The clearing in the forest had turned into a battlefield of shattered earth and broken trees.
Shade stood once again, towering behind Ren.
Across from them, the demon general remained perfectly calm.
But the pressure radiating from his body had grown heavier.
Arlen wiped the blood from his mouth and stepped forward again.
"Alright."
He raised his sword.
"Round two."
The demon general barely looked at him.
His attention stayed on Ren.
"You are adapting."
Ren said nothing.
But the shadows beneath the ground continued spreading farther.
The demon general noticed.
"A battlefield controller."
He tilted his head slightly.
"That explains your reputation."
Suddenly—
The air around him changed.
His aura condensed into something sharper.
More violent.
Arlen felt it immediately.
His expression hardened.
"Something's wrong."
The demon general slowly raised one hand.
Dark energy gathered around his fingers.
"Up until now…"
His red eyes glowed brighter.
"…I have been holding back."
The moment he finished speaking—
His aura exploded.
BOOOOM.
A violent wave of demonic energy blasted through the clearing.
Several nearby trees were torn out of the ground.
Dust and debris filled the air.
Arlen was forced to slide backward several meters.
Even Shade had to plant his feet firmly to avoid being pushed back.
Ren remained standing.
But his coat moved wildly in the storm of power.
The demon general stepped forward.
His body now surrounded by swirling black energy.
"This is my true power."
Arlen stared.
"That's insane."
The general vanished.
Not fast.
Instant.
He appeared directly beside Shade.
His fist slammed into the giant shadow's stomach.
BOOM.
Shade's massive body bent from the impact.
Before the giant could recover—
The demon general struck again.
Another punch.
Another shockwave.
The giant shadow was thrown across the clearing.
Shade crashed into several trees before stopping.
Arlen rushed forward.
His sword flashed toward the demon general's back.
SLASH.
This time the blade cut deeper.
A line of dark blood appeared across the demon's armor.
Arlen grinned.
"Got you."
But the demon general didn't even turn around.
Instead—
His hand moved backward.
He grabbed Arlen by the throat.
The movement was effortless.
Arlen's eyes widened.
The demon lifted him off the ground.
"You are quick."
His voice was cold.
"But still weak."
Arlen struggled.
The demon threw him.
CRASH.
Arlen slammed into a large rock formation.
The stone shattered from the impact.
Ren stepped forward.
The shadows beneath the clearing surged upward.
Massive shadow spikes erupted toward the demon general.
The demon moved again.
He weaved through the attacks effortlessly.
Then he stopped in front of Ren.
For the first time—
The two stood face to face.
The demon general looked directly into Ren's eyes.
"So this is the Shadow King."
His voice lowered.
"Show me."
He swung his fist.
Shade suddenly appeared between them again.
The giant shadow blocked the attack.
BOOM.
The impact echoed through the forest.
But the demon general's strength was overwhelming.
Shade's arm cracked under the pressure.
The demon general smiled.
"You rely too much on your guardian."
His aura surged again.
Ren raised his hand.
The shadows around the battlefield suddenly shifted.
But this time—
They did not form soldiers.
They did not form chains.
Instead—
The entire ground beneath the demon general turned black.
The shadows swallowed the clearing.
The demon general paused.
"Oh?"
Ren's voice remained calm.
"Let's test something."
The darkness beneath the ground suddenly exploded upward.
Not as spikes.
But as a massive shadow wave.
The attack swallowed the demon general completely.
Arlen slowly stood up in the distance.
He watched the darkness consume the battlefield.
"That looked big."
The shadows collapsed inward.
Silence returned to the forest.
For a moment—
Nothing moved.
Then suddenly—
The darkness burst apart.
The demon general stepped out of the shadows.
Completely unharmed.
He brushed dust from his armor calmly.
"Interesting."
His red eyes looked at Ren again.
"You are strong."
His aura expanded once more.
"But not strong enough."
He raised his hand slowly.
Dark energy gathered above the clearing.
A massive sphere of demonic power formed in the air.
The forest began to tremble.
Arlen's expression turned serious.
"That attack…"
The demon general pointed toward Ren.
"Let us end this."
And the energy sphere above them continued growing larger.