A still moment…
Then—chaos.
The Lunar Riftstep portals exploded open across the night sky — tearing through buildings, distorting the stars themselves.
From each rift, phantom echoes of Ecliphaze emerged — dozens of Shade Replications swirling through the battlefield in a blur of illusion and shadow.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"Now he's serious—watch the clones!"
Lyra dashed through the streets, blades gleaming, cutting down three shadows — only for five more to appear.
"They're endless!" she shouted.
Cryalis remained still, her gaze focused — subtle frost spreading from her feet outward.
The clones slowed as they entered her icefield — their movements glitching under the suppressive cold.
Orion charged through them, fists swinging, breaking illusions apart with raw force.
Zevak, fingers flying across a small device:
"I'm mapping his true position! His cloak is hiding his core signature—"
A sudden cold realization washed over him as he looked up — the real Ecliphaze hovered directly above them, both hands raised.
"ENOUGH!"
With a single command, the shadows converged — fusing into an enormous, swirling moonlit vortex above the team.
Kael shouted:
"MOVE—!"
But before they could scatter, Ecliphaze unleashed his true technique:
LUNAR VEIL STORM
A cascade of light-eater shards, moonlight distortion waves, and memory-scrambling pulses slammed into the battlefield — warping space and overwhelming the team's senses.
Kael staggered, a sudden fog clouding his thoughts — faces, names, even whythey were fighting momentarily blurring in his mind.
"Ngh—this isn't normal!"
Veyra knelt, hands on her head, her aura flickering.
"He's… twisting our minds—"
Even Cryalis, normally composed, grimaced slightly as the illusions pressed harder.
Zevak, through gritted teeth:
"Damn it—he's targeting memory centers—!"
Ecliphaze's voice echoed coldly:
"You fight bravely. But your will… is weak."
Just as the wave nearly overwhelmed them — Kael clenched his fists, forcing his mind clear through sheer will.
A faint silver-white glow sparked from deep within him.
He shouted:
"STAND UP—REMEMBER WHO WE ARE!"
His voice cut through the distortion — a rallying point.
Cryalis's ice flared — a pulse of pure absolute zero sweeping outward.
The storm flickered, slowed — giving the others room to breathe.
Lyra blinked, clarity returning:
"That… was close."
Orion growled:
"He's going DOWN."
Ecliphaze, his form now crackling with unstable moonveil power, hissed:
"Persistent worms… so be it."
He gathered dark energy for one final, devastating assault.
Kael, standing tall with his team, declared:
"Then let's end this — together."
END OF CHAPTER 12