Chapter 158: Shadows Fall

Chapter 158: Shadows Fall

Chapter 158

Shadows FallThis chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

He was ready--well, as ready as he was going to be. While he could continue trying to mull over his Way and despondently swing away with his sword in vain hopes he might improve, Sylas knew that in order to progress, he'd have to chisel the diamond that he had become. The practice was one thing, but there was nobody in the castle he could spar against while going all out--nobody who could push him to his limits. If he simply sat about and did nothing, not only would his strength never increase, it might just begin to wane. As such, he decided it was time.

It was snowing heavily, just on the tinge of turning into a blizzard. The cold wind was whipping and lashing out like an angry beast, but Sylas stood rooted and calm, his back facing the vast world. Ashas eyes were stirring with emotion--despite her pleas, he didnt want her to come, even partway. As such, she grew angry and refused to speak to him. Despite that, her eyes said everything. He smiled faintly before turning around and walking. A pained sigh escorted him, lost in the bustling wind shortly after.

He crossed the vast swaths of the frosted and chilled land with conviction, barely stopping. Hed only brought enough supplies to last him till the village--he knew hed likely be unable to defeat the Shadow with the first try. After all, hed only managed to scratch the surface of that mans abilities. Many more, likely, lay astir within him.

Ignoring the cold, biting winds, he pressed forward and soon reached the frozen river, crossing it and entering the forest. Memories swarmed him; it felt like just yesterday that the pale-faced woman wearing a white dress appeared in front of him beneath that looming rock like a ghost. Yet, its already been decades. Time flies, especially when it never moves. It was a strange and eerie feeling and, as such, Sylas did his best to ignore it.

Losing himself in the wandering thoughts, he crossed the forest without even realizing it. Soon, the world opened up in front of him--the plains atop which the village lay sprawled open. It was a day still, with the faint traces of sun occasionally emerging from the gray sky. Sylas didn't bother sneaking in--it was pointless. He wasn't here for information, for scamming someone, for some ulterior motive. It was, instead, the most primal of the reasons: to fight.

Shedding away everything but his sword and the pants, he walked toward the village topless and barefoot. Armor simply weighed him down; whether mail or plate, both were like paper compared to his personal defenses.

It was a strange and loathsome sight--the image of a bearded and long-haired figure walking almost naked in the knee-deep snow, a single sword strapped to his waist leaving dragging marks on the tender, white surface. It didnt last long, however, since the snow soon began to melt and turn into a churning river. Hed held his breath, but let it go--and with it, his energy began to stir.

As soon as he let go of the breath, he felt something in the village respond--the kind of energy that beckoned death itself shuffled into a muddied shadow that stirred across the landscape and landed just forty yards away from Sylas, causing him to stop. It wasnt a boy--but the familiar face of the man. Son of Anur, the Shadow that likely had roots with the Empire, and the forefather of many of the sprawling Cults. At least, one of the forefathers.

The man stared at Sylas with an inquisitive look--after all, he was expecting a well-armed vagabond, and instead found a homeless mutt. And yet... that mutt bled energy that even he couldn't ignore.

The two stared at each other for a brief moment before exploding forward. Two craters erupted at where they stood, with the shower of debris and dust raining upward. They met in the middle, unleashing energy-bolstered strikes, deforming the world. Each time they clashed, another crater was born, in addition to thousands of spiderweb-like cracks sprawling across the melted ground.

They became blurs, intangible things flying about at speeds beyond human comprehension. Were there a mortal eye to witness, it would bleed at the mere sight itself--for what was occurring was not meant for the mortal world. This was... beyond their grasp.

Sylas was cut and stabbed and slashed thousands of times--by now, he had become the Red Devil, dyed from head to toe in crimson. And yet, he was smiling still, not an ounce of pain in his expression. He continued the suicidal tactic, entirely ignoring his defenses and unleashing the barrage of attacks that even the Shadow could not ignore.

His eyes were growing even redder, as though the sight of blood was stirring something primal within him. He felt it, deep down--something awaking and beginning to flow through his blood.

By now, the landscape had turned hellish--canyons and chasms abound were born, as though the harsh rivers and rains had belted the poor dirt and rock for billions of years, unrelentingly. Yet, they hadnt. It was the work of what shouldnt be. And it caused Sylas to remember a very, very, very distant memory--when he first experienced the two Shadows clashing. He thought he would never be at that place, and yet... at that place he stood. Now, he was the inspiration for dread too. A thing that shouldnt be.

ENOUGH!!!!! the Shadow roared and the blast of black-laden energy in the shape of a spear knocked Sylas backward for half a mile, causing him to roll over the ground for a good chunk before stopping. Standing up, Sylas whipped his bloodied hair backward and stared at the pillar of darkness slowly ascending toward the sky. The build-up of energy... shit, is this guy intending to carve out a new fucking island? WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!!! WHY ARE YOU UNCHAINED?!!

"..." Sylas merely exhaled. It was a shame--the stop in the fight had interrupted the build-up of the berserk energy within him. He was barely maintaining it, but growing it any further was impossible.

ANSWER ME!!!!! the Shadow screamed and unleashed a beam of ebony-dyed energy just past Sylas. The latter didn't even flinch, letting the beam carve out a five-mile-long canal. Jesus, Sylas mumbled inwardly, glancing back.

"Well, let's see how good that thing is now," it has been a long while since Sylas last used Heart's Puncture, the strongest strike he had in his arsenal. He wasn't going to hold back--he was fully intending to sacrifice all his life, just to see how far he can push it. His sword began to stir and cry, as though alive and in concord with his own heart. Bloodbound, they both were.

Lifting the iron-shaven friend, he pointed it at the shadow in the distance and smirked. The energy within him surged boundless, ripping his veins asunder as blood began to coalesce. Three hearts. He managed to forge three hearts--effectively three lives. And he ruptured all three of them at once. Blood-colored pillar flickered for a flash before surging into the sword. The endless energy ripped the world around him asunder, obliterating the land within half a mile of him. And he was yet to strike.

Even from this distance, he saw in Shadow something he thought hed never see--fear and terror. The black pillar was shaking, but Sylas didnt hold back. One strike. That was all he had, after all.

He sliced forward a mere inch, and the time stopped. The world froze. The life and death coalesced into one and knelt and begged. But those they begged stayed silent. The world began to bleed as millions of holes opened around, leading directly into the infinite void.

Sylas felt the life leave him, but he endured. He had to see. Had to witness it. A breath later, he did just that--energy blasted out of his sword, obliterating everything, including his body. With the last breath, he caught a glimpse of what he had done--everything, including the Shadow itself, within ten miles of the strike... was gone. Heaven and earth and everything in-between was turned unto itself and beckoned... nothing. Neither life nor death survived. Only silence that predated all.