The animated statue raised its staff high in the air and the ripple of power shook the room. Thanks to the Blue Heart warning and Cordan’s boost, Jack reacted just in time dashing to the side as a pillar of radiant force slammed into the spot where he had been standing. Mid-dash, he aimed a backhanded fist at the lightweaver he’d been about to attack before the statue came to life. He intended to hit the lightweaver in the side of the head but the man turned as Jack moved recieving a metal fist to the face for his diligence. The sound of crunching bone and cartilage reached his ears causing him to wince. He sorely hoped he hadn’t accidentally killed the lightweaver with his enhanced Might.

He glanced back at the group and a shiver ran down his spine as he saw the aftermath of the statue’s attack. The stone was broken and blackened in a circle wide enough to encompass Jack twice over. Whatever that statue had done, Jack didn’t want to find out if his Ethos could take the hit. By the grim expressions on their faces, the group felt the same.

“Everyone spread out!” Cordan called over the mindlink. Jack and Raina darted to the sides of the chamber, each heading for a lightweaver while he heard the Cordan and Alindal shift their positions near the entrance. “Alindal, you and I will focus fire the statue. I’ll get its attention, you hit it with your best. Don’t let it get that spell off again. Jack. Raina. Handle the lightweavers and keep their focus off us.”

Jack and Raina sounded off in affirmation. The immediate acceptance of Cordan’s plan scratched at the back of Jack mind. He couldn’t help but notice how easily the man fell into the position of leader in combat situations. Most likely, Cordan’s usual role was more than a simple support mage in whatever raid crew he belonged to. Regardless, Jack put the thought aside for the moment as he charged his next opponent.

The remaining five lightweavers were already in the midst of their chant with their lanterns raised. Two were close to Jack while another two were on Raina’s side of the room; the fifth had positioned herself behind the statue.

The statue itself raised its glowing staff into the air again; however, before it could muster the attack, a shot of arcane force smashed into its head sending the creature stumbling backward. Fortunately, it recovered before collapsing onto the lightweaver behind it— the Twilight King likely wouldn’t appreciate casualties, incidental or not.

“Heads up, I’m going to use a Relic summon,” Jack broadcasted pushing an image of the Shadowtitan through the mindlink. The last thing he wanted was for someone to get caught off guard in the middle of the fight. He tore his attention away from the statue as he neared the lightweaver. With a mental command, he summoned the Shadowtitan using his Relic’s last charge. Time for an experiment.

While potent for a D-rank Relic Skill, the Call of the Shadowtitan had two major drawbacks. Firstly, the Shadowtitan summoned by the gauntlet wasn’t very durable. It most scenarios, the creature dispersed after one solid hit. Secondly, though its shadow grasp could restrain even Might-based D-rank opponents, it could only target one shadow at a time. If Jack’s plan worked, he might have a method for overcoming those weaknesses somewhat in the current situation.

Activating Magician’s Manipulation, Jack reached for the shadows of the two lightweavers in front of him hoping that shadows counted as darkness for the Skill. Technically, the ones near Raina were also in range as well; however, even if his ploy worked, he wasn’t sure if he could effectively manipulate so many shadows, so he erred on the side of caution. After all, if he failed the first attempt, the Shadowtitan would be destroyed by the lightweavers’ attacks.

Much to his satisfaction, the shadows responded falling into his grasp. Once they were under the Skill’s command, he intuitively knew that he could stretch shadows in various ways. In most situations, there would be no point in using his Skill this way, yet the Shadowtitan offered a unique opportunity. He willed the shadows to stretch toward each other so that they intersected. The shadows touched just as the Shadowtitan finished forming.

He commanded the Shadowtitan to use its ability on the intersection of shadows, praying his hunch was right.

As the chant of the lightweavers reached a crescendo and a flash of lightning shot across the center of the room toward the statue, a host of dark hands erupted from the conjoined point of the two shadows splitting down the middle to ensnare both lightweavers who were interrupted right as they were about to complete their chant. In a less dangerous situation, Jack might have celebrated on the spot. Instead, he whacked the shadow-bound lightweaver in front of him on the head with his club, holding back just enough to knock the man out rather than killing him— hopefully. The second lightweaver struggled futilely against the Shadowtitan’s hold, but Jack paid the man no mind. His attention was directed at the only unoccupied lightweaver in the room.

The woman behind the statue had successfully completed her chant and had three small orbs of light floating around her head like those he had fought in the chamber above. Like Jack expected, her focus was locked onto the Shadowtitan. She extended a hand toward the summon, palm forward. Particles of light started to coalesce in the center of her palm forming a pulsating point of radiant energy. With a shout, she released a thick blast of light that lanced toward the Shadowtitan.

In a move inspired by insanity, Jack stepped into the attack’s path reaching out for the light comprising it with his Skill. He winced from the throb of a burgeoning headache which he assumed meant that he was pushing his limits with the Skill’s use. Just as he was about to be hit, a notification flashed through his head.

[You have initiated a Spell Clash.]

Willpower contest initiated…

[You have won the Spell Clash!]

