Chapter Eight – The Cry of Shadows
Ethan screamed.
His scream was neither a call for help nor a release of rage—it was a declaration of existence.
A roar erupted from the depths of his being, as if an ancient beast long asleep within him had finally decided to awaken. His aura detonated without warning. Successive waves of dark, volcanic energy burst from his body, tearing through the air and slamming into the planet's crust with such brutality that the entire world groaned. Plains cracked open, distant mountains collapsed, and even Volterra's oceans churned violently, as though something colossal were stirring in their depths.
On the other side of the planet, where darkness reigned even at midday, stood the Shadow of the Abyss.
He stood in absolute stillness, surrounded by countless corpses. They were not piled randomly, but scattered in chaotic formations that told a clear story: their owners had tried to flee, beg, or fight… and failed. Everyone who approached him fell—no screams, no real resistance. Just a moment… then the end.
When Ethan's scream reached him, he felt something he had not felt in a very long time.
His heartbeat… accelerated.
He lifted his head slightly, a cold smile forming on his lips.
"Finally…"
He released his aura.
It was no ordinary aura, not even conventional dark energy. It was like a conscious night—stretching, rippling, devouring light, moving as though it were alive. It crawled across the sky, across space itself, until it reached Ethan.
And there—
Ethan felt the same pulse.
The pulse of an opponent unlike anyone he had faced before.
He severed the necks of his last enemies in swift, efficient motions. There was no time left. Blood did not catch his attention, nor did the screams of the dying. He quickly drew upon the healing arts he had previously copied, stabilizing the ki within the girl lying on the ground, reactivating her vital pathways, forcibly restoring her consciousness.
When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Ethan's back.
He lifted her without hesitation, carried her to a distant rocky edge, placed her safely there, then turned around.
And in that instant, he realized the truth.
The sky… had closed.
The earth… had blackened.
The light… had suffocated.
The battlefield was no longer part of the planet—it had transformed into a dark void, as if the world itself had withdrawn, leaving only the two of them behind.
The Shadow of the Abyss laughed, his voice deep and coiling through the space.
"The battle… ended before it even began."
Purple shadows writhed behind him, twisting like massive serpents, intertwining and separating, forming a slowly tightening lethal net. This was not mere energy—it was killing intent given form.
Ethan laughed mockingly, his voice cleaving the darkness.
"Is this your plan?
Or did you forget… who I am?"
He exhaled slowly, as though weighing down the air itself.
"Crimson Blades of Delusion."
The energies exploded.
Purple collided with crimson. Waves shattered, fragments of darkness and light scattering everywhere. Ethan's blades carved their way through, plunging into the shadows—cutting, tearing—until one suddenly rebounded—
A sharp gash tore across his face.
A single drop of blood fell.
Silence.
Then everything changed.
This was no longer a game.
His aura erupted again—fiercer, deeper—and the complete third form emerged. His body transformed, his features hardened, and dark red energy flooded his being, as though blood itself had become a law imposed upon reality.
The Crimson Blood Demon.
They charged at the same instant.
Every strike fractured space. Every movement shattered the laws of speed. They exchanged blows in deadly silence—no words, no hesitation.
Ethan threw a punch—
It struck nothing but emptiness.
In the next moment, pain pierced his back.
The attack came from behind.
Ethan surged forward and spun around, but his opponent vanished. Once… twice… three times.
At last, he understood.
His speed…
Had surpassed light.
Ethan smiled.
This time, he did not chase him. Instead, his body faded, his presence split apart, appearing in every direction, as if space itself could no longer determine his location.
"Echo of Eternal Light!"
A colossal wave of energy erupted, striking the Shadow of the Abyss directly. The ground beneath them vanished, the horizon erased—but his opponent stood firm… unfallen.
Ethan raised his hand.
He began preparing his ultimate attack.
Ruler of Night and Day.
The sky trembled, the earth cracked, and even the distant Venerables sensed the danger. Some stepped back instinctively.
All except one.
The Venerable of Shadow smiled coldly.
"He has arrived… at last."
The attack suddenly dissipated, as though swallowed by a greater force. The Shadow of the Abyss opened his eyes fully; they turned pitch black, streaked with purple sparks.
He spoke calmly—terrifyingly so:
"Ethan… I am Chen Hai.
Before everyone here, I admit it… you are the best I have ever fought."
Then time shattered.
Thirty years ago.
A child clutched his mother amid endless ruin. Burning skies. Cracking earth. Screams. Fire.
A father wielded the last Shadow Sword, his body riddled with wounds.
"Damn it! This is the third Destruction King to come to our planet!"
Collapse.
Blood.
The father's body torn apart on the ground.
His final words:
"Be free… like a shadow."
The Venerable of Shadow spoke:
"The Destruction Kings went too far.
Every tyrant of the Aetherium… is called a Destruction King."
Chen Hai grew up.
He fought.
He killed the Destruction King of his world.
But… he felt nothing.
Time returned.
