Depth Level 3, Extreme west-side
Neo and Nathan stood at the edge of a small road.
The world around them was broken while the gravity defied the laws of nature.
Floating debris and crumbling ruins were scattered around.
The road beneath them was cracked and fragmented, and every few feet, chunks of pavement hovered in the air.
âThe place is worse than other locations.
âLucasâ Shadow must have come here since itâs easy to hide here,â Neo said.
He gazed at the surroundings.
Some of the buildings were ripped from their foundations entirely.
They hovered at odd angles and casted flickering shadows over the chaotic ground below.
Wreckage of buildings, vehicles, steel beams, chunks of concrete, shattered glass.
Everything drifted without purpose.
Nathan pointed at the roof of a building that hung upside down in the air.
It was as though the structure had been torn from reality and flipped on its head.
âLucasâ Shadow is there.â
âCan it see us?â
âI doubt it. This place is filled with broken wreckages that are hiding us.
âBesides, the Shadow is assisting other Shadows in their battles. It doesnât have leisure to search for us,â Nathan answered.
He pursed his lips.
Lucasâ Shadow was dangerous.
It was only slightly weaker than Lucas.
Moreover, its ability to use portals made it nearly impossible to defeat since the Shadow could run away when it was on the verge of losing.
âSo whatâs the plan?â Nathan questioned.
Instead of answering, Neo posed another question.
âCan you use Noctis Burst Spell?â
âHow did you even know I can use thatâŠ. Sigh, nevermind.â
Nathan massaged his nose.
Back in the academy, he used the Spell once during the missions.
Felix uploaded the videos of their mission to the private website of the Academy.
Neo mightâve seen the Noctis Burst Spell in those videos.
âThe one I can use is not very powerful since my mastery is low.
âIt is far weaker than the standard version you can see other Shadow wielders using andââ
âCan you use it or not? A simple yes, no is enough.â
âYes, I can use it.
âBut why?â Nathan asked.
âI need you to attack Lucasâ Shadow with the Noctis Burst Spell.
âSince itâs a long range Spell, you should be able to use it from this distance,â Neo answered.
âWait, wait, wait! What!?â
Nathanâs eyes shot wide open.
He took a step back and shook his head.
âImpossible. You want me to attack Lucasâ Shadow? Iâm too weak to fight him.â
âCalm down. You can retreat after the first attack. Iâll handle it from there.â
ââŠ.What do you mean by that?â
âNoctis Burst Spell can stop Lucasâ teleportation ability for a few seconds.
âThatâs the only moment when we can defeat Lucasâ Shadow.â
Nathan understood what Neo was trying to say.
Noctis Burst Spell was a condensed sphere of shadow elementals.
It exploded upon contact with the target.
The high concentration of shadow elementals released from the explosion would disrupt the elementals in the air.
That included Space elementals.
Let alone Lucasâ Shadow even Lucas would not be able to manipulate the Space elementals to create portals after he was hit by Noctis Spell Burst.
ButâŠ.
âI canât stop Lucas for more than five seconds!
âHow the hell are you going to defeat the Lucas in five seconds!?â
Nathan pointed at the path between their location and Lucas Shadowâs location.
âWe are several hundred meters apart!
âAnd the path is filled with debris and shadow monsters!
âLook at that.â
A massive shadow monster with long arms and sharp claws slept on the ground.
âThat thing is as strong as the wraith we fought. There are dozens of monsters with similar strength around the building where Lucasâ Shadow is hiding.
âThe Shadow chose that location because it knew the monsters would act as alarm for it in case it was ambushed.
âFive seconds will be up before you cover half of the distance.
âThere is no way you can defeat Lucasâ Shadow when you canât even reach it.
âYouâll just⊠die.â
Nathan bit his lips and looked away.
âWe should make another plan.â
âItâs fine.â Neo smiled at Nathanâs concern. âJust trust me.â
He put his hand over Obitusâ hilt.
Since he could fight at his full strength after Obitus awakened, he was confident.
It was not easy to convince Nathan.
But Nathan had to agree to the plan after Neo remained firm on his decision.
