Location: Echohold-09 (Outside Area)

  Time of Day: Morning

  They all nodded. Then, the battle began anew.

  The copies lunged at the team, each one locking onto its mirror. Mimiris-Slayer reached Slayer first, sword raised and slashing at full power. CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! Slayer braced behind his shield, the impacts sending a sharp vibration through his arm.

  FWISH! CLANG! FWIP! He pivoted, dodging and deflecting each strike with controlled footwork and tight guard movements. He still didn't activate any abilities, conserving his stamina and letting the copy drain its own first.

  His shield was charged, ready to unleash Momentum Guard, but he held it back, knowing that the copy would just simply regenerate. DING! He parried a heavy slash and kicked the copy back. It staggered for a second, then lunged again with relentless aggression.

  Slayer exhaled, and seeing how aggressive it was becoming, he decided to use it. He planted his shield and surged his aura. "Radiant Bastion!" FWOOOM! A blue dome expanded around him, blue aura flowing across its surface.

  Mimiris-Slayer didn't hesitate. The moment the barrier formed, it began slashing at it relentlessly. SLASH! CLANG! Again. SLASH! TZZ! Again. CLANG! KRK! Each strike landed harder and faster, cracking the dome little by little, every blow draining more of Mimiris-Slayer's stamina. But the barrier continued to weaken. KRK! KRK! With a final blow, it finally shattered. KRRRRNK!

  Mimiris-Slayer rushed forward, ready to strike, but before it could, Slayer planted his shield again. "Here's another one, Radiant Bastion!"

  FWOOOM! A second dome surged to life and surrounded him once again, forcing Mimiris-Slayer to skid back across the dry ground. It roared silently, purple-black aura flaring chaotically. Its sword rose, aura charging along the blade with a deep hum. It was using Oathblade Surge. FWOOOM! FWOOOM! FWOOOM! Purple-black crescent waves tore through the air, slamming against Slayer's barrier.

  THOOM! THOOM! KRK! Cracks spread across the dome's surface as the force hammered against it. Slayer stared at the energy tearing through his blue barrier, watching it weaken with every hit. "Jeez, give me a break, will ya!"

  Mimiris-Slayer then released one final crescent wave at full force, and the dome finally shattered. KRRRK! But with that last surge, it staggered. Its black gel knee sank to the ground as its body trembled, aura diminishing. Once the chaotic aura faded away, it lost its formed shape and reverted back into its original state, a mass of black gel with its five eyes drifting back into place.

  Now was his chance. Slayer exhaled and raised his sword, charging it with blue aura. "This is it!" He unleashed the attack. "Oathblade Surge!"

  FWOOOM! Blue crescent waves sliced through the air and crashed straight into Mimiris. SPLAT! The copy split apart and collapsed into scattered fragments of black gel across the dry ground. The pieces no longer moved or tried to reform. The five floating eyes settled in a shallow black puddle, just staring at Slayer from the ground.

  - Lumina Scene Shift -

  Mimiris-Lumina lunged toward it's mirror with its katana raised, purple-black aura flaring wildly. Lumina took her stance, katana ready and green aura flowing around her.

  Their blades met for a brief instant before Mimiris-Lumina slashed again, but Lumina stepped aside, dodging left, then right, then back, then parrying each strike with precise timing and controlled footwork. CLANG! FWISH! She read every incoming attack but didn't swing back, saving her stamina for the right moment.

  The copy then stepped back, its eyes glowing purple. FWOOM! Purple-black aura burst violently around it. It was using Chronus Overdrive.

  Lumina's eyes narrowed, and she didn't hesitate, knowing that she had no choice but to follow as well. FWOOM! Her green eyes glowed as her aura surged around her. Unlike the copy, hers remained steady and controlled. She could hold it longer, and she knew that the copy wouldn't be able to keep up for long.

  FWOOOOSH! Steel and gel blade flashed through distorted time, each strike sharper and faster, every evasion more precise than the last. DING! CLINK! In the span of a single second, they had already exchanged multiple slashes, shifting positions across the ground without ever staying in one place. They even met midair for a moment, and from above, all that could be seen were flashes of color, and all that could be heard were the clashes of steel and aura. FWISH! CLANG! FWOOOM! After several seconds of parrying, dodging, and redirecting, they landed back on the cracked ground.

