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SSS Ranked Shadow Monarch: Summoning Infinite Shadows
Chapter 141: Aren Versus Gerald
SSS Ranked Shadow Monarch: Summoning Infinite Shadows
C141: Aren Versus Gerald
Chapter 141: Aren Versus Gerald
Aren looked at his opponent as he walked out to face him.
The man looked... ordinary.
Average build. Short black hair. No armor. No visible weapon. Just simple clothes. That alone was strange enough to make Aren cautious.
They stood a few meters apart, staring at each other in silence before the man finally spoke.
"My name is Gerald," he said calmly. "I saw what you did earlier. Against the other guy. You're strong, stronger than most here. Even without going all out."
Aren let out a small smile.
"So?" he asked. "You planning to forfeit?"
Gerald shook his head. "No. I'd rather lose than walk away. If the trials taught me anything, it's that you keep fighting until you can't anymore."
He took a step back and raised his hands into a kickboxing stance.
Aren narrowed his eyes slightly.
Gerald still hadn't summoned a weapon. No armor either.
Interesting.
Aren mirrored him, stepping back and settling into a loose boxing stance, shoulders relaxed but ready.
Then Gerald stomped his foot into the ground.
Instantly, a dark, metallic liquid spilled out from beneath his foot.
It flowed unnaturally, climbing up his legs, wrapping around his torso, arms, and shoulders like living steel. In seconds, it solidified into a sleek black metallic armor that hugged his body perfectly.
But it didn't stop there.
From his back, two massive metallic wings formed, angelic in shape, sharp and mechanical. Then more arms emerged behind him, forged from the same black metal, each one gripping a sword.
A helmet sealed over his face, smooth and angular, with two narrow slits glowing red.
The air around him shifted.
The moment Aren saw it, realization hit him.
"...A Creation class," Aren muttered.
This was his first time facing one.
Creation classes weren't casters. Not exactly. They didn't rely on predefined spells. They shaped reality using will alone, forcing things into existence that shouldn't exist.
Dangerous. Very dangerous.
Gerald spread his wings.
With a single flap, he vanished.
He reappeared instantly in front of Aren, the distance erased like it had never existed. Two blades thrust forward at the same time, aimed straight for Aren's chest.
Aren reacted instantly.
His right arm hardened as the wolf guard formed.
Clang!
Sparks exploded outward as both sword tips struck the guard but failed to pierce it. Aren pushed upward, deflecting the blades, and stepped in.
"Let's see how you hold up," Aren said with a grin.
His fist shot forward like a cannon.
Gerald tried to block using his arms, but Aren was faster.
BAM!
The punch slammed into Gerald's chest.
A shockwave erupted outward, rattling the ground beneath them as Gerald was sent flying back. He crashed into the floor, rolled, then skidded to a stop on one knee.
Dust rose around him.
Gerald lifted his head, staring at Aren, eyes glowing behind the helmet.
Aren stretched out his hand and curled his fingers once.
A clear, unmistakable gesture.
Come on.
Gerald got back on his feet and slipped into his stance once more.
In the next instant, his wings flapped.
With a sharp burst of force, he shot straight into the air, then dove down like a missile, body spinning violently. His extra arms stretched forward, swords extended, as he began rotating faster and faster, turning himself into a massive metallic vortex aimed directly at Aren.
The air screamed.
Aren looked up at the attack descending from above.
He planted one leg firmly behind him, lowering his center of gravity, his stance solid and unmoving. Then he threw a single punch upward.
BOOM.
His fist met the tip of the spinning vortex.
Sparks exploded outward instantly. Shockwaves tore through the hall, slamming into nearby pillars and cracking them as if they were brittle stone. The sound was deafening, like a massive engine grinding itself apart.
Yet Aren didn't move an inch.
Instead, Gerald was blasted backward.
He crashed into the ground hard and skidded across the floor, sparks trailing behind him as he slid to a stop. The tips of both his swords were scorched flat, completely burned away.
Gerald stared at them in disbelief.
Then, right before everyone's eyes, the blades reshaped themselves. Metal flowed and sharpened, reforming perfect tips once more.
But that wasn't the real issue.
The real issue was that, even after an attack like that, he still hadn't been able to get close to Aren.
Aren stood there, staring down at him calmly.
