Absolute Cheater - Chapter 490

Chapter 490: Averin Academy XIV

The moment Kairn and his team vanished into the darkness, the whole arena seemed to hold its breath.

Maxwell stopped mid-charge, his sword raised, eyes scanning the shifting shadows. The air around him felt heavier, colder, as if the entire battlefield was breathing. The Drevan team had turned the light itself against them—each flicker of movement could be an illusion, a feint, or death coming from the dark.

“Eyes open!” Sylens called out, his voice calm but sharp. “Don’t react—read.”

Amanda stepped closer to the center, her whip uncoiling with a soft hiss. “Then they better not blink,” she muttered, her tone laced with challenge.

A faint sound—like feet brushing against stone—came from the left. Maxwell turned just in time. A shadow lunged out, twin daggers flashing. His sword came up in a smooth arc, meeting the attack with a ringing clash. Sparks lit their faces for half a second—then the shadow vanished again, melting into the gloom.

“That one was real,” Maxwell said, backing up slowly.

“Then the next three won’t be,” Sylens replied, crouching slightly. His instincts were right. The ground around them rippled—three more shadows appeared, striking from different angles. But these weren’t solid. Maxwell’s sword passed right through one, while Amanda’s whip cracked another apart like smoke.

“Projections,” Lia said from behind them, her bow already drawn. “They’re testing our reactions.”

A whisper echoed through the darkness. Kairn’s voice. “Good reflexes. Let’s raise the stakes.”

The entire floor glowed faintly, and then the shadows moved. They rose like waves, twisting and bending until they formed silhouettes—copies of the Magnus cousins themselves. Each shadow looked almost real, weapons shimmering with faint silver light.

Amanda gritted her teeth. “Oh, this is getting annoying.”

Sylens’ eyes narrowed. “Don’t waste energy. We find the real ones and break their control.”

He pointed forward. “Maxwell, right flank. I’ll take center. Amanda, control the backline. Twins—range support, pattern echo five!”

They moved instantly.

Maxwell rushed to the right, his sword cutting through two illusions before they could strike. His blade flared brighter with every swing, violet trails slicing across the darkness. One fake Asher—taller, faster—charged him, swinging with inhuman speed. Maxwell blocked, sparks flying, and pushed forward with a grunt, breaking the illusion apart in a burst of purple dust.

Sylens met the next wave head-on. His short sword traced small, clean arcs—every parry exact, every counter fast. When a fake Lia loosed an arrow at him, he sidestepped just enough for it to miss, then flicked his wrist, sending his blade spinning forward. It struck the illusion’s chest, dissolving it instantly.

At the back, Amanda was a storm. Her whip snapped again and again, each strike bursting with violet sparks. She moved like a dancer—pivoting, turning, spinning. Every time an illusion tried to flank the group, her whip intercepted it mid-motion, wrapping and tearing it apart in one smooth motion.

“Keep them close!” she shouted. “They’re circling!”

Sophia raised her shield, blocking a sudden strike from behind. The hit rang like a bell, the vibration running through her arm. “They’re mixing real ones with illusions now!” she warned.

Lia’s eyes flicked toward the far corner—she caught a glimmer of movement, slightly slower than the rest. “That’s one!” she yelled, firing immediately.

Her arrow struck true. A Drevan fighter stumbled into view, the illusion breaking around him like smoke. He raised his weapon to block—but before he could recover, Maxwell was already there. His sword swept in a clean arc, stopping just before the opponent’s throat. The elimination sigil flared beneath the fighter’s feet.

“One down,” Maxwell called.

The shadows pulsed harder now, reacting to the loss.

Kairn’s voice echoed again, cold and sharp. “Not bad. But let’s see how you handle a real formation.”

The darkness condensed. All at once, five silver outlines appeared—his entire team, side by side, their movements perfectly synchronized. Their resonance merged into a single rhythm, and the air began to vibrate with power.

Sylens’ expression hardened. “They’re fusing resonance… that’s dangerous.”

Amanda cracked her whip once, the sound echoing. “Good. I was getting bored.”

The Drevan team moved first—five shadows rushing as one wave. Their steps were soundless, their strikes perfectly timed. Maxwell barely blocked the first blow before a second came from above, followed by a third sweeping low. Each impact rattled the ground.

Sylens jumped in beside him, parrying another strike with a quick twist of his blade. “Center hold! Don’t split!”

Lia’s arrows flew in rapid fire, each glowing faintly with violet aura. The first few shattered against Kairn’s barrier, but she adjusted, shifting her aim to the ground beneath them. The arrows exploded, throwing up dust that broke the perfect rhythm of their attacks.

Sophia slammed her shield into the earth, sending a wave of resonance outward. The pulse rippled across the field, disrupting two Drevan illusions that had been sneaking around the edges.

Amanda spun, whip glowing brighter now, each motion smoother than the last. She used the whip like a lifeline—blocking, binding, and dragging enemies off balance. One Drevan twin tried to catch her mid-swing, but she twisted the whip around his weapon, pulling him forward into Maxwell’s waiting strike.

The crowd roared.

Kairn’s eyes gleamed in the dark. “Impressive. But you’re still reacting. Let me show you control.”

He thrust his hands forward, merging his aura with his team’s. The entire arena floor became shadow. Shapes formed, stretching into dozens of duplicates—each one striking from a different direction.

Sylens clenched his teeth. “He’s merging projection and reality. Watch for overlap points!”

The cousins closed in tighter, shoulder to shoulder, their violet auras merging.

Maxwell stepped forward, anchoring the front. Sylens mirrored him, parrying in perfect timing. Lia fired steady cover arrows, each one lighting up the dark with violet sparks. Sophia guarded the flank, blocking anything that slipped through. Amanda’s whip moved constantly, breaking illusions before they could solidify.

Their rhythm tightened—five breaths, one heartbeat.

Then Maxwell shouted, “Now! Pulse release!”

All five cousins unleashed their aura at once. A shockwave of violet energy blasted outward, tearing through the shadow illusions. The arena filled with light, revealing Kairn’s team momentarily exposed.

Amanda reacted first. Her whip lashed out, wrapping around one opponent’s arm. She yanked hard, pulling him into Sophia’s shield bash. He went flying, eliminated instantly.

Sylens darted forward, meeting Kairn blade to blade. Their swords clashed, each strike ringing across the battlefield. Sparks scattered as both fought for control—Kairn’s shadow aura twisting, Sylens’ violet light pushing through.

“Why fight in the dark,” Sylens said, parrying another blow, “when we were born to fight through it?”