CHAPTER 40
THE RETURN OF THE SHADOW
The battlefield had forgotten what silence sounded like.
For hours, explosions had torn through the once-proud ruins of Velnar. Ancient stone towers that had survived centuries of war now lay scattered across the ground like broken monuments to a forgotten age. Massive cracks stretched through the blackened earth, glowing faintly with remnants of Arcane energy.
Smoke drifted endlessly through the air.
Ash fell like gray snow.
The scent of blood mixed with burned stone, creating an atmosphere so heavy that even breathing felt difficult.
A cold wind swept across the ruined city.
It carried no hope.
Only despair.
...
Several months had passed since Shen Karguro disappeared alongside Commander Ryulga.
To the rest of the world...
It was as though he had vanished.
No letters.
No messages.
No sightings.
Nothing.
Some believed he had died during Ryulga's brutal training.
Others believed Commander Ryulga had abandoned him somewhere deep within the forbidden lands of America.
Only one thing was certain.
The world had continued moving without him.
And it had become far more dangerous.
Arcane attacks were no longer isolated incidents.
Entire cities had begun disappearing overnight.
Powerful Arcane Lords awakened one after another.
Ancient ruins that had slept for centuries started opening across the world.
The balance between humanity and the Arcanes had begun collapsing.
The Arcane Drifters were being pushed to their limits.
Every battlefield became a struggle for survival.
Today...
The Kingdom of Althuria had fallen under attack.
Not by an army.
Not by thousands of monsters.
Only...
One.
One being had reduced an entire military division to ruins.
One being had slaughtered hundreds of elite Arcane Drifters.
One being had forced every nearby kingdom to declare a state of emergency.
An Arcane General.
...
At the center of the destroyed battlefield...
Three figures remained standing.
Barely.
Eliz Betham slowly lifted her head.
Blood trickled from a cut across her forehead before running down her cheek.
Her breathing had become uneven.
Every muscle in her body screamed in agony.
Yet...
She refused to fall.
Dark magic slowly circled around both of her hands.
Unlike before...
The mana surrounding her no longer shimmered with gentle silver light.
It had changed.
Dark violet energy twisted together with black flames, creating mysterious symbols that floated around her body.
Forbidden Black Magic.
Months ago...
She would never have touched such power.
She believed darkness only existed to destroy.
Now...
She understood darkness was merely another weapon.
A weapon depended entirely upon the person wielding it.
Her emerald eyes remained fixed upon the monster standing before them.
"...I'm not losing."
Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.
Yet it carried absolute determination.
Nearby...
Kenya Naro forced himself upright.
His Fire Demon Evolution had almost completely collapsed.
The crimson armor covering his body was filled with cracks.
One horn extending from his forehead had shattered during their previous exchange.
Flames leaked from the damaged armor like blood flowing from open wounds.
His breathing sounded painful.
Every inhale burned his lungs.
Still...
He grinned.
"Heh..."
"I've looked worse."
Ruke, leaning against the remains of a collapsed pillar, rolled his eyes.
"You literally can't stand straight."
"I said..."
Kenya coughed violently.
"...I've looked worse."
A burst of blood escaped his mouth.
Even he knew that was a lie.
His left arm no longer responded.
Several ribs had broken.
Every heartbeat sent sharp pain throughout his body.
Yet his gaze never left the enemy.
Not for a single second.
Behind them...
Ruke slowly tightened his grip around the Dragon Staff.
Electricity crackled weakly across its surface.
The once magnificent weapon had lost much of its brilliance.
Large fractures covered its shaft.
Its crystal core flickered unsteadily.
Almost exhausted.
Ruke himself wasn't much better.
His right leg had shattered earlier when Vaegas intercepted his charge.
Every attempt to place weight upon it nearly forced him unconscious.
Sweat dripped from his chin.
His breathing had become ragged.
Still...
A faint grin appeared across his face.
"Looks like..."
"...we're still alive."
Kenya laughed.
"Barely."
The three exchanged tired smiles.
No matter how hopeless the situation became...
None of them intended to surrender.
...
Several meters ahead...
Someone watched them quietly.
Arcane General Vaegas.
Rank Five.
One of the oldest surviving commanders from the First Arcane War.
His appearance no longer resembled any living creature.
Black crystalline scales covered nearly every inch of his body.
Each scale reflected the surrounding landscape like a distorted mirror.
Six enormous wings unfolded behind him.
They looked less like wings...
And more like sharpened crystal blades.
Every slight movement sliced the surrounding air.
Dark Arcane energy poured endlessly from his body.
The pressure alone crushed nearby stones into powder.
His golden eyes slowly moved across the three young warriors.
