Everyone was shocked, but not for long.
Kalrik did not give them even a second to mourn.
He vanished from his position. The pressure shifted instantly.
This ti, his target was Amon.
Amon, whose heart was still burning with rage and grief, felt it. His instincts scread. Even through the pain, even through the shock, his body reacted.
He crossed his sword and hatchet in front of him.
CLANG!
The impact was brutal.
"Shit—!" Amon cursed as the overwhelming force smashed into him. His arms scread in pain. The weapons were nearly torn from his grip.
He was thrown back like a rag doll.
THUD!
Amon crashed into a thick tree trunk with bone-rattling force. The bark shattered. Pain exploded through his spine and ribs.
"Cough!" Amon spat out blood as his body slid down and hit the ground.
His vision blurred.
For a split second, everything went quiet. But that attack, that sudden violence.
It snapped the others out of their grief. This fight wasn’t over. They still had to fight if they wanted to survive.
They didn’t have the luxury to break down.
Harvey forced himself upright, blood dripping down his chin. He raised his battered shield and axe. His shield was in bad condition, but still usable.
"Get up, everyone!" he roared. "We’re not done!" His voice spread throughout the forest.
He charged forward without hesitation. Derrick followed imdiately. He had gotten up from the ground.
His daggers were raised high, lightning and shadow crackling violently around the blades. Sparks danced across the steel, snapping through the air like angry serpents.
Mira reacted instantly. She stood tall. She drew her bow and released.
Then again. And again.
Arrows flew in rapid succession. Fire, wind, and piercing mana-coated shots aid to force Kalrik away from Amon.
They couldn’t let him finish him.
Kaelra gritted her teeth and pushed herself up despite the pain twisting her arm. Her body scread in protest, but she moved anyway, staggering forward, sword clutched tight.
Kalrik turned his head. His attention shifted from Amon to the rest.
His lips curved into a slow, delighted smile. He was still excited for the fight. He began to circulate his mana rapidly.
Then.
BOOM!
Dark-red aura exploded from his body.
The shockwave tore through the battlefield, flattening grass, cracking earth, throwing debris into the air.
Trees groaned. The air itself trembled. At that mont, everyone felt fear.
But still, they didn’t stop.
Harvey roared as his body glowed golden. Cracks of radiant energy spread across his skin like molten veins.
He charged straight in from the front.
His axe swung with everything he had left. Strength, rage, willpower. He had to do it. He needed to go all out.
At the sa ti, Derrick vanished from his place.
A flicker of shadow.
He appeared behind Kalrik, daggers crossing toward the demon’s neck, lightning screaming as it followed his motion.
Kalrik reacted instantly. His red-shining blade t Harvey’s axe. His aura exploded against the axe.
CLANG—!
The collision sent a shockwave outward. Kalrik’s other hand snapped back.
He caught Derrick’s wrist mid-strike. Derrick gritted his teeth, muscles straining, veins bulging. He tried his best to overpower his enemy with strength, but the opponent was too strong.
Kalrik snarled, pushing both of them back at once.
Then he bent low.
Arrows scread overhead as he ducked beneath them, the wind from their passage ripping through his hair. He was still fully aware of his surroundings and attacks.
Mira didn’t stop. She adjusted her aim and fired again. Her breathing was becoming ragged. Mana was depleting at a rapid speed. But she didn’t stop firing.
Kaelra rushed in from the side, her sword glowing with unstable wind mana, slashing toward Kalrik’s ribs.
Kalrik twisted, his blade snapping upward to parry.
CLASH!
He was able to parry, but a little late.
This ti, he wasn’t untouched.
Kaelra’s blade cut through part of his armor, leaving a shallow but bleeding gash across his side.
Blood spilled.
Kalrik’s eyes narrowed. "Good," he muttered. "That’s better." But it didn’t make much difference to him.
He kicked Kaelra square in the chest without any rcy.
THUD!
"Aarrh!" A pained groan escaped her lips.
She was sent skidding across the ground, coughing, barely managing to roll to avoid being crushed under debris.
Harvey charged again, shield raised first.
Kalrik punched the shield.
The already shattered surface cracked further, fragnts flying.
Harvey scread in pain but forced his axe down anyway.
"Aaahhh!" Harvey scread. This ti it wasn’t from pain. It was a scream of sheer force. He put everything into the attack.
The blade bit into Kalrik’s shoulder.
SPLASH!
Blood burst out. It wasn’t too deep, but there was a wound.
Kalrik growled, twisting violently and ripping free, backhanding Harvey so hard that his feet left the ground.
Harvey crashed into the dirt, unmoving for a mont.
Derrick struck again.
Lightning-wrapped daggers stabbed into Kalrik’s thigh.
