CHAPTER 139: WHAT THE FUKK JUST HAPPENED?!"

"Alright," Nova murmured, her tone still icy. "But the next time you dare to stop me... I will kill you."

Marcella bowed her head slightly, her calm never breaking. "Understood, My Lady."

Back in the arena.

Razeal’s body ached as he pulled himself from the cracked stone floor, dusting off his tattered clothes. His breathing was heavy, but his eyes burned with an unshakable fire. He looked up at the towering wooden colossus floating above, its pink wings casting a colossal shadow across the coliseum. It was less like a statue and more like a skyscraper-sized fortress.

His lips twitched into a grin. "I guess size really does matter... if the material’s same damn hard."

He glanced down at his black shadow-saber, its surface flickering faintly. His strike, Tectonic Flow 2.0, had been powerful enough to split small mountains. Yet, the colossus’ polished wooden surface didn’t even bear a scratch. The sword trembled faintly in his hand, cracks threatening along its edge.

"This is weak," he muttered, narrowing his eyes at the blade. "If I’m going to push my Flow any further, I’ll need something stronger... something that won’t shatter under its own power atleast."

Then, suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind. His lips curled upward into a wide, dangerous grin. "Ohhh and... I know just the way." he said

Above, the enormous wooden colossus floated like a god towering over mortals, its massive presence pressing down on every soul present. The entire coliseum lay under its shadow. But then... the shadow began to move. Just as Razeal said this words

The darkness flickered. At first subtle, like a mirage, then stronger, rippling as though the shadows themselves had drawn breath. Across the arena floor, the edges of every shade began to writhe, black tendrils rising up like smoke. The air grew heavy, oppressive, and unnatural.

[Host...] the system’s voice cut in, trembling with rare urgency. [I don’t think that’s a good idea. Using shadow at that level will drain your mana at a terrifying rate!]

Razeal only chuckled under his breath, ignoring the warning. "Ohhh, whatever. This is going to be fun."

He slammed his foot against the ground, releasing a pulse of Flow that made the stone beneath him crack. His injuries knitted closed instantly, shadows threading across his body like liquid armor. Then the arena itself erupted.

All at once, the darkness covering the coliseum surged upward like a tidal wave. A river of shadow, thick as ink and cold as night, rose from every corner, twisting and writhing into the sky. The crowd gasped, their screams drowned by the roar of surging shadows.

It was as though the coliseum itself had been swallowed into an abyss.

The shadows swelled.

Liquid blackness rose high into the air, writhing like an ocean come alive. It clung to Razeal, spreading over his body until every inch of him was covered. His form disappeared beneath the swirling mass of darkness, consumed by it entirely.

And then

Boom.

A silent pulse erupted outward from him. An invisible shockwave of raw dark mana burst across the arena, rippling like water disturbed by a stone. The wave spread wider and wider until it touched every corner of the coliseum, sending shivers down spines, rattling bones, and stirring whispers of confusion among the audience.

"What... was that?" one spectator gasped, clutching their chest.

"It felt... wrong," another murmured, eyes darting as if searching for the source.

Most were bewildered, but not Arabella. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, a flicker of sharp calculation gleaming within them.

Beside her, Nancy stiffened. "Did you feel that weird energy, Mother?" she asked, her tone hushed, uneasy.

Arabella didn’t answer immediately. She simply stared ahead, her lips pressed in a thin line, her eyes locked on the storm of shadows boiling at the center of the arena. She doesn’t know either honestly?

Down on the arena floor, Areon’s body twitched. He had been sprawled across the ground in a haze of agony, his consciousness fraying at the edges. But when that shockwave passed through him, his mind jerked awake. His eyes opened slowly, unfocused at first, but then widened in disbelief. His battered body screamed with unrelenting pain, yet the energy pulling at his senses was so alien it forced his mind back to awareness.

Elsewhere, Selena paused mid-step. A chill ran down her spine as she pressed a hand to her chest. "What... an ominous energy," she whispered under her breath. Her sensitivity to anything except white mana was unparalleled, and this energy it wasn’t just dark, it was wrong. It carried a weight, a repulsion so deep that her body itself recoiled instinctively.

Back inside Virelan’s chamber, Even Nova, mid-conversation with Marcella, stopped cold. Her sharp eyes snapped to the side as her senses prickled. She felt the sudden eruption of that unseen force like a dagger grazing her skin. Her usual cold demeanor faltered for just a second, her lips tightening as her gaze turned toward the arena.

Marcella, standing behind her, adjusted her glasses with a faint, troubled frown. Even her calm demeanor wavered for a heartbeat.

