2026-04-28 21:22:00Descending into the second level of Velmora was not a journey; it was a psychological execution.
Darkness down here was not merely the absence of light. It was a living, freezing entity that actively crawled into the pores of the skin, attempting to freeze the blood from the inside out. Aroan could not walk upright. Every single movement across the cavern floor, slick with ancient, putrid slime, was an extreme struggle.
The Shadow Fibers forcefully stitching his severed Achilles tendons throbbed wildly, reacting like aggressive parasites trying to adapt to a hostile host. With every step Aroan took, the threads of dark energy violently scraped against his fractured bones. It felt as though thousands of iron centipedes were devouring his flesh from the inside. Yet, he refused to stop. Behind him, Nyx followed closely, the primal wolf’s solitary purple eye piercing the thick fog like a predatory beacon.
"If you stop, they will start eating you from your toes," Sargon’s heavy, gravelly voice echoed from the gloom ahead.
The iron-masked giant walked with terrifying calmness, his heavy boots producing absolutely zero sound as they stepped over the scattered bones. It was a stark contrast to Aroan, who was panting heavily and leaving a trail of black blood in his wake.
Suddenly, the hairs on the back of Aroan’s neck stood upright.
From within the sulfur-choked fog, silhouettes emerged. Abyssal Stalkers—or as Sargon called them, The Hollowed.
They were once shifters from various werewolf clans, exiled for crippling injuries or treason. Remnants of rusted armor still clung to their emaciated bodies, which now resembled living mummies. They were no longer proud wolves; they were reanimated corpses fueled purely by malice, mutated by Velmora’s deathly aura.
A Hollowed wearing the rusted insignias of the Lunaris clan dropped silently from the ceiling. Its movements were disjointed yet terrifyingly fast. Its blackened, razor-sharp claws aimed directly at Aroan’s jugular.
Aroan didn't even have the time to raise his heavy broadsword. But Nyx’s feral instinct took over. When death was mere inches from his face, Aroan’s body suddenly felt as weightless as smoke.
SWOOOSH!
His physical form seemingly "dissolved" into the shadow dimension, rematerializing instantly two meters behind the monster.
[Skill Unlocked: Shadow Step Lv.1]
[Consumes 10 VP for spatial displacement.]Aroan gasped, utterly shocked by his own unnatural movement. Yet Sargon, standing with his arms crossed in a dark corner, simply muttered under his breath. "The vessel is beginning to react... Good. Only an empty cup can be fully refilled."
"Don't daydream, boy!" Sargon barked loudly. "That blunt sword won't swing itself!"
The Hollowed spun around, letting out a guttural hiss before lunging again. Aroan gripped the Eclipse Blade. The obsidian weapon was ridiculously heavy. But recalling the agonizing pain in his legs, recalling the disgust on Elina’s face and Valerius’s psychotic smirk, Aroan swung the blade with every ounce of boiling hatred in his chest.
SLAAAASH!
The blunt black blade passed straight through the monster’s neck like a paddle through water. No blood spurted. Physically, the sword failed to cut a single bone. Yet, in that exact fraction of a second, the Hollowed’s eyes widened in sheer terror. Its feral body instantly stiffened, and the crimson glow in its eyes was violently snuffed out.
The Eclipse Blade had severed something absolute: Its life force. It metaphysically cut the enemy's existence at its very root.
[Critical Soul Damage Dealt!]
[1x Abyssal Stalker (Rank-C) Eliminated. +50 VP.] [Quest Progress: 1/10]The opponent crumbled into a pile of gray dust. Aroan felt a surge of freezing, intoxicating energy flow through the hilt of his sword. The Shadow Fibers in his legs greedily absorbed the essence, significantly numbing his physical agony.
But the slaughter had only just begun. From the crevices of the stalactites, a dozen more Hollowed crawled out, completely surrounding them.
Amidst the ambush, Sargon finally moved to intercept a monster attacking Aroan’s blind spot. Aroan froze for a split second, captivated by the giant’s combat style. Sargon didn't draw his weapon. He stepped forward using a short, hyper-precise footwork—*The Crescent Step*.
Pivoting perfectly on his heel to generate an invisible, deadly momentum, Sargon slammed an open palm squarely into the monster's chest. The Umbral Twist.
BOOOOM!
A muffled, concussive explosion echoed through the cavern. The monster was instantly pulverized into a fine mist of ash without Sargon even breaking a sweat.
