"Form up!" Tirion called out, shield raised despite the dents and scorch marks marring its surface. "Diamond formation!"

  We moved as one. Tirion at point, Lysa at rear, Estella and I on the flanks. It was textbook positioning against superior forces, but there was nothing textbook about what we faced.

  The two lesser Dark Zombies twitched and jerked toward our formation. Their corrupted weapons left trails of violet fire in the air, likeafter-images burned into reality itself. But it was Renna who worried me. The massive dark orc's movements were becoming more fluid.

  "Lysa!" I shouted, recognizing the pattern from countless boss fights. "She's about to-"

  Renna's roar cut me off. She brought her axe down in a vertical slam, but this time she wasn't aiming for us. The corrupted weapon plunged deep into the stone floor.

  Dark energy exploded outward in a wave of purple fire. Cracks spread through the ancient stone like lightning, darkness seeping up through them like poison through veins.

  "Shields up!" Tirion dropped to one knee, bracing his damaged shield. Next to me, Estella's chakrams spun in a defensive pattern, creating a barrier of motion. Behind us, Lysa's shadow magic formed a protective dome.

  It was barely enough.

  The wave hit us like a physical wall. I felt my boots leave the ground as the force threw us backward. Stone shrapnel pelted us from all directions. Through the chaos, I caught glimpses of the other Dark Zombies using the blast to reposition, their jerky movements taking them to opposite sides of the chamber.

  We were being surrounded.

  I landed hard, my sword skittering across the cracked floor. The chamber spun as I rolled to my feet, ears ringing. Estella had managed to land gracefully with her dancer's reflexes, but Tirion was down on one knee, his shield arm trembling. Lysa's barrier had absorbed the worst of it for her, but maintaining it had cost her. She leaned heavily on her staff, shadow magic flickering weakly around her.

  "Anyone got a plan?" Estella's voice was tense but controlled as she caught her chakrams. "Because I don't think we can take another hit like that."

  I reached for my sword, mind racing. The corruption had evolved, but that meant Renna's attack patterns must have changed too. If we could just figure out the new pattern-

  A dark blur of motion caught my eye. One of the lesser Dark Zombies was already moving, its corrupted blade aimed straight for Lysa's exposed back.

  "Behind you!" I shouted. Lysa started to turn, but she'd be too slow. Her staff was still trembling from maintaining that last barrier.

  Tirion moved like lightning. His shield crashed into the Dark Zombie's blade, forcing it up and away from Lysa. The impact sent purple sparks scattering in the air.

  "Get behind me!" Tirion stepped between Lysa and the corrupted warrior, shield raised. The purple flames from its blade cast twisted shadows across his battered armor.

  Lysa fell back to his protected flank, her breathing heavy but controlled. I could see her fingers tighten around her staff as shadow magic began to gather once more. The Dark Zombie pressed forward, its jerky movements making its next attack hard to predict.

  But then I noticed something. Each time its corrupted blade struck Tirion's shield, the zombie had to reset its stance. And with each reset, it was inching closer to the corner. If we could time this right...

  The Dark Zombie's next strike glanced off Tirion's shield in a shower of purple sparks. As it recoiled, its back nearly touched the ancient stone walls. One more step.

  "Tirion!" I called. "Drive it back!"

  He understood immediately. His next shield block turned into an aggressive push, forcing the corrupted warrior to stumble backward. Now it was truly boxed in, caught between walls of stone and a wall of steel.

  Perfect.

  "Lysa!" I pointed up with my sword. "Full blast, high angle!"

  Shadow magic swirled around her staff like living smoke. The spell erupted upward in a concentrated beam, striking the chamber ceiling directly above the Dark Zombie. Ancient stone groaned. Cracks spread like lightning through the rock.

  The Dark Zombie noticed too late. It started to lunge forward, but chunks of ceiling were already raining down. Instinct made it dodge away from the falling stone - straight into the path of Tirion's waiting shield.

  Tirion smashed the dark zombie down with a force that drove it face-first into the stone floor with a sickening crack. But we couldn't celebrate yet.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Renna's massive form blurred into motion, faster than anything that size had any right to move. Her corrupted axe swept a horizontal arc that would catch all of us.

  "Scatter!" I yelled, but the warning came too late. The arc of purple fire was already sweeping toward us.

  That's when Estella made her move.

  For a moment, I thought Estella had lost her mind. Her chakrams struck the ground in a spinning arc - but instead of attacking, they created a tight vortex of air right behind us. The whirlwind caught us like a massive hand, throwing us backward just as Renna's wave of corruption passed harmlessly beneath our feet.

  I hit the ground rolling, coming up beside Tirion who'd managed to maintain his footing. His shield was a mess, more warped metal than protection now, but he still held it ready.

  "Clever," he grunted, eyes tracking Renna's movements. "But we can't keep dodging forever."

