Chapter 351: The Crimson Storm Awakens!

Words : 2559 Updated : Oct 7th, 2025

Chapter 351: The Crimson Storm Awakens!Chapter 351 "You dared to kill my mum," Grey said, his voice eerily calm, but the storm in the sky intensified as if it resonated with his pain. "So it’s only right for you to join her." Then an earth-shattering bang rang out as Grey vanished from his spot and appeared before the assassin in a split second. "Shit!" the assassin could only mutter as Grey materialized in front of him like a bolt of lightning. Bang! Grey’s earth-coated fist shot forward and slammed into the assassin’s masked face with incredible force. The impact sent the man hurtling across the room until he crashed violently into the wall, shaking the foundation and splintering the wood behind him. Tchk! The assassin coughed out a mouthful of blood. Before he could react further, another loud bang echoed—but this time, he was faster. He sank instantly into the shadows, just as Grey reached the same spot with a lightning bolt clenched in his hand. Grey launched it at full speed, and it struck the wall behind, exploding with thunderous force. "Just because you got the drop on me earlier doesn’t mean you can do it again," the assassin scoffed as he emerged from the shadows across the room, fifty shadow swords now hovering in a sharp, precise formation before him. "I will freaking kill you!" Grey bellowed, the storm above answering with angry roars as streaks of lightning flashed across the sky. Before he could lunge forward, the assassin unleashed the fifty swords at breakneck speed. "Earth Wall!" Grey clapped his hands together, and a massive wall of earth erupted before him in defense. But no impact followed. The swords dissolved into intangible shadows and passed straight through the barrier like mist. Grey’s eyes widened in realization, but it was too late. "ARGHHH!" he screamed, twisting his body as best he could. But the blades sank deep—into his arms, legs, and even across his cheek, drawing blood in painful streaks. "You forgot their ability to bypass all defenses?" the assassin laughed cruelly. "How do you think I managed to kill your mum, huh?" Grey gritted his teeth, lightning sparking wildly around his wounds as he struggled to stay upright. "I’ll skin you alive!!!" he roared and slammed his hands into the ground. A massive surge of lightning burst forth, zigzagging toward the assassin. But the assassin chuckled and slipped into the shadows, evading the bolts with ease. "Over here." His voice echoed again. Grey’s eyes shot upward. The assassin was descending from the ceiling, a shadow blade aimed directly at Grey’s heart. With no time to think, Grey twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the descending strike as the assassin crashed into the ground, creating deep fissures that spider-webbed across the floor. "Explomb!" Grey shouted, and fiery orbs materialized and began swirling rapidly around the assassin, tightening like a death trap. Then— BOOM! The fireballs detonated in a coordinated chain, the shockwave tearing through the room with immense force and heat, even bending the air. Smoke filled the air. "You never learn, huh?" the assassin’s voice emerged once more, completely untouched, from the opposite side of the room. "You should’ve just joined us when I gave you the chance," he sneered, his voice colder than ever. "Now you’re just going to die... like your mum did." "Not if I send you to her first!" Grey roared, taking a single thunderous step forward. A deafening bang rang out as he instantly appeared in front of the assassin, and a lightning bolt erupted from his hand at point-blank range. But just before impact, the assassin vanished again into the shadows. He reappeared behind Grey, a shadow spear already thrusting forward at full speed. "Mana..." Grey muttered, spinning around and instantly launching a wind spear to intercept the attack. The wind spear clashed with the shadow spear, but just like before, the shadow passed through effortlessly, phasing through it like smoke. It lunged at Grey with lethal precision. But Grey reacted swiftly—his instincts sharper than ever. With a burst of wind, he leapt high into the air, dodging the spear just as it buried itself into the floor below. "You think staying in the air gives you an edge?" the assassin taunted. "You think you can fight me from up there?" "I’m not running from you," Grey growled. "Rather, I want to do this!" He clapped his hands together, and a swirling vortex of wind and lightning spun violently around him. The two forces fused into a twisting storm, crackling with pure elemental fury. The vortex hissed through the air like a reaper’s scythe, sharp and deadly. Grey hurled it toward the assassin. But the masked man only chuckled. With a wave of his hand, a swirling black portal bloomed in front of him, swallowing the attack whole like a bottomless pit. "That’s it?" he mocked. Then, without warning, he sank back into the shadows. Grey hovered mid-air, eyes scanning every corner of the room, senses on full alert. Suddenly, the