And in the royal viewing chamber

"Ohhh, now this is getting more and more interesting." Celestia leaned forward in her seat, her chin resting on her interlaced fingers, eyes narrowed with interest. "Just how many more things are you hiding?"

Her gaze sharpened as she studied Razeal in the middle of that writhing, living shadow. "Did you had this since childhood.. If so did you hide it from everyone? Or is it just some opportunity you gained... from another dimension?" she frowned Deep in thoughts.

Down below, the shadow tide thickened. The once-fluid darkness condensed, growing heavier and denser, until it resembled a black liquid with impossible weight. Thick tendrils writhed like serpents, lashing outward before curling back, wrapping around Razeal as though eager to consume their master. It was like staring into an ocean of ink unending, suffocating, and alive. Slowly, the shadows began to gather

Then rising higher and higher, climbing toward the heavens. At first it was a whirlpool, spiraling with eerie precision, then a column, a pillar of condensed darkness pushing skyward.

Supported by a massive pillar of shadow that connected it to the ground.

The sight was otherworldly. The enormous ball of ink churned and rippled, ever-shifting. It was impossible to tell whether the pillar below was feeding into it or if the sphere itself was melting downward in rivers of blackness. Either way, it was endless, never ceasing, never still.

The audience could only stare, their jaws slack, their eyes wide with awe and terror. Murmurs turned into gasps, and gasps into horrified silence.

They didn’t understand it none of them did. All they knew was that this sight was wrong. Shadows were not supposed to move like this. Not supposed to breathe, to ripple, to twitch like living creatures. Yet before them, the black mass writhed with a life of its own, threads and tentacles curling, swirling, and wriggling within.

The sheer alienness of it gnawed at the mind. It was terrifying, revolting and unexplainable.

And still it grew.

The sphere swelled larger, its surface warping and stretching until, at last, it began to shift. Slowly, steadily, its shape twisted into something recognizable. A torso. Limbs. Wings.

The audience followed its metamorphosis with horrified fascination. The monstrous sphere of shadow reformed into a humanoid figure colossal, towering, as if a god of night itself had stepped into their world.

First came the wings. Vast, jagged, and blacker than midnight, they spread across the sky, blotting out what little light remained. Then the body took shape broad shoulders encased in armor, heavy plates covering every inch of its towering form. The armor itself was designed like that of a samurai, ancient and imposing, yet unlike any metal known to men. This was no steel it was shadow solidified, darkness so dense it absorbed every hint of light, devouring it greedily.

Finally, the head took shape. A helmet, curved and jagged, like the mask of a demon. No face, only void.

And it was still growing.

"Whaaaaa"

The broken groan came from Areon. Still sprawled on the arena floor, his battered body shaking with agony, he stared upward in mute disbelief. Pain wracked his limbs, but even pain could not overshadow the horror of the sight above him. His voice broke, his mouth hanging open as if the words had been stolen from him.

Above, two giants loomed in the sky almost as above to fell on him. Sylva’s wooden colossus, radiant with pink wings and divine grandeur... and now this. A titan of darkness, born from shadow, armored like a demon lord, rising to match her in size.

Nancy could only gape, her mouth dry, her voice failing her. She had never in her life seen anything like it. The size, the aura, the overwhelming sense of suffocating pressure it was on par with Sylva’s colossus. And she heard no words from Areon.

Her heart thundered in her chest. "How... how is this possible?" she whispered, barely realizing the words left her lips.

Arabella, meanwhile, remained composed. She leaned back casually, her arms folding over her chest as she whistled low. Totally ignoring her son ghasp.

"Well, well... this lad keeps surprising me." Her eyes gleamed with genuine intrigue. "I wonder how he’s pulling this off without even a trace of mana."

Her gaze narrowed, recalling the strange ripple she had felt moments ago. "Is it tied to that energy I sensed? That shockwave...?" She tilted her head, yawning as if the entire spectacle was only mildly amusing to her. "...And just what in the world was that?"

The two giants now faced each other in the sky, their colossal presences eclipsing everything else. One a goddess of wood, radiant and ancient. The other a demon of shadow, armored in darkness.

Sylva’s mouth fell open, her lips forming an involuntary "O" as her eyes widened in disbelief. Before her, rising tall into the heavens, was a giant of shadows just as massive as her own wooden colossus... no, even larger. The realization struck her like a blow.

"Ahh... didn’t expect he could do that," she muttered under her breath, forcing herself back to her senses. Her brows rose high as she studied the towering silhouette of darkness, a figure that radiated the same overwhelming pressure as her own creation.