Aroan’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief. That was not a Lunaris fighting style. That was the ancient martial arts of the Umbra Clan—his late mother’s eradicated lineage. It was a legendary, forbidden technique Aroan had only ever seen sketched in his mother’s hidden diaries years ago.
"Who the hell are you?!" Aroan screamed between his sword swings. "How do you know the Umbra Clan's techniques?!"
Sargon didn't even turn his head. Instead, he vaulted into the air, his leg sweeping cleanly through another monster’s skull with the dark elegance of a nocturnal predator. "Do not let your mind wander! Focus on your blade, or you will die with your curiosity intact!"
Aroan bit his tongue until it bled. Shoving his questions aside, he allowed Nyx and the boiling darkness inside him to seize total control. Every single time he swung the *Eclipse Blade*, he felt hungry. Starving.
[2/10 Eliminated... +50 VP]
[5/10 Eliminated... +150 VP][8/10 Eliminated... +150 VP]Aroan moved faster, wilder, more unhinged. He danced in a rain of black blood and ash. "I swear it..." Aroan hissed, his voice now carrying a chilling, dual resonance. "...I will swallow every last drop of their light. There will be no moon left for any of you to worship!"
***
Meanwhile, thousands of meters above, at the breathtaking summit of Silver Peak...
The Grand Hall of the Lunaris Clan was bathed in the resplendent, holy light of moon-crystals. The rich aroma of roasted venison and vintage wine saturated the air. Valerius lounged comfortably on the Alpha’s throne, which was draped in rare silver wolf pelts—a throne that legally and rightfully belonged to Aroan.
Curled up seductively on his lap was Elina. She occasionally fed grapes into Valerius’s mouth with a delicate smile. The golden-haired usurper threw his head back in roaring laughter, his face flushed with premium alcohol and overflowing arrogance.
"A truly brilliant decision, Alpha Valerius," Elder Jaxon bowed deeply, a sycophantic smile plastered on his wrinkled face. "Tossing that garbage into Velmora was the most effective way to preserve our clan’s purity. Let him rot down there with his crippled mutt."
Downing the rest of his wine in one gulp, Valerius sneered dismissively. "Aroan? Just speaking his name leaves a filthy taste on my tongue. A legless dog cannot climb out of hell. He will never see the sun again, let alone catch the scent of my woman."
Elina giggled softly, tracing her manicured fingers across Valerius’s chest. "He is nothing but a humiliating stain on the past, my love. Let us focus entirely on the glorious future of our clan."
Valerius laughed again, louder this time. Sitting on the throne, he truly believed he was at the absolute apex of the world, utterly drunk on his stolen power.
He was completely, blissfully unaware that far beneath the soles of his boots, in the blackest depths of the earth, a Shadow Emperor was ruthlessly clawing his way up to claim his head.
***
Back in the suffocating depths of Velmora.
The final Hollowed crumbled to dust beneath the devastating sweep of the Eclipse Blad. Aroan dropped to one knee, heaving heavily. The minor lacerations across his body slowly knitted themselves shut, leaving behind faint, black scars that only added to his menacing aura.
[Ding!]
[10/10 Abyssal Stalkers Eliminated!][Daily Quest Completed!] [Reward: +500 VP acquired. Current Total VP: 1,100 VP.][New Feature Unlocked: 'Shadow Shop' is now fully accessible!]Sargon walked over slowly, his golden eye surveying the piles of monster ash surrounding the panting boy.
"Your vow sounds terrifying, boy. But down here, vows are just empty breath," Sargon stated coldly from behind his rusted mask. "Tomorrow, you descend even deeper. To a sector where light is physically prohibited from existing. Do not let the pathetic remnants of your humanity hold you back. Monsters have no need for a conscience."
Aroan slowly pushed himself off the ground. His legs were no longer trembling. He stared directly at the semi-transparent blue interface hovering in the air, which now displayed a vast, virtual storefront.
"I discarded my conscience the moment my father discarded me, Sargon," Aroan replied flatly.
His glowing purple eyes locked onto a specific Tier-D item listed in the Shadow Shop for exactly 1,000 VP. It was an item capable of shifting the entire tide of battle.
[Item: 'Marrow Cleansing Pill - Void Edition'.]
[Function: Violently incinerates the Host's organic bone marrow, replacing it with Dark Iron Bones.] [Warning: Assimilation process guarantees excruciating, near-lethal pain.]Aroan unleashed a ruthless, blood-chilling smirk. "Give me one hour to rest. Because after this... I will be the one hunting them."
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CHAPTER 103: The Soul Clash and the Awakening of the Astral
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