If Gerald had known the truth, it would've crushed him even more.
Aren wasn't even using his main strength.
Right now, he was relying purely on physical power, when his true specialty was summoning.
Gerald launched again.
His wings beat hard as he shot into the air, but this time, he didn't dive. Instead, the metallic feathers of his wings detached and fired forward.
They rained down like bullets from a machine gun, each one screaming through the air straight toward Aren.
Aren kicked off the ground and retreated instantly.
His movements were clean, sharp, faster than the rain of metal itself. Feathers slammed into the ground behind him, exploding on impact as he dodged every single one with ease.
He landed smoothly, sliding a few meters back before coming to a stop.
He looked up.
Gerald was already there.
Swords slashing down at full speed right at Aren's head.
Aren raised one arm.
Blocked.
Then, in the same motion, he stepped in and drove a punch straight into Gerald's face.
BAM!
The impact released a shockwave so strong it cracked nearby pillars clean down the middle. Gerald was sent flying once more, his body smashing into the ground and skidding across the floor before finally coming to a stop.
"Your creation ability is pretty unique," Aren stated calmly, "but I think it's time we wrap this up."
Gerald groaned and planted his feet, preparing to attack again.
But shadow tendrils burst out of the ground.
They latched onto his wings, legs, arms, and torso like hooks.
Gerald felt the pull instantly and roared, struggling with everything he had, muscles straining as he tried to rip himself free. But more tendrils erupted from the ground, wrapping around him, dragging him down harder and harder.
"Arrgh!" he growled, fighting back desperately.
His swords flashed as he slashed at the tendrils, cutting several apart, but for every one he destroyed, two more emerged and wrapped around him again.
Everyone watching fell silent.
This wasn't a fight anymore.
It was domination.
A complete, overwhelming display of control.
And yet, Aren wasn't enjoying it. He didn't want to humiliate Gerald. He just wanted this to end quickly. He wanted the tournament finished, wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. Staying under Elton wasn't safe.
Gerald was still struggling, but more tendrils wrapped around him until he was completely immobilized. Every limb was pinned. He couldn't even twitch.
Aren walked over and stopped in front of him.
"Do you give up?" he asked.
Gerald lifted his head.
His helmet melted away, revealing his face. Defiance still burned in his eyes, but beneath it was acceptance. He knew. He had known for a while now.
He let out a long, pained breath.
"...Fine," Gerald said. "I give up."
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SSS Ranked Shadow Monarch: Summoning Infinite Shadows
Chapter 142: Athena versus Lily
SSS Ranked Shadow Monarch: Summoning Infinite Shadows
C142: Athena versus Lily
Chapter 142: Athena versus Lily
After his first battle, Aren had pretty much lost interest in this round of the tournament, so he walked over to a distant pillar and sat there, with Athena beside him.
They watched the fights from afar, neither of them showing much interest. Time passed slowly, hours slipping by, until the first round finally came to a close. Almost immediately, the next round began.
Ten people remained.
Once again, they would fight one-on-one.
And the very first person called up was Aren.
His opponent was none other than the same guy he had beaten before the tournament had even officially started.
As Aren walked forward and saw the man standing there, he was genuinely surprised. In his mind, he hadn't expected the guy to make it this far, but somehow, he had.
The moment the man saw Aren, his body jerked back violently.
Memories of pain flooded his mind.
His eyes trembled in fear as sweat instantly formed on his face.
To him, Aren wasn't human anymore.
He was a heartless monster.
"Hey there," Aren greeted casually, lifting a hand in a small wave.
"I forfeit!" the man blurted out immediately, backing away.
No one blamed him.
They had all seen Aren fight. Very few people here were willing to face him willingly anymore.
Aren watched the guy retreat and sighed.
"Oh come on, let's at least trade a couple of blows," he said.
"No, I'm fine with forfeiting," the man replied quickly.
"Tch, fine," Aren muttered, waving it off as he turned and walked back to Athena.
He sat down beside her again.
"He seemed scared of you," Athena said quietly.
"I guess I went a bit overboard with the beating," Aren replied, nodding to himself as he leaned back and waited for the next match.
The next person called up was Athena.
Her opponent was Lily.
Lily walked to the center, and Athena followed shortly after. Aren glanced up when he heard the names and immediately knew this would be an interesting fight to watch, though the outcome wasn't really in question.
