THE DISCOVERY OF SYLENE AND THE ENCOUNTER WITH THE STORM GLITCH

Saland, Haytham, and Sting approached the circular structure. Its exterior was a muted gray, the original color likely bleached away by the relentless caress of sand. Vertical rectangular windows punctuated its circumference. Without a word, the trio slipped through one of these openings. Inside, a desolate scene unfolded: only shifting dunes of sand and the glint of shattered glass.

Sting's voice, laced with bewilderment, broke the silence. "What did we even come here for? There's absolutely nothing."

Saland, ever the pragmatist, offered a terse reply. "It doesn't matter. Let's just keep searching."

As they sifted through the loose sand, Haytham's gaze snagged on a horizontal line bisecting the circular space. He moved towards it, his fingers tracing the wall. Then, by sheer chance, his hand brushed against a long-dormant button. A low tremor vibrated through the structure, and with a grinding sound, a section of the wall slid open, revealing a dark staircase spiraling downwards.

Saland clapped Haytham on the shoulder, a grin spreading across his face. "As usual, you've got the luck, my friend. Hehe."

The three descended the seemingly endless flight of stairs, the air growing cooler with each step. Finally, a faint glow appeared below. Reaching the bottom, they found themselves in an enormous room. The walls were stark white, and numerous iron tables were laden with a strange assortment of equipment: sleek computers, glass burettes, bulbous beakers, and a multitude of wires and screens.

On a black swivel chair, her back to them, sat a figure with striking black hair streaked with vibrant blue. The chair swiveled, revealing a woman with an intense gaze behind two pairs of round-lensed glasses. Her lips were painted a bold blue. She wore a pristine lab coat over dark trousers and black high-heeled shoes.

"Welcome to my laboratory," her voice was calm and measured. "I am Sylene, and I am the creator of Benamoth."

The boys exchanged surprised glances. Saland stepped forward. "You know what happened outside, don't you?"

Sylene's eyes held a knowing glint. "Of course. I know everything you have experienced. I have observed you through the eyes of Benamoth, and then with the aerial cameras, much like those you encountered in the abandoned mine."

Haytham's brow furrowed. "How long have you been spying on us?"

"I found your progress… interesting… ever since you entered the VR WORLD," Sylene replied, her gaze unwavering. "You have faced many formidable adversaries, but the enemies that await you will be far more dangerous than those you have encountered before."

As if to punctuate her words, a deafening roar echoed through the underground chamber, and the very ground beneath their feet trembled violently.

"It seems 'he' has arrived," Sylene stated, her tone devoid of alarm.

Suddenly, a blinding flash erupted outside, followed by a concussive blast. They rushed out of the subterranean lab to witness a bizarre transformation. The familiar sandscape around them had been violently transmuted into towering, jagged crystals that glittered under the unseen light.

Sting stared in disbelief. "How is all of this… possible!?"

Sylene's explanation was clinical. "When something of extreme heat impacts sand, it undergoes a rapid structural change, forming these crystalline structures. However, for them to reach this size, the impact must have been from an extraordinarily powerful source, like a direct lightning strike. But we are in the open, and there are no signs of a storm."

A voice, cold and unfamiliar, cut through the stillness. "You are correct. It was indeed lightning that kissed your precious little structure."

The four turned as one to see a figure approaching. His skin was the color of ash, mirroring the shade of his neatly combed, downward-swept hair. His eyes were unsettling: white sclera, gray irises, and pupils that were stark white. He was clad in an elegant gray jacket and matching trousers, and in his hands, he held two double-bladed spears that crackled with an unnatural electricity.

"My name is Yardrach," the figure announced, his voice devoid of inflection. "I am a high-level Glitch, created by Null. Prepare to meet your end, Sylene." His face remained utterly emotionless.

Saland and Haytham instinctively shifted into combat stances. Haytham spoke, his voice firm. "Sting, get Miss Sylene to safety. We'll handle this glitch."

Yardrach's gaze flickered towards them, dismissive. "You are merely in the way."

With a burst of impossible speed, Yardrach teleported directly in front of Sylene, his spears aimed to strike. But a faint smile played on Sylene's lips. "Did you truly believe it would be this simple to eliminate me?"

Suddenly, ten iron rods shot up from beneath the crystallized sand, encircling the Glitch. A powerful surge of electricity coursed through the rods, but Yardrach remained unfazed. With a flick of his wrists, he channeled the energy from his own spears, causing the iron rods to explode outwards in a shower of sparks and metal fragments.

Sylene moved with surprising agility. An intricate bow materialized in her hands, and in rapid succession, she unleashed arrows wreathed in flames and others shimmering with ice. Yardrach met her assault, expertly parrying each projectile with swift rotations of his double-bladed spears.

Yardrach lunged again, attempting to close the distance to Sylene, but Sting, reacting instantly, stepped between them. Shadowy energy coalesced around his blade as he tried to intercept the attack. However, Yardrach unleashed a raw surge of electricity, blasting Sting away. The young swordsman crashed against a jagged crystal, his head snapping back with a sickening thud, and he slumped into unconsciousness.

"You are all so… weak," Yardrach stated, his voice still flat. "Null's caution was clearly misplaced."

