Chapter 41: Shadow Man

Words : 1050 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 41: Shadow Man"I can smell a Dragon," a man that was nothing more than a shadow said. The Shadow stood hunched over a man that was trembling. The man’s chest was crushed inward as if from a single powerful blow, and blood dripped from his mouth. "Please... please... please! Don’t kill me, please!" The Shadow smiled, almost gently. "But I must. Your beast is a truly unique one. The Pathway is a very special one. What’s the beast called again? Ah! I can’t remember, but it’s one of the best defensive around here, right? As a B ranked leader of the Clan, you have the strongest, right?" All around them, bodies littered the ground, and from the look of it, none of them died a good death. From twisted limbs to spines ripped out and chests broken, some of them were even folded into human flesh balls. But if one must look closely, they would see that there was one wound that was common to all the people that died. Low on their stomach, lower abdomen, there was a small wound that seemed like a blackened pit. All of the dead bodies had it. But it wasn’t only dead bodies that surrounded the Shadow. There were also five people standing. Three men and two women, they stood quietly and watched the Shadow. The man on the ground let out a pathetic whimper. "Please! I will do anything! Don’t kill me!" The Shadow man laughed. "You! Aren’t you a proud clan lord of the Desert people? Those that resisted the Azgarath Empire to the bitter end, unbent and unbroken?" If the western side of the Azgarath Empire has the wilderness and the Orcs, then the south has the Great Desert that put a firm stop to the expansion of the Empire deeper south of the continent. The Azgarath Empire had tried to conquer the Desert more than once, and apart from the unfavorable environment and weather, there are the Desert people. They called themselves the free people of the dry sands that bow to no Emperor. And they did not. What’s worse is that there is no definite structure to them, no leading force. No king or leaders. Just numerous Clans. But one thing they can come together for is to resist the chain of a ruler. And like Desert sands, they would sweep everything clean. They can appear anywhere and then disappear. The Empire had to pull back their forces time and time again, and thus, they haven’t been able to conquer the Desert people. But even then, among the Desert people, there are some prominent Clans. Just like the one the Shadow just destroyed. The Shadow shook his head. "Ah! It seems even you proud Desert people can beg for your life." And then, without ceremony, he reached out to the man bleeding on the ground. His hand hovered above his abdomen, and then he made a jerking motion as if he was pulling something. The man screamed out in horror and pain as something that was part of him was getting pulled. The stomach of the man churned, and then his lower abdomen erupted, and something leaped out. Silver-blue light poured out and weaved around what appeared to be a small ball. Inside the translucent ball was a beast. It was insect-like and covered in a thick shell. The man on the ground stopped breathing and died, his face a mask of horror. The Shadow man stepped away and held the translucent ball with the beast in his hand. The beast was lying dormant. It had fought and lost horribly earlier. And then, without hesitation, he put it in his mouth and swallowed, and instantly, his body gained more substance. The shadow became more tangible and more human-like. He smiled coldly. "They are not satisfying. I need some strong that can hold me. "And I think I know where to get it. I can smell a Dragon. And it’s so familiar to that pet." ☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆ At the same time, deep in a cradle of darkness where light has never shone, Ulvakharion’tel Nyxarith, the Dragon of Void, spread his wings that seemed to go on and on. He roared, and the Void trembled. He was standing in a throne room that seemed to be made for giants, and even with his great size, he didn’t reach up to the side of the throne. The throne room was old, the dark walls were crumbling, and the ground bore the marks of old battles. The Void Dragon flexed his claws, and his size swelled. His wings unfolded until he was the size that fit the room that was made for giants. He stared at the throne with solemnity and at the side of the throne where he used to stay. Then he turned his head to the wall where an image was drawn. At the front of the image was a man that seemed to be made of substance that wasn’t flesh. He seemed to be made of the countless light of the universe. His eyes were deep red, the purest red that existed. Around his neck coiled a Dragon with seven horns. The man wore a crown, and at the front of the crown was a single eye. The eye was slitted purple. Behind the man stood seven figures that were not drawn well, as if the image of the man overshadowed them. The Void Dragon let out a great sigh that shook the room. "I held for a time and then... but I’m back now." Then the Void Dragon turned his head to the other side of the wall where another image was drawn. This image was only the other. The new image is ghastly and reeks of blood. The man that was in the first image now lay on a table, his eyes closed, his chest and stomach torn open, and seven figures stood over him, hands bloodied, eating. And then, above those seven figures, stood the Void Dragon, his snout covered in blood. The Void Dragon snorted. "Ah... what a time." Before he could do anything else though, one of the seven figures opened his eyes, and it shone with a brilliance of light. He smiled. "You stubborn Dragon. You are back. Kin killer."

Chapter 41: Shadow Man

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