Chapter 130: Crystalline onslaught

The death of their comrade seemed to galvanize the Crystal Guardians. Their clicking chorus rose in pitch and intensity, transforming into a near-deafening shriek that resonated with the strange energy of the realm. They moved with even greater speed and coordination, their attacks becoming a relentless crystalline onslaught.

Beams of ethereal energy crisscrossed the alien landscape, forcing Kai, Lilith, and Anya to constantly shift and evade. The Crystal Guardians fought with a precision that suggested a collective consciousness, their movements synchronized and their attacks perfectly timed. It was like facing a single, multifaceted organism rather than a group of individuals.

Lilith, her Tier 6 power a beacon of defiance against the crystalline assault, unleashed wave after wave of necrotic energy. The dark force tore through the ranks of the Guardians, leaving trails of shattered crystal and dissipating energy. However, the sheer number of their attackers and their surprising resilience made it difficult to gain any significant ground. Some of the Guardians seemed to possess a limited form of energy absorption, briefly flaring with intense light as Lilith's necrotic blasts struck them, mitigating the full impact of her power.

Kai, his Tier 4 abilities pushed to their limit, became a whirlwind of motion and shadow. His solidified shadow blade danced through the air, slicing through crystalline limbs and deflecting energy bolts with practiced ease. He focused on creating openings for Lilith and Anya, using his growing mastery of necrotic energy to momentarily bind or disrupt the movements of their attackers. He noticed that striking the glowing facets on their bodies seemed to be the most effective way to disable them, the crystalline structures shattering from within when those points were struck.

Anya, her Tier 3 adeptness amplified by the urgency of the situation, moved with an almost preternatural agility. Her temporal threads became weapons as well as tools for evasion. With precise flicks of her wrists, she created momentary pockets of slowed time around individual Guardians, leaving them vulnerable to Kai's attacks or Lilith's blasts. She also used her dimensional agility to phase through incoming energy beams, reappearing behind her attackers to deliver swift strikes with her energy-woven fists, each blow leaving shimmering indentations on their crystalline forms.

Despite their individual strengths and coordinated efforts, the sheer number of the Crystal Guardians began to take its toll. Energy blasts grazed Kai's arm, leaving trails of searing pain. Anya was forced to phase repeatedly, the strain of shifting between dimensions beginning to fatigue her. Even Lilith, for all her power, was forced to continuously erect shields of primordial energy to deflect the relentless crystalline onslaught.

Suddenly, the clicking chorus of the Crystal Guardians shifted again, taking on a new, higher pitch. Several of the Guardians began to converge, their crystalline weapons pointed towards the ground. The ethereal light emanating from their bodies intensified, and the very ground beneath the triumvirate's feet began to vibrate violently.

"They're charging something!" Anya yelled, her temporal senses picking up a dangerous build-up of energy. "It feels… concentrated!"

Lilith's eyes narrowed, a flicker of concern crossing her ancient features. "We need to move! Now!"

Before she could elaborate, beams of pure, focused ethereal energy erupted from the ground where the converging Crystal Guardians were focused. The beams shot upwards like crystalline lances, piercing the air with blinding intensity. The attack was targeted, precise, and threatened to impale the triumvirate where they stood. Their unexpected arrival in this alien realm had quickly turned into a desperate battle for survival against its dedicated and deadly guardians.