âIâll start.â
Nathan chanted the Noctis Burst Spell.
Motes of black energy gathered above his palm.
They formed a condensed, swirling mass of shadows.
The Spell flew through the air and struck the building where Lucasâ Shadow was.
Hundreds of shadow hands came out from the explosion.
They wrapped around the buildings.
The concentration of shadow elementals in the vicinity increased by several folds.
âHe knows we are here! Go now!â
Neo dashed forward.
The shadow monsters, alerted by the attack, turned to Neo.
âBe calm.â
Neo exhaled.
âI can do it.â
He didnât know how strong he would be after releasing Obitus from the sheathe.
His current actions were a gamble with his life on the life.
If he had a choice, he would have not taken it.
Neo pressed his thumb against the hilt of the sword at his waist and pushed it out of its sheath slightly.
Instantly, the debuff that weighed him down vanished, and a surge of energy coursed through him.
His speed exploded.
The world around him turned into a blur of light and shadows. freeđ€ebnovel.com
Monsters lunged at him, but they were too slow.
Neo weaved between them like a phantom.
Their claws and fangs missed him by a fraction of a second.
His speed was overwhelming.
He turned into a blur that even the sharpest eyes couldnât follow.
The monsters rushed at him from all directions like a giant tsunami.
Neo leapt above them.
He used the floating debris as foothold and made a straight beeline towards the rooftop where Lucasâ Shadow hid.
As he neared the building, he saw Lucasâ Shadow.
The Shadow stared at him with a smile.
It pulled the bow taut and aimed towards Neoâs head.
The air around the bow trembled.
Although the Shadow was unable to use portals for the moment, it could not be underestimated.
Lucas used the portals to battle, not because he was weak without them, but because they were convenient.
He was one of the strongest demigods of his generation for a reason.
Neoâs eyes narrowed.
He didnât slow.
The Shadow released the arrow.
It turned to a black bolt of energy that tore through the air with deadly precision.
Neo drew his sword with a fluid motion.
As the blade left its sheath, it became wrapped in darkness.
The Aura of Death and Darkness swirling around it extended the swordâs length massively.
He slashed through the air in one smooth strike.
The blade cleaved through the oncoming arrow as if it was made of paper.
The bolt of energy was split in two.
The strike didnât stop there.
It cut across the Shadowâs body and sliced him in half with a single, decisive blow.
The giant blade continued onward.
It split the building where Lucasâ Shadow stood moments before.
Neo landed on crumbling building gracefully.
His blade reverted to its true size before he returned it to the sheathe.
The fight was over with a single strike.
Neo looked at the Shadowâs corpse.
The Shadow, split into two halves, continued to smile.
It was dead before it knew what had happened.
âIt wouldnât have lost so easily if it didnât underestimate me and used Invincible.â
Neo shook his head.
As the Shadow disintegrated, Neo picked the elemental seed it left behind and devoured it.
[Divine Energy +1]
âI donât think this is enough to defeat Arthurâs Shadow.â
Neo exhaled.
He was about to call Paimon when suddenly he saw something far in the distance.
In the North-east direction, white mist covered everything. Neo could not see what was happening there.
âThat must be where Arthur and others are fighting against Arthurâs Shadow.â
Squinting, he turned his gaze to the South, andâŠ
âHuh?â
Far into the distance, he could see Harrison about to be devoured by his Shadow.
Neoâs face hardened.
He was too far to do anything.
âNo, I need to try. We need as many peoples as alive if we want to win.â
Neo looked around.
He tore apart a long rebar from the floating wreckages.
Just as he was about to pull the sword out of the sheathe, a voice spoke into his mind.
You donât need to unsheathe me every time.
As long as you wish, Iâll remove the burden over you.
Neo nodded.
He followed Obitusâ words and thought about removing his debuff.
Instantly, endless power surged through his body.
The sword began to absorb his Divine Energy at a rapid pace.
Neo tightened his grip around the rebar.
He wrapped the Aura of Death and Darkness around the iron pole and pulled his hand back.