Athena would win.
Lily stared at Athena, her expression hard.
"You're with that guy, right?" Lily asked.
Athena raised a brow. "Huh?" She glanced toward Aren sitting in the distance. "...Oh. Yes," she replied softly.
"Good," Lily said, her eyes narrowing. "Then I'll make sure I beat you as best as I can, for what he did to us."
Instantly, she summoned her lightning hawk, which screeched as it flew into the sky, drawing everyone's attention.
"And I'll make sure it hurts," Lily added.
The hawk unleashed a massive bolt of lightning straight at Athena.
Athena didn't even flinch.
She raised her hands and activated a technique she hadn't used much until now. In a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree radius around her, chaos tore through the air, forming a violent vortex.
The lightning was completely erased the moment it touched it.
Athena remained untouched.
She looked up and immediately counterattacked.
A wave of force shot toward the hawk in the sky. The summon barely managed to dodge, escaping by the narrowest margin.
On the ground, Lily pulled a ring from her finger. It transformed instantly into a sword.
She lunged forward, closing the distance rapidly, thrusting toward Athena's abdomen.
Athena's eyes snapped downward.
At point-blank range, she unleashed an attack.
BOOM.
Lily was thrown backward, slammed into the ground, rolled several meters, and came to a stop. She coughed up a mouthful of blood.
She glared up at Athena, who stood there as if nothing had happened.
Snarling, Lily forced herself to her feet.
"SCREW YOU!" she screamed.
She summoned another creature, a massive green serpent, its scales gleaming under the lights as it lunged forward at full speed.
A single hit from it would be fatal.
Athena lifted her hands instantly.
Her Chaos Eyes appeared.
With pinpoint precision, she fired.
The attack obliterated the serpent's head in an instant and didn't stop there. It tore through the rest of its body as well.
Blood sprayed everywhere as the summon was ripped apart.
But from the falling blood mist, Lily came charging in, riding her hawk.
In her hands was a black-and-gold spear, her eyes locked onto Athena.
She leaped off the hawk as it dove downward, its entire body coated in lightning.
"I won't lose again!" Lily screamed. "I'll crush you!"
The Chaos Eyes struck again, erasing the hawk into nothingness.
But that was Lily's plan.
The spear buzzed violently with soul energy before igniting in brilliant golden flames.
"DIEEEEE, YOU BITCH!" she screamed as she hurled it downward.
WHOOSH.
The air itself tore apart as the spear descended.
Athena reacted instantly, trying to block or deflect it, but she was just a moment too slow. She only managed to shift its trajectory slightly.
BOOM!
The spear slammed into the ground, releasing a massive explosion. A terrifying shockwave spread outward as dust engulfed the arena.
Everyone believed Athena had been hit Badly.
Everyone except Aren, he knew she was safe.
Lily landed, ready to finish the fight, but as the dust cleared, Athena was still standing.
Her hands and parts of her body were badly burned. Her arms had dropped to her sides.
The Chaos Eyes were gone.
Instead,
Both of her eyes were closed.
And on her forehead, a third eye had opened.
It glowed red, a swirling vortex of chaos spinning within it, glowing runes etched into the skin around it.
Lily stared, her frown deepening.
She transformed another ring into a sword and lunged forward.
"Die already, bitch!" she screamed, thrusting to end it.
And in that instant, the third eye pulsed.
For a brief moment,
Everything went silent.
"My ability came earlier than others. It cost me a lot. I lost a lot. If I could go back, I would make sure I changed the past and stopped myself from getting this ability. Then maybe I would be able to have a normal life.
But I can't. All I have is this life. I can choose to wallow and hide myself, or I can choose to welcome my desires and emotions, my wants. And right now, my want is to win."
These thoughts ran through Athena's mind in this moment.
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SSS Ranked Shadow Monarch: Summoning Infinite Shadows
Chapter 143: Lost Arm
SSS Ranked Shadow Monarch: Summoning Infinite Shadows
C143: Lost Arm
Chapter 143: Lost Arm
The Pulse spread out fast, destroying light, sound, all sense gone for an instant.
Lily was caught at the center of this, there was no escape, there was no dodging, no blocking, she took the brunt of full chaos.
BOOOOOM!