  Then Mimiris-Lumina thrust forward, aiming straight for Lumina's head, almost too fast to react. Lumina tilted aside, her brown hair brushing against the blade's edge. Even after that close call, she stayed calm and focused, not letting the copy close in and making it clear who was in control.

  The copy's movements, once sharp and relentless, began to falter. Its swings slowed down, and its unsteady aura was fading away, slowly but surely. Lumina felt its exhaustion through its swings.

  Mimiris-Lumina then stumbled as Chronus Overdrive collapsed, its purple-black aura finally fading away. It dropped to its knees, its once human shape reverting back to its original black gel form. Shlp... shlp... Its five eyes now stared silently at Lumina.

  Lumina stepped forward, no longer holding back, she raised her blade. FWISH! FWISH! FWISH! FWISH! A flurry of clean, controlled slashes cut through the weakened Echo. THUD! A final kick sent Mimiris scattering across the dry ground, black gel fragments unable to regenerate.

  Lumina exhaled, calm and steady. "Hmph."

  - Captain Scene Shift -

  Mimiris-Captain raised its rifle. Its unsteady aura wrapped around the weapon as Configuration Shift activated. FWIP! The barrel extended, the gel reshaping into a long-range form. Now fully set in Sniper Mode, it took aim directly at Captain.

  BOOM! Captain barely managed to dodge, but the round still grazed his arm, burning heat tearing across his sleeve. Mimiris-Captain didn't stop there. The shot that missed curved and started coming back again, snapping into tracking mode, purple-black aura trailing behind it.

  Captain let out a soft groan. "Tch, it's using Aura Pursuit." He then sprinted toward the mirror copy - closing the distance. The bullet tracked him down, drawing closer with every second. Just as it was about to strike, he ducked at the last moment.

  FWOOOM! The sniper round passed over him and struck Mimiris-Captain clean through the head. SPLAT! Black gel burst apart and splattered across the dry ground.

  It wasn't down just yet, and knowing that it would just simply regenerate with stamina left, Captain slung his rifle onto his back and charged forward. He drew the knife strapped to his leg and infused it with his red aura, flaring along the blade. He closed the distance. SLASH! He severed the gel arm holding the rifle. Both arm and weapon dropped to the dry ground. Now it was unarmed. The scattered gel fragments reformed, slithering back into its head, then arms. Mimiris-Captain reached to its leg and drew its own knife, mimicking him.

  Captain didn't go for his rifle. He chose close combat instead, conserving stamina. FWIP! Mimiris-Captain lunged.

  Captain reacted instantly, parrying, dodging, sidestepping, and ducking, his soldier instincts guiding every movement. Mimiris-Captain managed to cut across his shoulder and chest. Captain grunted from the impact, but he didn't let it slow him down. He adapted instead.

  After several seconds of clashing, Mimiris-Captain began to slow. Its strikes lost their weight, and Captain no longer took any hits. Its aura dimmed gradually, fading little by little until it finally vanished. It fell to one knee, then collapsed flat onto the dry ground, reverting back to its regular gel form.

  Captain didn't hesitate. He reached back for his rifle and activated Configuration Shift, red aura flaring along the barrel. Sniper Mode now fully engaged, he took aim at the Echo and exhaled, steadying his aim. "Say goodnight."

  BOOM! The shot hit Mimiris point-blank, splattering its black gel across the ground, unable to regenerate.

  - Hikari Scene Shift -

  Mimiris-Hikari threw a hand forward and launched its three gel drones, purple-black aura humming violently.

  Hikari didn't respond the same. She raised her hand and clenched a fist. FWIP! Her drones vanished. "Not yet. I need to conserve my stamina for now."

  The gel drones kept moving and opened fire. FWUP! FWUP! FWUP! Purple-black aura shots tore toward her.

  Hikari stepped back, eyes sharpening with a soft pink glow. "Activating, Cognitive Acceleration!"

