Chapter 93: Battle in the Shadows

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The tension in the room was suffocating as Zarek and his ally stood across from Dabi, Elder Wanka, and a recovering Loira. Dabi's heart pounded in his chest. There was no time to waste. He quickly knelt beside Loira, pulling a small vial from his pocket — a healing potion he'd acquired in his system shop. He uncorked it and handed it to her.

"Drink this," he said urgently, his eyes scanning her injuries. "It'll help."

Loira nodded weakly, taking the potion with trembling hands. As soon as she drank it, a soft glow enveloped her body, and the most visible cuts and bruises began to fade. Though the potion wouldn't heal her completely, it was enough to get her back on her feet.

Dabi stood and drew his sword, turning his attention to Zarek. The Abyssal Knight stood with a smug grin, his dark aura pulsing around him like a storm. His helper, a shadowy figure cloaked in a sinister aura, remained silent but radiated power. Elder Wanka stepped forward, his eyes locking onto the shadowy figure. Without a word, the battle began. Zarek's helper attacks elder Wanka with a powerful fire ball. 

Elder Wanka dodge attack and launched himself at Zarek's helper, his aura flaring as he delivered a powerful strike with his fist, forcing the enemy back. The ground cracked beneath their feet from the impact, the air thick with energy. Dabi and Loira didn't have time to watch—they had their own battle to fight.

Zarek's grin widened as he raised his hand, summoning a torrent of dark energy that shot toward Dabi and Loira like a spear. Without hesitation, Dabi threw up his own barrier, a shimmering shield of light formed from his space magic, deflecting the attack. The force of the impact pushed him back, his feet skidding across the floor, but he didn't waver.

"Loira, stay close!" Dabi shouted over the roar of energy.

Loira, still recovering but gaining strength by the second, nodded and positioned herself beside him. Her mana reserves were low, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. Zarek was too dangerous to face alone, and she knew Dabi needed her help.

Zarek's next move was even more aggressive. He darted forward with incredible speed, his fist coated in dark energy as he aimed a strike directly at Dabi. Dabi parried with his sword, but the sheer force of the blow sent a shockwave through his body, numbing his arms. Zarek was stronger than he expected—much stronger.

Loira reacted instantly, summoning a wave of water from the air around them. She launched the water toward Zarek, hoping to disrupt his attack. The water twisted and churned, freezing into sharp ice shards as they closed in on Zarek's position. But Zarek was ready. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a burst of dark energy that shattered the ice before it could reach him.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Zarek taunted, his voice dripping with arrogance.

Dabi clenched his teeth. They needed to coordinate better if they were going to stand a chance. Zarek's power wasn't just physical—his mastery over dark magic made him a formidable opponent, and his Abyssal Knight rank meant he had decades of experience in combat.

"Loira, we need to combine our attacks," Dabi said quickly, his mind racing. "I'll create an opening, and you hit him with everything you've got."

Loira nodded, wiping the sweat from her brow. Her mana was critically low, but she couldn't afford to hold back. Not now.

Meanwhile, across the hall, Elder Wanka's battle was just as intense. His opponent, Zarek's shadowy helper, was a Dreamweaver—an elusive and deadly class known for manipulating reality itself. The figure's attacks were unpredictable, shifting between illusion and reality in the blink of an eye. But Wanka's experience and strength gave him the upper hand.

With a roar, Wanka unleashed a powerful aura blast, sending the shadowy figure crashing into the far wall. The Dreamweaver staggered to its feet, blood dripping from its mouth, but it wasn't enough. Wanka closed the distance in an instant, delivering a final, crushing blow that shattered the enemy's defenses. The Dreamweaver collapsed, defeated.

With his opponent out of the way, Wanka turned his attention back to Dabi and Loira. Zarek was still standing, his dark energy swirling like a vortex around him. Wanka could see that Dabi and Loira were struggling, and without hesitation, he rushed to their aid.

Dabi and Loira were fighting in perfect sync now, their movements fluid and coordinated. Dabi would use his space magic to distort Zarek's attacks, redirecting them just enough for Loira to strike with her elemental magic. Despite Zarek's overwhelming strength, their combined efforts were slowly starting to wear him down.

But Zarek wasn't finished yet. With a snarl, he raised both hands, summoning a massive wave of dark energy that threatened to engulf the entire room. The sheer power of the attack sent shivers down Dabi's spine. If they didn't act quickly, they'd be overwhelmed.

"Loira, now!" Dabi shouted.

Loira gathered the last of her mana, her hands glowing with a brilliant blue light. She called upon the depths of her power, summoning water from the very air around them. But this time, she didn't just attack—she infused the water with Dabi's space magic, creating a swirling vortex of elemental and spatial energy.

The combined attack shot toward Zarek like a comet, warping the space around it as it tore through the air. Zarek's eyes widened in shock as the attack closed in on him. He tried to raise a barrier, but it was too late.

The vortex slammed into Zarek with a deafening roar, ripping through his defenses and sending him crashing into the far wall. The force of the impact shattered the stone, leaving a gaping hole where Zarek had been standing.

For a moment, everything was still. The air was thick with dust, and the only sound was the ragged breathing of Dabi and Loira as they stood side by side, their bodies trembling from the exertion.

But then, slowly, Zarek began to stir.

He pushed himself up from the rubble, blood trickling down his face. His body was battered and broken, but the dark energy around him was still strong. Zarek coughed, a twisted smile forming on his lips as he struggled to his feet.

"Well… I didn't expect that," he rasped, his voice strained but laced with amusement. "You're stronger than I thought. But this… this isn't over."

Dabi's grip on his sword tightened. Zarek's resilience was terrifying, but he couldn't back down now. Loira, despite her exhaustion, stepped forward, her eyes blazing with determination.

"We're ending this," Dabi said, his voice low and steady.

Zarek chuckled weakly, wiping the blood from his mouth. "You think… you've won? You have no idea… what's coming."

Before Dabi could respond, Zarek's body began to glow with a sickly black light. The ground trembled beneath their feet as dark energy erupted from his form, twisting and writhing like a living thing.

"Dabi, get back!" Wanka shouted, rushing forward to stand beside them.

Zarek's eyes glowed with an unnatural light as he raised his hand, his lips curling into a twisted smile. "You may have won this battle," he said, his voice echoing with dark power, "but the war is far from over."

And with that, Zarek's body began to dissolve into shadows, his form vanishing before their eyes. The dark energy lingered in the air for a moment longer before dissipating completely, leaving nothing behind but silence.

The battle was over—but the war had just begun.

Dabi and Loira stood there, panting and bloodied, as the weight of what had just happened began to sink in. They had won, but Zarek's final words echoed in Dabi's mind, a haunting reminder that their fight was far from finished.

"Are you both alright?" Wanka asked, his voice calm but filled with concern.

Dabi nodded, though his mind was elsewhere. Zarek's parting words… they felt like a warning, a promise of something far worse to come.

Loira leaned against him, her body exhausted but alive. "We did it," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Dabi looked down at her, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Yeah. We did."

But as they stood in the ruins of the battle, Dabi couldn't shake the feeling that Zarek's defeat was only the beginning of something much larger—something far more dangerous than any of them could have imagined.

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