He could feel them spreading through the forest, creating a web of darkness that responded to his slightest intention. Every shadow was a potential weapon, every dark space a doorway he could emerge from.
The demons tried to scatter. Run.
The shadows caught them.
[DEMONS SLAIN x20]
[SHADOW COMPREHENSION: Level 41]
More came. They kept coming.
Damien lost count after the next fifty. The battle became a flow state – movement without thought, reaction without hesitation. His body moved with perfect efficiency, every motion optimized, every technique refined through repetition.
A demon ambushed him from above. He caught it mid-air with a shadow hand, slammed it into the ground, and ended it without breaking stride.
Three demons attacked in perfect synchronization. He created three shadow clones – not solid, just darkness shaped like his form – and the demons wasted crucial seconds attacking illusions. Real Damien emerged from their own shadows to strike.
