Each time the Blue and Purple energy clashed, both liquids evaporated. At first, Geth was happy with this development, but as time drew on, he realized that his body was pulling more Mana from the environment than his Immersion could replenish.

The two energies pressed forward, each searching for an opportunity to overtake the other. Geth controlled his Mana to slide around the broken walls of the dome while the purple energy tried to pierce straight through.

Neither were gaining the upper hand.

The purple energy had the advantage due to its speed of replenishment, but every time it would get ahead, something on the outside would distract it. This gave Geth the chance to cut it off at the doorway and destroy what had made it into his mental sphere.

By the time he would clean up the residual aura, a new wave of purple energy would burst from the tunnel. Unless he could stop conserving Mana, this battle would remain a stalemate.

*****

Just a few moments ago, Sindri had watched as Geth's skin took on a pitch-black color. She thought nothing of it, believing that he'd simply learned a new Skill.

That was... Until a menacing purple energy replaced the calm Mana that usually surrounded him.

A wave of power washed out from his position, pushing everyone back. No one was hurt. They were just driven back by the slow-moving wave until the wall stopped them.

Geth simply stood there. He even looked around as if he were making sure everyone was okay before walking toward a nearby wall.

Sindri sighed in relief. She watched curiously while he placed his hand on the glowing rock face.

The walls began to dim as the Mana stored in them was siphoned toward his open palm. The purple aura surged outward, becoming stronger with every second.

'I wonder what kind of Skill that is?'

The purple aura made her hesitant to walk too close, so she decided to ask him through their Mana Resonance. Sindri connected to his sphere with her Mana...

'Huh?'

That same purple aura surrounded his sphere in her mind and kept her from connecting. At that moment, she realized that Jack had already approached him.

'Shit.'

Before she had the chance to call out to him, Jack had already placed his hand on Geth's shoulder. The black figure turned and grabbed the young man by the throat, lifting him into the air.

Jack struggled against the man's hold but to no avail. His life force slowly started to fade as the purple aura surrounding Geth became stronger.

Sindri didn't hesitate to use Heavy Bash, quickly covering the distance between the two and forcing Geth to stagger multiple steps back. His grip on Jack was loosened, allowing the young man to get away.

Running into Geth was like slamming into a mountain wall. Her arms shook, and her shield almost dropped to the ground.

Something she noticed was that the purple aura blocking their mental connection had faded for a brief moment. Zolis seemed to catch it as well.

"Everyone! Find a way to restrain him!

"

'Sindri, keep trying to break through! The next time his guard is down, we can't waste a second.'

She nodded toward Zolis and blocked an attack from Geth. Sindri was pushed back multiple feet, her legs buckling slightly beneath her.

'I can't take many hits like that.'

Even some of the Sub-Bosses that she'd tanked hadn't been able to hit that hard. Just what kind of power was this?

'At least he doesn't seem capable of using any Skills.'

Geth launched from his location, leaving a small crater beneath him, and leapt toward Sindri's position. She braced herself for the impact... but it never came.

She peaked over the edge of her shield and found that chains had caught onto Geth's leg and were slowly winding their way around his body.

"I can't hold it for long!

" Felix called out,

"Whatever Skill he's using is sapping my Mana through the chains!

"

Felix then glanced around the room.

"Peter, see if one of your Spirits can help calm him! Filthy, prepare your Power Shot to knock him back toward the entrance! Sindri, Zolis, find a way to get through to him!

"

Sindri looked back at Geth while the others made plans to contain him. Those chains wouldn't last long. They were already beginning to crack under the pressure.

'Do you feel the fluctuations coming from him? The block on our connection is fading in and out. I think I can reach him.'

Sindri tried to sense what Zolis was feeling, but she couldn't.

'Your bond with him is much stronger than mine. I can't feel any changes. I'll at least try to keep him busy. Hurry up on your end.'

The chains around Geth shattered. Felix dropped to one knee, exhausted at having kept him tied down for so long.

Before Geth could gain his footing, an arrow slammed into his chest, knocking him off his feet and throwing him back toward the cavern entrance.

Geth used the momentum of the arrow's push to flip backward and land on his feet, stopping him from being driven into the hallway. He pushed off the soles of his feet, his muscles bulging as he rocketed toward the nearest target.

His shoulder slammed into Peter, who was trying to call out his Ancestral Spirit.

The sudden attack launched the chubby man into the nearest wall. With everyone's advanced senses, they could distinctly hear multiple bones shattering as Peter's health dropped under half.

Geth didn't halt his movements for a moment, pivoting toward the closest target. Sindri readied herself for the attack, noticing from the corner of her eye that the others were preparing attacks of their own.

She felt like she was hit head-on by a truck. Her shield pressed into her, and both of her arms cracked.

Sindri's shield fell uselessly to the ground. Her arms dangled limply by her sides as tears formed in both of her eyes.

That's when she noticed the figure falter. Geth's body seemed to hesitate, and she could feel the link between them suddenly connect.

She heard Geth's voice, but only one word managed to make it through.

'Run!'