Mud and blood coated the battlefield like a living painting of death.
Ladrius, his golden armor now streaked with black burns, glared at me. His aura flared violently, light twisting into sharp, jagged spears that stabbed at the shadows around me.
— You've learned to use the shadows… clever, mortal. But cleverness alone won't save you, he growled.
I smirked, letting the crimson glow in my eyes intensify. The darkness inside me pulsed like a heartbeat of its own.
[DARKNESS AUTHORITY — AGGRESSIVE MODE: ACTIVE]
The shadows beneath my feet coiled like snakes, shooting upward to meet his jagged spears of light. The impact sent a shockwave that threw dirt and debris into the sky.
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Ladrius — Strength: 92% | Weakness Detected: Overreliance on raw power]
I narrowed my eyes. Gods were powerful, yes. But power without strategy was predictable. I allowed the shadows to dissolve, letting Ladrius think he had the upper hand.
Then, with a sudden movement, I reformed above him. My spear, a solid pillar of living darkness, drove downward. He swung his blade to block, creating a blinding clash of light and shadow. Sparks rained down, and the ground cracked beneath us.
— You… how? Ladrius muttered, stumbling back.
[COMBO UNLOCKED: Shadow Surge — Increases attack speed and mobility in combat.]
I descended again, faster this time, striking from multiple angles as shadows twisted around me like living extensions of my will. Ladrius' guard faltered, and I could see the cracks in his divine armor.
— Enough games! he roared, summoning a shield of radiant energy that pulsed like a heartbeat.
I smiled, letting the shadows envelop the shield, sapping its light, feeding my own. The system whispered inside my mind:
[OBSERVATION: Combat proficiency improving exponentially. Probability of First Blood: 87%]
Every strike, every dodge, every movement was a dance of darkness and death. Ladrius' breathing became heavy, the aura around him flickering, unstable.
I leapt back for a brief moment, letting him regain composure, then whispered coldly:
— You will not survive this… Ladrius.
[DARKNESS AUTHORITY STAGE 3 UNLOCKED: True Power — Shadow Manifestation]
[SPECIAL EFFECT: Shadows now have sentience, able to react independently to attacks.]
The black tendrils lashed out on their own, binding his arms and legs. The golden light cracked and sizzled where it met pure darkness. Ladrius screamed, fury and disbelief mixing into a divine roar.
I stepped forward, spear in hand, shadows swirling like a storm around me.
— This… is the first strike that will define you, Godslayer.
And at that moment, I realized: this battle was not just for survival. It was the birth of a legend that would make gods tremble.
The hunt had truly begun.