The shadow field trembled.
The demon general stood at its center as dark energy wrapped around his body like a violent storm.
Cracks spread across his armor.
Black energy seeped from beneath it.
Arlen stepped back slowly.
"That doesn't look good."
Ren watched carefully.
The demon general's power was rising rapidly.
Much faster than before.
The air grew heavier with each passing second.
The demon general lowered his head.
His voice had become deeper.
"You pushed me further than expected."
Dark energy surged outward again.
BOOOOM.
Several shadow pillars around him shattered instantly.
Even the shadows struggled to reform.
Arlen raised his sword defensively.
"What is he doing?"
Ren answered quietly.
"He's releasing his true form."
The demon general slowly straightened.
The bone-like armor on his body cracked open.
Pieces fell to the ground.
Beneath the armor—
His body had changed.
His skin turned darker.
Harder.
Almost like living stone.
His muscles expanded.
Black veins glowed faintly beneath the surface.
His horns grew longer.
Sharper.
The red glow in his eyes burned brighter than ever.
Arlen stared.
"That's not a transformation."
"That's a monster."
The demon general flexed his arms slowly.
The ground beneath him cracked.
"So this is the strength of the Shadow King's domain."
He looked around the shadow field.
The endless darkness beneath the battlefield.
Then his gaze returned to Ren.
"Let's see how long it lasts."
Suddenly—
He vanished.
The speed was terrifying.
Even faster than before.
Ren reacted instantly.
The shadows beneath him rose to defend.
But the demon general had already moved.
He appeared beside Shade.
His fist slammed into the giant shadow's chest.
BOOM.
The impact echoed across the battlefield.
Shade staggered backward.
Before the guardian could recover—
The demon general attacked again.
A powerful kick struck Shade's side.
The giant shadow was thrown across the shadow field.
CRASH.
Several shadow pillars shattered as Shade crashed through them.
Arlen's eyes widened.
"He just threw Shade like that?"
The demon general turned toward Ren.
His red eyes burned like fire.
"Your guardian is strong."
He stepped forward slowly.
"But not strong enough."
Ren raised his hand again.
The shadow field responded instantly.
Massive chains of darkness shot upward from the ground.
They wrapped around the demon general from all directions.
The chains tightened.
The demon general stopped moving.
For a moment—
He was trapped again.
Arlen grinned.
"Got him."
But the demon general didn't struggle.
Instead—
He smiled.
"Still not enough."
His muscles tightened.
Dark energy exploded from his body.
CRACK.
The chains shattered like glass.
The shockwave pushed the shadows away.
Even the shadow field trembled.
Ren's eyes narrowed slightly.
The demon general stepped forward again.
"You control the battlefield."
He raised his hand.
A massive surge of demonic energy gathered in his palm.
"But power like this…"
The energy sphere grew rapidly.
"…can still destroy it."
Arlen's expression hardened.
"That attack looks worse than the last one."
The demon general aimed the attack directly at Ren.
"Let's see if your shadows can survive this."
But before he could release the attack—
The ground behind him exploded.
Shade had returned.
The giant shadow guardian grabbed the demon general from behind.
His massive arms locked around the demon's body.
The demon general struggled for a moment.
But Shade's grip tightened.
"Now, Master."
Ren lifted his hand slowly.
The entire shadow field reacted.
Every pillar.
Every chain.
Every shadow.
They all moved at once.
The battlefield itself rose against the demon general.
Darkness surged toward him like a tidal wave.
The demon general looked up at the approaching storm of shadows.
And for the first time—
His smile disappeared.