Chapter 144: The Peak Strength of the Shadow (Part Two)

It was truly difficult to describe what kind of aura it was, as it seemed to be a blend of several people's presences, making it extremely hard to distinguish. Yet, the distinct sense of familiarity emanating from that aura made Lania feel even more puzzled.

She could not help glancing at Landis, only to find the latter also frowning as she watched the sudden eruption of the shadow, clearly sensing something as well.

Lania sighed, pulling back her chaotic thoughts. At a time like this, pondering such matters was undoubtedly somewhat superfluous.

The most crucial thing was to find a way to subdue the fully evolved and immensely powerful Skeleton King right before them, and to discover a method to extract the soul fire once again. Although this notion seemed terribly self-deceptive, there was still a sliver of hope after all. Having hope was always better than utter despair.

After sending the Skeleton King flying with a single punch, the shadow did not halt his offensive; instead, it intensified fiercely in an instant.

Backed by the formidable power he had obtained through some unknown means, he rushed toward the Skeleton King once more with a violent velocity.

This punch was aimed squarely at the top of the Skeleton King's skull.

Beneath the ferocious force of this blow, the crown on the skeleton's head—symbolizing royal authority—appeared to tremble, as though it could topple over at any moment.

Even though the Skeleton King currently seemed to be at a disadvantage, with the cyan flames burning fiercely within its eye sockets, who could truly afford to ignore a member of the skeleton race that had clearly evolved to the state of cyan soul fire!

The Skeleton King raised its arm once more, executing a vicious grab at the shadow's oncoming fist.

A cold, ruthless arc formed at the corner of the shadow's mouth mid-air, as if mocking the Skeleton King for attempting the exact same trick again.

Sure enough, that grab passed straight through the shadow's body, which dissolved instantly into nothingness. Once again, the shadow had conjured an afterimage, while his true form had vanished to parts unknown.

The Skeleton King crushed the shadow's afterimage with a single swipe. Although it seemed they had once again fallen for the shadow's calculations, Landis, standing in the rear, felt a bad premonition strike her heart.

Sure enough, the shadow's body materialized once more, this time choosing the Skeleton King's left flank.

Just as he was about to strike with that immensely forceful fist, the Skeleton King, its right hand thrust forward, let out a cold laugh.

The shadow's body was instantly hurled sideways as if struck by an overwhelmingly powerful force, rolling fiercely across the ground for more than ten meters before finally coming to a halt.

As he stopped, a trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. Staring at the Skeleton King—which had previously been seated on the ground and was now gradually fading away as well—the shadow's pupils slowly constricted.

"This fellow... although very strong in the past, could never have possessed such capability!" the shadow thought to himself. He was currently borrowing his former strength; although he could only wield it for a brief moment, in his view, it should not have been entirely impossible to slay the Skeleton King within this timeframe.

Yet, it now appeared somewhat difficult.

For reasons unknown, the Skeleton King had grown so immensely powerful—terrifyingly so!

Judging merely by the punch that had landed on him, the Skeleton King's current strength was by no means inferior to the heaven-defying power they once possessed.

How could this possibly be! Even among the skeleton race, a creature that evolved blue soul fire could never become this powerful in the blink of an eye!

Such a sensation was something he had never experienced, not even when facing those Skull Lords of the past who also possessed blue soul fire.

The shadow slowly rose to his feet, fixing his gaze upon the Skeleton King. A raging fury within him awaited a chance to erupt.

Meanwhile, the Skeleton King met the shadow's gaze with utter calmness. Even after the shadow had attained such formidable power, the expression within the Skeleton King's eyes did not shift in the slightest.

The shadow's hands gradually came together before his chest, his left hand held flat like a blade while his right hand formed a fist, the two pressed tightly against each other.

A violent surge of dark energy instantly rippled between those two hands, and this abruptly manifested turbulent energy forced even the soldiers accompanying the Vampire Legion and the Yuxiao Legion to involuntarily step back in unison.

Even Lania stared at the shadow before her with a tense expression.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

A series of roars, escalating from low to high, burst forth frantically from the shadow's emaciated frame, as though some ancient behemoth lay dormant within his body.

Lania looked at the shadow before her with a complex expression.

She could clearly see that the shadow's blood, which was already steadily draining away, began to gather toward his hands at a frantic speed after he formed that strange posture with them, before vanishing into the void.

At this rate, in a mere three minutes, a normal person would lose consciousness due to massive blood loss. If it continued for even two more minutes, a death certificate could practically be issued.

With only three minutes remaining, what kind of events might transpire within that brief span? She did not know. Furthermore, the current strength of the two combatants on the field was truly terrifying to the extreme; even someone like her could do nothing more than stand by and watch silently.

The shadow slowly parted his hands. Accompanied by that high-pitched roar, under the Skeleton King's gaze—which held a trace of surprise and suspicion—the shadow slowly withdrew his clenched right fist from his left hand.

As his right hand moved, a power suffused with black radiance stirred along with it.

When the shadow completely withdrew his right hand, that black radiance instantly condensed into a bizarre, twisting hooked thorn, its blade rendered intensely mysterious by arcane black patterns.

The shadow panted heavily, the hooked thorn flashing with a sharp, chilling light. Due to massive blood loss, he was already beginning to feel a slight blur in his concentration.

He shook his head fiercely, forcing his focus back onto the Skeleton King. At this moment, apart from the Skeleton King before him, the entire world seemed to have vanished.

"Go to hell, Skeleton King!" the shadow roared fiercely, his figure lunging toward the Skeleton King like a bolt of lightning. The hooked thorn was concealed behind his back, and his ruthless gaze gave anyone who might stand in his path the sensation of impending death.

"This is not bad," the Skeleton King's even, calm voice slowly sounded. Yet before the words fully faded, the two had already collided violently, bone blade and hooked thorn clashing to produce a series of harsh, grating sounds.

Their figures flashed rapidly into existence and vanished into the void, appearing and disappearing as though teleporting. Coupled with the endless afterimages trailing behind them, the entire sky seemed engulfed in their fierce battle.

Landis gripped her fists tightly. She had never anticipated that the shadow could suddenly unleash such overwhelming power, leaving even her utterly incapable of intervening in their duel.