Jade and Silent Slayer froze at the same time.
Their battle instincts flared as both of them turned toward the direction of the sound.
For a brief moment, everything else disappeared.
The fight.
The spectators.
The tension between them.
All of it faded as a single thought took over—
Something is coming.
The forest fell into a strange silence.
Then—
The ground trembled.
Not lightly.
But violently.
From the edges of the battlefield, the spectators who had been watching finally broke.
"RUN!"
"Something big is coming!"
No one stayed.
No one hesitated.
Within seconds, the entire area emptied as people fled for their lives, crashing through the forest in panic.
Henry stood for a second longer, looking between Jade and Silent Slayer.
Then he clenched his teeth and ran as well.
This was no longer a fight anyone could afford to watch.
---
Jade narrowed his eyes.
Silent Slayer stood still, his gaze fixed forward.
Even he wasn't moving.
That alone told Jade everything he needed to know.
This is dangerous.
Then—
The trees in the distance exploded apart.
A massive figure burst through the forest.
A crimson crocodile.
Its body was enormous—far larger than any creature Jade had seen before.
Its scales glowed with a deep red hue, like hardened blood.
Each step it took crushed the ground beneath it.
Its eyes burned with a savage hunger.
Jade's heart tightened.
Before he could fully process it—
A shadow passed overhead.
He instinctively looked up.
A gigantic bird soared across the sky.
Its wings were so large they blocked out the light for a moment.
It was even bigger than a dragon.
The sheer scale of it made Jade's chest tighten.
What kind of place is this…?
But he didn't have time to think.
The crimson crocodile had already noticed them.
It roared.
Then—
Its tail slammed into the ground.
BOOM!
The force of the impact created a devastating shockwave.
Jade and Silent Slayer were both caught in it.
The ground beneath them shattered.
Trees were uprooted.
Their bodies were sent flying.
Jade crashed through several trees before hitting the ground hard.
His body screamed in pain.
Even with everything he had endured so far—
This was on another level.
He struggled to rise.
His vision blurred slightly.
Through the haze, he saw the crocodile charging.
And it was heading straight for him.
Silent Slayer had been thrown farther away.
For the moment—
Jade was alone.
The massive creature closed the distance in seconds.
Jade's eyes widened.
Even with his enhanced strength—
Even with Ice Vine—
He felt it clearly.
I can't fight this.
But instinct refused to let him give up.
Jade clenched his fist.
He gathered everything he had left.
All his remaining energy.
Every drop.
He poured it into a single punch.
His arm trembled as power surged into it.
The air around his fist distorted.
The vines wrapped tightly around his arm, reinforcing it.
The cold aura intensified.
The crocodile roared again.
As it approached, Jade noticed something.
A faint—
Almost invisible—
crack in space near its head.
It was subtle.
But it was there.
Without hesitation, Jade moved.
He stepped forward and threw his punch.
Everything he had—
Went into that strike.
BOOM!
His fist connected.
The impact echoed through the forest.
For a brief moment—
Time seemed to stop.
Then—
Pain.
A sharp, overwhelming pain exploded through Jade's entire body.
It felt as if countless needles had pierced him all at once.
His energy drained instantly.
His strength vanished.
Jade collapsed to the ground.
His vision darkened.
His limbs refused to move.
Even his vines… lay still.
Unresponsive.
Like they had lost their life.
Jade stared at the sky weakly.
…So this is it…
The crocodile approached slowly.
Its massive jaws opened wide.
A dark shadow fell over Jade's body.
He couldn't move.
Couldn't fight.
Couldn't even crawl away.
He could only watch as death came closer.
Then—
A shadow rose.
Right in front of him.
Silent Slayer.
He appeared instantly, standing between Jade and the crocodile.
Jade's eyes widened slightly.
…Why?
Silent Slayer didn't answer.
A ring on his arm glowed faintly.
Without hesitation—
He moved.
His leg shot forward.
BAM!
The kick struck the crocodile's head.
The impact was powerful.
But the result was minimal.
The creature was only pushed back slightly.
Its scales were far too tough.
The crocodile roared angrily.