The blast was diverted upward by his will into the ceiling which showered Jack with dust and bits of stone. He couldn’t believe his average Willpower attribute had won the clash; the woman’s force of will must’ve been horrid. He coughed when the dust worked its way into his lungs and moved away from it.

As he emerged from the dust cloud, a burst of wind magic shot passed by his face, nearly giving him a heart attack.

“Sorry!” Alindal called.

Rather than responding, he spat out the dust in his mouth and barreled at the woman leaving the remaining bound lightweaver to be completely enveloped by the Shadowtitan. Thankfully, Alindal’s blast had staggered the statue which was being pelted by powerful shots from Cordan. The female lightweaver raised her hands hastily creating a wall of light between Jack and her but Psycho Boost made him feel like a veritable juggernaut so he smashed into the wall swinging his club as hard as possible with the momentum of his enhanced movement. The result was a spectacular shower of light shards as the barrier shattered under the force of his advance. Continuing his momentum, Jack lowered his shoulder and rammed it into her midsection. He grabbed her robes lifting her at the same time in an attempt to lessen the force and, hopefully, avoid breaking any of her ribs. Even with his efforts, she cried out in pain before going limp in his arms.

These guys really can’t take a hit, he thought right before a stone fist slammed into the side of his head. Amazingly, he withstood the force of the blow keeping his feet under him as he staggered backward, lightweaver in hand. He saw his Ethos drop by a fourth which brought attention to his rapidly depleting Mana pool. He sent a mental command to the Shadowtitan to maintain its grasp on the ensnared lightweaver then canceled Magician’s Manipulation. The statue glared down at him. He gave it an equally unpleasant glower as he set down the unconscious woman.

The statue’s stone body sported a plethora of cracks and jagged edges where pieces had been blasted off. It was missing part of its jaw which made the expression carved into its face somehow more menacing. The only part untouched was the glowing staff it carried. Jack prepared to engage the creature readying his club for bashing. Out of his periphery, he saw Raina subdue her second lightweaver by wrestling the woman to the ground and pinning her. The statue thrust its glowing staff at him and Jack surged forward.

“Blast its legs!” he said.

A blast of ice encompassed the creature’s leg in frost which was followed immediately by a powerful shot from Cordan’s sigil gun that took off a section of the chilled stone. Jack jumped, mid-rush, slamming his feet into the statue’s torso and pushing its shoulder with his free hand. If he thought the statue had any intelligence, he might have made a comment about its size and the severity of fall as it crashed onto the floor. Instead, he roared and bashed its stone head in repeatedly with his metal club.

Eventually, the statue stopped moving. Jack sat down right on its chest taking a moment to catch his breath. Raina met his gaze and the two exchanged a mutual nod for a job well done before she walked over to the last conscious enemy.

“Wait,” Cordan said as Raina prepared to put the lightweaver to sleep. She stopped with the pommel of her sword practically kissing the man’s temple. “Jack, can you destroy the lanterns while they’re conscious?”

“Don’t see why not,” he answered. With a grunt, he pushed off of the statue which was beginning to deteriorate at a rapid pace as the eidos stone for it formed. “Maybe we can get something interesting out of this guy about the church and everything. I’ll do him last though, just in case something happens. While I’m doing that, Raina, you should check the statue for an eidos stone.”

Unsurprisingly, Cordan gave Jack a suspicious look as he made his way over to the nearest downed lightweaver. Since Alindal and Raina were inexperienced with raids, neither of them knew that the statue was, most likely, an area boss-type enemy. In Remnant Gates, enemies typically came in four types: common, elite, area boss, and world boss. Most Remnants were much small than Terras’s Remnant and typically only had a handful of area bosses. World bosses like the Twilight King were rare sights exclusive to larger and, usually, higher-ranked Remnant Gate. Whether area or world, boss-type enemies dropped eidos stones that granted the highest amount of Eidos for their grade and had an extremely high chance of leaving behind Relics after their demise. Case in point, the Shadowtitan’s Fist had been a Relic spawned from an area boss. Cordan knew that Jack should know that information. Along with Jack’s stunt with the corrupted eidos stone, his willingness to give Raina looting rights to an area boss had caught the veteran relic hunter’s attention especially since Jack had been clear about his lack of trust in anyone but Alindal. He likely wondered what kind of game Jack was playing by showing such trust in Raina.

Ironically, the truth was far simpler than Cordan suspected. After his one-on-one conversation with Raina, Jack understood the young woman for what she was. He could tell she wasn’t the type of person to trick or lie to anyone she perceived as her companions. On top of that, her naivete, eager-to-please attitude, and straightforward demeanor made treating her like a comrade easy. Of course, he’d never trust her in the presence of someone like Ciel because of how easily she could be manipulated, but the simplicity of their current relationship was nice— even if it was doomed to collapse. In contrast, his relationship with Cordan bordered on aggravating due to the man’s jaded personality, intelligence, and wealth of experience which made Jack’s goal of keeping his secrets hidden difficult.

When Jack finished dematerializing the second of the six Lightbearer’s Lanterns, Raina exclaimed dramatically over the mindlink, “I’ve got it! There’s a staff too!”

