A sea of darkness.
That was all Damien could see behind him and on both sides as he rushed through the maze of trees that lined the side of the Bloodstone River.
Six black-cloaked figures constantly trailed after him, expanding their influence on the surroundings.
He could only grit his teeth and push forward, constantly making sure Ruyue was following his pace. And luckily for him, she didn't seem to be lacking in the speed department.
He had no idea how long they had been running for, but regardless of time, they had been unable to escape the clutches of those hooded figures.
The sea of darkness that was gradually encroaching on him was proof of that.
'Dammit!'
The spatial lock that had been placed on the surrounding area was still in effect. No matter how far he got from the original location of the convention, his main strength remained impeded.
It was evident that this wasn't the work of a single person. Rather, a formation must've been at play.
But none of this mattered. The only point he could focus on was the fact that teleportation wasn't an option.
Lightning cracked and trails of flame decorated the path they left in their wake as Damien and Ruyue burst forward at full speed.
The only indication they had of direction was the river adjacent to them.
Thousands of black tendrils emerged from the surrounding darkness, shooting towards the duo at speeds untraceable by the naked eye.
The trees they touched were withered into dust, the ground was cracked on impact.
Lightning burst forth from Damien's body as he continuously attempted to evade the tendrils charging at him. It burned everything in its surroundings, but he wasn't able to block them all.
Luckily, he wasn't alone.
Blazing blue flames ignited even the air it touched, driving back the encroaching shadows.
In any other situation, the duo would have had no problem in escaping.
However, this time, they were heavily outnumbered.
For every tendril of darkness that was destroyed, ten more would emerge and charge at them. And for every ten, another hundred.
Still, they pushed forward.
If there was one thing Damien could be thankful for in this situation, it was the Myriad Illusion Veil that perpetually decorated the jungle.
The veil heavily limited one's awareness and even slightly disturbed their thoughts, leaving the duo some slight leeway. Otherwise, their pursuers would have caught up to them long ago.
However, slight leeway wasn't enough. The darkness soon caught up and passed them, painting the grassy ground black.
The tendrils of darkness multiplied exponentially, soon becoming accompanied by other constructs that attempted to corrode them.
A rain of black spheres showered the area around the duo, once again forcing them to go on the defensive.
Their momentum was rapidly slowed until they could no longer move forward. Every route of escape was blocked.
Damien's eyes narrowed as he tried his best to peer into his surroundings, hoping to glean even the slightest chance, but there was none.
His eyes were powerful, but they were almost useless in this situation. He could see through illusions, but there were none at play.
He was hoping to find traces of the enemy's aura within the encroaching shadows, but it was also futile. Every bit of the darkness was created from their own mana, and they had melded with it perfectly. It was virtually impossible to single them out.
He might've been able to pinpoint something if he was able to calmly analyze, but the enemy didn't give him the time.
His attention was occupied by the constant barrage of attacks that fell on him. Swords, spears, tendrils, bullets, and many other coalesced forms of darkness charged without pause.
He took a quick glance to his side and realized Ruyue wasn't any better than him. Waves of blue flame continuously surged from her person, clashing with the waves of darkness that surrounded them.
A blood-red moon had already manifested behind her back, empowering her flames and distributing lunar energy into the atmosphere.
It was incredibly frustrating. No matter how much those cloaked figures attacked, they never used their full power. There's no way the combined power of 6 high-level 3rd class beings only amounted to this much.
'They're toying with us.'
It was the only explanation he could come up with.
'How the hell am I supposed to get out of this situation?!'
It had been too long since he had faced such a hopeless situation. Or was it better to say that it had never happened at all?
He had become too conceited, wholeheartedly believing that he would always be able to escape danger as long as he had his spatial affinity.
This was the kind of mindset that a skill like Warp had instilled in him. Yet, now that the skill and many of his other abilities were locked, he had become nothing more than a lamb waiting for slaughter.
It was unacceptable.
What had he been training for all this time if he was just going to become prey for someone else's convenience? What was the point of power if he was unable to use it?
His fury burned so brightly that it was almost tangible.
Was there no hope? No, as long as the enemy was underestimating them, they had a chance.
He slashed his sword wantonly, no longer caring for style or grace. The black lightning coating his body lashed out, constantly strengthening itself.
He increased the intensity of his attack, superheating the lightning and causing massive beams of plasma to impact the ground. He had to melt the shadows around him.
"ARGH!"
A sudden cry of pain echoed through the silent jungle. Looking down at his own body, Damien realized that he had been pierced by a blade without his knowledge.
His danger sense didn't activate, nor did he sense movement around him.
Before he could react, tens of slashes landed on his body, causing his blood to spurt out in every direction.
'What the hell?'
If it was an ordinary blade that had been harming him, he would have already healed with his regeneration. But strangely enough, it didn't activate.
He did a quick sweep of his internals, and his face immediately paled. A foreign substance had entered his bloodstream and was corroding his system.
That was when he realized. Six pursuers? That wasn't right. There were eight cloaked figures that he first saw when he exited the convention.
Where had the other two gone?
He hadn't had the time to think about it before. But being put in such a predicament, his mind slowly cleared.
'I let my guard down.'
Not only did he let his guard down, but he had also become too narrow-minded to realize how faulty his thought process was.
Spatial lock? Sure it could hinder his abilities, but was he completely cut off?
The poison in his body burned. It felt like he was being branded from the inside. But this pain had cleared his muddled head.
The Myriad Illusion Veil. Why was it called that? Its main purpose, the reason many people had lost their lives to a mere fog, wasn't it because of how it messed with their minds?
'I'm an idiot.'
From the beginning of his journey to now, he had constantly improved himself. But he had always neglected training his mind. He figured that the will he forged so far was enough.
But the events of the village prior, and the events taking place now, had shown him clearly that there was something he lacked.
He didn't have the wits to engage in a strategy. He didn't have the brain to quickly innovate. Instead, he had been backed into a corner and confused until he ended up in this situation.
'No more.'
He wouldn't allow himself to be beaten so one-sidedly any longer.
He closed his eyes, ignoring everything around him. He called Zara out of his shadow to protect him.
Up until this point, he had thought her shadow affinity would be suppressed by the enemies. He had thought she would only become a burden.
But who was he kidding? That was the stupidest thought he could have had. If there was one advantage he possessed against these enemies, it was Zara.
With her protection, he was able to properly concentrate. The burning feeling in his veins slowly faded. The only thing he could perceive was the light thumping of his own heartbeat.
"Celestial Authority."
His mind was flooded with feedback. Flames danced, the ground froze over, lightning crackled and the winds roared. But this was nothing more than an illusion. Only Damien could see such scenes.
He ended up grinning. When was the last time he had used this move? Even though he was so excited when he created it, he had almost forgotten about it until now.
His eyes opened once more, blazing with fighting spirit and killing intent. And without any suspense, he opened his mouth.
[Starfall]