Sylene sidestepped, putting distance between herself and the Glitch. Yardrach raised his spears for the killing blow, but from behind, Saland and Haytham launched their own attack. Yardrach turned without even shifting his stance, effortlessly parrying their simultaneous strikes. He then unleashed a burst of electrical energy, forcing them to backpedal.

"We are your opponents now," Saland growled, his eyes narrowed. "Remember that."

Haytham drew his energy pistol. "If lightning is your only trick, you're not as tough as you think." He fired a potent beam of energy at Yardrach, but to their surprise, the Glitch conjured a swirling barrier of wind that deflected the attack.

"You are in error," Yardrach stated, his tone still devoid of emotion. "My singularity allows me to manipulate atmospheric effects. It is called… Thundering Storm." As he spoke, droplets of water materialized in the air around him, accelerating to incredible speeds before lashing out like miniature projectiles, striking Saland and Haytham, who raised their arms to shield themselves.

Haytham focused, the air around him shimmering as he briefly manipulated the flow of time. In that slowed moment, he lunged towards Yardrach, his blade a silver blur. Yet, Yardrach's strange eyes tracked his movements with unnerving clarity, even at that accelerated speed, and he casually parried Haytham's strike with his left spear.

Saland's body erupted in a brilliant, multicolored aura as he activated his enhanced Elf Dive. Behind him, an arc of light, mirroring the crystalline hues of his twin swords, formed in the air. His eyes now pulsed with shifting colors. He attacked Yardrach from the left, his movements fluid and swift. But Yardrach met his assault with equal ease, parrying every strike without breaking a sweat.

Then, Yardrach moved with blinding speed, a series of rapid dashes that blurred the eye. Saland and Haytham struggled to keep pace, their movements a fraction of his. He unleashed a sudden gust of wind, forcing them to stumble backwards.

Seizing the opportunity, Saland executed a lightning-fast dash and struck Yardrach's chest with a powerful, enhanced "X LIGHT," carving a glowing X into his gray skin. But the wound shimmered and then, impossibly, closed, leaving no trace. Haytham, unable to steal even a sliver of energy from Yardrach's strange spears, fired another concentrated beam from his pistol. Yardrach, without even looking, flicked one of his spears, intercepting the energy blast.

Saland, reacting instantly, teleported in front of Haytham, intercepting the thrown spear with his own blade. The two found themselves side-by-side before Sylene, both breathing heavily, the pressure of the fight weighing down on them.

"That glitch… he's not normal," Haytham gasped, his gaze fixed on Yardrach. "I can't sense any core within him. It's impossible for him not to have one!"

Sylene's expression was grave. "No, it is possible. It is only a theory of mine, but I believe that glitch does not possess a core in the traditional sense. He is the core itself. You will have to fight him until he expends all of his energy. He is like an enormous battery. Inflict as much damage as you can!"

A grim determination settled on Saland and Haytham's faces. Saland nodded. "Understood. We'll hold him off for as long as we can. If we fail… Sting, I entrust Miss Sylene's safety to you."

Sting, groaning as he slowly regained consciousness, gave a shaky nod. Saland and Haytham braced themselves, their eyes locked on the unmoving figure of Yardrach.

Then, in unison, they unleashed their full power. "Elf Dive – Eye of Foresight!" Saland roared. "Devil Rage!" Haytham's voice was a guttural snarl.

Saland's Elf Dive underwent a dramatic transformation. A vibrant, multicolored aura enveloped him, and behind his back, the arc of light intensified, its hues shifting and swirling like the crystals around them. His pupils now pulsed with a kaleidoscope of colors. From Haytham's left arm, a dark, swirling energy erupted, spreading across half of his body. His left eye glowed with a malevolent red light, and his left arm and leg were now shrouded in shadow. A palpable aura of darkness radiated from him. Both stood ready, their power surging.

Yardrach's gaze, for the first time, held a flicker of something akin to recognition. "I see you are finally serious. Come then."

Without hesitation, Saland and Haytham launched themselves forward, moving with blinding speed. They circled Yardrach in a dizzying vortex, attacking simultaneously from different angles. Yardrach, despite his earlier dismissiveness, found himself struggling to parry their combined assault. He was forced to take a step back.

Immediately, Yardrach retaliated with a rapid-fire barrage of strikes from his electrified spears, aiming to overwhelm Saland. But Saland, his "Eye of Foresight" now fully active, seemed to anticipate every move, his body weaving and dodging with uncanny precision, deflecting the lethal blows.

Haytham, meanwhile, leveled his energy pistol and unleashed a massive beam of pure black energy. Saland teleported out of the line of fire, and the blast slammed directly into Yardrach. For a fleeting moment, Saland and Haytham saw a break in the Glitch's seemingly impenetrable defense.

Seizing the opportunity, Saland unleashed an even more potent version of his "X LIGHT," the glowing energy carving a deeper, more intricate X into Yardrach's chest. Simultaneously, Haytham's blade flashed, leaving a deep, vertical gash bisecting the X. White blood sputtered from Yardrach's lips.

The Glitch staggered back, the twin wounds clearly visible. Then, with an unnerving ripple of his skin, the injuries began to knit themselves back together. In mere seconds, they vanished completely. Yardrach's gaze hardened. "You possess a certain strength," he conceded, his voice still flat but with a hint of something new. "But now… it is time to get serious."