second Rock Island was larger. Much larger.
Fifteen hundred metres on each side—more than double the first. Its surface teemed with Void Monsters in quantities that made the previous wave look like a skirmish. And at its centre, standing perfectly still among the chaos, was something that made Essim's instincts flare.
A boy. Or something shaped like one. Barely a metre tall, with porcelain-pale skin and a single crimson horn jutting from his forehead. He watched Essim approach with eyes that held no fear—only a cold, ancient curiosity.
(Demon Child — Protector)
Level: 20
Attributes: Str 316 | Int 227 | Agi 286 | Res 239
Skill: (Demon Clones) — Creates 3 clones specialising in STR, AGI, and RES,
each inheriting 150% of the original's corresponding attribute.
Over a thousand total attribute points. And the clone skill meant fighting him was effectively fighting four opponents, each one specialised and deadly.
"Brother," Aisha said, her bow already drawn, "that one is dangerous."
Twelve other Protector-class monsters flanked the Demon Child—a menagerie of horrors: a massive serpent that spat corrosive acid, a bird-like creature wreathed in tornado winds, a hulking stone golem, and others whose forms defied easy description. They attacked as one.
Essim activated Area of Light.
The world turned golden. A hundred-metre dome of radiant energy erupted outward, doubling every one of his attributes. His Strength surged past six hundred. His Agility, his Resilience—all of it multiplied in an instant.
He became a blur.
The serpent lunged; Essim severed its head mid-strike. The stone golem swung a fist the size of a boulder; Essim sidestepped and carved it in half with a single diagonal cut. The tornado bird tried to flee—Essim leapt twenty metres into the air and bisected it before gravity remembered he existed.
[Killed Tornado Bird — Protector: EXP +4,100 | Kill Points +2,000]
Aisha danced through the air on her Nature Archery Dance, two hundred percent movement speed turning her into a green streak of light. Her arrows exploded on impact, clearing swathes of lesser monsters and picking off Protectors that tried to flank her brother.
One by one, the twelve Protectors fell. And then only the Demon Child remained.
It smiled. And split into four.
Three clones materialised beside the original—one rippling with raw Strength (nearly 500 points), another vibrating with Agility (over 400), and the third armoured in Resilience so dense the air around it seemed to thicken.
"I'll take the fast one!" Aisha called, already loosing a Sun Core Arrow—her lock-on skill. The homing projectile streaked toward the Agility clone, which dodged once, twice, three times before the arrow adjusted and punched clean through its chest.
Essim engaged the Strength clone and the original simultaneously. The Strength clone hit like a freight train—its first punch cratered the ground where Essim had been standing a heartbeat before. But Essim's boosted stats were higher, and his technique was sharper. Two exchanges later, the clone dissolved into black smoke.
The Resilience clone charged Aisha. She peppered it with explosive arrows that barely chipped its defences—until Essim arrived behind it and activated Sky Shattering Slash. A hundred-metre blade of golden energy erupted from his sword, ignoring fifty percent of the clone's defence. It crumbled.
The original Demon Child tried to run. It turned toward the tunnels leading to the Rock Island's core, moving with desperate speed.
Too slow.
Essim's second Sky Shattering Slash caught it mid-stride. The golden arc carved through the air, through the Demon Child, and through thirty metres of stone behind it. The creature didn't even scream.
[Killed Demon Child — Protector: EXP +6,400 | Kill Points +2,000]
"The core," Essim said, already moving. "Quickly."
The battlefield fell silent. Where thirteen Protector-class monsters had stood moments before, only scorched earth and dissolving corpses remained. Essim's Area of Light still blazed around them, turning the carnage golden. His heart was hammering — not from exhaustion, but from the intoxicating rush of power used at its absolute limit. He'd activated three skills in rapid succession, pushed his stats to their ceiling, and fought with an aggression that surprised even himself.
Aisha landed beside him, her Nature Archery Dance fading as her feet touched the ground. She was breathing hard, her bow still half-drawn, scanning for threats that no longer existed.
"That clone skill," she said between breaths. "If the original had been stronger — if it had four hundred in every stat instead of being split—"
"It would have been a real fight," Essim finished. The thought sobered him. The Demon Child's total attributes had been over a thousand. At Level 20 with better distribution, a similar creature could genuinely threaten them.
Somewhere in the Ascendant Realm, monsters like that existed. And eventually, Essim would have to face them.
But that was a problem for later. Right now, there was a core to destroy.