After staying on top of the hill for over 30 minutes, Ivan''s eyes slowly opened as the familiar rumbling sound reached his eyes and walls rose from the ground.


    The third shift!


    Just like before, the space around him moved and Ivan found himself in another part of thebyrinth after the shifting stopped.


    His eyes picked up screeching sounds behind him, Ivan''s eyes shed and he instinctively bent his head down.


    Swoosh!!


    A green light shed above his head, cutting off a few strands of white hair.


    Ivan didn''t hesitate and jumped away after dodging whatever had cut his hair; dozens of green lights shed in his previous location the moment he jumped away.


    Turning around afternding several meters away, he was finally able to see what had ambushed him from behind.


    Facing Ivan were seven Dreadws that stood at a height of four meters.


    The Dreadws were huge mantis creatures with metal hands that were so sharp that they could slice through steel, they were known for their speed and ability to coordinate with each other.


    The seven Dreadws looked at Ivan with their ck eyes before letting out low screeches.


    Three of the monsters immediately moved to the right while another three nked his left side, thest one charged at Ivan in a straight line.


    They left afterimages all over the ce as they moved with speed, it made it seem like there were dozens of them for a moment.


    Ivan bent his knees slightly andunched himself into the air, numerous green lights that were the glint from the metal hands of the monsters shed at the afterimage that Ivan had created.


    They looked at Ivan after missing their target and their wings immediately expanded from their backs before making buzzing sounds.


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!!


    One after the other, the seven Dreadws flew into the air to attack Ivan.


    Ivan burst out with Nexus energy and stepped on a Dreadw that had reached him, he moved his foot as he dodged the sharp hand of the monster before stomping on it and using it as a footing tounch himself back to the ground.


    Ivannded on the ground with a loud bang sound and brought out a card. He tossed the card into the air, and it burst into particles of red, gold, and blue light.


    The light particles swirled in the air before turning into seven ice spears that hovered in front of Ivan.


    With a thought from him, the seven ice spears shot at the monsters in the air like bullets.


    The ice spears left trails of white light in the air as they flew toward the seven monsters in the air, the other parties immediately reacted.


    Each of them shed at the ice spears with their metal hands.


    Ptui!


    The ice spears stabbed through the hands of five of the monsters, severing them in one move; green blood gushed out as their severed hands fell to the ground.


    The other two had somehow managed to knock away the ice spears, but they still ended up getting injured, and blood was flowing to the ground.


    Screeching loudly, the Dreadws all charged at Ivan in fury, their wings almost turning invisible from the speed at which they were moving.


    Ivan calmly stepped to the side and vanished just in time for one of the monsters to crash on the ground where he was standing just a while ago.


    Ivan appeared above it the next moment, with a card in hand. He thrust the card at the monster on the ground, and the card turned into a silver spear mid-thrust.


    Ptui!!


    Ivan stabbed the spear into the body of the Dreadws ruthlessly and green blood immediately gushed out and fell on his protective suit.


    Sizzling sounds rang out as the part of the protective suit where the blood of the monster touched began to let out smoke and the ck color of that area turned even darker.


    Ivan''s eyes shed, he pulled out his spear and moved back.


    ''I forgot that their blood was toxic'' Ivan thought to himself.


    His foot suddenly got stuck and he wasn''t able to move anymore. Looking down, Ivan saw that the monster that he had just stabbed and was on the verge of death had grabbed his foot with its curved metal hand.


    Ivan was slightly confused as to why it would make such a move since it was going to die in a few seconds but his answer soon came when the remaining six monsters appeared around him and shed at his body with their hands; streaks of green light shed around Ivan as the six Dreadws tried to rip him to shreds.


    Ivan found himself under the onught of six sharp metal hands that were as fast as the propellers of a helicopter.


    ''It is still trying to give an assist even when it''s about to die, what troublesome creature''


    Ivan''s grip on his silver spear tightened, and his muscles bulged under the protective suit; his body exploded with Nexus energy that sent a powerful shockwave all around him and slowed down the approach of the monsters for a bit.


    His spear moved, shing around the monsters; it was as if Ivan''s spear was teleporting as his arms almost turned invisible from the speed at which he was swinging the spear.


    Sounds of the wind getting shed rang out as white light formed a wide around Ivan and the Dreadws, strong sharp wind waves flew out from the tip of the spear.


    Ptui! Ptui!!


    A fountain of green blood gushed out the next moment as multiple tears appeared on the bodies of the monsters; the green blood flew into the air before falling down with Ivan in the center of its rain.


    BOOM!!


    With another explosion of Nexus energy, Ivan pushed the green toxic blood and the severely wounded monsters away in all directions.


    He swung his spear and shed down with the spearhead, severing the limb of the monster that had held onto his foot even in death.


    He kicked his leg and sent the severed limb flying.


    Turning his gaze to the other Dreadws that were bleeding profusely, Ivan slowly approached them one after the other and shed at their necks. Their heads rolled forward as more blood gushed out.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    From the open neck of one of the Dreadws, a Nexus crystal rolled out and stopped in the puddle of green blood that had formed in front of the monster''s corpse; the crystal was also covered in green blood.


    "Only one dropped a crystal; well, it''s still better than those white creatures," Ivan said softly before walking over with his spear in hand; he dipped the spearhead under the Nexus crystal and used it to toss the crystal into the air.


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!!


    He waved the spear around the crystal multiple times while it was in the air before catching it, the crystal was now sparkling clean; Ivan had removed all the blood on it by hitting it all over with his spear. Find exclusive stories on empire


    With the spear in hand, Ivan looked for a clean spot to sit. He would not start absorbing the Nexus crystal yet since there were still about two hours of unpredictable shifts in thebyrinth.


    Just when he was about to rest his butt on some blood corals, Ivan''s gaze hardened and his eyes narrowed.


    Turning his head to the side, he caught the scene of a giant silhouette moving within the blood wall.


    No, not a giant silhouette; there were two silhouettes, and they seemed to being closer as their features became more distinctive.


    At this moment, something suddenly came flying out from the blood wall and crashed into the ground.


    Ivan couldn''t stop his eyes from widening due to surprise, it was the Venomthorn Hydra that he had encountered before; the monster was severely wonderful with two of its heads missing!


    ''Since when could this thing go through the walls?!''


    Raising his gaze to meet the other silhouette, Ivan saw a massive beastly creature walk out from the blood wall.


    In its mouth was a serpent head, it was one of the three heads of the Venomthorn Hydra!