  FWOOOM! Her pink aura flared around her, thoughts accelerating as possibilities unfolded before her vision. Trajectories, angles, and impact timing appeared, predicting the best outcome for evasion. She placed her hand over her chest, channeling aura inward as a surge of pink energy shot through her. She boosted herself, her speed and strength increasing, hot pink aura flowing sharply around her.

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  FWOOM! As the bullets closed in, she already knew which outcome to take. FWISH! FWISH! FWOP! She slipped between the shots with minimal movement, barely needing to turn or step, maneuvering through the gaps as if she had already been there.

  The gel drones continued firing, their shots growing wilder and less precise, draining more of their host's stamina with every blast. Hikari kept Cognitive Acceleration active as she evaded with controlled, efficient movement, conserving stamina to a minimum.

  After several seconds, one of the gel drones just simply splattered, its black gel scattering across the dry ground. SPLAT! Then another, its aura and shape collapsing. SPLAT! The last one fired a final shot before losing form. SPLAT!

  Mimiris-Hikari dropped to both knees, its unsteady purple-black aura fading away. Seeing that it was exhausted, Hikari finally engaged. She threw an arm forward. "Drones!" FWIP! Her three drones reformed beside her, fully charged. "Engage!" HUMM!

  PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW! Pink shots tore through Mimiris-Hikari, its black gel form bursting apart and scattering across the dry ground. Its five eyes clung to a single fragment of gel. The rest of the fragments twitched, trying to reform, but it had run out of stamina, unable to regenerate.

  Hikari let out a soft breath. "Is it over now...?"

  Silence followed.

  The rest of the team approached from different sides of the battlefield, stepping over scattered patches of black gel still stuck to the dry ground.

  Slayer lowered his shield. "Please tell me our plan worked."

  Hikari nodded slightly. "They should be fully out of stamina now. They don't seem to be regenerating anymore."

  Captain glanced at Hikari's coat pocket. "In that case, shouldn't the Artifact be reacting to them right about now?"

  Slayer sheathed his blade. "Oh yeah, where's that voice that I loove so much? Asking-" He raised his hand in a mock-serious pose. "'Do you wish to proceed with the containment process?' -It's like music to my ears at this point."

  Hikari let out a light chuckle at the scene.

  Lumina sheathed her blade, her gaze steady. "Perhaps this Echo requires a different condition to be contained. Maybe simply defeating it is not enough."

  Hikari opened her mouth to respond, but then-

  The black gel scattered across the battlefield twitched, then began crawling toward the center, pulling itself together. Shlp... shlp... shlp... Fragments stretched and slid across the dry ground, reconnecting piece by piece.

  Hikari's eyes widened. "Impossible... It's reforming again?"

  The fragments merged into a single black gel mass. Multiple eyes surfaced one by one, twenty in total, glowing a faint purple at first, then brighter, until they all aligned at once, staring straight at the team.

  FWOOOOOM! A wave of purple-black aura burst around the mass as it rose upward slowly. It didn't take a humanoid shape this time, or even its original blob form. Instead, it began forming into something taller and animal-like.

  A spine formed first, jagged and uneven, snapping into place like cracked branches. CRRK! CRRK! CRACK! Black stone-like armor pushed through the gel, covering a rising torso. It looked wide and roughly human-shaped. Purple aura glowed between the armor plates, leaking through the cracks.

  From the right shoulder, a thick limb extended outward and elongated, twisting and scaling until it became serpent-like. Obsidian scales formed across its surface. At the end of the limb, a dragon head formed. Horns curled outward, whiskers drifted unnaturally, and purple eyes opened, one after another. It turned, and stared at the team, like inspecting them.

  Its left arm formed last, larger and heavier, a hulk-like limb that slammed into the ground with a heavy thud. Too large to lift fully, it dragged as it moved. Sharp, stinger-like nails clawed into the dirt, splitting the dry ground.

  Its legs took shape next, four long and insect-like legs that bent backward like a mantis. Hooked feet stabbed into the dry ground, anchoring it in place.

  From the lower spine, a swollen insect abdomen began pushing outward, stretching and slowly curling upward as it formed. It was dark and glossy, red veins visibly pulsing beneath the surface, with black armor plates slowly covering it. At the end, a curved stinger tail formed, dripping bits of black gel as it lifted.

