Heir of the Darkgod in the Holy Academy

Chapter 8: The First Shadow Soldier

"R-Run! This man is a demon!" one of Grim's men shrieked, throwing his sword to the ground.

The mercenaries' confidence shattered to pieces in the blink of an eye. The high-powered fire dragon that was supposed to incinerate Leon had suddenly vanished without a trace, swallowed whole by the veil of black shadows blanketing the entire dead-end alley.

Grim took a step back, pale as a corpse, but his greed for the reward of hundreds of gold coins blinded his judgment.

"Don't be stupid, you idiots!" Grim barked, shoving one of his subordinates forward by the collar. "He's just relying on cheap black magic tricks! Attack him together!"

Two burly warriors growled loudly, trying to shake off the terror in their chests. They drew serrated daggers and lunged forward simultaneously, aiming for Leon's neck and chest from opposite sides.

Their movements were coordinated and swift—the hallmark of trained assassins accustomed to borderland skirmishes. Yet in Leon's eyes, their rapid burst moved at a snail's pace.

Leon didn't even need to lift a single finger to retaliate. The five-meter-high shadow cast by the wall behind him suddenly erupted into dozens of razor-sharp, pitch-black needles.

Swerve!

The shadow needles shot out like lightning, piercing through the thick leather armor of both warriors without a hint of resistance. The bodies of the two assassins froze mid-air, hoisted two meters high before slamming violently onto the wet stone.

Fresh blood sprayed against the stone wall, but the metallic scent was instantly absorbed by the black mist slithering along the ground. Leon deliberately controlled his magic to keep the pool of blood from touching the wooden box of orphanage supplies sitting nearby.

"O-One strike... in just a single second..." Grim muttered, his lips trembling violently.

Every last shred of Grim's courage evaporated as he watched his two best men die grotesquely without even having time to scream. Grim tossed his pipe to the ground, spun around, and scrambled to scale the dead-end stone wall to save his own life.

"Where do you think you're going?" Leon called out, his voice soft as a Grim Reaper's whisper.

A single thread of shadow shot out from beneath Leon's boot, coiling tightly around Grim's ankle.

THUD!

Grim slammed hard onto the stone floor, breaking his nose and leaving a bloody smear. Before Grim could crawl up, black shadows wrapped around his throat, hoisting his burly frame high into the air.

The ruthless mercenary clutched at his suffocating neck, his legs kicking hysterically at empty air.

"W-Who... are you...?" Grim choked out, his eyes bulging wide as he glared down at Leon.

"The wrong man to target," Leon replied coldly.

Snap!

The shadow grip brutally snapped Grim's neck.

The mercenary leader's body went limp and was discarded carelessly onto a pile of trash. Now, only one person remained alive in the cold, suffocating alley.

Kaelen—the veteran battle mage—stood frozen in place. The hand clutching his magic staff trembled so violently that the expensive wooden staff slipped from his grip, clattering onto the ground.

As a seasoned former royal knight, Kaelen knew all too well what kind of power he had just witnessed. This was no ordinary Circle magic—it was an ancient sorcery capable of defying natural law and physical defense.

"Void Magic..." Kaelen whispered, his voice raspy and drenched in despair. "The cursed power that vanished from this continent a thousand years ago..."

Leon closed the distance toward Kaelen with near-silent steps. The purple glow in Leon's eyes ignited brighter against the deepening darkness of the alley.

"You have impressive vision for a mercenary, Kaelen," Leon commended, stopping a meter short of the man. "It's a pity your combat skill and sharp mind are wasted defending trashy nobles like Valen."

Kaelen let out a bitter laugh, closing his eyes tight. He knew that running away or begging for mercy before a ruler of the void was utterly futile.

"Do it," Kaelen said in resignation. "I was ready to die the day I first sold my soul for gold coins."

"Die?" A thin smirk curled on Leon's lips. "No, Kaelen. Death is far too easy for a skilled veteran like you. Your swordsmanship and fire magic will serve me much better."

Before Kaelen could digest the meaning of those words, the shadows beneath his feet surged upward like an ethereal blade. The blade of darkness pierced dead-center through Kaelen's chest, shattering his mana core.

Kaelen coughed up blood, collapsing to his knees on the stone floor before succumbing to death. Total silence reclaimed the narrow alley.

Four corpses of Rank C mercenaries lay lifeless on the wet stone. Leon stood calmly in the middle of the slaughter.

He took a deep breath, feeling the surge of void energy inside him pulsing and beckoning. The Ancient Grimoire residing within his soul vibrated violently.

Deep purple runes radiated from Leon's left chest, illuminating the dark alley with an ethereal aura that weighed heavy on the air. Leon extended his right hand toward Kaelen's cooling corpse.

"In the name of the Eternal Void that governs fate and death," Leon whispered, his booming, resonant voice vibrating through the surrounding space. "Arise, and seal your oath to me!"

Bwoosh!

Thick black smoke erupted wildly from the wound on Kaelen's chest. Kaelen's soul, on the verge of drifting to the afterlife, was forcefully dragged back by Leon's chains of darkness.

An ethereal shriek unheard by human ears echoed through the night. The black mist coalesced and solidified, wrapping Kaelen's soul until it formed a towering figure clad in pitch-black knight armor.

The eyes behind the black helmet suddenly ignited with a blazing purple flame.

Kaelen, now fully transformed into a pure shadow soldier, lowered his head deeply. The dark creature knelt on one knee before Leon, surrendering his soul's eternal loyalty to his new master.

A rush of new power flooded Leon's body, drastically multiplying the capacity of dark magic within his core. Just as the resurrection process completed, the quiet inside his soul abruptly broke.

A deep, ancient, and bone-chilling voice resonated from the Ancient Grimoire housed in the depths of his soul:

"The Shadow Extraction skill has been unlocked, My Lord!"