Then...
He smiled.
It wasn't a smile born from amusement.
Nor satisfaction.
It was the smile of someone observing insects desperately attempting to stop a hurricane.
"...Remarkable."
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
"I expected humanity to become weaker after six hundred years."
His smile widened.
"Instead..."
"You've become entertaining."
Eliz slowly stood.
Her knees trembled violently.
"So..."
She forced herself to smile.
"You're complimenting us?"
Vaegas laughed.
A deep...
Slow...
Terrifying laugh.
"Hahaha..."
"No."
His eyes narrowed.
"I'm complimenting your persistence."
A heartbeat later—
BOOM!!
Vaegas disappeared.
The earth exploded beneath where he had been standing.
Kenya's eyes widened.
"Too fast—!"
A massive impact shook the battlefield.
Ruke barely managed to raise his Dragon Staff before Vaegas's fist collided with it.
CRAAAAAAACK!!
The weapon bent under the force.
Ruke was launched through three ruined buildings before crashing into a broken stone wall.
Dust filled the sky.
"RUKE!"
Kenya roared.
Without hesitation...
He charged.
Crimson fire erupted around his body.
His damaged Fire Demon Evolution armor blazed brighter than ever before.
"I'M GOING TO BURN YOU TO ASH!!"
He threw a devastating punch.
BOOOOOOOM!!
Flames exploded outward.
The surrounding temperature rose instantly.
Stone melted.
The air distorted.
Yet...
When the fire disappeared...
Vaegas remained exactly where he stood.
Unmoved.
His expression hadn't changed.
He slowly looked down.
Kenya's flaming fist rested against one of the black crystal scales covering his chest.
It hadn't even left a scratch.
Vaegas tilted his head.
"...Finished?"
Kenya's heartbeat stopped.
"...Impossible."
Vaegas raised one finger.
Then—
He flicked Kenya's forehead.
Tap.
Such a tiny movement.
Such an insignificant attack.
Yet the result...
BOOOOOOOM!!
Kenya disappeared into the horizon like a cannonball.
Mountains shook from the impact.
Several cliffs collapsed.
Silence returned once more.
Vaegas slowly lowered his hand.
"Disappointing."
Far away...
A body crashed through countless rocks before finally stopping.
Kenya coughed violently.
His vision blurred.
"...Damn..."
"...He's..."
Blood dripped from his lips.
"...even stronger than the reports."
The battlefield grew quiet once again.
Only Eliz remained standing before the Arcane General.
She slowly closed her eyes.
Dark mana gathered around her.
Ancient symbols began appearing beneath her feet.
One after another.
Then another.
Then dozens more.
The ground itself started shaking.
Vaegas watched without moving.
"Oh?"
"So you've decided to use forbidden magic."
Eliz didn't answer.
She simply continued chanting.
The air around her grew darker.
Colder.
Heavier.
A spell she had once sworn never to use...
Was about to awaken.
The battlefield trembled.
The black symbols surrounding Eliz multiplied until they completely covered the shattered ground beneath her feet.
Each rune glowed with a sinister violet light.
The temperature dropped rapidly.
Even the flames burning around the battlefield began to dim.
Far away, Kenya slowly pushed himself out of the mountain of rubble that had buried him.
His vision was blurry.
Blood streamed down the side of his face.
"...Eliz..."
His voice was barely audible.
"No..."
His eyes widened as he recognized the spell she was preparing.
"Don't use that..."
"Please..."
But she couldn't hear him.
Or perhaps...
She had already made her decision.
...
Her long silver hair drifted in the unnatural wind.
The dark mana surrounding her body grew denser every second.
Fragments of forgotten language echoed around her.
Words that no ordinary mage should have been able to pronounce.
Words older than kingdoms.
Older than recorded history.
Vaegas watched quietly.
His golden eyes showed curiosity.
"So..."
"You truly inherited the Black Archives."
A faint smile appeared across his face.
"Interesting."
"I wonder..."
"Can you withstand its price?"
Eliz slowly opened her eyes.
The emerald color had disappeared.
For only a brief moment...
They shone with deep violet light.
"I don't care..."
She whispered.
"If darkness is what it takes..."
"...then I'll become darkness."
She extended both hands toward the sky.
Every rune ignited.
Thousands of streams of black mana shot upward like pillars piercing the heavens.
The clouds twisted violently.
Lightning flashed between them.
Then...
Everything collapsed downward.
"Grave Spiral."
The earth exploded.
An enormous cyclone of black flames erupted beneath Vaegas.
The spell spun faster and faster.
Stone was ripped apart.
Entire ruins vanished inside the vortex.
