Chapter 69: Duel (2)

Levi quickly retreated, his heart pounding, but his mind was sharp and focused. The combination of his Shadow Warden ability and Second Skin had saved him, but it had been far too close.

Kai sneered, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction as he twirled the crimson artifact sword in his hand.

"What's the matter?" he taunted. "That smile of yours is fading already."

Levi wiped the blood off his cheek with his thumb, smirking defiantly.

"You're not bad, I'll give you that," he said calmly.

Kai's fury boiled over at Levi's calm demeanor.

"Arrogant till the end, huh?" He gripped his sword tightly and charged again, his movements swift and aggressive. The sword hummed with power, leaving a faint red trail as he swung it with lethal intent - he was clearly using some kind of skill!

But this time, Levi was ready.

Using the heightened senses from Shadow Warden, he could see the trajectory of the blade clearly. He ducked under the first strike, feeling the air shift as the sword cut through where his head had been just a moment before. As Kai spun for a follow-up slash, Levi sidestepped fluidly, positioning himself just outside the arc of Kai's attack.

Then with all his power - Levi threw a fist which landed heavily on Kai's left torso.

The impact was so hard that Kai stumbled two steps back!

Levi's eyes glowed faintly as his confidence grew.

"This is all you've got?" he muttered under his breath.

Even though both Kia and Levi were in follower rank - the gap in their strength was huge. Kai failed to recognize this, however.

While he was sitting outside the Sanctum for the last month waiting for an opportunity - Levi was inside the Sanctum, fighting off monsters and creating his own opportunities.

More than that - even as in the same rank - Levi's progression was different than his - Above the strength of being a follower, Levi had gone through another evolution while forming his core - so even without weapons his punches carried more strength than Kai could have expected.

But Kai was also not a pushover either.

He had been trained by the elites of the Malakani family, not to mention the countless elixirs and tressures he had consumed to strengthen his body.

Levi wiped the sweat from his brow, still smiling. "Maybe," he said coolly. "But not today."

***

Two spectral eyes gleamed from the shadows of the crowd, silently observing the clash between the two young men. Even though the individual stood among the gathered onlookers, it was as if no one noticed their presence.

It wasn't that the individual was being deliberately ignored—it felt more like they were invisible, their existence veiled from the senses of those around, as if the individual wasn't there at all.

The figure remained motionless, their gaze fixed on the unfolding duel.

"He's more impressive than I expected," the individual murmured, though their words seemed to vanish into the air, unheard by anyone nearby. Their voice, like their presence, was swallowed by the shadows.

It had been a while since both

For a while, they simply observed the fighters exchanging blows. But then, something shifted.

Their eyes widened in shock.

From within Levi's shadow, as he fought the young man from the Makalani family, a pair of eerie, glowing green eyes stared back at them.

The gaze was unnerving—direct, piercing, and impossible to dismiss. The figure froze in place, their heart pounding with sudden alarm.

It was looking at them!

'How?' they wondered, their mind racing. They had been so careful, so well-concealed, yet something—or someone—had noticed.

Before they could react, before the question could fully form in their mind, something unexpected occurred.

From Levi's shadow, a dark, shadowy form emerged—silent, swift, and terrifying. The figure lunged toward Kai with startling speed.

It was a creature born of darkness, leaping from the depths of Levi's shadow like a predator.

---***---

Daily Chapter~