Chapter 60 The Fatal Strike

Continue reading on empireEthan's POV

The chains retracting from my palms coiled tightly around my arms, solidifying into gauntlets that radiated dark energy. The faint glow of black runes etched along their surface flickered ominously.

I crossed my arms in front of me bracing for the onslaught. The crimson shadow's claws came at me with relentless fury each slash precise and calculated to strike vital points.

Sparks flew as claws met the chains, the metallic screech reverberating through the night. With every clash fragments of my chains chipped away but they regenerated quickly and the tension mounted as I absorbed the attacks.

Despite the unrelenting pressure, I kept my composure. My mind was a machine of precision each movement calculated.

I maneuvered with intent to draw the fight toward the ground where my surroundings could be used to my advantage.

The crimson shadow pursued me with ghost-like agility, its movements swift and silent. I led it to a massive tree intentionally backing into its imposing trunk to feign retreat.

The shadow lunged with its claws arcing downward in a feral hook. At the last moment, I ducked low evading the strike with precision honed from my countless battles.

Its claws carved deep grooves into the bark but that moment of overextension was all I needed. The chains on my arms sprouted menacing thorns, their edges shimmering with malevolent energy.

Intricate patterns of glowing blue vines pulsed along my right arm as I channeled my strength.

With my momentum fully gathered from the frantic retreat, I spun low and drove a devastating punch into the creature's side.

The impact landed with a sickening crunch that reverberated through the clearing. Dark, viscous blood erupted into the air, dissipating like smoke. The shadow staggered its body severed cleanly at the waist.

I straightened from my crouched position, my gaze fixed on the lifeless form now revealed in the moonlight.

It was a grotesque sight—a pale and thin bald man with hollow, pupil-less eyes. My stomach churned as I realized what it truly was. It was a blood slave.

Its pale skin darkened visibly as my dark energy seeped through its body, poisoning its mana veins and rupturing its internal structure. The creature twitched violently but its movements slowed until it stilled completely.

In this world, I had learned a hard truth through my experiences that incapacitation wasn't enough. Absolute destruction of the enemy was the only guarantee of survival.

Recognition dawned as I stared at the lifeless form. The blood slave wasn't just any construct but it was the result of a vampire's unique and fearsome ability.

Vampires could corrupt living beings and in the process transform them into loyal, mindless servants trapped between the state of life and death.

This technique was a secret closely guarded by their clans and a weapon of immense power about which I had only read about in the cursed Bone Book from the Black Tower.

Even as the creature's dark blood evaporated into the air, my thoughts quickly turned to Virelle. If this was the caliber of our enemy then she might be in grave danger.

I turned and scanned the battlefield. Virelle was locked in a brutal clash with another crimson shadow. She had created a defensive web-like barrier, its threads glimmering with an ethereal glow.

But the shadow's ferocity was unrelenting, its claws tearing through the web faster than it could regenerate.

She was bleeding, deep gashes streaking her waist and lower body. Her pale skin gleamed in the dark and red flashes in the darkness. Her movements were slowing and I knew she wouldn't last much longer.

I activated my Shadow Spectral movement technique and melted into the darkness like a wisp of smoke. Stealth and speed were my allies in this dark environment as I crept closer and the blood slave's dull senses were unable to detect my approach.

The chains on my arm pulsed with gathering energy, their dark glow intensifying as I prepared for a decisive strike. My target was locked and it was its head.

The crimson shadow leaped into the air with its claws poised for a killing blow to Virelle. It was the perfect opening that I could get.

I surged forward, appearing as a black blur beside the shadow. My fist charged with immense physical strength and dark energy arced through the air like a comet.

The blow connected. A sickening crunch echoed as the shadow's head exploded in a spray of black ichor. I followed its descent and in midair drove another devastating punch into its torso.

The shadow's body shattered into fragments scattering like debris and it plummeted to the ground, lifeless.

Virelle's POV

Pain shot through my body from the numerous gashes on my arms and torso, but I bit my lip and held firm. I refused to fall here not in this cursed wildland.

My conviction burned brighter than the agony. I had a point to prove and a vengeance to exact and failure was not an option.

The crimson shadow lunged at me again. I concentrated, weaving blood threads into a protective wall. They shimmered faintly in the dark but the shadow's claws were relentless, tearing through my defense faster than I could repair it.

My strength waned and despair threatened to take hold. The creature leaped high and its claws gleamed with the promise of death. I braced myself for the strike focusing my blood threads for one final defense.

But then, a black silhouette flashed across my vision. Gleaming blue light illuminated the night as Ethan appeared mid-air, his fist trailing a streak of power. In one swift motion, he obliterated the shadow's head with an earth-shattering punch.

I stared, stunned as the lifeless body fell to the ground. Ethan followed it down, landing gracefully before delivering a second blow that shattered the torso into unrecognizable fragments.

The residual winds from his attack brushed against me and sent a tremor through my blood threads. I stood frozen with my gaze locked onto his crimson eyes, which gleamed with an intensity that etched itself into my mind.