This ti, the blade sank deep. Kalrik roared. "Aaahh!"
His knee buckled slightly. He grabbed Derrick by the throat.
"Annoying," he snarled. He slamd Derrick headfirst into the ground.
CRASH!
Derrick’s vision exploded in white as blood pooled beneath him. Kalrik kicked him in the stomach.
Mira fired an arrow straight into Kalrik’s back. It pierced.
Kalrik staggered forward, coughing blood.
His armor was cracked. His body was bleeding in multiple places now.
Yet. He was still smiling. A shadow stirred behind him.
Amon, he forced himself back to his feet. Even though it was hard. He still pushed himself up.
He had taken this chance to drink a healing potion, but he was cursing his luck. The healing was too slow. His wounds were too deep to heal perfectly and quickly.
Blood ran down his chin. His body trembled.
But the shadows around him had grown deeper.
Thicker.
Darker.
They clung to him like a living cloak.
Darkness and shadow surged from his core, spiraling around his sword and hatchet.
His eyes were hollow and burning at the sa ti.
"Kill..." he whispered.
Then he moved.
Shadow exploded beneath his feet as Aether vanished in an instant. His feet were wrapped in shadow and mana, reinforcing them, making him faster. Then he reappeared beside Kalrik.
He had not retrieved his fallen hatchet near the tree.
His hatchet flew.
The shadow-bound weapon curved unnaturally through the air, spinning violently.
The dark trajectory ford directly toward Kalrik.
At the sa ti, Amon thrust his sword forward, darkness compressing violently around the blade.
Black tendrils erupted from the ground, binding Kalrik’s legs for a split second.
[Shadow Clutch]
"What?" Kalrik muttered.
That split second mattered. Amon slashed instantly.
He perford the first form from close range.
[Umbral Veil Sword Art: First Form: Crescent of Dusk]
A massive shadow arc tore through Kalrik’s chest.
BOOM!
Kalrik was sent crashing through trees, blood spraying across the ruins.
He rolled, coughing violently. For the first ti, he didn’t rise imdiately.
The battlefield went silent.
Kalrik pushed himself up slowly, blood dripping from his mouth, chest heaving.
His armor was shattered. Deep wounds covered his body.
One eye was half-lidded with blood.
He laughed.
"Hahahahah!"
A hoarse, broken laugh.
"...You’re all amazing," he said. "But I like that."
Dark-red mana surged again, wilder now. Unstable.
His wounds regenerated partially, flesh knitting slowly and painfully. It wasn’t perfect healing, but the bleeding stopped.
He raised his sword.
Then again.
He moved. Faster than before. He was brutal.
He was going to be rciless.
He didn’t go toward Amon. Instead, he moved toward Harvey.
Harvey raised his shield, but Kalrik struck too strongly, smashing him into the ground with the broken shield until the earth cratered.
Then he moved instantly toward Kaelra. He cut her down, slashing her leg and sending her collapsing with a scream.
He appeared before Mira, shattering her bow with one swing and sending her flying.
He kicked Derrick while he was down, breaking ribs.
Then he turned.
Toward Amon.
Blade clashed with shadow blade.
Darkness scread from Amon’s weapon.
They collided again and again, each strike heavier than the last. Amon was thrown aside.
He rose again. He was bloodied. He was broken. But still standing.
This was no longer a fight.
It was a slaughter. A one-sided slaughter.
They were still alive. And as long as they were alive, they would keep fighting.
Kalrik moved. He was too fast.
Amon barely had ti to raise his weapons. The world blurred.
Kalrik was suddenly in front of him.
BAM!
A punch slamd into Amon’s stomach like a falling boulder. The air was ripped from his lungs. His eyes widened as his body folded.
Before he could even gasp.
CRACK!
Kalrik’s knee smashed into Amon’s face. Blood sprayed.
"This is for making bleed," Kalrik said coldly.
Amon’s head snapped back and he was lifted off the ground.
Kalrik didn’t stop.
He grabbed Amon by the collar mid-air and slamd him down.
BOOM!
The ground shattered beneath Amon’s back. Pain exploded through his spine. His bones scread.
Kalrik was already moving again.
A kick to the ribs.
CRUNCH!
Amon rolled, coughing blood, shadows flickering wildly around him.
Kalrik appeared above him and stomped down.
Amon crossed his sword and hatchet desperately.
CLANG!
The force crushed him into the earth. His arms went numb. Cracks spread beneath his body.
Kalrik leaned down, eyes glowing red and blue, breath hot with killing intent.
"Is this all?" he mocked.
He grabbed Amon by the throat and lifted him effortlessly.
Amon’s feet dangled.
His vision darkened.
Kalrik held his blade in his other hand, ready to thrust it into Amon.
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