Her gaze sharpened. Size isn’t everything, she reminded herself. Narrowing her eyes, she tilted her head slightly. "Umm... so is it durable?"

Even as the words left her lips, the great bow clutched in her giant’s wooden hands began to twist and shift. Groaning like bending trees, the weapon morphed, its sleek arc splitting and rearranging into something new. The carved disks, once mounted across the bow’s body, slid with a grinding snap into the side of the handle, fusing seamlessly. The weapon grew longer, denser, harder transforming into a massive blade carved of living wood, radiating a raw, earthen strength.

Her colossus, Woodzod, wasted no time. With one smooth movement, Sylva swung the enormous wooden sword down toward the shadow giant before her.

The air cracked with the force. The swing was so mighty it ripped a gale across the coliseum, a storming wind that hurled spectators from their seats. Some tumbled to the ground, others clung desperately to railings, and many were forced to bow their heads, unable to withstand the pressure. The sheer weight of the strike was enough to bend necks and crush lungs, even before the sword could land.

And then

THUD.

A deep, resounding shock rippled through the arena. The colossal blade, heavy as mountains, was stopped mid-swing. The shadow giant had raised its own sword, a weapon forged entirely of condensed darkness, and blocked the strike head-on.

The impact sent a shudder through the sky itself, and yet... Razeal’s creation only slid backward a few paces, its feet dragging against the air as if skating upon invisible ground. The sword of shadows held firm, refusing to break.

Inside the darkness, Razeal himself smirked faintly, his voice echoing low within the void. "Ahhh... first time ride. I don’t have much experience with things this big." His tone was laced with both amusement and exhilaration.

Across from him, Sylva’s brows shot higher. "Ohhh... it can block it?" she muttered, unable to disguise her surprise.

Her shock was justified. That one swing had carried the weight of hundred thousand of tons of wood. If she wished, she could cleave through mountains, slice forests into pieces, even raze cities to ash with such a strike. Yet this shadow colossusbthis bizarre construct of liquid black had stopped it with nothing more than a blade of darkness. Even if it had slid back, the sheer fact that it remained intact was absurd.

"Ohhhh... I’m feeling the power~" Razeal whispered within the giant’s core. Around him, thick streams of shadow swirled endlessly, a living current that pressed against his body like viscous liquid. The shadows clung to him, not as if burdened by his presence but as if they delighted in it rejoicing, trembling with excitement at his command.

But alongside the exhilaration came an ache. His brow furrowed as he felt the shadows hungrily devouring his energy. It’s consuming mana like mad, he thought, sharp and calculating even amid the clash. The larger the form, the more it needs... if I keep this up, I’ll be drained dry before long. I need to finish her quickly.

A glint of resolve sharpened in his darkened eyes. And... this is the perfect chance to use Flow.

Razeal had not forgotten his true purpose. His lips curled into a faint grin. Now that he was controlling a body of such vast size, his weapon, too, was grander. The shadow-forged sword stretched long and wide, its surface dense and unyielding, a perfect vessel for Flow. He no longer needed to hold back.

Drawing deep upon the endless shadows around him, Razeal leaned forward, his colossal form rippling with power. He pushed against Sylva’s blade, his strength pouring into his weapon. The shadow sword surged, humming with dark resonance as he pressed forward.

Sylva’s eyes narrowed, her mouth twitching in reluctant admiration as she felt the strain pushing back against her. The very air crackedle with pressure, thunderous snaps echoing around them. Her colossal sword trembled under the weight of his retaliation.

"Impressive..." she whispered, voice almost lost beneath the storm. "I thought it would be hollow. Just a big body, nothing inside. But this strength... it’s real hard. It’s definitely dangerous if hit."

She pushed harder, testing him, feeling the resistance like a duelist gauging her opponent’s skill. But in that instant

CRACK.

The shadow sword suddenly vanished from its locked position. Razeal had pulled back.

Sylva blinked in shock as her entire body lurched forward, momentum dragging her colossus toward the shadow giant. Her strength, applied so forcefully, now betrayed her. She stumbled in her massive wooden body, her balance faltering as the gap between them closed.

And then Razeal’s voice thundered through the air.

"Take this... the Tectonic Slash."

The shadow giant crouched low, its massive frame bending with terrifying precision. Its sword, coiled with unnatural darkness, lowered to the ground. Then, in one swift, brutal motion, it cleaved upward, a slash so immense it split the air itself.

Razeal had unleashed but a fraction a millionth of the true Tectonic Flow. And yet, even that fragment was devastating beyond reason.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The world exploded.

The wood cracked, splitting beneath the pressure of the strike. A thunderous roar echoed through the heavens, shaking wind, wood, and everything alike. The shadow blade tore upward, slamming into Sylva’s colossus with catastrophic force.

