Chapter 57: Shadow Sword Vs Metal Control (Part 3-Last)

For a moment darkness filled my vision. I looked around only to find myself in an enclosed round space with dark shadow-like walls. If I could describe the place in one word it would be Shadow Pocket. Above I could see the world on the outside as though I was watching it through a screen of some kind. Where I once stood a round spot of darkness laid on the ground it was so inconspicuous and anyone who saw it wouldn't think much of it.

In fact no one could see it, including Jace who was turning his head around trying to find me frantically. The sight of seeing the metal giant tossing and turning from my view up was kind of funny.

That's right in my shadow pocket it felt as though I was in the ground and had to see everything above ground as though I was under it.

It was cool in a way.

'Its eating through my Shadow Art stat like crazy. I better hurry' I thought.

Right now the Shadow Art stat had fallen from 26 to 16 and every second I spent using took up 0.5 points meaning for every 2 seconds 1 point was consumed and currently 4 seconds had passed since I fell in this shadowy space around me.

My points had dropped to 14 and they were still dropping with every passing second.

Luckily to move within my shadow all I had to do was will it.

The inconspicuous shadow spot moved from its position. My view was shifting as the surroundings blurred slightly kind of like when you are travelling in a car and the trees by the roadside blur as you pass them.

I stopped in between the metal giant's legs underneath Jace. Black Salamander trembling in my right hand as it made its intentions clear.

'Time to find out what the last shadow skill is capable of' I thought as I cancelled and shoot up to the surface sword ready. With a heavy stomp I took a firm stance that resembled those sumo wrestlers take(I know it's the wrong stance for a sword but hey it worked anyway).

…

Jace felt something odd and immediately stopped moving. He instinctively lowered his head to look down below him.

His eyes constricted as he saw the teenager from before rising up from the ground below him like some undead movie.

How did he manage to approach him without him noticing?

He felt his stomach twist. A foreboding feeling over came his senses so strongly that it felt like his heart might leap out of his chest.

The feeling only growing stronger as he saw the teen take up a stance. His feet apart and slightly bent forward, both hands on the hilt of a black sword that seemed to be shimmering with a black light that was only glowing more intensely.

Jace had no idea what the teen was planning to do but whatever it was he had to stop it.

He urged his mana to call on the metal pieces that had fallen to the ground from the teenager's earlier sword attacks but to his utter shock they never responded.

No, it was like his mana couldn't connect with them at all!

How was that possible?

Gritting his teeth, Jace took a drastic action.

The metal pieces still attached to his body moved. From his legs and chest and even his left arm. Jace raised his right arm over his head. The metal giant suit of armor he had been wearing shrinking as the metal pieces moved and accumulated on his right arm.

At a visible speed the metal giant reduced in size with his right arm raised over his head grew twice as large. His fist looking no different from a large meteorite with a 2 meter diameter.

Then he threw his fist in a downward over head strike, the air and space around it trembling and shaking as it made its way towards the bronze skinned teenager below him

Jace was going to crush his opponent to dust in one attack.

…

The hairs on my skin stood on end and a shiver ran down my spine. I felt the air tremble around Jace's attack as it fell towards my head. I had to admit an attack like that would definitely crush me to death regardless of whether I used or not.

But it didn't plan on moving. Black Salamander told me to strike with everything I had.

So that's what I had to do.

Pouring all my Shadow points into this attack I unleashed a vertical slash.

However, I didn't stop there.

[26 points added to strength]

Those unallocated stat points I had accumulated from my past battles were all added to the Strength stat raising it to drastic levels in what felt like a second. I felt my body tingle all over, every muscle fiber trembling as much as molecules did when heat was applied to them.

The feeling was intoxicating.

[Strength: 117(+20)>>>143(+20)]

"!" I swung towards the incoming meteor of an attack.

Shadow Art was a unique stat that I gained after forming a soul contract with my sword, Black Salamander. It gave me access to a type of energy that gave me partial control over my own shadow. This energy was called Shadow energy and as the name suggests it leaned heavily into the shadow element.

However that wasn't all. The Shadow Art came with 26 total points as well as a set of three moves or it was better to call them techniques.

The first was it was a shadow technique that was focused on boosting one's movement speed to a certain extent for a brief instant. It wasn't limited by time however if one wanted to actively continue to use it a total of 0.2 shadow points per second.

The second was this technique allowed one to sink into their shadow. While in the shadow they would appear in a separate pocket of reality, one filled with darkness but be able to see the ground above while also being able to move undetected. Actively using it consumed 0.5 shadow points per second.

And lastly . It was a technique specially compatible with the sword. It didn't have any specific required amount of shadow points however the strength of the attack was directly proportional to the total shadow points invested into the attack. It condensed shadow energy around the blade of the sword giving the appearance of a dark shadowy aura capable of cutting through and corroding through any defense as long one had enough shadow points to do so.

Upon activation my shadow moved from my feet to my sword giving it a dark glow. The shadow continued to accumulate and condense around the blade before solidifying into a visible dark aura that surged and spiked with intensity as my Shadow points dropped to zero in what felt like a blink.

With an upward swing an arc of dark corrosive and sharp energy shot forward as my blade and Jace's fist met head on

For a moment time seemed to stop as blade met colossal fist of metal.

And then…

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Space itself seemed to shatter as a vicious shockwave spread out. The ground beneath our feet crumbled as a crate 3 meters deep and 8 meters wide spread out as though a meteorite from space had smashed right into it. Large gusts of winds spread all around and the ground itself shook.

The commotion lasted for what seemed like an eternity before finally calming down seconds later.

…

I looked up at Jace. My chest rising and falling heavily with every breath I took. My right arm still held Black Salamander tightly but the bones within my wrist and forearm were broken. The skin on top of that torn and blood leaked from within.

Jace's attack had been strong. Stronger than what I could even imagine. If I hadn't taken the precaution of adding more to my Strength stat then I certainly would have been screwed.

Jace was still standing. However his gaze was vacant. As he looked at me, a wide range of emotions danced in his gaze.

Disbelief, shock, unwillingness and part regret.

His life would end just like that? Just because of a teenager?

Jace felt his life flash before his eyes. He had left so many things behind, he had just begun his journey in a world where he felt he could be true to his desires. Where his strength would dictate whatever he did and yet here he fell to a strength that was even greater than his.

The life was dimming from his eyes as he looked at me in the eyes for the final time. He opened his mouth, he wanted to express his grievances but no words came out.

His vision distorted awkwardly as he saw the world on the left fall as though it was collapsing in on itself while his vision through his right side was the opposite. The world seemed to have lost all gravity and was rising higher into the skies. It was confusing to say the least but then he understood at the last second as two halves of his body fell apart. Split in half right down the middle.

[You have acquired the soul essence of First Star Order Level 12 Jace Norman. You have received Health +3, Mana +2 and Magic +4]

[You have levelled up to Level 15. You get 2 stat points to distribute freely]

He was dead.

…