The Moonlight Swordsman

[Master, that big lump of meat has gone mad]

So, it's working huh, thought so."

Aizel swiftly eliminated bandits as he ran through the chaos, his hands aglow with the dance of dual blades.

He deftly drew away from Khali, who was pursuing him relentlessly.

In his mounting frustration, Khali swung his enormous spear indiscriminately, wreaking havoc as he went.

With each powerful swing of his enormous spear, the giant's wrath made it harder to tell who was a friend and who was an enemy, and the mayhem escalated.

The action devolved into a frenetic dance of dodging and attacking as Aizel skillfully navigated the chaos, avoiding the fury of the monster.

I think now might be a good time," Aizel thought.

Aizel pivoted swiftly, redirecting his focus toward the approaching giant. Khali, seeing his prey heading towards him, sported a grin as he charged forward.

The giant's enormous spear swooped down toward Aizel's head, its immense power threateningly driving it.

In a display of agility, Aizel outpaced the colossal foe, executing a nimble duck and slide between Khali's legs.

Aizel emerged unscathed behind the giant, and the spear thunderously struck the ground, echoing with a resounding thud.

He ascended Khali's enormous body with a furious pace, intending to slash out at the area about the neck and shoulders.

But the impenetrable skin of Khali broke the blade and shocked Aizel for an instant.

Seizing the opportunity, Khali seized Aizel and hurled him forcefully to the ground. Aizel, unfazed, regained his balance with one remaining sword in his grasp and executed a controlled roll.

Damn it, these weapons are shit. How the hell can I even kill him now?

[Master, look at that guy. His spear seems pretty strong]

As Sekki had indicated, Aizel had looked in the designated direction.

Two men stood apart from the continuing struggle, content to watch the mayhem unfold. These were the same bandits who sent Khali charging into battle.

They seem like leaders; hehe, let's kill them."

Aizel pivoted once more, eluding Khali's wrath as he sprinted away.

His focus now set on the two bandit leaders, he skillfully cut through the remaining bandits on his path, armed with just a single sword.

"He is heading towards us, go take care of him," The bandit on the horseback said,

*hiccup*

"Aye aye," The bandit, who was still drinking, threw his bottle and made his way towards Aizel.

He slowly brandished his sword.

Aizel had already reached for him. He executed a swift sword strike that was so fast that it didn't even look like he was in a drunken state.

To his surprise, the sword was effortlessly parried, causing him to spin abruptly.

In the blink of an eye, the world inverted, and he found himself on the ground, separated from his own head.

In his final moments, all he witnessed was Khali's leg crushing his head like a ripe fruit against the ground.

As Aizel watched the next bandit quickly turn his horse to flee, he scornfully exclaimed, "What a coward."

Reacting swiftly, he hurled his sword, and with remarkable speed, it pierced the fleeing bandit's back, sending him tumbling from his horse along with his spear.

The horse bolted away, leaving Aizel beside the fallen bandit.

He quickly grabbed the spear and turned around to see Khali lunging with his own weapon.

Aizel deftly spun the spear, effortlessly diverting Khali's attack.

Skillfully using the spear's weight, Aizel parried the attack. Seizing the opportunity, he swiftly thrust the spear toward Khali's neck, leaving a telling wound in its wake.

"Hehe, you big idiot, I was just waiting for this,"

"YAAAAAAAA" Khali screamed and swung his spear madly. Once again Aizel easily parried and quickly slashed his knee. The giant then falls to his knees.

But he swung the spear trying to catch Aizel off-guard. However, Aizel jumped and landed on his spear, and then jumped again, spun like a fidget spinner, and slashed the spear that severed the neck of the giant.

[Fufu, that was brilliant, master]

Thank you," Aizel replied as he landed on the ground.

He gazed towards the battle, which was almost over. Many guards died, but there were still some remaining. At the same time, the bandits were all dead.

Suddenly, everything changed, and Aizel found himself back in the cave with the rest of the group.

We've escaped that illusion; it wasn't as challenging as I thought," He thought.

[Master, that two guys are staring at you]

Aizel observed the two-member group fixated on him. While the other groups engaged in discussions, these two individuals remained focused on Aizel.