The entire throne room trembled.
The ground beneath them cracked, everyone fought for their stability.
Multiple pillars were shattered instantly, dust exploded out like a wave.
When it was all over, everyone looked at Athena with wide eyes. Her third eyes slowly closed back up and vanished, she opened her normal eyes to see what she had done.
The dust settled, and everyone looked eagerly to see the results of the attack. Standing there at the center of this was the Butler, and in his hands Lily, barely conscious.
No one had noticed when the Butler had moved into the chaos, but he did, and he saved Lily from what would have killed her for sure. The ground behind him showed the proof, Athena had blasted a massive chasm right into the throne room.
It was safe to say that she had won that for sure. Athena couldn't help but smile, her eyes shining in that moment, for once in her life her emotions didn't cause her pain and suffering, rather it brought her a victory that she wanted.
She turned around, her gleeful smile still remaining on her face, as she headed for Aren. But in that moment, the eyes of Lily snapped open with malice and she leaped out of the Butler's hands.
Her feet barely touched the ground before she pulled out one of her final rings, a black one that immediately transformed into some sort of living metallic liquid, it wrapped around her hand instantly.
She planted her foot into the ground. "Roarrrrrr, die you fucking bitch." She growled and thrust her hand, the metallic liquid extended, moving fast to stab into Athena.
It seemed time slowed down, everyone watched in shock, Aren was already bolting from the ground, hoping that he would reach in time, the Butler was lifting up his hands to grab Lily by the shoulder, it was all a matter of who would do what first.
Then Lily turned around, her eyes carrying resolve, her aim locked right onto the arm, with precision, she attacked, her chaos slammed into the metal that was attacking her, destroying it and proceeding to slam into the arm.
The arm was instantly obliterated as it made contact with the chaos, blood was turned to mist, skin to shreds, bones to dust, the entire arm gone in an instant.
Then the Butler's hands reached her shoulder, and a crazy amount of force pressed down, slamming Lily into the ground.
BOOM!
A crater formed beneath her as she lay in a puddle of her own blood.
Everyone watched in shock, it had all happened so fast they could barely tell what was going on, and could only look in disbelief.
Then her cry rang out.
"Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Lily screamed as the pain set in, her eyes red and full of shock, she stared at the bleeding stump her arm once was, now a mangled place.
"Lily." Ragna called out in horror, he rushed forward to her side, he lifted her head while she still cried in pain.
Ragna looked up at Elton, he saw her sitting, not even bothering to move, nor did her maids even move. The Butler that was beside the two even stepped back.
Ragna's expression twisted.
"What the hell are you doing? Someone come and save her, please!" He bellowed.
"She attacked someone when the battle was ended, she went against my rules, the loss of her arm is her karma." Elton spoke calmly and with a soft smile.
As Ragna heard this, his shock increased. He opened his mouth to curse, but bit his tongue to stop himself, he knew what could happen if he was careless.
"Please, she'll die, you can't do this to her." He roared, begging, but that only made Elton frown.
"You should be happy that she is still alive and I have not killed her. The two of you have ended your part of the tournament, your maze points will be handed to you, and you'll be teleported to a place where you can make use of those points, your second trial has ended." Elton said.
"Fuck you all, fuck all of you." Ragna snapped, but that was his last words before he and Lily in his arms vanished from there.
The air inside the throne room after that was tense, some people became too scared to even breathe. Elton looked exhausted already. "Proceed with the battles." She said with a casual wave of her hand.
[....]
Ragna appeared before a statue of Elton, he had Lily in his arms. It was on a field of grass out in the open.
The system immediately told him that he could use his maze points at the statue and get items.
He immediately dropped Lily there and rushed to the statue, pulling out his system screen and searching through everything that he could get.
Then he spotted a potion of regeneration, he immediately bought it and rushed back to her, feeding her the potion. He watched as the arm grew back right there and he heaved a sigh of relief, only for the arm to wither away and turn to dust, leaving a stump.
"What? What the hell is happening?" He asked, looking at the stump now. The arm refused to heal, but at least it had turned to a stump.
Still not wanting to give up, he searched again, and then found something there, a biomechanical soul weapon arm prosthetic.
Without hesitation he bought it, all his maze points immediately gone.