Even space itself seemed to distort under the immense magical pressure.
The deafening roar echoed across the kingdom.
Kenya shielded his face.
Ruke stared in disbelief.
"...She actually mastered it..."
The cyclone continued growing.
Hundreds of meters.
Then nearly a kilometer.
Its violent rotation swallowed everything nearby.
The battlefield disappeared.
Only darkness remained.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The explosion that followed illuminated the entire sky.
The shockwave flattened forests several kilometers away.
Mountains trembled.
Birds fled in panic.
Even the distant Arcane Drifter headquarters felt the tremor.
Silence.
Complete silence.
The spell slowly faded.
Eliz dropped to one knee.
Blood flowed from both of her eyes.
Tiny cracks spread across her arms.
The backlash had begun.
She smiled weakly.
"...Did..."
"...I get him?"
Dust drifted across the ruined battlefield.
Nothing moved.
Several seconds passed.
Then...
"Hahaha..."
A low laugh echoed from inside the smoke.
Eliz's smile disappeared.
The smoke slowly separated.
A tall silhouette emerged.
Vaegas walked forward.
His left arm had vanished completely.
Half of his chest had been obliterated.
Several crystal wings were broken.
Yet...
He continued walking.
Without the slightest sign of pain.
Black crystal spread across the missing flesh.
New muscles formed.
Bones regenerated.
Within moments...
His arm had completely returned.
His shattered chest restored itself.
Even the broken wings rebuilt themselves before their eyes.
Kenya felt his heart sink.
"...Regeneration..."
"No..."
"This isn't regeneration."
"It's evolution."
Vaegas stretched his newly restored arm.
"Magnificent."
He looked directly at Eliz.
"I haven't been injured like that..."
"...for nearly three hundred years."
His smile widened.
"As a reward..."
"I'll kill you first."
His body disappeared.
Eliz couldn't react.
Neither could Ruke.
Only instinct saved them.
"ELIZ!!"
Kenya roared.
Ignoring every injury in his body, he launched himself across the battlefield.
Flames erupted around him once more.
His Fire Demon Evolution reached its absolute limit.
Cracks spread throughout the armor.
His remaining horn glowed brilliantly.
He reached Eliz just as Vaegas's claw descended.
CLANG!!
Kenya blocked the attack.
For one second.
Only one.
His knees immediately buckled.
Blood burst from his mouth.
The ground beneath him collapsed.
Vaegas looked disappointed.
"You humans..."
"...never learn."
CRACK!!
One kick.
Kenya flew backward once again.
His armor shattered into countless fragments before he even hit the ground.
He rolled helplessly across the battlefield.
This time...
He couldn't stand.
His evolution had completely disappeared.
His breathing became shallow.
"...Guess..."
"...that's all I've got."
Nearby...
Ruke slowly forced himself upright.
His Dragon Staff pulsed faintly.
One final attack.
That was all he had left.
He looked toward Kenya.
Kenya understood immediately.
Despite the unbearable pain...
He smiled.
"...One last combo?"
Ruke laughed weakly.
"When have we ever needed more than one?"
Lightning exploded around the Dragon Staff.
The damaged crystal blazed with every remaining drop of mana.
Ruke spun once before throwing the weapon with every ounce of strength left in his body.
It cut through the sky like a bolt of lightning.
Kenya pushed himself upward.
Flames erupted around his fists.
He leaped.
High into the air.
The Dragon Staff reached him.
He caught it perfectly.
Fire.
Lightning.
The two elements merged together.
The surrounding air screamed as their combined power surpassed anything they had ever achieved before.
Kenya roared.
"FALL!!"
He descended like a blazing meteor.
The Dragon Staff pointed directly toward Vaegas's head.
For the first time...
Vaegas looked slightly interested.
"Oh?"
The attack struck.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Fire and lightning consumed everything.
The explosion carved a massive crater into the battlefield.
For several seconds...
No one could see anything.
Then...
A single crystal wing emerged from the smoke.
Vaegas.
Completely unharmed.
He had blocked the attack using only one wing.
His golden eyes looked almost bored.
"...That was your final hope?"
His wing moved.
SWOOOSH!!
Kenya was struck before he could even blink.
His body spun violently through the air before crashing beside Eliz.
The Dragon Staff snapped into two pieces.
Ruke collapsed to his knees.
His face turned pale.
"...No..."
"...We..."
"...actually lost..."
Vaegas slowly walked toward them.
Each step echoed across the silent battlefield.
His overwhelming Arcane pressure crushed the remaining stones beneath his feet.
The three young Arcane Drifters could no longer move.
Every ounce of strength had been exhausted.
