Leo's eyes locked onto the enemy before him.
It looked exactly like him, the same height, the same posture, even the same calm focus in its gaze. Yet something about it felt wrong. Its body was made of shifting darkness, the edges of its form constantly dissolving into thin strands of shadow before reforming again.
Zahhak had said it could use its path without limit.
This creature had been born from the corruption inside him, something that had grown stronger when Elna's power had increased. That meant it was tied to the Path of Shadow.
But the real question was something else. Could it also use Leo's other paths… or only the shadow path?
There was only one way to find out. Thorn in Leo's hand pulsed with power as strands of blood energy wrapped around the blade like living veins.
Across from him, the shadow version of Leo slowly raised its hand. Darkness condensed in its palm, stretching outward until it formed a long sword identical to Thorn, but made entirely of dense, swirling shadow.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then both of them launched forward at the same time.
Their swords collided with a violent cling, sending a powerful shockwave rippling across the battlefield. The ground cracked beneath the force, dust and fragments of bone scattering outward as the impact pushed both fighters back.
They landed several meters apart. Leo's mind immediately began analyzing the exchange.
In terms of raw strength, they felt almost identical. If anything, Leo suspected he might even hold a slight advantage.
So the next step was clear. Find the weakness.
If this creature was made of shadow, then its natural enemies would be light and fire.
Leo raised his free hand. Flames began to gather around his body, small sparks at first, then growing brighter as they spiraled inward. The fire condensed in his palm, compressing into a dense sphere of blazing light until it resembled a miniature sun radiating intense heat.
The air around him shimmered from the energy. With Thorn in one hand and the fire spell burning in the other, Leo stepped forward and charged.
The shadow creature reacted instantly. Darkness surged into its palm, swirling faster and faster until it formed a dense vortex. The shadows twisted like a violent whirlwind, its center so dark it looked as though it could swallow anything that touched it.
The two forces rushed toward each other once again.
Just as the two spells were about to collide, Leo's figure suddenly shattered like broken glass.
The blazing sun in his hand flickered, and instantly transformed.
Instead of exploding, the burning sphere unraveled into dozens of glowing chains made of condensed light. They shot forward and wrapped tightly around the shadow's arms and legs, locking its movements in place.
At the same moment, the real Leo appeared behind it.
The true sun spell, much larger and far brighter, was already flying toward the trapped shadow.
Leo had timed it perfectly. The chains tightened just as the blazing sphere reached the target.
The sun crashed into the shadow's back.
A massive burst of light erupted outward, flooding the battlefield with blinding radiance. For a brief second, the darkness was pushed back completely.
But only for a second. The shadows suddenly surged outward like a living tide. Thick waves of darkness poured from the creature's body, swallowing the explosion and wrapping around the chains. The light dimmed rapidly as the shadows consumed it piece by piece.
At that exact moment, Leo struck.
Thorn expanded forward, cutting directly through the shadow version of himself.
The creature's body froze. For the first time, the shadow looked clearly surprised.
Thorn was wrapped in dense, pure mana. The weapon glowed faintly from the pressure of compressed energy.
It was an old technique Leo had mastered long ago, infusing his blade with raw mana to amplify its destructive power without relying on any specific path.
But the shadow's eyes quickly narrowed. Its body dissolved instantly into a cloud of darkness.
The next moment, dozens of identical shadow figures appeared around Leo, spreading out in a wide circle.
Each one held the same dark sword.
Leo looked around at them and smiled slightly. This version of him was clever. Just like him.
It seemed the creature couldn't use Leo's different paths after all, but it fought with the same instincts, the same tactics, and the same deceptive style.
Which meant this fight was going to be far more interesting than he expected.
Right at that moment, dozens of Leos appeared all around the battlefield. Each one positioning himself directly in front of one of the shadow figures, impossible to tell which were real and which were only creations, both sides standing in perfect stillness for a brief second as if mirrors facing one another.
Then the fight exploded into motion.
Shadow clones rushed forward while Leo's phantoms met them head on. The battlefield instantly turned into a storm of movement, blades flashing as dozens of identical warriors clashed at once.
Steel met shadow with sharp ringing sounds that echoed across the field.
One of Leo's phantoms swung its sword in a clean horizontal strike, the blade passing straight through a shadow clone. The dark figure flickered for an instant before dissolving into thin strands of smoke that scattered into the air.
Only a few meters away, a shadow clone moved faster. It slipped past a phantom's guard and drove its blade forward. The dark sword pierced through the phantom's chest, and the illusion shattered instantly like fragile glass, fragments of light breaking apart before fading into nothing.
All around them the same scene repeated.
Phantoms and shadows collided in dozens of simultaneous duels. Swords clashed, feints and counters mirrored each other perfectly, and every few seconds another figure dissolved, either melting into shadow or shattering into fading light.
Some battles ended in a single strike, while others lasted several exchanges, each side testing the other with quick attacks and sudden changes in movement. The field was filled with flickering forms appearing and disappearing as clones were destroyed one after another.
It was not a normal battle. It was a war of deception.
A battlefield filled with illusions, clones, and misdirection, each side trying to hide the real strike among dozens of false ones.
After nearly ten minutes of relentless clashes, the last of Leo's phantoms finally fell, only one of them stood standing.