It was a sleek black hand with some flowing purple lines of energy. He brought it close to her stump and instantly, tendrils came out of the arm and latched onto her stump, fusing in until it became like her normal arm, even going as far as changing its color and texture to match her real hand.
He watched this and could finally heave a sigh of relief, he looked at her unconscious face with a soft gaze. Then it turned cold, the look of vengeance.
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SSS Ranked Shadow Monarch: Summoning Infinite Shadows
Chapter 144: Athena Versus Raze
SSS Ranked Shadow Monarch: Summoning Infinite Shadows
C144: Athena Versus Raze
Chapter 144: Athena Versus Raze
The tournament moved fast, and it was now down to five winners, but the numbers were no longer equal, and one person wouldn't have a fight.
The five left were Aren, Athena, Raze, the girl he had seen work the false Shadow, and a tall redheaded dude. This was who was left.
Now everyone in the group knew that Aren was basically the strongest here, and they didn't want to get into a fight with him, well, except Raze, who seemed eager to actually battle Aren.
He stepped forward and spoke, then looked at Elton. "I have a proposition," he said. Elton raised her brow.
"Let me hear it."
"I want to fight him. It's evident that he is also the strongest here. There is no point in anything further. Let's just have a normal tournament between us four, and whoever wins faces him," Raze said, offering a simple solution.
To some, it sounded wrong, having someone just be number one already, but they all knew that Raze wasn't in their strength level.
Elton looked at the group of five for a few seconds, then waved her hands. "We'll go with that," she said casually.
Seeing how the situation had progressed, Aren started walking away. He looked at Athena and nodded. She gave him a nod as well.
He walked to the side and leaned against a pillar, waiting for the next round to start.
Their systems came on, and the pairing was made. Athena was placed against Raze, and the redheaded dude was placed against the hooded girl.
The first duel began, the hooded lady versus the redheaded man, and it didn't last very long.
The redheaded boy turned out to be a flame mage, and a fairly competent one at that. He wielded his fire with confidence, attacking and defending seamlessly, weaving flames into a brilliant display of skill. Explosions, waves of fire, and controlled bursts followed one after another, showing both his power and his experience.
But none of it was enough.
The hooded girl moved like an inevitable force, one he simply couldn't overcome.
She didn't use any special artifacts or flashy weapons. All she held was a short dagger, a straight, foot-long blade with a sharp tip. Aren could tell immediately that she was holding back most of her abilities. He didn't know why, but it made sense. There was no reason to reveal too much when she could already handle the fight with ease.
She maneuvered around every flame attack, even the wide-area ones. Somehow, she slipped through the fire, closed the distance, and before anyone could fully register it, the tip of her dagger was pressed calmly against the boy's neck.
No explosion.
No dramatic clash.
Just precision.
Compared to the destructive battles before it, the duel was almost anticlimactic, but it was still impressive. It showed them something important.
Not all strength came from overwhelming force.
Some fighters relied on finesse.
The redheaded boy had no choice but to surrender.
The hooded girl stepped back, her expression unreadable. She didn't look at anyone as she walked away, except for a brief glance at Aren before joining the others at the side.
That duel came to an end.
And then, the next fight, the second-to-last battle.
Athena versus Raze.
Aren watched the fight keenly, fully focused on how it would unfold.
Raze was an unexpected powerhouse. Despite only meeting him here today, Aren could tell that the depth of Raze's strength ran far deeper than what he had shown so far.
But then there was Athena.
Athena was, quite simply, the definition of limitless. It was governed by her emotions. The more she let them loose, the more terrifying she became. If she truly lost control, she could destroy almost anything in front of her.
So there was no clear winner on paper.
This wasn't a fight that could be predicted.
It had to be witnessed.
The two of them stood facing each other for a few seconds in silence. Then Raze reached for his sword and pulled it free.
Unlike his fight against Ragna, where he had deliberately delayed drawing his weapon to gauge his opponent, Raze didn't hesitate this time. He understood immediately that Athena was far more dangerous.
He gripped the sword with both hands in front of him and smiled faintly.
"I'm a bit nervous to face you," he admitted.
Athena glanced at him briefly, then muttered, "Me too."
Her eyes glowed red.
Chaos surged forward instantly.