  Finally, its main head took shape, rising slowly from the gel mass. A cracked deer skull, split through the center, eyes burning with purple light. One antler formed twisted but intact. The other snapped halfway through, breaking apart in shards.

  Then, FWOOSH... It breathed. Thick purple vapor seeped slowly from its skull mouth, rolling across the ground like cold fog. It finally stood tall. Easily over four and a half meters, towering before them, fully formed. No longer copying anyone and no longer shaped by gel. Its body was now covered entirely in black armor plating.

  It stood still for a moment. Then its deer skull head snapped upward. ReReEeAaAgHhH! The sound was sharp and distorted, like a roar forced through several broken throats at once. Purple vapor poured from its skull mouth as it howled.

  Slayer instinctively stepped back. "Okay, serious question everyone. What the heck is that even supposed to be?!"

  Captain's eyes narrowed, his hand tight on his rifle. "Is that... its true form?"

  Hikari watched the creature, her voice shaky. "N-no, i-it can't be. I don't remember any data suggesting it was capable of mutating." Her drones hovered beside her, slow and cautious. "This is bad. With no prior data on this Echo, we won't know what abilities it possesses."

  Lumina's grip tightened around the katana on her back. "Meaning we'll just have to adapt as we fight then."

  Slayer let out a dry breath. "Great. Just when I was looking forward to eating a void sandwich."

  The creature began to move slowly, heavy and controlled. Its four insect legs bent at unnatural angles, cracking the stone beneath its feet. The swollen abdomen pulsed faintly, blood glowing inside. The dragon head on its right arm lifted and stared, its eyes glowing even brighter than the skull's.

  Hikari raised her voice, calm but unwavering. "Listen everyone... we've come too far to stop now. So let's show this Echo why we're still standing here."

  Everyone took their stance, weapons raised and ready for the battle ahead.

  RRRAAAAGGHHH! The roar tore through the air, deeper and fuller this time, coming from the dragon head itself, separate from the deer skull. Purple-black fire gathered in its jaws, then it finally erupted. FWOOOOSH! The stream of flame poured upward, warping the air with heat and unstable aura.

  Mimiris lifted its left, hulk-like arm and slammed it into the ground. THOOM! The dry dirt cracked beneath it, stone erupting upward, sending one clear message. It was ready to fight.

  Hikari reacted quickly and raised a hand. "Drones!" FWIP! Her three drones rushed forward, circling the team. PEW-PEW-PEW!

  Pink aura shots struck Slayer, Lumina, and Captain, boosting their aura and restoring their strength. Wounds sealed, pain eased, and their stamina slowly returned.

  Captain rolled his shoulder. "Thanks, Hikari. Now I'm ready to kick some Echo ass."

  Slayer drew his blade. "Alright, now those void sandwiches can wait a little longer!"

  Lumina unsheathed her katana, giving it a quick spin. "Not sure what we're dealing with here, but just remember to stay focused everyone."

  Hikari stared at Mimiris, her drones hovering close. "Right. We've got this."

  Across from them, the creature straightened. Its dragon arm coiled, its stinger tail lifted, and its deer skull lowered, eyes burning purple. Then it slammed its hulk-like arm into its armored chest. THUD! THUD! THUD! The armor rang like broken stone struck by a hammer. And then it charged. THOOM! THOOM! THOOM!

  The ground shook beneath its sprint, its insect-like legs hooking into the dry earth as they carried its heavy weight. It used its left hulk-like arm to push forward for balance, like a gorilla charging straight toward them.

  Captain and Hikari opened fire first, their aura surging. Together, they called out, "Firing!"

  PEW! BRRTT! PEW! BRRTT! Pink and red aura shots struck Mimiris across the torso and arms, but every shot bounced off, ricocheting as if hitting solid steel.

  "You're kidding me," Captain muttered. "Those rounds didn't even scratch it."

  Hikari narrowed her eyes. "Its armor density... it's too strong for our bullets to pierce through."

  Lumina stepped forward, katana drawn. "Then we find another way."

  Slayer raised his shield and sword. "Agreed. Let's get up close and personal."

