Chapter 108: Shadow Assault |
Charis froze for a moment, her fingers unconsciously tracing the patterns on the shortsword at her waist. "Wasn't he defeated by you—"
"No." Jonas shook his head, his bronze braid sweeping across his shoulders with the movement, gleaming with a cold metallic sheen in the candlelight. He reached out to adjust the candlestick, making the flickering flames cast shifting shadows across his angular face, the old scar on his brow appearing particularly menacing in the dim light. The air in the council chamber seemed to have solidified, with only the occasional crackle from the fireplace breaking the oppressive atmosphere. Distorted shadows danced across the fur rug, and the scattered parchment maps on the oak table were stuck at the corners by candle wax, their vermilion battlefield markings glowing blood-red in the gloom.
His knuckles struck the map-covered table with force, causing the still-wet ink to tremble. "Look at these traces—three days ago during the skirmish, the Sand Tribe cavalry retreated in terrifyingly perfect formation, with even their rearguard archers maintaining volley fire at a hundred paces. How could a truly routed army organize such precise counterattacks during retreat?" Jonas drew the dagger from his belt, its tip darting across the map. "Here—their secret stronghold occupied for twenty years, suddenly abandoned half a month ago. Why would they evacuate a twenty-year-old hideout without warning?"
Charis leaned closer, spotting a faded skull symbol scrawled beside the contour lines of a dried riverbed. Memories flooded back—last month during border patrol, merchants had complained about strange metallic scraping sounds from deep in the desert. The scattered clues now connected into an unsettling truth. "You're saying this was premeditated?" She looked up to meet Jonas's piercing gaze.
Before Jonas could answer, a bolt of lightning flashed outside, illuminating the room as bright as day. Deafening thunder followed immediately as rain began pouring down without warning, large droplets battering against the window frames. Jonas suddenly stiffened, a familiar sense of danger surging through him—the same instinct he'd felt three years ago facing the ancient demon wolf. The hairs on his neck stood on end as his blood seemed to freeze. Pressing a hand against his chest where the Life Seed burned fiercely, he sensed the energy fluctuations from the eastern district carrying that same sickly-sweet residue of shadow magic from the Sand Tribe's assault three days prior.
"Trouble!" He crashed through the window in a single bound, his black combat uniform flapping in the wind. "The trade district's in danger!" Charis reacted instantly, sprinting to the door to rally the guards. The wooden floor groaned under her hurried footsteps as corridor sentries snapped to attention at her approach. "All units, with me!" She drew her shortsword, its blade glinting coldly in the lightning's glare. "To the trade district, now!"
When Jonas and the guards arrived, the newly built trade hall was already shrouded in viscous purple mist. Metallic clashing echoed from within the fog, where two of Claude's attendants could vaguely be seen battling humanoid creatures—entities with mechanically precise movements yet shadow-like intangibility. Guards lay strewn across bloodied ground, their wounds edged with an eerie indigo hue clearly marking shadow magic's corruption.
"Fall back!" Jonas's sword burst into blue flames as he charged into the mist. Where his life energy met the fog, it sizzled like acid on metal. Rainwater streamed down his sharply defined jawline, mingling with blood from a forehead wound to form crimson trails across his armor. When his vision pierced through the mist, his pupils contracted—Veldeline's slender form was backed into a corner by three shadow beings, half of her proud elven wings already tainted purple-black like stained glass.
"Lord Jonas!" Her voice carried through the rain, the starlight magic at her fingertips flickering under the shadow creatures' assault. "These monsters can mimic any combat technique they've seen—watch out!" Before she finished speaking, one shadow being suddenly contorted—its form shifting to perfectly replicate Jonas's silver-white hair, black combat uniform, even the old scar on his brow.
"Katdera!" Jonas forced back two other shadows with a sweeping strike that scraped sparks from the ground. "Get Veldeline to Claude! Everyone else, evacuate!" His roar was swallowed by thunder yet reached his personal guard clearly. Katdera's battleaxe cleaved through the mist as she caught the faltering elf, whose final backward glance held nothing but worry and reluctance.
The shadow puppets multiplied suddenly, new forms emerging from ruined buildings along the street. Pressing his back against a broken clocktower pillar, Jonas felt the Life Seed burning fiercely in his chest yet failing to dispel the encroaching darkness. He glimpsed runic arrays at a puppet's joints—the exact alchemical markings Claude used, the same ones he'd severed three years ago in their decisive battle.
As combat grew more desperate, Jonas's stamina waned. When another shadow took his form, he noticed their movements lacked real combat adaptability despite precision. Seizing a microscopic opening, he forced it back with an unorthodox spinning slash.
When the last civilian was evacuated, Jonas suddenly sheathed his sword and leapt back. Drawing the Life Seed from his chest, he pressed it unhesitatingly against his blade. The seed erupted in emerald radiance, turning the entire sword jade-green. "You can mimic the form..." He swung in a perfect arc. "...but not this!"
Green light rippled outward, dissolving purple mist wherever it touched. The shadows shrieked unwillingly as they crumbled to ash. When the last wisp vanished, Jonas spotted familiar silver sand—identical to what Retifus had scattered during his escape.