The ground cracked as five violent streams of chaotic force tore through the floor, rushing toward Raze from different angles. He reacted immediately, positioning his sword to intercept them. Each attack slammed into his blade with immense force, sending him flying backward and up into the air.
He flipped midair, landed hard, and stabbed his sword into the ground to stop himself from sliding back. Using the blade as leverage, he ripped it free and launched forward, spinning like a vortex as he slashed downward.
Athena looked up and countered.
His blade collided with her chaos head-on. A sharp explosion ripped through the air from the impact. Raze was forced higher into the air, but he remained unharmed.
He looked down just in time to see Athena already preparing another attack.
Without hesitation, he hurled his sword downward.
It fell like a meteor.
Athena leaped aside at the last second, rolling across the ground as the sword slammed deep into the floor, embedding itself all the way to the guard.
Raze landed moments later, gripping the hilt and pulling the sword free as Athena rose back to her feet.
He settled into his stance again, that same calm smile still on his face.
Athena clenched her jaw, inhaled deeply, and muttered under her breath,
"I can do this."
She forced herself to stay calm.
If she went overboard, things would spiral out of control. She needed precision. Control.
Raze took the initiative this time.
He lunged forward, slashing diagonally toward her. Athena responded with the same Chaos Vortex she had used before, a defensive swirl of distorted energy that the blade cut into before being forcefully repelled.
She didn't hesitate.
The moment his attack was pushed back, she countered.
Her eyes glowed brighter as a concentrated blast of chaos shot straight toward Raze's chest.
But Raze was fast, extremely fast.
His sword came down just in time, blocking the attack. He skidded backward several meters, boots scraping against the ground, but instead of stopping, he leaned into the momentum.
He ran forward again.
Leaped.
And slashed downward at Athena.
To counter immediately, Athena shut her two normal eyes and opened her third Eye of Chaos.
The moment it opened, a massive blast of chaotic force erupted from her, slamming directly into Raze's sword.
Raze pushed forward with everything he had, muscles straining, teeth clenched, but the pressure was too much. An explosion rang out, and he was blasted backward.
He flipped through the air, landed hard, skidded several meters across the floor, and finally came to a stop.
He looked at Athena.
Her third eye was still open, glowing intensely.
Raze let out a breath and smiled.
"How about we go all out," he said, gripping his sword with both hands and lifting it over his head, "and end this quickly?"
As his words fell, rune markings along the blade lit up with a soft purple glow. They pulsed rhythmically, like a heartbeat.
He planted his feet into the ground.
A crater formed beneath him from the sheer force his body was exerting.
Aren, watching from the side, narrowed his eyes.
Athena readied herself as well.
She raised both hands. Her two Chaos Eyes opened in the sky behind her, while her third eye remained active on her forehead.
Raze saw it and laughed softly.
He launched forward.
The ground beneath him shattered, collapsing into a massive crater as dust exploded upward. A deafening sonic boom tore through the throne room. Even space itself seemed to bend under the speed of his movement.
At the same time, Athena unleashed everything she had.
A single, overwhelming chaos attack surged forward. The air itself was torn apart. The ground in front of her split and ruptured as the force traveled toward Raze.
"Arghhhhhhhhhh!" both of them roared.
Their attacks collided midair.
For a split second,
Silence.
Then,
A blinding white explosion ripped through the entire throne room, swallowing everything in its light and forcing everyone present to shield their eyes as the shockwave thundered outward.
[End of Arc Three, thank you for coming this far, see you in the next]
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SSS Ranked Shadow Monarch: Summoning Infinite Shadows
Chapter 145: Tiger Riders
SSS Ranked Shadow Monarch: Summoning Infinite Shadows
C145: Tiger Riders
Chapter 145: Tiger Riders
The skies were bright, the breeze blew gently, pushing the grass in the field beautifully.
There was nothing to be seen for a long distance, except the statue of Elton that sat there. And then suddenly, people started appearing outside one after the other, the awakened that had participated in the second trial, all of them.
In less than a few minutes, everyone that had survived was standing outside in the field. Some instantly broke down, some cried, some fell flat on their backs and stared at the sky, a mix of emotions all at once happening like a wave.
Amongst them stood Aren, who somehow had a large beef jerky in his hands and was eating it with swag. It was hard for someone to pull off eating and looking cool at the same time, yet he effortlessly pulled it off.