Did they recognize me? Or were they observing me while I was fighting? Anyway, it's not like I used my power," Aizel thought.

"Let's move on, this was just the start," The guy spoke.

"It's not your first time right?" One of the members from the four-person group spoke.

"Yes, I have done this before, so I know about it," He replied.

"The toughest challenge will be the illusions which will affect us both mentally and emotionally," He further added.

Delving further into the unknown, the group persisted in their journey. They came at a pair of double doors after about an hour.

"Oye, what this is all about?" One of the members asked.

"Huh… even I don't know what this is. It is also possible that we are already in an illusion.

The reply shocked everyone as they became alerted.

[I don't this where it is going]

Let's be prepared."

As the door creaked open, they cautiously entered.

Suddenly, the enormous room was filled with light, and thunderous applause resounded throughout.

The group stood alone in the Grand Colosseum, surrounded by a sea of spectators.

Aizel's gaze caught the regal figures seated atop it, presumably the ruling monarch.

"The subjects have entered, and released the monster," one of the guards shouted.

Everyone quickly summoned their weapons and quickly became alert.

It's good I can use mana once again," Aizel thought.

As the walls pulled apart in front of them, huge entrances appeared at the corners of the stage.

*Thump*

*Thump* *Thump*

*Thump**Thump**Thump*

*Thump**Thump**Thump**Thump*

As the thunderous voice moved closer, reverberating through the atmosphere, the applause from the audience intensified, signaling the arrival of something big.

*ROAAAAAARRRR*

A gigantic monster resembling a dog with three heads emerged onto the stage.

Each head bore menacing horns, and its sharp, red eyes fixed on the group. Growls and roars escaped its mouth, exhaling scorching red flames.

At a jaw-dropping 20 feet tall, his ripped, jet-black physique made everything else look like ants.

That's a fucking Cerberus, holy shit," Aizle thought.

[Master, that beast looks very strong]

"Do we have to fight that monster now…"

"Damn it, what type of illusions are these…"

"We have to go all out… holding back means death…"

As the monster crept closer, the group members began to whisper and chatter. The enormous colosseum and stage provided more than enough room for the impending confrontation.

In an instant, one of the Cerberus heads let off a deluge of roaring fire, its crimson tongues extending in an aggressive manner.

The two individuals, who had previously observed Aizel, responded without delay.

In a blazing confrontation with the Cerberus, they loosened their jaws and let out their own fire.

They must be dragons," Aizel thought.

The remaining two heads of the Cerberus joined in, spewing scorching flames toward them.

In response, the four group members moved quickly, each exhaling flames from their mouths.

More dragons, why are they not together? Or are they Wveryns?" Meanwhile, Aizel was at last observing the situation.

"Let's help each other and defeat this beast. I think that's the way to break this illusion out." The members of the three-member group spoke.

The trio charged at the Cerberus, taking advantage of its focus on spewing flames. They were about to attack when a powerful tail swung around and pounded them into the wall.

Aizel observed as they instantly turned into pulpy masses splattered on the wall.

They are so weak; how the fuck did they survive the last battle?" Aizel thought.

Let's take on this three-headed dog,"

[Yes Master, fufu]

Sekki swiftly morphed into two compact battle blades connected by chains.

Aizel dashed towards the Cerberus, swinging the chained swords as he leaped. In mid-air, he spun them vigorously, and flames burst forth. With tremendous force, he slammed them into the monster.

*BOOOOOM*

The explosion ruptured the ongoing battle between the others and Cerberus.

Aizel descended onto the platform and observed the flaming chaos. Amidst the fiery turmoil, Cerberus's head approached him.

Aizel swiftly turned Sekki into two gauntlets. He grabbed hold of the teeth, anchoring himself to the platform.

At the same time, Cerberus's tail swung to the right, but another member quickly came running over to help, his hands firmly gripping Cerberus's tail.

These guys are strong."

Swiftly, another member sprang forward and kicked Cerberus square in the face. The monster stumbled backward on its feet as a result of the tremendous impact.

[TOO STRONG]