Chapter 4: Breaking Through the Shadow Guard's Defenses

As we made our way out of the forest, I could see the Shadow Guards chasing us. The adrenaline was pumping through our veins, and we knew that we needed to move quickly to get out of danger.

"We need to keep moving," Carter said, his voice low and steady. "They're gaining on us."

Diego nodded, his sniper rifle at the ready. "I'll cover our rear," scanning the area for any signs of danger. He loaded a special type of magic bullet into his rifle, a Shadow Bullet that he had enchanted himself.

As he aimed down the scope, he could feel the power of the bullet humming through the gun. "These Shadow Bullets are designed to pierce through the enemy's armor and weaken their defenses of mana," he said to me with a hint of excitement in his voice.

He scanned the treeline, his eyes sharp and focused. Suddenly, a group of Shadow Guards emerged from the trees, heavily armed and ready for battle. Diego took a deep breath and pulled the trigger, the Shadow Bullet soaring through the air towards its target.

The bullet hit its mark with deadly accuracy, striking the lead soldier in the chest and sending him crashing to the ground. "Got him!"

The other soldiers were caught off guard, and Diego took advantage of their momentary confusion. He fired off another Shadow Bullet, this time hitting a soldier in the leg and causing him to stumble. "Two down," he said, his voice calm and steady.

"We need to get out of here," Maya said, her voice urgent. "We can't afford to get caught in here."

Ava nodded in agreement. "We need to find a way out of here and fast."

"We need to hold them off," Sophia said, her voice steady. "We can't let them catch up to us."

As we escaped we found the Shadow Guard laboratory by chance. We were traveling through the forest, trying to avoid the Shadow Guards, when we stumbled upon a hidden entrance.

I was the first to notice it. "Look over there," he said, pointing to a patch of bushes. "There's something behind there."

We moved closer, and Sophia used her sharp eyes to spot a small door hidden in the foliage. "It looks like some kind of entrance," she said, her voice low.

"Stop Right there!"

"I am Commander Ethan,And you rebels are trespassing on Shadow territory."

Diego stepped forward, his hands raised in a gesture of peace. "We're not here to cause trouble,We just want to pass through your when we stumbled on this train of yours ."

Ethan smilled. "And I suppose you expect us to just let you pass?"

"Yeah i suppose you can say that"

Ethan's face immediately darkened with fury. "How dare you speak to me like that,I am a Shadow Guard, and you will show me the respect I deserve."

Diego stepped forward, his hand on his Gun . "We don't have time for this,Either let us pass peacefully, or I'll make you regret it."

Ethan laughed, a bitter sound. "You think you can defeat me?,You're nothing but a bunch of weaklings. We'll crush you like bugs.",his eyes glowed with a malevolent energy. "You should have known better than to enter our Train."

With a wave of his hand, Ethan summoned a dark cloud of energy that enveloped him and his soldiers. The Shadow Guards began to move with renewed vigor, their movements faster and more precise than before.

"You think you're so tough, don't you?" Diego sneered, his voice laced with venom. "Well, let me tell you something. You're nothing but a coward hiding behind your magic tricks. You don't have what it takes to face a real man like me."

Ethan's face remained stoic, but his eyes gleamed with a fierce intensity. "You talk a big game,But can you back it up?"

As he finished saying that he immediately stepped forward, his eyes glowing with A Fire Ball. He raised his hand, and shots towards Diego.

Diego dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the blast. He fired off several Shadow Bullets, but they didn't seem to make a scratch on Ethan's body.

"What the hell?" Diego muttered to himself, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Ethan laughed, a sound that sent shivers down the rebels' spines. "You think your little bullets can hurt me?" he said, his voice dripping with disdain. "I'm in the Arcane Authorities level. I am invincible."

Diego gritted his teeth"We'll see about that,"

Diego raised his rifle, taking aim at Ethan's head. But Ethan was too quick, dodging to the side with lightning-fast reflexes. He raised his hand, and a burst of Fire magic towards Diego.

Diego leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the blast. He fired off several Shadow Bullets, but they seemed to have no effect on Ethan's body.

Ethan laughed, a sound that grated on Diego's nerves. "You can't defeat me,You're not even worthy to stand against me."

Diego know that he couldn't defeat Ethan with brute force alone. He needed to find a weakness in his Ethan magic."I need to find this guy's weakness or its me whose saying goodbye to this world ,"

I watched as Diego struggled to find a way to defeat Ethan. I knew that Shooting the shadow bullet alone wouldn't be enough to take down an opponent as powerful as Ethan.And then I saw it: Ethan was using pure energy, but he wasn't controlling it with any finesse. He was just unleashing raw power, hoping to overwhelm his opponents.

As soon that i know that i called Diego and "He's relying too much on raw power. There has to be some weakness in his magic that you can exploit."

Diego nodded,"Thanks kid". He focused his mind, using his own magic to amplify his senses. And then he saw it: there was a faint, pulsing energy at the core of Ethan's magic, a weakness that could be exploited."Found it!".

'If I can focus my attacks on that pulsing energy and disrupt it with a Flash-bang Shot, I can blind and disorient him enough to take him down.',Diego took a deep breath, steadying his aim and channeling his shadow magic into his weapon. He fired off several Shadow Bullets, hoping to distract Ethan and draw his attention away from the weakness.

As his opponent charged towards him, Diego fired off a specialized bullet that detonated on impact, creating a bright flash of light. The flash-bang shot had the desired effect, blinding his opponent and causing him to stumble.

"Yes! The flash-bang did it!" Diego exclaimed, feeling a rush of adrenaline and excitement.

Diego seized the opportunity, and said "Echo!" firing off several Shadow Bullets that struck his opponent with deadly accuracy. With a final burst of energy, Ethan fell to the ground with a hole in his body,

"Nice work, Diego. That was a risky move, but it paid off. Your Split Shot was the key to breaking through his force field and taking him down."Maya said with a smile.

"Thanks, Maya. I knew I had to take a risk if I was going to take him down," he said, his voice tinged with excitement.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in his Split Shot technique. It had been a risky move, but it had paid off in the end.

Amelia nodded. "You really pulled it off. You've got some serious skills, Diego."

"Come on, we need to keep moving," he said, gesturing towards the exit. "We don't have much time."

"We could try to sneak past the checkpoints," Sophia suggested, her eyes narrowed in thought.

Lloyd shook his head. "It's too risky. We don't know how many guards they have stationed there. We could get caught."

Maya spoke up, her voice soft but determined. "What if we create a diversion? Something to draw the guards away from the checkpoints?"

The rebel leader nodded. "That could work. But what kind of diversion?"

Jason grinned. "I might have an idea."