Standing beside him was Athena, and then Raze. They too were eating some beef jerky as they stood there, watching the others appear.
"I guess this is the end of the second trial," Raze stated.
"Yeah, how long has it been since the first now?" Aren asked.
"I don't know, two, three months maybe," Raze casually said.
"So we still have to do ninety-eight more of this before ten years? Damn," Aren said, taking a bite into his jerky.
"It might not get there," Raze muttered.
"What?" Aren asked.
"Oh nothing, just saying we might not get there," Raze said.
Aren was about to reply, but then he heard a call.
"Aren."
He turned around and saw the squad, all three safe and sound.
Kira rushed forward first and immediately launched a hug right into his arms, her arms wrapped right around him.
Raze looked at Kira, staring at her for a slightly longer than normal time, but then looked away from her.
"I'm glad you are fine," Aren said.
"Me too, I was scared about what would happen to you," she said before letting go of him. Aiden walked forward and went for a dab.
"Seems you made it out," Aiden said.
"I was more scared for you, with how impulsive you are, I figured you would have gotten yourself killed somewhere," Aren said with a smile.
Zero walked forward. He thought she was about to hug him, but then she lifted her hands and patted his head, which shocked them all.
"Good experiment, you didn't die," she said with the most serious expression ever.
Aiden couldn't hold his laugh and immediately burst out laughing. Kira just palmed her face, while Athena and Raze watched in confusion.
"Go away," Aren said as he removed her hands.
After their greetings finished, they finally turned their attention to the two new people. They already knew Athena, but why was she here?
Aren noticed their gaze and decided to properly explain what was happening.
"I met with Athena at the same place Elton took me. She lost her team," Aren said. When the group heard that, their hearts sank. The people that they had eaten with and laughed with, all dead?
"We are sorry for your loss," Aiden spoke first, giving her a small bow.
Athena nodded in return. The hurt was still there, but she had steeled her mind to forge ahead and make progress as Ron would have wanted.
"You are welcome to move with us whenever you want, Athena," Kira said with a welcoming smile. She resonated with someone that had lost things in life and was looking for a place to belong.
Zero walked forward and looked at Athena close up. Athena took a step back, confused and shocked as to why Zero was this close.
"Hmmmmm, I've taken an interest in this one as well," Zero said and immediately snatched Athena by the hand.
Athena was a bit stunned and tried to reach for Aren, but Zero spoke. "Don't worry, I'm not taking you away from him. I'm always going to follow him as well, which means you'll always be with him, just with me very close." Zero said with a bright smile that managed to send chills down Athena's spine. She quietly nodded.
Kira, on the other hand, watched as these two wanted to eagerly cling to Aren, and that made her frown. Aiden noticed it and then leaned in.
"Is someone jealous?" he asked with a smug look. She heard that and was immediately embarrassed. She shook her head violently.
"No, no, not at all. I'm not jealous or insecure, I know that—"
"It's fine to be," Aiden cut her short. "It's really fine to be. It just shows how you feel about him. Now you can't do anything about it now, but how about when you have some private time, you teach him a lesson," Aiden suggested with the same smug look.
"Hmm, that makes sense," Kira stated as she let out an evil laugh. "Hehehe."
"Hehehe," Aiden followed as well.
The two had become pretty close over the time together, and they created some sort of brother and sister vibe along the way. The entity squad was more like a family now than anything else.
Aren looked up and saw the two of them laughing evilly, and he couldn't help but shiver.
"We should all get what we want with our points and leave here," Raze suddenly said, and that was when Aren remembered that he had not introduced Raze.
"Oh guys, this is Raze. Met him some hours ago, and he is incredibly strong," Aren said.
"Not that strong if I didn't even get to fight you at the end," he said with a sad look.
"It was a close battle," Aren said.
"Nah, Athena won pretty damn well. Her ability is so strong I think she might even make you worry," Raze stated.
"Nahhhh," everyone there except Aren said at the same time, including Athena herself, which shocked Raze. Was the strength gap between Aren and them that great? They didn't even hold any hope to defeat him.
"Well, she refused to fight you in the end, tsk, and even the other girl forfeited. I didn't get to see you against someone strong and I didn't get to fight you," Raze complained.
"We'll get to fight soon," Aren replied. "Now let's buy and get out of here."
