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However, it also meant the Seductive Serpent used its trump card - The Roar of Seduction.

A deafening, hypnotic roar erupted from the Guardian, reverberating through the cavern with an almost tangible force. I felt it penetrate my mind, clawing at my senses, and before I knew it, reality began to blur and twist around me. The world grew hazy, and I struggled to maintain my focus.

Beside me, Aurelius staggered, his eyes unfocused as he too was caught in the Serpent\'s mental assault. The lines between reality and illusion began to fade, and I could feel my grip on the present slipping away.

Suddenly, I found myself standing by the edge of the pool again. My heart skipped a beat as I saw Aria struggling in the water, her eyes wide with fear as the Serpent\'s body coiled around her, dragging her down into the depths. She reached out to me, her voice weak and pleading.

"Adrian, help me... please..."

Panic surged through me. I couldn\'t let her drown. Without a second thought, I started to move toward her, but before I could take another step, a firm hand grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks.

I turned around to see a shadowy figure, its features obscured in the dim light of the cavern. It was then that several ice and rock spikes materialized, flying towards the struggling Aria in the pool at an alarming speed. I wrenched my arm free, my instinct to protect her kicking in.

"Stop!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the cavern as I turned to face the figure. My sword was raised, ready to strike.

But then the shadowy figure spoke, its voice cutting through the haze in my mind. "Snap out of it, Adrian. I\'m fine. I\'m right here beside you."

It took a moment for the words to register, but when they did, everything clicked into place. The real Aria was here, by my side, not drowning in the pool. The vision was a trick, a nasty illusion designed to manipulate my emotions.

Refocusing my gaze, I looked back at the pool. The figure that had seemed so real just moments ago was now clearly a phantom, a figment conjured by the Serpent\'s deceit. I tightened my grip on my sword, my resolve hardening. I had to beat this basta*d for playing with me.

"Phantom Step."

In an instant, I reappeared above the illusory Aria in the water. With one decisive strike, I drove my blade into the image, dispersing it into nothingness. The illusion shattered, and the real Aria emerged from the shadowy figure.

"Good job," she said, her voice steady. "Now, let\'s finish this."

I nodded while glancing at Adrian who was looking coldly at the shocked illusion of my sister.

Yeah, he probably remembers he left Aurelia in a safe place after all.

Together, we turned our attention back to the Seductive Serpent. Despite its mental assault, it was clearly weakened by our previous attacks. The wound on its neck oozed a dark, viscous fluid, and its movements were sluggish and erratic.

Aurelius, recovering from the illusion, nodded in agreement. He looked at the monster with a detecting gaze and said. "Let\'s end this."

"Hehe," I chuckled slightly and all three of us sprang into action, our movements synchronized as we closed in on the weakened Guardian. The Serpent, realizing its peril, let out another desperate roar, but this time, we were prepared. Our minds were clear.

"Whispering Cut."

"Glacial Storm."

"Elemental Surge."

Each of us unleashed our most powerful techniques.

I darted forward with Phantom Step, my form blurring as I closed the distance in an instant. And then executed the Whispering Cut. My blade sliced through the air with lethal precision, aiming directly for the weakened spot on the Guardian\'s neck. The Serpent attempted to dodge, but its movements were slow and labored.

The Whispering Cut connected, slicing through scales and flesh with a satisfying crunch.

While Aria summoned her high water affinity, creating a glacial storm beneath the Guardian\'s neck, I watched in awe as the freezing torrent enveloped the creature. The ice began to spread rapidly, encasing the Serpent\'s head and upper body in a thick layer of frost. Its movements slowed even further, its roar of pain muffled by the freezing grip of Aria\'s elemental mastery.

At the same time, Aurelius leaped into action with a precision born of arduous training and experience. He ascended swiftly into the air, his sword gleaming with elemental energy. At the tip of his blade, three elements—fire, wind, and lightning—converged into a brilliant vortex of power. That\'s his current signature OP move - Elemental Surge.

With a swift downward strike, Aurelius brought his sword down on the Guardian\'s head. The elemental surge erupted in a dazzling display of light and energy, striking the weakened spot where Aria\'s glacial storm had taken effect. The combined force of fire, wind, and lightning surged through the Guardian, overwhelming its defenses and shattering its remaining strength.

The Serpent let out a final, agonized cry, its body convulsing as the elemental onslaught tore through its form. It thrashed wildly, but the damage was already done. With a deafening crash, the creature collapsed to the ground, its monstrous body parted into two: the head and the rest.

For a moment, silence hung heavy in the cavern.

The battle was over.

Slowly, I lowered my sword, the adrenaline of battle beginning to ebb away.

Aria and Aurelius joined me, their breaths coming in lighter gasps than mine as they too processed the intensity of the fight. The aftermath of our combined assault lay before us—an empty, tranquil pool where moments ago, we had faced the Seductive Serpent.

Looking around at the remnants of the Guardian\'s illusionary powers scattered around the cavern, I couldn\'t help but think it was probably an overkill.

Yep. No doubt about it.

I\'m certain it would have died after my strike.

But whatever, I got to see their skills in the process. That was a good thing on its own.

"You two stay here."

"Now, let me retrieve the artifact and leave this cursed place," I muttered before leaping into the air. I acted myself since there were two ways to get the artifact now - one safely, and one tricky.

I landed on the small rock island and looked at the fist-sized ring-shaped artifact.

A mischievous glint flickered in my eyes as I surveyed the ring-shaped artifact pulsating with an ethereal purple glow. I put my hands on its surface, feeling a cooling sensation.

I wasn\'t fooled. This was the illusion\'s handiwork, a clever distraction to keep me occupied while the real prize remained hidden.

A smirk tugged at my lips. I had devoured enough fantasy novels to recognize the classic bait-and-switch tactic employed by cunning guardians.

The artifact the one I am seeing now is fake. The real one...

There!

I exclaimed in my mind my hands holding something about a meter above the ring-shaped artifact. As soon as I held that thing, the ring-shaped artifact flickered and vanished and was replaced by a rock with a hole, confirming my suspicion.

In my hands, I now held the true artifact—a small, intricately carved amulet, glowing with an even more vibrant and pure light than the illusory ring had. The amulet\'s surface was adorned with strange runes, each one pulsating with a soft, otherworldly energy.

Just then, a portal materialized right beside each one of us.

Guess it was time to leave.

However, there was one thing we needed to do before we left.

"Aria, can you put that serpent\'s corpse in your monster collecting ring?" I looked at Aria and asked.

I wanted to make a profit from it since I suffered a little because of it...

Not to mention it was a Arcane Rank Monster.