Ezra adjusts his stance, Skyfall resting lightly in his hands.

The disjointed figures dissolve one by one under his blade, disintegrating with disturbing ease.

Too easy.

His instincts are alerting him that these creatures were mere distractions.

A chill ran down his spine as he scanned the surroundings, feeling an oppressive gaze bearing down on him.

The atmosphere lay alive with malevolence, thick and cloying, with the different hues on many crystals seemingly growing dimmer.

An apparent feeling lay that something powerful was lurki and watching, waiting to strike.

"Show yourself already" Ezra declares, annoyed.

His voice echoes faintly, swallowed by the oppressive silence that followed the demise of the last crystal shadow.

Hmm...it seemed unfair to group this set of shadows to those he faced in the last section.

The atmosphere grows heavier, and the distortion around him intensifies, the colors of the crystals warping unnaturally.

Ezra’s fingers twitches, his every sense ringing in alarm.

With his eyes darting around in his hurry to find the source of unease, Ezra had the chance to take in better sights of the layout of the third section.

Unlike the previous areas, the chamber he now stood in lay enriched with multiple pockets of light poking from all over.

Bright golden hues flicker faintly across the walls, illuminating the jagged edges of the crystals that jutted from the ground.

This section was undeniably brighter than the two before it, with the radiant light bouncing off countless crystals that adorned the surface.

Yet the illumination does little to dispel the droopy and sinister atmosphere.

The glow feels hollow, far from comforting, it carries a subtle sinister undertone, like a sickly sheen stretched too thin over something rotten.

The shimmers feels unnatural, as if the entire space lay alive and watching.

Colors warps and twists, shifting in ways that defied logic.

Ezra’s breath makes a hitch. Something was here.

A tremor ripples beneath his feet. He stiffens, muscles coiling.

The vibration grows, subtle at first but quickly surging into violent quakes.

Cracks tear through the crystalline floor in a straight line, golden light spilling from the fractures like blood from a wound.

Ezra leaps back as a jagged fissure erupts where he stood moments before.

Looking to the examine what lay in the fissure, the pulsing light intensifies, blindingly bright and erratic.

On cue, a bright concentrated ray of golden light erupts! Forcing Ezra to recoil and retract his gaze as he felt his eyes sizzle for a quick second.

*Ugh!*

As his eyelids would partways, Ezra’s instinctively gives the fissure good distance, feeling an enormous pressure from within it.

True to his senses, subtle tremors are heard the next moment as whatever lay within the trench started moving.

Sure enough, a palm breaches the surface and lo and behold, the awaited creature comes into full view.

Ezra’s jaw tightens as a colossal form rises from the earth, the light bleeding from every crevice of its grotesque body.

Before him towers a monstrosity of warped crystal and a golden sheen, its malevolence almost palpable.

Unlike the other creatures of this secret realm, this one looked anything but natural.

’So disgusting...."

It’s grotesque state worsens things, projecting a feeling of repulse as well.

As for how best to describe it....

All the words coming to mind didn’t quite fit what it was....

The creature’s torso is a fusion of cracked, shadow-tainted crystal and molten gold, veins of corrupted light pulsating beneath its surface like a diseased heartbeat.

Half of its face retains an eerie crystalline elegance, the other half jagged and asymmetrical, dark spikes radiating outward.

At the center of its misshapen head glares a single, pulsating red eye, the malice in its gaze as oppressive as the air around it.

Its limbs shift unnaturally, plated in molten gold that ripples like liquid.

One arm divides into clawed appendages, each one twitching as if hungering for flesh.

The other solidifies into a spiked hammer, the edges gleaming with an unnatural sharpness.

Its legs, grotesquely elongated, stretch and reshape with each step, stabilizing its towering form on the uneven ground.

.......but what to call it?...?

Then it hit!

Aberration.

Yes. An amalgamation of multiple things in an unholy fashion to subvert the natural order.

It fit the description perfectly.

Without warning, the creature detaches its right arm.

The severed limb twists mid-air, morphing into a crystalline spear that streaks toward Ezra like a missile.

The spear cuts through the air with a piercing shriek.

Ezra promptly rolls to the side, the weapon slamming into the ground where he had been standing a heartbeat earlier.