Vaegas raised one claw.
Dark Arcane energy gathered at its tip.
"I'll remember your determination."
"But..."
"History never remembers the weak."
A sphere of black energy formed above his palm.
It continued growing.
Larger.
Denser.
Enough power to erase the entire battlefield.
Eliz closed her eyes.
Kenya laughed bitterly.
Ruke tightened his fists.
"So..."
"This is the end..."
Just as Vaegas prepared to release the attack...
The wind disappeared.
Not gradually.
Instantly.
The smoke froze in midair.
The black sphere above Vaegas's hand stopped expanding.
The battlefield became unnaturally quiet.
Vaegas frowned.
"...What?"
A single footstep echoed through the ruins.
Then another.
And another.
Someone...
Was walking toward them .
The footsteps continued.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Each one echoed across the ruined battlefield.
No one could see the owner of those footsteps.
Only a silhouette slowly emerged through the sea of drifting ash.
The air grew heavier.
The Arcane energy filling the battlefield became strangely unstable.
Vaegas frowned.
His golden eyes narrowed as he stared into the smoke.
"...Who's there?"
No answer.
Only another step.
The smoke slowly parted.
A tall figure appeared.
A long black coat swayed gently behind him despite the motionless air.
Across his back rested an enormous black sword wrapped in worn leather.
His face remained hidden beneath a cracked hood.
Only two crimson eyes glowed beneath its shadow.
Kenya's breathing stopped.
His lips trembled.
"...No..."
"...It can't be..."
Ruke forced himself to lift his head.
For a moment...
He thought he was hallucinating.
Then a familiar presence washed over him.
A presence he had not felt for months.
"...Shen..."
Eliz stared silently.
Tears slowly gathered in her eyes.
After months of uncertainty...
Months without knowing whether he was alive...
He had finally returned.
The hooded figure stopped nearly thirty meters from Vaegas.
Neither moved.
Neither spoke.
Only the wind slowly began moving again.
Vaegas observed him carefully.
His instincts...
The instincts that had kept him alive since the First Arcane War...
Were warning him.
Something was wrong.
He couldn't sense the man's mana.
Not because it was weak.
Because it was perfectly concealed.
It was as though the figure standing before him did not exist.
Vaegas smiled.
"...Interesting."
"So you're the human they spoke about."
"The disciple of Commander Ryulga."
The figure remained silent.
Vaegas continued.
"I expected someone... stronger."
Still...
No response.
The silence itself became oppressive.
Vaegas's smile slowly disappeared.
"...Answer me."
The figure finally moved.
A gloved hand reached toward the hood.
Slowly...
He lowered it.
Black hair fell across his forehead.
His crimson eyes calmly met the Arcane General's gaze.
His face had matured.
The boyish look he once carried was gone.
A thin scar crossed his left cheek.
Another rested near his jaw.
Months of brutal training had carved themselves into him.
Yet his eyes remained calm.
Cold.
Unshaken.
Kenya laughed weakly.
"You..."
"...You idiot..."
"You actually came back..."
Ruke smiled through the blood covering his face.
"I knew..."
"...you wouldn't die."
Eliz covered her mouth.
For a brief moment...
She forgot the pain.
Forgot the battlefield.
Forgot everything.
Only one thought remained.
He's alive.
Shen slowly turned toward his friends.
His gaze moved across each of them.
Kenya's shattered armor.
Ruke's broken Dragon Staff.
Eliz's exhausted body surrounded by forbidden runes.
His expression remained unreadable.
Then...
His eyes settled upon the countless bodies scattered across the battlefield.
Hundreds of Arcane Drifters.
Hundreds of soldiers.
Some he recognized.
Some he didn't.
His fingers slowly tightened around the hilt of the black sword.
The leather wrapping creaked beneath his grip.
Vaegas noticed.
"So..."
"You've finally decided to acknowledge me."
Shen slowly turned.
For the first time...
Their eyes met.
An invisible pressure spread across the battlefield.
The ground trembled.
Small stones floated into the air.
Even the clouds above seemed to stop moving.
Vaegas's smile vanished completely.
"...Who are you?"
Several seconds passed.
Then Shen spoke.
His voice was calm.
Almost emotionless.
"My name..."
"...is Shen Karguro."
He took one slow step forward.
"I've come..."
His crimson eyes reflected the Arcane General.
"...to end this war."
The battlefield fell silent once more.
For the first time in centuries...
Arcane General Vaegas felt fear.
Not because of the words.
But because every instinct in his body was telling him the same thing.
The human standing before him...
Was far more dangerous...
Than any monster he had ever faced.
To Be Continued.