assassin’s voice echoed from above. "How could I ever expect a boy who couldn’t save his mother... to do anything against me?" Before Grey could react, a heavy fist slammed into his face from above. Boom! He crashed into the ground with devastating force, forming a crater in the cracked tiles. Blood oozed from his nose and the side of his mouth as he struggled to rise. The assassin emerged from the darkness once more, his mask glowing faintly, shadows curling around him like living serpents. "What can you do?" the assassin asked coldly, taking slow, confident steps forward. "Throw fire? Command lightning? Summon wind? Mold the earth? Yet, even with all that... you couldn’t protect her." Grey’s fingers clawed into the broken tiles. His body trembled, blood dripping, his breathing ragged. Silent fury burned in his chest. "You let her die," the assassin sneered. "Because you were too selfish to submit. Too proud to obey." Tears streamed down Grey’s face. His clenched fists quivered. The memory of his mother’s lifeless body haunted his mind. "I command a single element," the assassin continued, spreading his arms. "And yet I’ve surpassed you. My element obeys me. Lives in me. I am the shadow. I am the void. I am the Shadow Monarch!" As his voice rose, the entire room darkened. The shadows around them twisted and writhed, responding to his will. Grey’s own shadow moved, stretching unnaturally. Shadows from the broken furniture, shattered glass, torn curtains—even the corners of the room—all converged. They lunged for him. In a heartbeat, the writhing mass of darkness crashed down upon Grey, pinning him to the ground. "Let me go!" Grey roared as he struggled, but the shadows slithered up his limbs like chains of tar. They pulled him to his knees, his arms slammed into the ground, locked down by black tendrils crawling across his skin. His wind magic sparked faintly, trying to rise—but the pressure was immense. He was trapped. The room was now a prison of shifting black. The assassin stood above him, arms crossed, looking down on Grey like a god delivering judgment. And Grey, bound and shaking with rage, had no choice but to endure. "You know, it would have been better if you were never born. That’s because your mum would have still been here." The assassin shook his head slowly. Grey stopped resisting. His hands froze mid-struggle, and the crackling lightning that once danced across his body dimmed and receded. The storm clouds above, once rumbling with fury, began to calm. The air stilled. The wind died down. But the tears... they kept falling from Grey’s hollow, trembling eyes. ’He... he’s right. If I was never born, Mum wouldn’t have faced that fate. If I didn’t awaken my affinities, I wouldn’t have put them at risk. Dad died because I couldn’t awaken my affinities... Mum died because I awakened them. I... I... I’m a curse. A curse to the Dawn family... I don’t deserve to live after all I’ve put them through.’ His tense muscles loosened. The fire in his chest dulled. His body sagged against the ground as his spirit sank deeper into despair. And then, without warning... WHOOSH! A wave of white energy—calm, soothing, yet radiant—burst into his vision. It surged forward and enveloped him in light, blinding his view. Grey didn’t even realize it. His mind was too lost, drowning in guilt and sorrow, as he succumbed to the assassin’s words and power. But then... "Grey, my son..." A deep, familiar masculine voice rang out—gentle, warm, and clear. Grey’s eyes opened slowly, his pupils dilating as he looked up through blurry tears. And there, before him... were two glowing figures. A tall man with wavy dark hair, freckles speckled across his nose and cheeks, strong brown eyes filled with warmth, and a noble, handsome build. Beside him stood a woman. Her soft brown hair fluttered gently in the breeze, her face glowing with a loving smile that immediately pierced Grey’s soul. Grey’s breath hitched. "Mu... Mum? Da... Dad?" he whispered in disbelief. That was when he realized—he wasn’t in the house anymore. The assassin was gone. The shadows were gone. He wasn’t bound. Instead, he stood in a beautiful garden. Trees of every kind swayed peacefully in the wind. Flowers of all colors bloomed around him. Birds chirped in the distance. Small animals played across the meadows. It was serene. Untouched. Pure. "Mum! Dad!" Grey cried out, joy breaking through his sorrow. He bolted toward them, and in the blink of an eye, he wrapped his arms around both of them, sobbing like a lost child returned home. "There, there, my son. Let it all out," Clara whispered softly, her warm smile never fading as she and her husband stroked Grey’s crimson hair lovingly. "I’m sorry, Mum... I’m sorry, Dad," Grey choked out. "I failed you both. I’m a curse to the Dawn family. I couldn’t save any of you. I let you down—despite all my strength. I’m a failure!" Without warning, Clara smacked him lightly on the head. "Ouch!" Grey yelped in pain, rubbing the spot. "How many minutes did I leave you alone and you already lost your confidence, your