Hestia yawned, sitting up slightly. "Why does it always have to be an ambush? Can't we just have one quiet climb to a temple?"

At her words, Adrian saw it—a glint of steel in the distance, barely visible against the rocky backdrop. It disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, but it was enough.

"We're not alone," Adrian said quietly.

The moment Adrian uttered the words, "We're not alone," chaos erupted.

From the rocky cliffs above, cloaked figures came down like shadows brought to life. They moved with an unnatural grace, jumping from one crag to another, their dark robes blending in perfectly with the rough landscape.

The soft rustle of their movements was almost drowned out by the rising wind, but Adrian's sharp eyes caught every flicker of motion.

"Ninjas!" Ava exclaimed.

"Shadow Court ninjas," Medea hissed, her blade already drawn and wreathed in dark fire.

"Shadow ninjas would do," Lilith added, mirroring Medea's movement.

The first wave struck without warning. Smoke bombs went off around the group, sending out thick grey clouds that made it hard to see and filled the air with a strong smell of sulfur.

Adrian's fiery chains snapped to life, flaring brightly and cutting through the haze, but even his flames couldn't fully pierce the smoke.

"Stay close!" Adrian shouted, his voice cutting through the confusion. "Don't get separated!"

Easier said than done.

The ninjas moved fast; very fast. They attacked from behind the smoke, their swords cutting through the air very quickly and carefully.

Lilith was the first to counter.

Her whip cracked sharply, the crimson energy lashing out in all directions. "You want to play hide and seek? Let's play!" She lunged at one of the masked attackers, the end of her whip coiling around his neck. She yanked hard, the energy-infused weapon severing his head from his shoulders.

"That's one," she said with a smirk, her eyes scanning for the next target.

A second ninja appeared behind her, but Abyss was faster.

Her violet blade cleaved through the assassin's torso before he could strike. "Stop counting," she snapped in a cold and focused tone. "There are too many."

More figures emerged from the smoke, moving like shadows that flickered across the battlefield. One of them threw a handful of black powder that exploded into a burst of blinding light, disorienting the group.

Adrian growled, shielding his eyes. "They're using tricks to keep us off balance."

Ava slammed her staff into the ground, summoning a wall of jagged earth to cut off the advancing ninjas. "Let's see them trick their way past that," she said, her golden eyes blazing.

Two ninjas scaled the wall with ease, leaping down with their blades aimed at her. Ava countered with a sweep of her staff, sending a spray of sharp stone shards that tore through their bodies. "They're fast," she admitted, breathing hard. "But not invincible."

Eris, meanwhile, was causing chaos of her own.

She unleashed a wave of green energy that rippled across the battlefield, disrupting the ninjas' coordination. One assassin turned on his comrade, slashing wildly in confusion. Another stumbled, his footing lost as the energy scrambled his senses.

"This is almost too easy," Eris laughed, her emerald daggers flashing as she plunged them into the back of a disoriented ninja.

"Don't get cocky!" Medea barked, her voice sharp as she cut through three attackers in quick succession. "Their numbers are endless. Adrian, you need to move!"

Adrian deflected a flurry of strikes, his fiery chains snapping out to ensnare a ninja and fling him into the rocky cliffside. "I'm not leaving you to handle this alone."

"You have to," Medea insisted, stepping back-to-back with him as more enemies surrounded them. Her dark flames flared to life, forming a protective barrier around the two of them. "The temple is right there! If you don't reach Hera, all of this will be for nothing."

Adrian hesitated, his gaze darting to the others.

Hestia, despite her usual lethargy, was holding her ground, her fiery blade carving through the attackers with precise, measured strikes.

Selene too was not left behind. She seemed to have shifted to her cold and detached demeanour. She moved like a shadow, her silver eyes cold and focused as her dagger found the throats of those who dared get too close.

"They'll hold," Medea said, her voice cutting through his doubts. "But you're the only one who can go inside. Go!"

Adrian clenched his jaw but nodded. "Hold the line," he ordered. "Don't let them break through."

With that, he turned and sprinted toward the mountain where the temple was seated on. His fiery chains lashed out behind him, clearing a path as more ninjas emerged to block his way. He vaulted over a fallen rock, narrowly dodging a throwing star that whizzed past his ear.

He used the fiery chains like spider legs to push himself up the mountain, climbing as quickly as possible while avoiding the few ninjas still chasing him.

The golden light of the temple grew brighter as he neared the entrance, its towering doors etched with intricate runes that shimmered faintly.

Behind him, the battle raged on.

Abyss raised her sword high, her voice resonating with unearthly power. "Rise!" she commanded, and the spirits of the fallen ninjas rose from their corpses, their ghostly forms turning on their former comrades.

Eris unleashed another wave of chaos energy, laughing as the ninjas stumbled and attacked each other in confusion. "You'd think they'd be smarter than this," she taunted.

Hestia sighed, conjuring a massive fireball in one hand. "This is so exhausting," she muttered, hurling it into a cluster of enemies.

The explosion lit up the battlefield, scattering the attackers like leaves in the wind.

Adrian reached the temple doors, his fiery chains cutting down the last ninja that came behind him. He approached the temple and pushed the massive doors open, the golden light bathing him as he stepped inside.

As the doors started to close behind him, three ninjas quietly slipped through, moving like shadows.

Adrian spun around, holding his sword tightly. "You should've stayed outside," he said in a cold voice.

The three assassins spread out, their blades gleaming in the golden light.

And then, the temple's trials began.

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