CHAPTER 59: [59] EVERYTHING BREAKS

The first Mirror Man lunged at Cassandra, its arm stretching like taffy to twice its normal length. She ducked under the strike, her daggers slicing through the creature’s midsection. Instead of blood, shards of crystal scattered across the floor, each fragment containing tiny galaxies of purple light.

"They’re fragile," Cassandra called out, spinning away from a second attack.

Thalia knew better. "Don’t be fooled."

The scattered crystal shards trembled, then flew back to the Mirror Man, reforming its body. The creature tilted its head, examining Cassandra’s daggers. Then its arms transformed, hardening into identical twin blades.

"They copy weapons too," Thalia noted, stepping forward to intercept the creature before it could reach Cassandra again.

Her spear thrust caught the Mirror Man through its chest, the weapon extending mid-strike to add unexpected reach. The creature shattered, crystal fragments exploding outward. This time, Thalia kept moving, her spear sweeping in wide arcs to scatter the fragments farther apart.

"Keep them separated when they break!" she ordered. "They need proximity to reform!"

Vince’s arrows whistled through the air, pinning crystal shards to distant walls. "Got it!"

Two Mirror Men converged on Eliot, who spun his staff in tight circles. "They’re learning our movements."

Thalia saw it too. The creatures now moved with more purpose, mimicking the team’s combat stances. One of them copied Eliot’s staff-spinning motion using its elongated arm, creating a makeshift shield.

Ryan kept filming, backing away from the fight. "This is why the reports classified this as a false Tier-2. These things should be Tier-3 at minimum."

"Focus, Ryan," Thalia snapped, driving her spear through another Mirror Man. As it shattered, she kicked the largest fragment away. "Unless you’ve got a one-hit knockout technique, keep your distance."

The cathedral space warped around them, crystal platforms shifting position. Gravity seemed to fluctuate—Cassandra suddenly found herself running up a vertical wall to avoid a Mirror Man, while Vince had to anchor himself to avoid floating upward.

"The environment responds to their damage," Thalia realized. "The more we fragment them, the more unstable this place becomes."

The two Mirror Men guarding the gate core remained motionless, observing. Their crystalline bodies reflected the pulsing energy of the core, growing more solid and defined with each pulse.

Thalia pushed a small amount of Essentia into her legs—just enough to enhance her speed without creating a signature the creatures could copy. Her periwinkle hair streamed behind her as she dashed between three Mirror Men.

One creature managed to graze her arm, its crystalline fingers leaving shallow cuts. Thalia didn’t flinch. She reversed her grip and drove her spear backward, impaling the Mirror Man without looking. When it shattered, she continued her momentum into a spinning attack that caught a second creature across its featureless face.

"Thalia!" Eliot called out. "Their fragments are getting smaller. Harder to keep separated!"

He was right. Each time they shattered a Mirror Man, the pieces broke into finer shards, almost like dust. The smallest particles were already drifting together, forming new shapes.

Vince fired a spread of arrows that pinned larger fragments to the walls. "We can’t keep this up forever!"

A Mirror Man appeared behind him, its arm transformed into a replica of his bow. Before it could strike, Cassandra’s daggers sliced through its midsection. The creature broke apart, but the fragments immediately began swirling around Vince like a tornado of crystal dust.

"I can’t see!" Vince shouted.

Thalia made a split-second decision. She channeled a precise amount of Essentia into her spear—not enough to reveal her full abilities, but sufficient to generate a controlled electrical discharge. Purple electricity crackled along the shaft.

She slammed her spear into the floor. The electrical current spread outward in a circular shockwave, temporarily disrupting the crystal fragments surrounding Vince. The pieces fell to the ground, momentarily inert while vince’s hair stood on end.

"They’re adapting faster than the reports indicated," Thalia said, her purple eyes narrowing as she assessed the situation. "The original team never made it this far because they couldn’t adapt quickly enough."

The Mirror Men guarding the core finally moved. One raised its hand, and the scattered crystal fragments throughout the cathedral vibrated in response. The pieces lifted into the air, swirling together to form not individual Mirror Men, but a single, massive crystalline serpent that coiled around the chamber.

"That’s new," Ryan said, his camera capturing the transformation.

The serpent’s body contained all the tiny screaming mouths they’d seen on the crystals outside. Its head was a conglomeration of reflective surfaces that showed distorted versions of each team member.

Cassandra backed toward Thalia. "Please tell me you have a plan."

"Always." Thalia studied the serpent as it wound its way around the cathedral’s interior. "It’s combined all its fragments into one entity. That means we have one target instead of many."

"One much larger target," Eliot pointed out, readying his staff.

"Size isn’t everything," Thalia replied. She turned to her team. "I need you all to leave the chamber."

Ryan lowered his camera. "What?"

"I’m not asking." Thalia’s voice carried an authority that brooked no argument. "This creature copies abilities. I’m about to use something it can’t copy, and I don’t want any of you caught in the crossfire."

The serpent lunged toward them, its crystalline body scraping against the cathedral walls. Eliot raised a barrier that deflected its initial strike, but cracks appeared in his defensive shield.

"We don’t have time to argue," Thalia said. "Trust me."

Cassandra nodded first. "You heard her. Fall back to the entrance."

Vince covered their retreat with suppressing fire, his arrows bouncing harmlessly off the serpent’s crystalline scales. "Whatever you’re planning, make it quick!"

Thalia watched her team retreat toward the cathedral entrance. The serpent, sensing their movement, began to follow.

"No," Thalia said quietly. "I’m your opponent."

She allowed a fraction more of her Essentia to flow through her body. Purple energy crackled along her skin in intricate patterns, drawing the serpent’s attention. It turned back toward her, its reflective head displaying a warped version of her own face.

"You like to copy?" Thalia asked, twirling her spear in a complex pattern. "Try copying this."

The serpent lunged. Thalia sidestepped with enhanced speed, her spear striking its side. The blow left a small crack but didn’t shatter the creature. It was too large, too consolidated now for simple physical attacks to be effective.

The remaining Mirror Man near the core raised its hand, and the serpent’s wounds sealed themselves. The creature was learning, adapting.

"Interesting," Thalia murmured. "You’ve figured out how to distribute damage across your entire form."

At the entrance, her team had reached safety. Ryan’s camera still pointed toward her, capturing everything.

"Time to show those first-years what a real hunter can do."

She planted her feet firmly on the ground and held her spear vertically before her. The serpent sensed her gathering power and rushed forward, its jaws opening to reveal thousands of tiny crystalline teeth.

Too fucking late.

Thalia closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, they glowed with inner light. She formed a single hand sign—index fingers and thumbs touching to form a triangle.

"Zantei: Keraunos Cathedral"