The Dunewraith launched itself like a sandstorm given teeth.
Uziel felt the heat of it against his face as he rolled aside—barely surviving by inches.
But this monster…
It didn't move like the serpent from the first Trial.
This thing was fast.
Hungry.
And ancient.
Sand whipped around Uziel in violent spirals. Every breath felt like swallowing fire.
The Dunewraith circled him, its massive body dissolving and reforming in waves.
It didn't walk.
It flowed.
Uziel gripped his half-broken blade, eyes narrowed.
"Shadow, get ready—"
His shadow didn't wait.
Instead–
It attacked first.
A spear-like spike burst from Uziel's shadow, stabbing toward the Dunewraith's head.
The monster reacted instantly, its body twisting into a whirlwind to dodge the strike.
The ground trembled.
Uziel staggered.
"Hey— don't go alone! Stay with me!"
The shadow didn't turn.
It kept attacking—its body splitting into tendrils like a swarm of black claws.
But every strike passed through the Dunewraith's swirling sand.
It wasn't solid.
Not fully.
Uziel realized it first.
"Shadow—STOP. You're wasting energy!"
His shadow froze.
A moment later—
it snapped back behind Uziel, smaller, almost… ashamed.
Uziel exhaled.
"Listen… I can't win if you don't listen. And you can't win without me either."
The shadow pulsed once, like a heartbeat.
Accepted.
The Dunewraith didn't give them time.
It slammed its entire body into the ground.
BOOOOM!
A shockwave ripped across the arena—
Uziel was thrown into the sand, rolling, choking, coughing.
The monster rose again, its hollow eyes gleaming with ancient fury.
�
Shadow Energy Low — reckless attacks drain stability.
Stability dropping: 78% → 64% → 59%
Uziel's pulse spiked.
"Oi— relax, bro. Don't disappear on me!"
The shadow wrapped around his feet again, but shakier… thinner… like smoke.
Not good.
Not good at all.
The Dunewraith lowered its head.
The sand beneath Uziel began sinking.
A trap.
"Move—MOVE!"
He sprinted, but the sandstorm monster whipped its tail, slicing the air like a blade.
Uziel ducked, barely keeping his head attached.
He slid across the ground, grabbing the rusted blade tighter.
"I can't kill sand… but I can hit what's inside it."
Inside the Dunewraith's chest…
A faint glow flickered.
A core.
A heart of hardened crystal.
That was the target.
Uziel grinned like a madman.
"Shadow. Spear form."
The shadow hesitated…
Then obeyed.
It rose behind him, stretching into a long, black lance.
Not perfect.
Not stable.
But deadly.
The Dunewraith screeched and charged.
Uziel charged back.
Sand. Wind. Heat.
Everything blurred.
They clashed.
At the last second—
Uziel leaped up, trusting pure instinct, pure adrenaline.
"NOW!"
The shadow-lance fired.
A single black streak—
—piercing straight through the Dunewraith's glowing chest.
CRAAAAACK!
The monster let out a distorted howl as the crystal inside shattered like glass.
Its body collapsed into a dying storm.
Sand burst outward in a final explosion, burying half the arena.
Uziel dropped to his knees, panting, buried chest-deep in hot sand.
His shadow flickered, shrinking back to its tiny, original form.
Exhausted… but alive.
�
Reward: 1 Shadow Point
Reward: Shadow Skill Unlocked — "Devour Fragment"
Reward: +15 Shadow Stability
Next Trial begins in: 04:59
Uziel stared at the timer.
Then laughed breathlessly.
"One Trial… after another…? You guys really want me dead."
His shadow twitched behind him as if offended at the idea of losing.
Uziel smirked.
"Don't worry. We won't die."
He stood.
"Not until we find out who dragged us into this."
The countdown ticked on.
The sandstorm world began to dissolve around them.
And Uziel stepped into the next nightmare with fire in his eyes.