Shards of crystal explode outward, the force of the impact sending razor-edged fragments skittering across the chamber.

Ezra rises, Skyfall already a blur of motion.

He closes the distance in a single, fluid lunge, aiming straight for the pulsing core in the aberration’s chest.

Skyfall arcs down in a precise strike, but the creature reacts inhumanly fast.

Its chest ripples, molten gold reshaping itself into a shield.

The impact reverberates through Ezra’s arms, the force of his own attack knocking him off balance.

Simultaneously, the lower half of its asymmetrical face begins to split, the crystalline structure creaking and groaning as if alive to split open to expose an extremity that looked like it was birthed from a nightmare acting as its mouth.

To which it lets off a loud shriek that rattles the chamber and claws at Ezra’s sanity.

Before he can recover, the shield retracts into the aberration’s body.

Quick to follow up, a burst of light explodes from the same spot, revealing parts of its body twisting before erupting into a elongated serrated lance.

Ezra leaps back and bends to the side and narrowly avoids being skewered.

Its crystalline body gleams with malevolent intent as it advances, claws clicking against the ground.

Ezra’s boots slide across the jagged floor, molten gold glinting off the surface as he steadies himself.

His breath gradually turning rough with his muscles tense with exertion.

The aberration looms, a hulking, malformed behemoth of pulsating crystal and molten light, its singular red eye glaring down at him with cold, unfiltered malice.

The glow of its jagged body pulses like a sick heartbeat, illuminating the shattered chamber in sinister hues.

The creature moves, its limbs rippling unnaturally.

A whip-like appendage snaps into shape where its arm had been, cracking through the air with an ear-splitting sound.

Ezra dives, the lash grazing his back as it cleaves through the crystal behind him, leaving a smoldering groove.

The aberration’s movements defy logic—fluid yet jagged, precise yet chaotic.

It surges forward, the whip retracting and reforming into a blade sharper than any steel Ezra had ever encountered.

He ducks under its swing, Skyfall humming to life in his hands as he counters with a slash aimed at its glowing core.

The blade meets resistance.

The aberration’s molten plating ripples like liquid, absorbing the strike.

A pulse of energy erupts from the impact point, sending Ezra stumbling back as the creature presses its advantage.

Before Ezra can recover, the aberration transforms again.

Its blade dissolves, replaced by a serrated hammer.

With this creation, it became undoubtable that this creature possessed remarkable intelligence.

The massive weapon arcs toward Ezra, its sheer weight splitting the ground as it crashes down.

Ezra rolls to the side, shards of crystal exploding around him.

He rises swiftly, Skyfall held in a defensive stance, but the aberration is unrelenting.

The hammer arm retracts, molten gold dripping as it reshapes into a spear.

With a sharp thrust, the weapon extends, nearly skewering Ezra where he stands.

He sidesteps, pivoting to bring Skyfall down in a heavy arc.

The blade connects with the spear, shattering the tip into shards that scatter like broken glass.

But the aberration is already shifting again.

Its left arm elongates, crystal plating fracturing as it reforms into a whip, while its right transforms into a clawed limb.

The aberration lunges, its claw slashing through the air with terrifying speed.

Ezra deflects with Skyfall, sparks flying as crystal meets metal.

He counters with a quick riposte, aiming for the creature’s core, but it twists unnaturally, evading the blow.

The whip lashes out again, catching Ezra’s left shoulder and tearing through the fabric of his clothes.

Pain blooms as the serrated edge grazes his skin, the wound burning with corrupted energy.

Ezra hisses but doesn’t falter, retreating several paces to reassess.

The aberration pauses momentarily, its red eye narrowing as if studying him.

Then, without warning, its chest opens, the molten core within glowing brighter.

Ezra squints, instinctively raising Skyfall to shield himself.

A blinding flash erupts from the core, filling the chamber with searing light.

Ezra staggers, vision swimming as the disorienting brightness overwhelms him.

He swings Skyfall blindly, his ears ringing with the sound of the aberration’s approach.

Through the haze, he senses movement—heavy, deliberate steps closing the distance.

The aberration’s clawed arm swipes at him, tearing through the air.