swag, and your aura?" Clara asked with a teasing chuckle, shaking her head. "I... I can’t do it anymore," Grey muttered. "I don’t have that strength. I feel weak... useless. I thought rage would fuel me to kill the bastard who took you away, but I was wrong. I can’t even touch him. I can’t catch him. I can’t hold him. He slips through my grasp like smoke. I’m so useless right now." "Useless?" his father asked as he stepped forward, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You... useless?" He crouched before Grey. "Says the same little boy who stopped a war between two kingdoms. The same boy who saved his academy—twice—from full-on destruction. The same boy who protected his friends from death. Who saved his own mother from danger. Who helped another race escape extinction and even helped an oppressed people fight back. That boy?" Grey’s eyes widened slightly, his mouth slightly agape as he looked at his father. "You’ve done things not even adults with decades of training could dream of. From such a young age, you carried the burden of protecting your friends, your academy, and your family. Grey, you’re doing what even I couldn’t have done—and you call yourself useless?" "Yes!" Grey shouted, tears brimming once again. "Because despite all of that, all those achievements, all this power... I still couldn’t save Mum! She died right in front of me. She left me..." He collapsed to his knees, sobbing into his hands. The light of the garden dimmed slightly, his pain painting the world around him with shades of grief. "Oh, my sweet boy, I didn’t leave you." Clara stepped forward and crouched right in front of Grey, then wrapped her arms tightly around him in a warm, motherly embrace. "I have always been with you—from the moment you were born, through almost every one of your journeys. And I will still be with you, even in your darkest moments and toughest battles." "That’s right, my brave little warrior mage," Grey’s father added with a proud smile as he stepped beside them. He gently tapped Grey on the head. "Over the years, you gave yourself a title. A name that carries weight and meaning. And now—when it’s time to live up to that title—you want to give up?" He leaned in, his voice rising with intensity. "No! You’ve always found a way to push through. To fight back. To overcome every challenge you faced. This day shouldn’t be any different. Should it? Huh? Should it?!" "Ri... right!" Grey choked out through trembling lips as he slowly rose to his feet, wiping away the tears on his face. His mother and father stood proudly in front of him. "What are you? Who are you?" his father barked with commanding authority, his voice sharp and unyielding. "I... I... I’m Grey... the... the Supreme Mage," Grey stammered, his voice still uncertain but growing steadier. "Come on! You wouldn’t even convince a toddler with that," his father snapped. "What are you?" "Grey, the Supreme Mage!" he replied again, his voice rising with clarity and conviction. "Say it like you mean it! What. Are. You?!" "Grey the Supreme Magus!" Grey roared, his eyes burning with renewed fire and determination. His father nodded proudly. "Now get back out there... and show that motherfucking bastard why you were given that title!" "Yes, sir!" Grey responded, standing tall as he saluted them with pride. "And remember," Clara said gently as she placed a hand over Grey’s chest, "we have never left you. We’ll always be with you—right here." She pointed at his heart. And then, like ashes on the wind, she and her husband slowly dissolved into golden dust that floated peacefully into the breeze, fading into the light. Grey closed his eyes as the last fragments of them vanished. Then... "Did you hear me?!" the assassin’s voice pierced through the serenity, snapping Grey back to the present. Grey’s eyes shot open. He looked around the room. The shadows still held him down. He was back. Reality had returned—but this time, he was different. "I’m the Shadow Monarch! The Shadow Ruler!" the assassin boomed from across the room. "What the hell are you again?!" Grey remained silent for a moment, his head bowed low. Then, he clenched his fists tightly. The skies above, which had just started to clear, rumbled again, louder than ever before. The air turned heavy. Electric. Grey’s eyes slowly turned pitch white, glowing like burning moons. "I..." Grey growled as he took a single step forward. SNAP! One of the shadow chains shattered. He took another step. CRACK! Another chain snapped, his body now glowing with radiant white light, his crimson hair fluttering wildly in the storm’s howling winds. The rumbling above grew louder, fiercer—like a warning to the heavens themselves. "I..." he repeated, his voice now echoing with power. "I’m the Supreme Mage!" Grey thundered. And then— KRA-KOOOM! Bolts of lightning tore down from the sky like a barrage of divine fury, raining upon the house with earth-shattering intensity. The storm had returned—and this time, it wasn’t mourning. It was vengeance.

Chapter 351: The Crimson Storm Awakens!

Comments (0)