Aren looked at Shadow. He was stunned when Shadow forced a physical form.

"I can tell this form is not sustainable, so what is your plan?" Aren asked.

"My plan? It’s simple: get rid of you and do all I need to.

I didn’t think you would end up being this large of an issue for me. You were meant to be a consciousness that I toss aside at the end of this all, and now you have decided to cause me issues.

But no more."

As Shadow said those words, his shadow spread through the ground, and from it shadow summons came out of the ground; their numbers easily reached into hundreds.

"It has been so long since I have seen my army behind me. I might not be able to summon them all, but this will surely be enough to deal with you," Shadow said, and with a thought alone he caused all the shadows to immediately turn into streaks of darkness and rush into him; he merged with all at once.

Aren was stunned when he saw that. He gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw.

Shadow looked at him and then spoke.

"Did you really think your ability to merge with them is something that only you have?" he asked.

"Do not forget you are only a part of me at the end of it all," Shadow declared.

"A part of you? I thought I had made this clear. I am no part of you. I am Aren, my own person and my own being. This life that I am living is all me.

You are nothing to me, just someone I seem to share the shadow with. Beyond that, you are no one to me," after saying that, Aren immediately summoned the ancient warrior of Jotnar. Its massive form appeared, then shrunk down into human size and merged with Aren.

"I’ll end this now, no matter what," Aren said. He raised the ancient devourer and placed it on his arm. Slashing down, his blood immediately flowed into the sword. The soul awakened and the sword took its true form immediately. It coiled and snarled at Shadow.

"Petty tricks," Shadow muttered as he lifted one hand. Massive spikes of shadow shot out of the ground, fast and extremely sharp. They came out in unpredictable patterns to ensure Aren would not be able to get away.

Aren pulled one foot back and then swung with all his strength. The ancient devourer curved through the air in a clean arc. The dragon head opened its mouth as it slammed through every shadow spike that was in its way.

Shadow didn’t care about that. He made more spikes shoot out from the ground, and while Aren was busy cutting through the shadow spikes, Shadow lifted his second hand into the air and massive columns of shadow shot into the air. They curved and surged toward Aren like a vortex.

The massive columns of shadow descended.

BOOM!

The first slammed into the ground and instantly created a crater dozens of meters wide.

BOOM!

Another followed.

Then another.

The entire battlefield shook violently as explosions erupted one after another.

Chunks of earth were blasted into the air.

Dust clouds swallowed entire sections of the battlefield.

Shadow stood calmly in the middle of it all, his hand still raised toward the sky.

The shadow columns continued to fall.

Each one carried enough force to flatten a mountain. Each one struck with devastating precision, yet Aren refused to slow down.

His body blurred.

The moment a column descended toward him, he vanished from its path.

BOOM!

The attack smashed into the ground behind him. Aren sprinted forward.

Another column curved through the air.

Aren jumped.

The shadow attack grazed beneath his feet before crashing into the earth and exploding.

A powerful shockwave blasted outward.

Instead of resisting it, Aren twisted his body and used the force to propel himself forward.

His speed increased even further.

The Ancient Devourer hissed.

The dragon head opened its mouth.

The blade coiled around Aren’s arm like a living serpent before suddenly shooting forward.

SLASH!

Several shadow spikes exploded apart.

The dragon head twisted through the air and devoured the remaining fragments before returning to Aren.

Shadow narrowed his eyes.

The shadow columns suddenly changed direction.

Instead of falling from above, they curved through the battlefield from every angle.

The attacks surrounded Aren completely. The battlefield transformed into a cage of destruction.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Explosions erupted endlessly.

For a moment, Aren completely vanished within the smoke.

Then a streak of crimson burst from the destruction.

Aren emerged.

His body was covered in dust.

Several shallow wounds had appeared across his arms. Blood dripped from his fingers.

Yet the grin on his face only widened.

"Too slow."

He accelerated again.

The ground shattered beneath every step.

The Ancient Devourer extended outward.

Its spine-like body stretched across dozens of meters as the dragon head darted forward. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The weapon moved like a living predator.

One moment it was beside Aren.

The next it was tearing through shadow spikes.

Then it curved through the air and destroyed an incoming shadow column.

BOOM!

The collision created a massive explosion.

Aren charged straight through it.

Shadow finally moved.

Darkness surged around his body.

Hundreds of shadow spears appeared behind him.

With a flick of his hand, they shot forward.

The sky darkened.

The spears descended like a storm.

Aren spun.

The Ancient Devourer danced around him.

The dragon head roared.

Slash.

Slash.

Slash.

The shadow spears exploded apart one after another.

Fragments of darkness rained across the battlefield.

Aren continued advancing.

Fifty meters.

Thirty.

Twenty.

Ten.

The distance between them rapidly vanished.

For the first time, Shadow’s expression changed.

Aren saw it.

A small opening.

A tiny mistake.

It was all he needed. His eyes sharpened.

Every ounce of power surged through his body. The Ancient Devourer let out a monstrous howl.

Aren planted one foot into the shattered ground.

The earth collapsed beneath him.

Then he launched himself forward.

The battlefield exploded behind him.

The sword curled around his arm before straightening completely.

The dragon head opened its jaws.

Its fangs aimed directly at Shadow’s throat.

Aren appeared before him in an instant. His sword descended. And Shadow’s eyes widened.