Chen Hai laughed.
"Is this freedom?
Is this fate?"
He charged.
His speed tore through the void. His strikes forced Ethan to experience pain again and again—thousands of deaths every second. Ethan fired a shot of Light Ki—
Chen Hai dodged it effortlessly.
He drew in the darkness, compressing it into a crushing sphere that swallowed Ethan whole. His body tore apart, half his skin vanished—but his cells began regenerating.
His eyes became a vast cosmos.
He spoke calmly:
"This battle… is over."
He released the purple flame.
Half of Chen Hai's hand disappeared.
Ethan appeared before him—one punch sent him flying, an instantaneous shift, a decisive thrust.
Chen Hai fell.
Ethan gathered Destruction Ki—
Then—
A knife.
Wrapped in a fragrance he knew all too well.
The Venerable of Shadow laughed.
"Every step… was your path to ruin."
But when he turned—
He saw Ethan standing atop the Ancestors' Mountain, gazing at his corpse with a calm smile.
"Manifestation Cells… are no longer enough."
Massive roots erupted, encircling the planet, absorbing night and day alike, fusing contradiction into Destruction Ki. His cells cracked, exploded, and gave birth to Deep Death Cells.
When he released the attack, existence itself trembled.
And the chapter…
Was not over yet.
Existence shook.
Not a tremor felt only by the senses, but a shudder that struck the laws themselves—as though reality hesitated, unsure whether to endure or collapse. The Destruction Ki Ethan unleashed was no ordinary attack, but the result of a forced fusion between two absolutes: perfect night and perfect day, compelled to coexist within a single body.
Chen Hai stood frozen, eyes wide. For the first time… he did not vanish.
For the first time… speed was not enough.
But before the attack reached him—
The darkness split.
The Venerable of Shadow appeared before the blow. His claws extended, shadows wrapping around him like a living wall as Destruction Ki struck directly. He was not erased—but he staggered back one step… then another. The ground behind him evaporated, the void tearing open like a wound.
He roared in a distorted voice:
"Ethaaaan—!"
He did not finish.
The old man moved.
He did not charge or shout. He simply raised his wooden staff and struck the ground once. The sound was soft… yet its echo spread like an unrefusable command. A network of ancient symbols appeared beneath everyone's feet—intersecting lines, broken circles, engravings from eras erased from history.
The old man spoke heavily:
"Enough."
The energies froze—for a fraction of a second.
One fraction was enough.
Slow clapping echoed through the scene.
The Ruler of the Alliance finally stepped forward. His aura erupted without restraint—cold, sovereign energy, neither light nor dark, but a third thing… something that enforced obedience by mere existence.
He spoke without emotion:
"You have crossed the line."
His gaze fixed on Ethan.
"You… are an uncalculated risk."
His aura pressed down. Air bent. The ground sank. Even the Venerables felt the weight. Many knelt unconsciously; others cracked from within as they resisted.
Ethan… did not kneel.
He stepped back half a pace. Blood streamed from his mouth, his nose, from the unhealed裂 in his flesh. Yet his smile… remained.
He lifted his head, looking at the Ruler of the Alliance with one eye still holding a vast cosmos.
"Is that all you have?"
Heavy silence.
The old man turned to him sharply.
"Ethan… withdraw."
There was no fear in his voice—only pure warning.
"Not because of the Venerable of Shadow…" His gaze flicked to the Ruler of the Alliance.
"But because of him."
Ethan inhaled deeply. The Deep Death Cells screamed within him, demanding more, demanding total combustion. He knew… if he continued, there would be no way back.
And yet—
He raised his hand.
Destruction Ki gathered again, but this time it did not explode. It formed a colossal purple dragon, coiled, eyes like dead stars, its body made of dense energy capable of erasing a continent.
Ethan looked at Chen Hai. There was no hatred in his eyes.
"You… are not corrupted."
Then he looked at the Venerable of Shadow.
"But this… is not your world."
He released the dragon.
It lunged straight at the Venerable of Shadow, devouring him, crushing his shadows, burying him in a precisely directed side explosion. The land around Chen Hai remained intact, as though the attack itself obeyed Ethan's will.
The Venerable of Shadow's scream filled the void… then cut off.
Silence fell.
Chen Hai stared at his hands.
He was alive.
Slowly, he raised his head. The madness in his eyes faded, replaced by heavy disbelief.
The Ruler of the Alliance stepped forward again. His aura pressed down once more.
Ethan stood before him. Bleeding. Breathing raggedly. Yet his feet were firm.
The sovereign aura slammed into him. His knee bent. The ground cracked beneath his feet.
Then—
He held.
He raised his head. Smiled.
The smile of someone… who had not yet revealed all his cards.
Deep within him, something else began to stir. Not Destruction Ki. Not Death Cells.
Something older. Something unnamed.
Ethan spoke, his voice hoarse but clear:
"I still have… a role yet to be played."
The old man looked at him.
And for the first time…
He did not smile.
End of Chapter.