Claude arrived hastily with modified machinery, gasping at the sight. "Sands of Time... Retifus used them to corrupt life energy!" Kneeling, he pinched silver grains between fingers, watching metallic sheen flow across his palm. "This ancient substance twists time and magic, perverting life energy into shadow power. They must have been collecting it for half a year."
Veldeline approached supported by Katdera, the purple-black receding slowly from her wings. "These were just probes... The true corruption source lies in the canyon..." Her weak voice held steel. "I sensed stronger darkness where we found the abandoned Sand Tribe outpost."
Wiping blood from his lips—overusing the Life Seed had damaged his organs—Jonas grew more alert at the shadows' final words before dissipating. Retifus's voice had unmistakably taunted: "Think you've won, Jonas? This is only the beginning."
Charis arrived after securing the battlefield, her armor cracked yet resolve firm. "We found strange gear mechanisms in the ruins—likely the shadow puppets' control cores." She handed over a twisted metal component etched with dense runes. "These resemble Lord Claude's shadow alchemy research."
Claude examined the part grimly. "This isn't my work... Someone enhanced my research with Sands of Time, creating this abominable fusion magic." Gazing into the storm, he added, "Retifus allied with the Sand Tribe not just for revenge—they aim to disrupt the continent's magical balance."
Jonas tightened his grip on his sword, the Life Seed's glow dim but his gaze sharp. "Whatever their scheme, we won't stand by." Turning to Charis: "Gather all mages—we must reassess the Seal's status. Claude, analyze these components for weaknesses."
"And you?" Charis asked.
"I'll investigate the canyon." Jonas looked eastward toward the Sand Tribe outpost and darkness Veldeline had sensed. "Retifus left clues because he expects us. This time, we won't walk into his trap."
Abyss of Time Sands
Jonas tied his bloodied cloak at his waist, the Life Seed's faint moonlight glow resembling a dying candle. Behind him, city lights flickered as Charis directed soldiers to repair barrier breaches, while Claude's lab shone with all-night magical luminescence—shadow component analysis underway.
"Scouts report, my lord." Katdera's voice carried on night wind, her armor still bearing purple corrosion. "Three hundred mechanical units east of the canyon, led by... some humanoid war machine."
Jonas ran fingers along his sword's cracks—three days of shadow combat had brought his decade-old blade near breaking. "Have the guard wait south. We take the hidden path." Leaping onto the battlement, his bronze braid whipped in the wind. "Retifus expects the main road—we'll appear where he least anticipates."
The secret tunnel smelled of damp moss. In torchlight, Veldeline unfurled a star-dust map. Though her wings had mostly healed, her fingertips retained faint purple. "Energy traces point to the abandoned mine at the canyon's heart—where first-generation mages sealed the Shadow Sovereign..." Her voice caught as stardust points flared violently.
The ground trembled, dislodging ceiling rubble. Jonas shoved Veldeline aside as a purple laser grazed overhead, blasting through stone. As dust settled, three silver mechanical sentinels appeared down the tunnel, their joints flowing with familiar Sands of Time radiance.
"Beware! Their attacks slow time!" Claude's warning echoed from a communication crystal. Jonas blocked, only for his blade to frost over instantly upon contact. Time distorted around him—each swing moved agonizingly slow while the sentinels accelerated.
Veldeline's fingers gleamed with starlight, weaving a net of light over the machines. "Their cores are in the chest, my lord!" Seizing the moment, Jonas channeled the Life Seed's final power—his sword streaked like a meteor through one sentinel's core. The explosion flung back the others, revealing gears engraved with Retifus's crest amid shrapnel.
At the mine entrance, the sight stole their breath. A massive alchemical circle covered the entire pit, liquid Sands of Time flowing like purple galaxies through its grooves. At the center stood a hundred-meter mechanical colossus, its heart pulsing with corrupted Life Seed energy.
"Welcome, Jonas." Retifus's voice echoed from the colossus—his once-friend now wreathed in shadow, right eye replaced by a crimson mechanical orb. "Destroying puppets changes nothing. Behold!" He gestured, and twelve energy towers rose around the pit, Sands of Time chains snaring Jonas's ankles.
"The first mages used Life Seeds to seal the Shadow Sovereign—I'll use corrupted ones to wake it!" Retifus laughed maniacally as the colossus's palm opened. "You'll be part of the sacrifice!" Purple energy geysered skyward as Jonas felt his magic draining violently, the Life Seed resonating with the altar.
At the critical moment, Claude's voice crackled through the crystal: "Sever the resonance! Pierce your Life Seed with your sword!" Veldeline gasped at the madness, but Jonas didn't hesitate. Gritting his teeth, he aimed the trembling blade at his own heart.
Agony engulfed him as steel met flesh—but miraculously, the corrupted Life Seed erupted in purifying light, clashing with the altar's shadow energy. Through the pain, Jonas twisted the blade halfway, channeling the Seed's power into the ground. Ancient seal runes glowed faintly at the mine's bottom.
As Retifus howled, the colossus crumbled. Before losing consciousness, Jonas saw Veldeline summoning a final shield, Claude's reinforcements breaching the mine above. Falling into darkness amid the Life Seed's glow, Retifus's final scream echoed: "This isn't over... The Shadow Sovereign's awakening... cannot be stopped!"