A crack appeared in the air again as it moved.
Silent Slayer's eyes sharpened.
He moved again.
This time, he disappeared into the shadows.
Then reappeared behind the crocodile.
Another powerful kick.
Again—
The creature barely moved.
Silent Slayer frowned slightly.
Too tough.
Direct attacks wouldn't work.
So he changed tactics.
He raised his hand.
Instead of attacking—
He moved his fingers in a strange pattern.
From the ground, shadows began to rise.
Thin.
Thread-like.
They twisted and coiled like living strings.
The threads flowed toward the ring on his arm.
Absorbed.
Consumed.
Silent Slayer walked slowly.
And with every step—
More shadows were drawn into the ring.
Faster.
And faster.
Until the air itself seemed darker.
Then—
He moved his hand again.
The shadow threads expanded outward.
Weaving together.
Layer by layer.
Forming a massive net.
The crocodile charged again.
Its jaws opened wide.
It lunged toward Silent Slayer.
But Silent Slayer didn't panic.
At the last second—
He jumped.
The crocodile snapped its jaws shut beneath him.
Then—
Silent Slayer threw the net.
The shadow net expanded mid-air.
Covering the crocodile completely.
He landed lightly on the ground.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
The net tightened.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
The crocodile roared in fury.
Its body struggled violently.
The air around it cracked again.
But this time—
It wasn't enough.
The net pressed down harder.
Forcing the massive creature downward.
Its body began to distort.
Flatten.
Stretch.
As if being dragged into something unseen.
Then—
The impossible happened.
The crocodile began to turn into a shadow.
Its massive form dissolved.
Piece by piece.
Until it was nothing more than darkness.
And then—
That darkness was pulled into the ring.
Absorbed completely.
Silence.
The battlefield fell quiet.
Then the system spoke.
"You have slain Crimson Crocodile."
"You have received a Data."
"Data Name: Crimson Shadow."
"Data Type: Echo."
"Data Rank: Initiate."
"Data Class: Berserk Mutated."
Silent Slayer raised his hand.
He summoned it.
From the ground—
A shadow rose.
It took shape.
Form.
Size.
Until—
A perfect replica of the crimson crocodile stood before him.
But it was different.
Completely black.
Like it was made of pure shadow.
Silent Slayer observed it briefly.
Then dismissed it.
The shadow faded.
He turned his gaze toward Jade.
Jade lay on the ground.
Broken.
Barely conscious.
If Silent Slayer wanted to kill him—
This was the perfect moment.
He took a step forward.
His eyes cold.
Then he stopped.
Something crossed his mind.
Jade's growth.
His ability to fuse Data.
His unpredictability.
Silent Slayer slowly lowered his hand.
…He might be useful.
Just then—
A presence appeared.
Silent Slayer turned his head.
Not far away—
A massive bear stood.
It was enormous.
Larger than the bird Jade had seen earlier.
Its body radiated a strange aura.
Silent Slayer prepared himself.
But the bear didn't attack.
Instead—
It walked forward calmly.
Then it raised its paw.
In it—
Was a leaf.
The leaf was stained with blood.
A message was written on it.
Before Silent Slayer could react—
The bear disappeared.
Just like that.
Gone.
Silent Slayer frowned.
…An Echo?
Then—
A distant sound echoed.
Far away.
But powerful.
BOOM!
Silent Slayer looked up.
In the distance—
A body fell from the sky.
Broken.
Bloody.
Even from this far away, he could see it clearly.
The impact shook the ground faintly.
Silent Slayer's eyes narrowed.
Something far bigger was happening in this trial.
He looked back at Jade.
Still alive.
Barely.
Silent Slayer sighed softly.
He raised his hand again.
"Crimson Shadow."
The shadow crocodile appeared once more.
"Take him."
The creature moved forward.
Carefully lifting Jade.
"Bring him to the bone shelter."
Silent Slayer turned away.
He no longer had any intention of killing Jade.
Not now.
Not when the trial itself was beginning to change.
As the shadow creature carried Jade away—
Silent Slayer looked toward the distant forest.
His eyes grew colder.
This trial… is about to become far more dangerous.