  He was right. Lysa landed gracefully nearby, but I could see the strain in her face from consecutive spells. Estella's chakrams returned to her hands, but her breathing was heavy. We were all running low on resources.

  The remaining Dark Zombie twitched and jerked its way to Renna's side. Purple flames poured from both their forms now, and where they stepped, corruption spread through the stone like creeping frost.

  I gripped my sword tighter, mind racing. We needed a plan. I observed them closely. There was something raw and animalistic about them. They were likely operating on instinct. We could probably distract them with Tirion, but he would likely get overwhelmed.

  Unless… We just needed some lower value bait.

  "Everyone get ready to move on my signal." I commanded.

  "What are you-" Tirion started to ask, but I was already moving.

  “Warriors of Darkness, assemble!” I yelled.

  The air split as ten figures emerged from the shadows taking human form. One after another, dark figures materialized throughout the chamber. Each one was me, but not quite - different armor, different weapons, all low level with basic gear.

  "FOR THE NIGHT!" their voices echoed in unison. They raised their swords as one and charged at the dark zombies.

  The army of alternative accounts surged forward like a wave of expendable flesh. They weren't strong - basic gear, basic stats - but they had numbers. And more importantly, they were distracting.

  Renna's corrupted form actually paused, purple flames flickering as if in confusion at the sudden appearance of an army.

  "What in the Shadow Lord's name... I was wondering when you would summon them again." Lysa breathed.

  "When the time is right of course," I smiled.

  The Dark Zombies' jerky movements became even more erratic as they faced the swarm of identical warriors. Their corrupted weapons carved through my alternative accounts like paper, but for each one that fell, two more pressed forward. The chamber filled with the sound of death notifications.

  "Their attack patterns are breaking down," I called out, noting how the Dark Zombies' coordinated movements dissolved into wild swings. "They can't process this many targets!"

  Even Renna's massive form seemed overwhelmed, her corrupted axe sweeping wide arcs through clusters of expendable warriors. Purple flames consumed my alternative accounts by the dozen, but they'd served their purpose. The corruption was spread thin, trying to track too many threats at once.

  "Estella!" I nodded toward the flanks. "They're all yours!"

  She was already moving, her chakrams cutting elegant arcs through the chaos. With the Dark Zombies distracted by the swarm of accounts, they never saw her real attack coming. Her blades found the weak points in their corrupted forms, striking with surgical precision.

  The lesser Dark Zombies dissolved into shadows, leaving only Renna. But she was learning, adapting. Her corrupted form started to ignore my expendable accounts, purple flames focusing on tracking Estella's movements instead.

  "Tirion! Lysa! Now!"

  Tirion charged forward, his battered shield raised high. Instead of trying to block Renna's massive axe, he angled the shield to deflect it. The corrupted weapon scraped across the metal surface with a shower of sparks, thrown off course just enough.

  Lysa's spell hit Renna from behind, dark tendrils wrapping around her corrupted form. The massive orc struggled against the shadows, but Lysa wasn't trying to hold her. She was creating an opening.

  "Everyone together!" I raised my sword high, dark energy crackling along its edge. "End this!"

  Time seemed to slow as we moved in perfect sync, like we'd practiced this a thousand times instead of it being pure desperate instinct.

  Estella's chakrams sang through the air in converging arcs, trailing silver light as they spun faster than the eye could track. One high, one low, creating a lethal web of motion that forced Renna to commit to a defensive stance.

  "For the Shadow Lord!" Lysa's voice rang with power as she slammed her staff into the ground. Dark tendrils erupted from the corruption-scorched stone, wrapping around Renna's massive form. They couldn't hold her for long - she was too strong, the corruption too potent - but they didn't need to.

  "Shield of the faithful!" Tirion charged forward, his battered shield held before him like a battering ram. Purple flames washed over him as he crashed into Renna's defense, driving her back step by step. The metal of his shield began to warp and melt under the corrupted fire, but he didn't stop pushing.

  And in that moment, as my companions' attacks came together, I saw my opening. Renna was bound by Lysa's shadows, staggered by Tirion's charge, her guard split by Estella's chakrams. Perfect.

  I poured my mana into my blade. Dark energy crackled along its length, responding to my desperation. The sword felt alive in my hands, hungry for what came next.

  "This ends now!"

  My blade struck true, finding the exact point where our attacks converged. For a moment, nothing happened. Then:

  Renna's corrupted form shuddered violently. The purple flames that had burned so bright began to flicker and fade. Her massive frame went rigid, then seemed to collapse in on itself. The corruption tried to maintain its hold, dark energy swirling in desperate patterns, but it was too late.

  With a sound like a thousand whispers suddenly silenced, what remained of the Silver Wolf warrior collapsed into shadow. Only the corruption-scorched stone remained, marking where one of the mightiest warriors had made her final stand.