Everyone opened their system tab and started making purchases with their maze points.
Aren was scrolling and then spotted an item. It caught his attention, and it was sitting there at the exact number of points he had.
[100,000.]
Without hesitation, he poured it all in and acquired it.
After they were done, they decided to leave the crowd and go. They had only traveled a few meters when they saw about fifty figures clad in full silver and black armor from head to toe, riding on silver tiger mounts, each tiger massive and domineering.
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SSS Ranked Shadow Monarch: Summoning Infinite Shadows
Chapter 146: Journey to WarGod City
SSS Ranked Shadow Monarch: Summoning Infinite Shadows
C146: Journey to WarGod City
Chapter 146: Journey to WarGod City
Everyone that was close looked at the tigers, wondering why they were here. That was when someone amongst the crowd spotted the emblem on the chest of their armor. It was the engraving of a skull with a sword stabbed through it from top to bottom.
"That's the War God emblem, they are from the War God mega city," the boy said enthusiastically.
When he said that, talks erupted, and everyone that knew about the War God mega city started talking.
"War God mega city?" Aren muttered the name.
"They are one of the biggest cities created to house humans, and it's believed they have tight ties to the Black Dragon Sect. It is even believed that the Black Dragon Sect are the ones in control of it now," Aiden spoke.
"I believe the history dates back to many, many years ago, where the War God was considered a great prodigy, as he reached the hundredth level in less than two years, and he was extremely powerful, so much that he was considered a one man army in the domain, and every world government had to pass orders to not allow him to leave the domain.
So then he built the War God city, and since he was a member of the Black Dragon Sect, their connection to the future is great." Aiden did his best to explain what he knew.
Though at this time and age, that story was seen more as a tall tale than anything else, because getting to level hundred in such a short time was crazy, and also no one had even seen the War God.
"So what would people from that type of city be doing here?" Aren asked.
"I guess we'll find out now," Aiden replied.
The leader of the group came down from the tiger, and only now did Aren realize that it wasn't a dude but rather a tall lady from the shape of her armor.
She pulled off her helmet, allowing her dark red hair to flow. She looked forward, a beautiful face, sharp eyes, and a stern expression. Every dude that got a good look at her reevaluated their type of woman.
Everyone wondered what she was here to do. They watched as she tucked her helmet under her arm and walked forward, headed for one person.
She stood in front of him, and she was actually a bit taller than Aren.
"Are you Aren?" she asked.
"Uhm, yeah," Aren responded, not sure what was going on.
"Good. You are to follow me to the War God city," she stated, and from her tone, it was clear that she wasn't joking around.
"Wait, what?" Aren asked to confirm.
"You are to follow me to the War God city, you along with your crew," she said, her eyes glancing at them for a moment. "You can come with calmly, or be forced to, but I'll be taking you with me," she said.
'She isn't joking, damn, and there is no way I can fight here. Maybe if I summon the giant, I could have a fighting chance here. What level is she? She is probably above fifty for sure.
Tsk, even if I can defend myself against her, what about her army, and what would I do if they went after the others.
Shit, what's even happening, why are they coming for me? How the hell do they even know me?'
Multiple thoughts rushed through his mind in that moment. He took a deep breath. "Can I at least have some details as to why?" he asked.
"Anything that you need to know will be conveyed on our way there," she stated.
"I see, then what about Raven city? I'm an adventurer there, I need to at least tell someone I am leaving with you," Aren tried to see what level of freedom he had in this situation here.
"The Raven city is not important in this situation. You are to come with, and please do not try to fight. Every possible route has been taken into consideration, and the proper measures to make you comply have been taken," she said calmly.
"Damn, you guys don't play. Fine, I'll come with, not like I have a choice," he said and turned to the guys.
"Seems something has come up," he said.
"No need to say anything else, we are coming with," Kirs stated, and everyone nodded.
The lady placed her helmet back on and led the way back to the tigers. Each one of them got onto a tiger with one of the armored people, and as quick as they arrived, they already left.
Everyone watched in shock and confusion. What the hell had just happened now? Why did people of such level come and pick someone from here? They began wondering about Aren's identity, as most of them had not seen Aren in the first trial, so they didn't think anything was special about him.
The tigers rushed through the grass field, Aren sitting behind the lady on her own tiger, his hands wra