Adam steeled himself. He was ready. Lyra had calculated the item's location, a mere sprint from the tent's limit. With a deep breath, he burst into the suffocating density of the Black Zone, heading straight for the faintest shimmer of the item's signature.
Suddenly, a chill colder than the ambient mana swept through him. Lyra's mental alarm blared. "Adam! Deadly anomaly detected! High above, at the summit of the central mountain! Its eyes are fixed directly on you!"
Adam's blood ran cold, but he persisted. He had to get the item. He reached it, a golden sword pulsating with faint energy, and quickly absorbed it into his dimension, ready to instantly teleport back.
But as he turned, the anomaly was there. Directly behind him. It was a looming, obsidian-black figure, its form indistinct yet radiating an ancient, immeasurable power. Its eyes, two pinpricks of crimson light, burned with malevolent intelligence.
"Equipping Item: Dimensional Blade!" Lyra's voice was a torrent of urgent commands. A unique, jagged sword, formed instantly from the last scattered item, appeared in Adam's hand. "Release control! Full auto-defense!"
Adam instinctively relinquished his will. Lyra took over, and his body moved with impossible speed. With a single, mighty swing, Adam's body was tossed upwards. The anomaly's attack, aimed at his heart, was fully blocked by the newly equipped blade, but the sheer force still sent him rocketing skyward.
"Density reducing!" Lyra's voice echoed in his mind. "Use this brief reprieve! Regulate mana! Recover!"
As Adam ascended, the crushing pressure of the Black Zone eased, replaced by the thinner, but still potent, mana of the upper atmosphere. He gasped, focusing on his breathing, frantically dispersing the excess mana that threatened to overwhelm him. When he looked down, the obsidian anomaly had vanished from the mountain base.
A Desperate Battle in the Abyss
"Incoming! Flank left!" Lyra's voice snapped him back to reality. The anomaly reappeared beside him in the air, a blur of malevolent speed. Its next strike blocked by the dimensional blade still sent Adam careening towards the side of the towering Black Zone mountain.
"Brace for impact! Absorbing ambient mana to mitigate! Mana surge incoming!" Lyra commanded. As Adam slammed into the mountain, Lyra rapidly expanded a dimensional rift around him, siphoning off the surrounding mana, preventing the full, crushing force of the Black Zone from instantly imploding his body. His training, though agonizing, had paid off. His mana output could now sustain larger rifts, even under such duress.
He bounced off the mountain, falling towards a gaping cave opening. Lyra continued to move his body with frantic speed, desperately searching for a teleportation exit. But the anomaly was relentless, giving them no quarter. Adam was kicked downwards blocked by the blade, plunging into the dark maw of the mountain cave.
"Highest mana density detected within this cavern!" Lyra warned, her voice strained. "Prepare for counter-offensive! It's behind us!"
Just as the anomaly materialized within the cavern's confined space, Lyra executed a daring maneuver. She unleashed the absorbed kinetic energy from the Dimensional Blade outwards in a 360-degree slicing motion. The air shimmered, and a piece of the gigantic black crystal wall of the cavern was cleanly severed. The anomaly was caught in the slicing arc, pushed back and momentarily staggered.
"Absorbing mana and crystal!" Lyra commanded, Adam's body responding instantly, engulfing the dislodged piece of the mountain and a torrent of ambient mana into his dimension. "Opening! Outside! Teleporting!"
Adam was shunted out of the cave, Lyra continuing to teleport him further and further away from the terrifying anomaly. The creature, however, was equally relentless, appearing like a dark wraith behind them with each jump.
Lyra, with a final, calculated series of teleports, led the anomaly deep into the Purple Zone, far from Adam's safe tent. Then, with a cunning flourish, she broke line of sight and executed a final, evasive teleportation, disappearing from the enemy's pursuit.
Adam reappeared inside his Mana-Repelling Tent. Lyra released control. The pain hit him like a physical blow. He bit down on his lip, screaming internally, but no sound escaped. His lungs burned, threatening to burst, and blood splattered from his mouth as he coughed uncontrollably.
"Five minutes, Adam!" Lyra's voice was urgent, bypassing his pain receptors. "Five minutes to recover before the anomaly can pinpoint our location. Focus on breathing! Mana regeneration! You must not lose consciousness!"
He lay there, body wracked with agony, fighting to regulate his mana, to keep the mana poisoning at bay. He had survived the Black Zone, acquired the last item, and faced a creature beyond comprehension. But the cost was immense.