SHADOW KING'S RETURN

Chapter 8

"Don't move, Kai Ashborn!"

The command cut through the cold night air above the Obsidian Building ruins, shattering the silence. Dozens of mana-powered gun barrels were aimed directly at Kai’s temple and chest just a few steps away. The metal tips of the guns sparkled with a bluish glow, signaling danger that could explode at any moment.

The atmosphere around the area suddenly froze. On the streets below, a black-scaled giant named Barak remained kneeling, motionless, his head bowed as tall as a five-story building. Meanwhile, atop the rubble of the collapsed building, the Hunters closed ranks around a young man in a tattered jacket whom they accused of being the mastermind behind the city’s destruction.

Captain Leon Hart limped forward. Each step felt heavy, dragging his already exhausted body. The man in the white cloak wiped the thick red liquid from the corner of his lips with the back of his trembling hand.

Leon stared intently at Kai, suppressing the stabbing pain in his chest. “Who... are you, really?”

Kai slowly raised both hands to chest level. He spread his palms wide open to show that his fingers weren’t clutching anything. His breath came in shallow gasps as he exhaled cold vapor into the increasingly thick night air.

"I...I don't understand what's going on," Kai replied softly and honestly. "I'm just an ordinary person."

“Don’t believe him!” a hunter in the front row shouted, gripping the trigger of his rifle so tightly that it shook violently. "That giant monster down there is on its knees before him! He called it 'king' with his own mouth!"

"That's right!" chimed in another hunter beside him, his eyes wide with fear. "He must be working with that monster! He’s the one who summoned that terrifying creature to our city!"

Suspicion burned through the ranks of the hunters. The light from their weapons flashed ever brighter. The air around Kai felt increasingly stifling and sharp.

Behind him, Darius ran his hand over the hilt of the greatsword strapped to his waist. The metal of his armor clinked softly as he shifted his weight, bracing himself.

"Your Majesty," Darius whispered in an angry voice. "Let me slaughter them all. These people have no right to point their weapons at you."

Kai slowly shook his head without taking his eyes off Leon. "No, Darius."

"But Your Majesty," Darius interjected, his voice growing heavier.

"Don't," Kai cut him off quickly, his voice soft yet carrying an undeniable tension. "They're just afraid. They only want to protect this city from destruction.”

Those words caused Darius to press his lips tightly together. He exhaled heavily, bowed his head again, and withdrew his hand from the sword hilt. He was forced to suppress the turmoil in his chest in order to obey the king’s command.

Leon studied every inch of Kai’s face through his dim golden gaze. There was no hatred there. No sly smile or desire to take a life. All Leon saw was the resignation and confusion of a young man thrown into a catastrophe he didn't understand.

However, the big question in Leon’s mind grew even more pressing: If this young man in the dirty jacket was truly just an ordinary civilian, then why was the destructive giant down there kneeling in submission before him?

Barak’s two giant red eyes suddenly turned slowly. His pupils dilated as he realized dozens of gun barrels were aimed at the head of the person he respected most.

In an instant, the submissive expression on the giant’s face disappeared. In its place appeared a cruel expression filled with primal hatred. The insult to the king sparked a wild rage that shattered the last of his consciousness.

“How dare you…”

Barak boomed, churning the night wind into a localized storm that tore apart the remaining banners and billboards along the highway.

“You dare threaten my king!”

BOOM!

Thick black mist erupted from every pore of Barak’s scaly skin. An incredibly heavy wave of mana pressure struck within a radius of hundreds of meters, instantly causing the highway’s foundation to crack and collapse.

"Ugh!"

The hunters surrounding Kai fell like dominoes. They dropped to their knees, clutching their suddenly constricted chests as if struck by a massive boulder. Their weapons slipped from their grasp and rolled helplessly across the ground.

"What kind of pressure is this?" groaned a hunter, spitting out a stream of saliva as he was unable to withstand the invisible weight pressing down on his back.

Leon Hart had to drive the tip of his spear deep into the concrete floor just to keep from collapsing. His knees trembled violently and his chest rose and fell as he gasped for air, which was growing increasingly thin.

Barak raised his gigantic palm high into the air. An ancient black mist swirled rapidly and condensed into a colossal black spear surrounded by sharp, crackling red lightning.

"I will reduce you all to dust!" Barak roared, preparing to swing his hand and level the upper floor of the building along with every Hunter inside it.

Kai’s eyes widened. He saw the despair on the faces of those who could no longer stand. If the spear struck, the building would collapse and hundreds of lives would be lost in a matter of seconds.

“Barak, stop!” Kai shouted, taking a step forward.

However, the Shadow General’s rage had already spiraled out of control. He hurled the black spear through the night air with his gigantic hand.

The pitch-black spear shot forward at a terrifying speed. The air friction around it was so intense that it triggered a heat wave, setting dust and small debris ablaze.

Leon clenched his teeth so tightly that his gums bled. He tried to summon the little strength he had left, but he was completely drained of energy.

"Everyone, hold on!" Leon shouted, closing his eyes as he resigned himself to his fate.

He knew that none of them would survive that deadly blow.

Suddenly, a translucent black screen flashed brightly before Kai’s eyes, blocking his view of the approaching danger.

Emergency Mission!

Stop Shadow General Barak’s actions.

Failure will result in 327 casualties in the surrounding area."

Use Skill: Shadow Command."

Without a moment’s thought for his frail human body, Kai stretched his left arm straight out in front of him. He took a deep breath, gathering the strange vibration that suddenly surged from the depths of his soul. Then, he shouted with all his might, splitting the roar of the night storm.

"BARAK...STOP!"

WUUUSH!

Silence instantly engulfed the City of Arcadia.

The giant black spear, which carried a destructive wind, froze in midair just a few centimeters in front of Leon Hart’s face. The residual wind pressure tore through his white cloak and blew his hair back.

A drop of cold sweat slowly trickled from his forehead, falling directly onto the tip of the black spear hanging rigidly in front of his eyes.

Barak’s two red eyes widened in shock. The wild red haze in his eyes faded rapidly, replaced by pure submission. The black spear slowly dissolved into a wisp of smoke and vanished, blown away by the night wind.

The fifty-meter-tall giant lowered his massive body once more, dropping to his knees and touching the cold ground.

"Forgive me, my king," Barak whispered softly and tremulously, bowing his head in guilt.

All of the hunters lying on the concrete floor froze. Their breath caught in their throats.

Leon Hart slowly looked up, staring at Kai with a deathly pale face and trembling eyes.

"He..." Leon’s voice faltered; his throat felt parched and tight. "He's actually able to command that monster."

Kai exhaled shakily, his hands hanging limply at his sides. An overwhelming wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over his body.

However, before anyone had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief or say anything, the night sky above them began to tremble violently once more.

KRAAAK!

The crack in the Shadow Gate hanging in the clouds doubled in size. A dim, purplish light radiated out, poisoning the night sky and spewing a cold vapor that froze the skin.

A voice far older, heavier, and more terrifying echoed from beyond the darkness of the gate, seeping into the depths of every soul in the city.

"So..." the ancient voice chuckled coldly, shattering the night's silence. "...you've finally shown yourself, Shadow King."