The thing in the crystal looked like a human in the same way a Great White looked like a goldfish. Same basic blueprint, wildly different execution.

Its proportions were wrong. Arms too long. Legs bent backward at the knee. Face stretched wide like putty, mouth splitting its head almost in half. And those eyes—crimson pools floating in black sclera, tracking our movements with predatory focus.

"What the fuck is that?" Jordan whispered.

Belle kept her crossbow trained on the crystal. "Humanoid-type. Silver rank at minimum."

"It’s called a Reaper," Misato said. "They hibernate in crystal until prey enters their domain. Then they—"

The crystal exploded.

Not shattered. Not cracked. Exploded like a fucking bomb. Shards the size of my forearm ripped through the air in every direction.

Jordan’s shadows shot upward, forming a protective dome over our group. Crystal fragments slammed into the barrier, their impacts making the shadows ripple and strain. Jordan grunted with the effort of maintaining the shield.

"That won’t hold!" Misato shouted. "Spread out! Standard kill formation!"

The shadow dome collapsed and we scattered across the chamber floor.

The Reaper uncurled from its fetal position, limbs extending until it stood nine feet tall. Its skin had the same translucent quality as the Stalkers—pale blue-white with something dark moving beneath the surface. It opened its mouth and made a sound no human throat could produce—like glass being crushed inside a metal drum.

"Misato, you’ve fought these before?" I called.

She nodded, her eyes never leaving the Reaper. "Once in a simulation. They’re fast and strong but follow patterns. Watch for the—"

The Reaper moved.

Not ran. Not jumped. One second it stood in the center of the chamber, the next it appeared three feet from Jordan. No blur of motion. No transitional state. Just there, then here.

Its hand shot out, fingers splayed like claws.

Jordan’s shadows responded instantly, wrapping around the creature’s wrist and yanking it sideways. The attack missed his throat by inches.

"Teleportation!" Jordan backpedaled frantically. "It fucking teleports!"

"Short range only!" Misato’s voice cut through the panic. "Maximum ten meters! Track the eyes—they glow brighter right before it shifts!"

The Reaper wrenched free from Jordan’s shadows with disturbing ease. Its head swiveled toward Naomi, who stood with her staff raised but visibly exhausted from the earlier fight.

"Oh shit." I sprinted toward her.

The Reaper’s eyes flared.

It vanished. Reappeared directly behind Naomi.

Belle fired. The bolt struck the creature’s shoulder but barely penetrated its skin. Like shooting concrete.

Naomi spun around, staff sweeping in a desperate arc. The Reaper caught it one-handed, then backhanded her across the chamber. Her small body hit the wall with a sickening thud and slid to the ground.

"Naomi!" I changed direction, heading for her crumpled form.

"Jace, no!" Misato called. "She’s conscious! Focus on the target!"

She was right. Naomi was already pushing herself upright, dazed but moving. The tactical gear had absorbed the worst of the impact.

I redirected, focusing on the Reaper as it swiveled toward its next target: Belle.

Its eyes flared again.

Belle was ready. The moment it appeared beside her, she dropped and rolled, avoiding the grab. She came up firing, one bolt after another, rapid shots that peppered its torso. The bolts stuck but didn’t penetrate deeply.

"Its skin’s too tough!" she shouted.

"Eyes!" Misato charged forward, her clone materializing beside her. "Target the eyes!"

Both Misatos struck simultaneously, identical roundhouse kicks aimed at the creature’s face. The Reaper caught one leg but missed the other. The connected kick snapped its head back.

It made that glass-crushing sound again, louder this time.

I ran forward, Wave Motion gathering in my palms. I needed a clean shot at its face, but the damn thing wouldn’t stay still long enough.

"Jordan!" I shouted. "Pin it!"

"Working on it!" His shadows expanded across the chamber floor, creating a web of dark tendrils. "But this thing’s strong as fuck!"

The Reaper’s eyes flared again.

It appeared behind Misato’s clone, grabbed her head in both hands, and twisted. The clone dissipated instantly into smoke, and Misato staggered, momentarily disoriented by the feedback.

The Reaper moved again. Appeared directly in front of the real Misato.

Its arm shot out, hand closing around her throat.

Misato created two more clones instantly. They attacked from either side, forcing the Reaper to divide its attention. It released her to deal with the new threats, but not before throwing her across the chamber like she weighed nothing. She hit the ground, rolled, came up coughing.

"Jace!" Belle called. "It’s fast but predictable! Watch the eyes!"

I tracked the crimson glow as it flared brighter. The Reaper vanished, reappeared near one of Misato’s clones, destroyed it with a backhanded blow. Eyes flared again. Teleported to the other clone. Crushed its skull. Eyes flared.

It appeared directly in front of me.

I was ready.

Wave Motion exploded from my palm, a point-blank spiral blast aimed straight at its face. The golden energy engulfed its head completely.

When the light faded, the Reaper still stood there, face smoking but intact. It grabbed my tactical suit and lifted me off the ground one-handed.

Up close, I could see the dark movement beneath its skin more clearly now. Not blood. Something else. Tendrils or worms, constantly shifting and pulsing.

It opened its mouth. Rows of needle teeth gleamed in the blue light.

Jordan’s shadows wrapped around its arm, trying to force it to release me. Belle fired again, this time aiming for its eyes. The bolt missed, grazing its cheek instead.

I dropped my spear and grabbed its wrist with both hands. Activated Sensory Hijack, cranked pain receptors to maximum.

Nothing. No reaction at all.

"It’s immune!" I shouted. "Sensory Hijack doesn’t work!"

The Reaper squeezed. The tactical suit began to compress against my ribs. Breathing became difficult.

Naomi appeared behind it, her staff glowing with faint blue light. She’d recovered enough to fight, but I could see the exhaustion in her stance.

"Let him go!" She slammed her staff into the back of the Reaper’s knee.

It didn’t even flinch. Just turned its head 180 degrees to look at her, neck bones cracking with the unnatural motion.

"Naomi, run!" I gasped out.

The Reaper’s eyes flared. It dropped me and teleported behind Naomi. She tried to spin away but her exhausted body couldn’t match its speed. Its hand closed around her upper arm.

I heard the bone snap from across the room.

Naomi screamed.