Ezra ducks on instinct, feeling the rush of displaced wind as the attack misses by inches.

Blinking rapidly, his vision gradually clearing.

But the aberration is already upon him, its claw retracting and reshaping into a massive pike.

It thrusts forward, the weapon piercing through the space where Ezra had been moments ago.

He had pivoted to the side, with Skyfall carving through the pike’s shaft.

The blade glows faintly as it absorbs the energy, but the aberration seems unaffected.

Ezra tightens his grip on Skyfall, focusing his energy.

The aberration lunges again, its movements faster, more erratic.

Each strike forces him back, his boots skidding across the uneven ground.

He parries a hammer swing, the impact reverberating through his arms, then ducks under a wild slash from the clawed limb.

The aberration’s attacks grow increasingly unpredictable.

Its limbs shift between weapons mid-swing, forcing Ezra to adapt with each strike.

A spear becomes a sword, a sword becomes a whip, and a whip becomes a jagged spike in the blink of an eye.

Every transformation is seamless, as though the creature’s body exists only to counter every possible move.

Ezra’s breathing grows heavier. Sweat drips down his face, stinging the shallow cuts on his cheek.

The chamber itself feels alive, the glowing crystals pulsating in time with the aberration’s attacks.

The oppressive energy weighs on him, sapping his strength with every passing moment.

Suddenly, the creature halts, its limbs retracting as its core glows brighter than ever.

The light inside churns violently, and Ezra’s instincts scream a warning.

He braces himself, and raises Skyfall as the aberration unleashes a beam of bright light!

*SIIIIIIN!*

The searing light tears through the chamber, obliterating everything in its path.

Ezra takes a smooth dive behind a jagged crystal outcrop, the beam narrowly missing him.

The heat singes his skin, and the ground beneath him trembles as the attack subsides.

When he emerges, the aberration is waiting.

It surges forward, its clawed arm raised for a devastating strike.

Ezra meets it head-on, Skyfall flashing in a series of precise movements.

The blade carves through the crystal plating, but the aberration’s core remains untouched.

The creature retaliates with a burst of energy, knocking Ezra off balance.

He tumbles across the ground, his grip on Skyfall faltering.

The blade skids out of reach, leaving him momentarily defenseless.

The aberration’s whip arm lashes out, coiling around his torso.

Ezra grits his teeth as it burns through his defenses covered in light, searing into his flesh.

With a mighty effort, he breaks free, staggering back toward Skyfall.

Ezra’s hand closes around the hilt just as the aberration’s next attack descends.

He rolls to the side, rising with a renewed determination.

Skyfall glows faintly in his hands, the blade resonating with his will.

The aberration charges, its limbs shifting and reshaping with terrifying speed.

Ezra meets each attack with precision, deflecting and countering as best he can.

But the creature’s unyielding assault leaves him with little room to breathe.

His movements grow sharper, his strikes more deliberate.

Skyfall moves like a blur, carving through the aberration’s shifting limbs.

Each blow chips away at the creature’s crystalline body, but it regenerates just as quickly, the molten gold flowing seamlessly to fill the gaps.

Ezra’s breathing is ragged, his body screaming in protest.

The aberration senses his weakness, its red eye glowing brighter as it presses the attack.

The creature’s chest opens once more, the molten core within glowing with an intensity that threatens to consume the entire chamber.

Ezra braces himself, knowing he has only one chance to survive.

As the aberration unleashes its final attack, Ezra activates <Gatekeeper>, his form vanishing.

The chamber is consumed in light, the aberration’s roar of frustration echoing.

Ezra reappears in the safety of his universe, battered and bloodied.

But he is alive and breathing, and in this situation, that qualifies as a win.

He collapses to his knees, Skyfall clattering to the ground beside him.

His mind races, the image of the aberration burned into his memory.

The battle wasn’t over. It has only just begun.

And even with his chest constantly heaving, Ezra is already reviewing the battle in his mind with a light smile on his lips.

Ezra had seen it and he could feel it.

That aberration is a wall.

One that if surpassed, would give Ezra a drastic leap in improving his skills to the next stage.

Faced with such an opportunity, there was nothing to feel but excitement!