The Multiverse Lord's bored voice hung in the air. It felt heavy, like an old blanket of power. Aarav shivered, not from cold, but from the sheer weight of it. This was it. The main stage.
The huge arena was made of dark, shiny stone. It stretched far, further than Aarav could see. Tall, black stone pillars, carved with strange marks, reached up into the swirling, colorful sky. Thousands of other players, from every planet still in the game, stood spread out across the giant space.
A low, deep growl came from the black stone pillars. Shadows peeled away from the stone, swirling into solid shapes. They were bigger than the Crucible Scarabs, shaped like people but twisted, with glowing red eyes and long, dark claws.
``
"Level 8 already?!" Sarah exclaimed, her eyes wide. "That's a big jump from the easy dungeons!"
Aarav quickly pulled up his UI.
``
[LEVEL: 5 (0/2000 XP)]
[EP: 55/55]
His EP was full. He would need every bit of it.
The Conflux Guardians moved surprisingly fast. Their shadowy bodies flickered. They didn't just attack; they made a low, creepy moan that seemed to suck away energy.
Aarav felt the drain. It was dull, like a far-off ache. His `` was working, making it less bad. "They're draining EP!" he warned Sarah. "And SP!"
Sarah gritted her teeth. "I feel it. My ``!" She used it, blocking a Guardian's claw. "Sharma, you need to adapt something that hits hard, or stops them."
A Guardian lunged at Aarav. He quickly dodged. He focused on the creature's shadowy form. Energy drain. Shadowy. What if I adapt something that absorbs energy, but from the air around us?
``
A faint, almost invisible shimmer appeared around Aarav. He felt the arena's strange, humming energy flow into him, slowly refilling his EP. It was a small trickle, but it was constant.
``
"I'm getting EP back!" Aarav yelled, surprised. "Slowly, but it's working!"
Sarah's eyes widened. "That's amazing! You're turning their own environment against them!" She fired a at a Guardian, then used her to protect Aarav as he focused.
Other players were struggling. A Martial Artist from a far-off planet roared, his `` glowing, but the Guardians' energy drain was slowing him down. A Spirit Conjurer tried to summon a ghost, but the arena's energy seemed to mess up his spell.
Aarav, now with a steady trickle of EP, adapted Sarah's and blasted a Guardian, pushing it back. He followed with a of his own.
"One down!" Sarah shouted, her voice filled with new energy. "Keep it up, Adaptor!"
The arena floor began to glow faintly. Cracks appeared, and a strange, green mist started to rise from them.
"Oh, come on!" Aarav groaned. "Now the floor is trying to kill us?!"
Sarah quickly activated her ``. "It's a low-level acid. My shield can block it for a bit. What about you, Adaptor?"
Aarav felt the mist sting his skin, a faint burning feeling. He needed to resist it. He remembered the Crucible Scarabs from the first trial, and how his `` had given him a tiny physical resistance. Corrosive. Acid. What about a natural resistance to that?
``
A faint, almost unseen shimmer appeared around Aarav's skin. The stinging feeling lessened. It wasn't gone, but it was much easier to handle.
"It's working!" Aarav said, surprised. "Just a little bit, but it's less annoying!"
Sarah just shook her head, a mix of frustration and wonder on her face. "You're ridiculous, Sharma. Now, let's move! We need to reach that central platform!"
The Conflux Guardians kept coming, their shadowy forms never stopping. The mist rose higher. The true test of Phase 1 had begun.