  Their aura ignited. FWOOOM! Green and blue energy flared around them.

  Lumina glanced back. "Cover us, Hikari and Captain. We'll see what we can do up close."

  Hikari nodded. "Okay, just be careful."

  Slayer lifted his shield with a grin. "We will. Just don't accidentally shoot us tho."

  Captain loaded a round through Aura Reload. "Hmph. No promises."

  Then FWISH! they moved in. Lumina met Mimiris first. She leaped, katana ready, twisting high into the air before driving a thrusting strike straight into its left hulk-like arm.

  THUNK! The blade stopped. It didn't pierce through at all, not even an inch. She landed on its arm, sandals scraping across the obsidian surface. Before she could react

  RRRAAAAGGHHH! The dragon head on its right arm snapped toward her, jaws gathering with purple-black fire. FWOOOOSH! It breathed, unleashing the flame.

  Lumina pushed off just in time, flipping backward as purple-black flames tore through the space she had stood in seconds before. She landed in a low stance, her brow narrowing. "That was close... It's like that dragon head has a will of its own."

  Slayer was already on the move. FWISH! He dashed around Mimiris and went straight for the abdomen, aiming for the swollen joint of the tail. CLANG! His sword struck the dark armor plating, but it didn't pierce. "Dammit! My blade isn't budging."

  Before he could react, Mimiris' stinger tail lifted high, then came down with incredible force. WHAM! Slayer barely raised his shield in time. The stinger crashed into it. KRNNNK! The ground cracked beneath him. It then struck again, this time swinging its whole abdomen. Slayer shielded, but the impact sent him flying back, skidding across the ground - shield still raised. He exhaled sharply. "Jeez... what incredible force." He glanced at his shield. "It even managed to leave a crack."

  Captain watched Lumina and Slayer struggle to break through. "Tch. Their weapons aren't doing anything to it either."

  Hikari extended her arm, drones hovering at her command from afar. "If our weapons can't even pierce it..." Her eyes narrowed. "Then we're in serious trouble."

  Lumina glanced back at Hikari as she landed, katana raised. "Hey, Hikari! Now would be a good time to say you have a plan!"

  Slayer parried another heavy punch, shield rattling. "Yeah! Now's a great time for one of your genius ones!"

  Hikari kept her eyes locked on Mimiris, voice steady but tight. "Sorry nothing yet... But this thing is something else." She raised her voice firmly, just enough for the team to hear through the chaos. "Everyone, listen up! No holding back - for now we give it everything we've got!" She pointed toward Mimiris. "That mutation it went through... it might even have just reached Zerm-class for all we know. So do not lose focus! Not even for a second!"

  Captain leveled his rifle at Mimiris. "Hmph. Just what I wanted to hear."

  Slayer blocked the stinger tail on impact KRNNNK! then skidded back beside Lumina, boots carving through dry ground. "Alright. Now it's getting personal."

  Lumina kept her katana raised, eyes locked on Mimiris. "If what Hikari says is true, about this thing really reaching Zerm-class... then brute force won't work. We need to find another way to take it down."

  Hikari and Captain rushed beside them.

  Hikari's eyes fixed on Mimiris. "Hey, I know our weapons aren't doing anything, but let's try hitting every limb it has, every part of its body. There has to be a point where it can just simply take damage."

  Slayer gripped his sword tighter. "Got it. Keep slashing until my blade breaks into pieces."

  Lumina shot him a look. "Calm down Slayer. Hikari can just repair it."

  Slayer blinked. "Oh, right. Totally forgot her aura can do that."

  Lumina nodded. "Fine, we'll go with that plan for now then. Let's just hope we don't burn out before we're able to find it's weakness."

  Hikari’s drones hovered beside her. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to keep you all healed and energized.”

  Captain checked his rifle. "Then let's get to it. I'll hit every part of its body until something cracks."

  Across from them, the creature stood still. Its deer skull head turned slowly toward them. ReReEeAaAgHhH! Its purple eyes flared brighter. Thick vapor poured from its deer skull mouth, spilling across its armor like smoke. Then it charged at them. THUM! THUM! THUM!

  Hikari raised her voice. “Everyone, careful! Here it comes!”