CRAAAAACK!

A sharp, shattering sound filled the arena as the impact drove into her wooden giant’s core. Splinters the size of houses erupted outward, raining down across the coliseum like hail.

The force was so immense that her wooden titan her proud colossus was hurled skyward.

WHOOSH!

It rose high, higher, as though blasted by a meteorite’s impact. Wind rushed downward, a gale so strong it might flattene the spectators below. Dust and debris swirled, the earth trembling beneath the sheer might of the clash.

The once-proud wooden colossus soared helplessly into the sky, a victim of overwhelming strength

No one had time to react. The strike landed before most spectators could even register what had happened or what was still happening.

Only a handful of people truly understood.

Inside her chamber, Celestia was the first to sense it. Her perception stretched far beyond ordinary time, and in that moment, everything around her slowed. The world itself seemed to hold its breath. Her eyes narrowed, her lips forming the faintest frown.

"Oh no..." she whispered softly, her voice like silk in the silence of her chamber.

Without hesitation, without wasting even the fraction of a heartbeat, she snapped her fingers.

"Shield of Absolute Platinum."

Her tone was gentle, calm as a drifting petal but the power that answered shook the heavens.

In that instant, before the shockwave could descend, before the airflow could scythe across the coliseum, before the capital below could be damaged or even feel ripple of shockwave, a radiant glow washed outward. A platinum shimmer thin as glass yet infinite in depth stretched across the Capital city if empire of Aetherion.

It appeared faster than the human eye could process. Faster than the wind itself. A barrier of translucent platinum curved over the city, sealing the whole capital beneath its protective embrace.

And then

BOOOOOOOM!

The explosion hit.

The impact slammed into the shield with such force that the very world seemed to cry out. The platinum dome rang like a colossal bell, bending and rippling with the weight of the blow. Wind, debris, raw force all of it struck the shield, only to curve harmlessly away, redirected into the skies above.

From below, the spectators stared upward in disbelief as the half-spherical dome shimmered into view, its surface glowing faintly as the storm of destruction rolled over it. They could see the airflow slam against the invisible barrier, bending sideways like water against rock.

"What the fuck was that?!" one spectator screamed, clutching his head as the ground beneath them trembled. His eyes bulged, staring at the colossal shadow giant still looming in the sky.

Another spectator, pale as death, stammered, "The other one... the wood giant.. it’s gone! Vanished! Where did it go?!"

They couldn’t comprehend it. Something that massive, something that had blotted out the heavens only moments ago, had simply disappeared before their eyes. How could something so large vanish in the blink of an eye?

None of them had answers. They only knew the sound an ear-splitting detonation that had felt like someone had detonated a star beside their ears. The noise was so vast, so consuming, that it was beyond reference.

Among the few who did understand stood Arabella.

"Areaon never stood a chance." Arabella paused whistling~

Her lips parted in silent awe, her sharp eyes following every movement. Unlike the commoners, she had seen it clearly. She had seen the boy swing with a strength that defied reason. She had seen him launch a hundred-thousand kilograms of weight into the sky as effortlessly as one might kick a ball.

Her lips twitching. Her mind reeled. Such strength... at his age?

Even she, with all her experience, with all her battles and knowledge, was surprised. She was a powerhouse, one who understood the depths of mana and the limits of flesh. And she knew, with absolute certainty, that even Areon despite his aura, despite his defenses would have been defeated outright if struck by such an attack.

"Young generation these days..." she muttered, her voice dry, almost bitter. "Wild. Ridiculously wild. I know the imperial brats cheat. I know the dukes and imperial’ children’s are cheating. But this? This isn’t cheating. This is..." Her words trailed off. "How the fuck did he do this?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Wasn’t he supposed to be cast out? And yet... he’s this strong?"

She could not reconcile it. No normal person should be at this level at his age. No amount of talent, no amount of resources, could explain what she had just seen.

And she wasn’t the only one left shaken.

Selena, her face pale, clutched her chest as though trying to steady her heart.

Nancy’s lips trembled, her normally sharp tongue failing her as she stared into the sky with wide, glassy eyes.

Selphira, ever calm and composed, looked utterly shaken, her hands white-knuckled around the edge of her seat.

Even Nova the coldest woman in the empire, the one known for her stoicism, for never once betraying emotion sat frozen, her usually icy mask shattered. Her mouth hung open, her purple eyes wide, as if she too had forgotten how to breathe.

The entire coliseum was united in disbelief.

Above, Sylva’s scream tore through the air.

"What the fuck just happened?!"

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