章 41: A Greater Shadow
Alaric stared at Spherea from a distance, the two separated by roughly eleven meters.
— Ah, so his name is Koji… — Alaric finally said, a twisted smile forming on his face.
— Have you thought about my gracious offers? You better choose soon, I don't feel like chatting for too long — Spherea's tone was cold, the perfect word to describe him.
— I'm not going anywhere until Koji is dead! — Alaric shouted fervently. — The Conclave's goal must be fulfilled, and Koji is one of the opposition that needs to be eliminated. He can't be allowed to live, not him or his other friend, no way.
Spherea narrowed his eyes, recognizing the truth in Alaric's words — They really brainwashed this idiot well… — he thought.
To make good on his promise, Alaric raised his arms high and shouted.
"Expansive Conversion!"
Immediately, everything around him — destroyed vehicles, fallen trees, bodies, and even the spilled blood on the battlefield — began to rise into the sky. The sight was unbelievable, almost surreal.
— It's amazing how these organizations manipulate the bearers of this generation. Despite my disdain, this kid's good, but he's just another pawn on the chessboard, played by the real leaders of the world. How pathetic! — Spherea thought to himself.
In seconds, all those objects transformed into sharp fragments, ready to be launched.
With a grin of pure satisfaction, Alaric said excitedly — I know I can't beat a demon in shadow form, but I can't let that idiot leave here alive! — Spherea, smirking with disdain, replied — Then I'll have to kill you… and if I want, I can do it real quic—
— Tch! — Alaric interrupted with a sharp gesture, shouting — Screw it! I just want him dead like any worthless human trash! That's all!
With that, he sent hundreds of thousands of sharp fragments toward the ten-meter-deep crater where Koji was.
Down below, Koji struggled to catch his breath. His body was drenched in sweat, exhausted and wounded. He had managed to dodge the vortices surrounding him, but his body was at its limit.
— Aah... I thought these things... were immortal — Koji muttered breathlessly, watching the last vortex slowly dissolve.
Finally, when the final vortex vanished, Koji began to walk, each step heavy, until he emerged from the dark corner of the crater. As he approached the sunlight that illuminated the crater's center, he saw something unexpected.
— What… is that?
To his surprise, and misfortune, he saw hundreds of thousands of sharp fragments heading straight toward the crater's opening — Holy shit... — he was in shock.
Amidst the chaos, hundreds of spheres appeared above him, forming a shield.
— Spheres? — but he didn't have time to think.
He took a few steps back, slipping into a large puddle of water in the crater — Damn! Where did all this water come from? Why is there water here?
The impact between the sharp fragments and the spheres caused a deafening boom.
— SPHEREA! — Koji screamed desperately, looking at the spheres trying to protect him. Though strong, they weren't invincible, and some fragments managed to slip through.
Falling and panicking, he tried to dodge the fragments that bypassed the spheres and sliced through his body. Even so, smaller fragments struck his arms, legs, and even his face.
Instinctively, he raised his arms to shield his face, but this only resulted in deeper cuts to the other parts of his body.
One such mistake led to a precise strike, cutting deep into his left shoulder, tearing through flesh.
— Agh! Get off! Get off! — Koji yelled in pain, struggling to stand.
With great effort, he managed to get on his feet, only to slip again in the water before crawling back into the dark corner of the crater — Ahh… Damn water! — There, the fragments couldn't reach him anymore. He leaned against the stone wall, calmer despite his ragged breathing.
— Where's Spherea? That bastard! He always hides when I need him the most! Damn it! — Koji was furious, trying to see from a distance if more fragments were headed for the crater.
Slowly, the rain of sharp fragments stopped. Bleeding and severely wounded, he began to walk again, his body covered in blood, fine cuts painting his face red.
He cautiously peeked through the opening of the crater. Up above, there were no more fragments, just the blue sky and sunlight — What happened…?
But then, he saw something. Some spheres were flying rapidly across the surface, darting back and forth as if chasing someone.
— Spheres...? What the hell? — He couldn't have been more confused.
Up on the surface, Alaric was moving at high speed, dodging the spheres with remarkable agility. He laughed as he shouted.
— LOOK AT ME! I'M HUMILIATING A DEMON, EASY AS PIE!
Yet, Spherea remained indifferent, with a bored expression.
— What an idiot! I'm not even doing anything, and he thinks he's humiliating me…
— FROM THE SCREAMS OF YOUR IDIOT BEARER, YOUR NAME IS SPHEREA, ISN'T IT? TELL ME, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE HUMILIATED?
Spherea remained still, watching Alaric dodge the spheres. But eventually, he decided to speak, raising his voice slightly.
— If you keep this up, you'll run forever. I'm a demon; I don't use energy. The spheres, since they come directly from me, are endowed with a mirror effect. They mimic your speed and agility. You'll never outrun them, you fool!
— My speed? — Alaric glanced back for a second, eyeing the spheres as he thought — What a bullshit bluff! There's no effect at all!
In that moment, he made a fatal mistake. When he looked forward again— Urgh! He was impaled by Spherea's forearm, which materialized in front of him, piercing through his rib.
— In case you didn't know, as a shadow demon, I'm intangible to everything… but everything is tangible to me — Spherea said coldly, in an intimidating and superior tone.
Alaric lowered his head, feeling blood drip from his mouth. His body weakened, but he could still hear Spherea's words.
— Even though you're about to collapse, I know you can still hear me. I'll leave you to your fate… If you die, it will be a pity, because I believe you and Koji still have a high-level battle ahead of you one day, and I want to witness that with my own eyes.
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