He glanced at Raina who held a fist-sized eidos stone in one hand and a long staff made of familiar yellow metal with a lantern hanging from a short chain at the top in the other. He kept his expression neutral and waved at her.

“Be over once I’m done and we’ll see if I can identify it,” he said.

With a natural efficiency, he dematerialized the other three Cursed Relics leaving only the staff and the bound lightweaver’s lantern. He delayed allocating his Eidos for the moment. Additionally, he checked the vitals of each of the downed lightweavers to ensure none were dead or dying. Most were fine except for the first man he attacked who had a broken nose and was, understandably, breathing in an irregular pattern. Carefully, he propped the man up into a sitting position against the wall in the hopes that it would help his breathing. During the entire process, the trapped lightweaver glared at Jack with a zealous hatred only a fanatic could muster; however, he was powerless to lift a finger, restrained as he was. Jack smirked at the lightweaver and made his way over to the group.

Alindal who now held the staff was looking over the item with obvious fascination. Jack held out his hand for the staff which his friend ceded. He concentrated on his intent to identify the object and after a moment, was greeted with the expected notification.

[Congratulations, you have identified a Relic!]

Name: Eternal Light’s Pillar

This staff once belonged to a renowned inquisitor of the Church of the Eternal Light who was known for his ruthless condemnation of heathens.

Relic Grade: D

+5 Focus

+3 Willpower

Relic Skill

Radiant Condemnation

The user calls down a pillar of light to smite his enemies dealing severe radiant damage in an area.

Area of effect: 3-meter attitude and 1-meter radius cylinder

Range: 20 meters

Charges: 3/3

Jack snorted in amusement while the others looked at him with curiosity. He held up the staff shaking it so the lantern jangled on its chain. “What we’ve got here is a good old smiting stick.”

Alindal grimaced, unsurprisingly. If Jack’s memory served him correctly, the goddess of Alindal’s people was strictly anti-smiting. It was a shame considering it meant Alindal would almost certainly refuse to use the staff. Jack detailed the Relic’s bonuses and capabilities to the group in a quick summary.

“Sounds potent. Alindal, you should—,” Cordan started to say before Alindal interjected out loud.

“Apologies, but I do not wish to use that Relic.”

Cordan raised an eyebrow but shrugged holding out his hand. “Fine, I’ll take it then.”

Scowling, Jack battled against his desire to keep the Relic for himself. Objectively, Cordan was the best choice since the staff gave him an attack option that didn’t use his Mana which could otherwise be used for support Skills in a fight or Ethos recovery afterward. Additionally, the staff’s unwieldy nature made it a poor choice for someone like Jack who preferred getting up close and personal. He briefly pictured himself using the staff as an improvised flail then handed the Relic over as he realized how stupid that would be.

With that out of the way, he turned to Raina. He spoke out loud as well since there was no reason to continue with mental communication with no enemies in the area. “What about that eidos stone? Did you check its grade? Wait, do even know how to do that?”

Raina scowled at him. “Yes, I know how to check an eidos stone’s grade. I’m not completely clueless. This one is D-grade.”

Jack nodded. It was what he expected. “Ok, Let’s absorb it and get to the lightweaver before he bores a hole through the back of my head with that evil eye of his.”

Raina’s expression faltered. “Wait, more than one person can absorb an eidos stone?”

“Yeah,” Jack responded placing a finger on the stone in Raina’s hand. “Since eidos stones are absorbed via touch, if more than one viable person is touching the stone when it's absorbed, its Eidos is split among those touching it. Usually, people just divvy up the eidos stones they get from a raid, but as you can tell, that’s not a normal eidos stone. It’s from a boss-type creature so the convention is to split the Eidos among the top contributors in the crew. Since Cordan can’t get any benefit from this eidos stone, that leaves the three of us.”

Alindal also placed a finger on the eidos stone nodding to Raina. Jack said, “Go on, you can do the honors.”

She smiled but shook her head. “No, you do it. You killed it after all.”

“I concur,” Alindal said matching Raina’s smile. Cordan rolled his eyes and walked away.

Jack started to sigh but couldn’t stop the hints of his own smile from curling onto his lips. He absorbed the eidos stone watching as it split amongst the three of them.

[4165 Eidos received.]

For not the first time, Jack marveled at the effect of his Scion of the Logos trait. A quick look at the amount and a bit of basic arithmetic told him that the base total of the eidos stone before the split had been roughly five thousand Eidos. With his trait bonus, he had basically received close to the full amount even after splitting the Eidos with two other people. The newly absorbed Eidos brought his unallocated total to over ten thousand. If things continued on like this, he’d be C-rank before too long.

Beside him, Raina pumped her fist into the air. “I leveled up!”

Alindal laughed. “I did as well.”

Raina whooped and high fived the star elf. Jack ran a hand down his face and joined Cordan. “Alright, let’s see if Mr. Crazy Eyes here has anything interesting to tell us.”

Cordan stepped aside to let him grasp the lantern hanging from the mass of shadow enveloping the man’s arm. The lightweaver said something in his strange language, but it was muffled by the shadow bindings covering his mouth. Without any further delay, Jack dematerialized the last of the Lightbearer’s Lanterns.