The remaining phantom tried to block a strike, but the shadow's blade pierced through it, and the illusion shattered into dozens of shimmering fragments that faded into the air like broken glass.
For a brief moment, the battlefield grew quiet. The real shadow and the few clones that still remained slowly turned their heads in the same direction.
Far behind the battlefield, the real Leo stood calmly, untouched by the chaos that had just unfolded. His figure was steady, his eyes observing the outcome of the clash with quiet focus.
His right hand was raised toward the sky.
The air above him began to tremble. Then, with a swift motion, Leo brought his hand down.
From the dark sky above him, dozens of meteors suddenly appeared. Each one burned with intense heat as they tore through the air, trailing long tails of fire and smoke. The enormous stones descended rapidly, roaring as they rushed toward the battlefield like a rain of destruction.
The ground below trembled under their approach. The shadow reacted instantly.
The remaining clones surrounding it suddenly twisted and stretched, their bodies losing their human form. In a single fluid motion, each one transformed into a massive black needle, long and sharp like enormous spears forged from pure darkness.
With a powerful motion, the main shadow thrust its arm forward. The dark needles shot through the air like lightning. Each one collided directly with a falling meteor.
The impact was explosive. One after another, the meteors shattered in midair, breaking apart into thousands of burning fragments that scattered across the sky before crashing harmlessly into the distant valleys.
Within seconds, every meteor had been destroyed.
Leo lowered his hand slowly, watching the result without surprise.
His brows lowered slightly as he studied the shadow version of himself standing across the battlefield.
This was going to be a long fight.
…
After the decision was made in the City of Hope, Paul and his group moved immediately. Dave opened a teleportation path, and within seconds they arrived at the nearest magic circle from the orc's main camp. From there, they began moving south at full speed.
The journey didn't take long.
It had taken them nearly a full day to prepare and begin the chase, but Thavuk's destination was close to the border of the Shadowland. After only an hour of rapid travel, Paul and the others finally caught sight of the orc army.
They stopped on a ridge overlooking the camp.
Below them, thousands of orcs had gathered across the dark plains, their crude tents and fires forming a chaotic sea of movement. The army had made camp not far from the place where Thavuk had previously opened the portal, just outside the boundary of the Shadowland.
Thavuk himself was positioned near it, standing alone. Dark void energy swirled around him as he chanted a long, continuous spell. The air around him twisted with unstable power, the ground beneath his feet cracked by the pressure of the ritual.
Several void creatures lurked nearby, drawn to the massive concentration of energy.
But none of them dared to approach.
The power radiating from Thavuk was too overwhelming, forcing the creatures to keep their distance as they circled the area restlessly.
Paul's gaze lingered on Thavuk for a long moment. Then he slowly looked over the massive orc army surrounding him. Thousands of warriors.
And somewhere among them, the two powerful chieftains.
After studying the battlefield, Paul turned his attention back to the three members of his group.
"Dave," he said quietly, his voice calm but firm. "When I pull Thavuk away, you need to find a way to stop the ritual."
Dave nodded, already focusing on the glowing portal in the distance.
Paul's eyes hardened slightly.
"Don't let the orcs surround you," he added. "If they encircle you, you're dead."
Dave, Vanessa, and Alina all nodded in understanding.
They knew exactly how dangerous this mission was.
Paul gave the group one last look, then turned back toward the camp and jumped. His body shot forward like a missile.
A moment later he landed heavily on the ground behind Thavuk, directly between the orc leader and his massive army. The impact cracked the dry earth beneath his feet, drawing the attention of nearby orcs, but none of them dared to move yet.
Thavuk's head slowly turned toward him. A wide smile spread across the orc's face.
Then, without showing the slightest concern, he stepped forward while something strange happened behind him. A second Thavuk, made entirely of dense void energy, remained standing at the ritual circle, continuing the chant without interruption.
"So you came," Thavuk said, his voice darker and heavier than before. The void energy around him pulsed slowly, giving his already monstrous presence an even more terrifying aura.
Paul didn't answer. Instead, he closed his eyes for a brief moment and focused inward. His transformation activated.
His eyes snapped open, glowing deep red. Veins bulged across his arms and neck as raw power surged through his body. The air around him trembled slightly under the sudden pressure.
Then he moved. His speed was nearly ten times faster than what he had shown during their previous fight.
In an instant he was in front of Thavuk. Before the orc could react, Paul grabbed him tightly around the waist and launched himself upward with explosive force.
The ground shattered beneath the jump as both of them shot into the sky.
Thavuk tried to free himself immediately, twisting his massive body and summoning void energy around his arms. But the violent air friction from their incredible speed made it difficult for him to move properly, the rushing wind tearing at his control.
Seconds later they crashed back down to the ground thousands of meters away from the camp.
The landing sent a powerful shockwave across the surrounding terrain.
Thavuk stood up first, brushing dirt from his shoulders as he looked around at their new location. The distant glow of the ritual portal was barely visible on the horizon.
He chuckled. "Even if you drag me away from the ritual," he said calmly, "it will continue on its own. And you won't be able to reach it… until you defeat me."
Paul slowly got back to his feet as well.
Then he grinned. "Who said I'm alone?" he replied.