Chapter 80: CH: 80
Two days later, I found myself in the woods again. Not for training this time.
Someone had been tailing me from the shadows, and I was done pretending not to notice.
The wind barely moved. Every branch, every leaf, felt like it was waiting for something to happen.
"Show yourself—"
clang!
My dagger met another mid-swing, sparks bursting like fireflies in the dark.
’Not on my watch,’
I swung again, muscles coiling like steel wires.
Crack!
My attack hit, but the first sound wasn’t metal — it was the sharp snap of my own tendons contracting and expanding at outrageous speed.
The impact sent the intruder skidding back twenty steps before getting a footing.
When my eyes adjusted, I recognized her as the teleporting woman from the hotel.
"H... How?" Her pupils shrank from confusion.
"Oh?" I chuckled, lowering my blade slightly. "Surprised I could detect you?"
She straightened her back, and kept her guards up.
The arrogance she flaunted that night vanished the instant one of her proudest skills failed.
Well, technically it didn’t fail.
My body moved faster now—fast enough to feel the air twist, snap my limbs into motion, and counter before her killing blow even landed.
"Answer me. How the hell did you do that? You weren’t anywhere near this fast before."
My grin widened. I still remember the night she made me feel small, powerless. Watching her falter now—yeah, that was a sweet payback, and my ego’s eating well.
"You’ve got it wrong. I didn’t ’get stronger’—I was just holding back at the hotel. Didn’t want to show off too much. Curse of being naturally humble and low-key—"
Her body vanished before my eyes, but the sudden rush of displaced air whispered against my cheek, betraying her location
I pivoted, muscles coiling like steel springs under strain, just in time to throw a punch.
thud!
She skidded across the dirt, scraping against stones and leaves.
Now that I stopped her twice in a row, my confidence shot through the roof.
"tsk, tsk." I wagged a finger playfully
"You really don’t listen. You know, violent women tend to have a harder time keeping long term relationships. We like them soft and tender, not tough and homicidal."
"So you’ve been pretending to be a sheep all this time?"
She raised her silver dagger. It wasn’t just a blade, it was shaped like those artificial talons.
"That’s what I’ve been saying all along," I responded with a heavy and tired sighed.
"And you think you’re a big shot now, just because you blocked two of my attacks?"
She sneered, the corner of her mouth twitching downward.
"You’re not the only one who’s been holding back."
The air around her went wild; the temperature dropped, and the trees began to sway, as if bracing for a storm.
Anyone else would have been intimidated by that display, but I already expected this outcome. People only show their true power when they’re backed into a corner.
That was exactly why I baited her into this fight. It wasn’t just about my ego. I also wanted to see my current level.
"You’ll regret this." Her dagger trembled, releasing a misty white glow. "In the dark, nothing survives me."
I almost laughed in her face. The nerve. Saying that to the heir of the Shadow Emperor’s power.
To rub it in, I also inherited the Moon-Devouring Style and the Moonlight Dragon Spear.
In other words, darkness doesn’t just tolerate me—I’m their goddamn boss.
Raising my hand, I let the dagger slip from my grasp, its form dissolving into the darkness. No sound, no trace—gone, as if it had never existed.
Then, just as fast, the night shuddered. Shadows erupted from my feet, writhing and twisting, converging on me in a spiral.
They braided around my limbs, coiling, tightening, amplifying my presence, bending the darkness to my will.
"I’m not done yet."
In my grasp, the Moonlight Dragon Spear blinked into existence—its blade howling in resonance with me.
My eyes glowed—twin slits of neon green that carved through the dark, the kind of gaze only found in predators at the very top of the food chain.
For a fraction of a second, her fingers trembled on the hilt, the unspoken fear from my display of power flashing across her eyes.
"Don’t be so surprised. Daggers are pretty fun, but holding a spear feels more natural."
"You think switching toys will make a difference?" she tightened her grip on her weapon. "You’ll still bleed the same—"
SWOOOSH!
She froze as my spear whispered past her ear—snagging a few strands of hair, and grazing her skin.
Had I not pulled back at the last second, her pretty face would have been destroyed completely.
A heartbeat later the spear reappeared in my hand. Just me exploiting the system’s item-card features.
If it’s within twenty meters, I just snap my fingers and any item returns to me.
"Switching toys?" I tilted my head. "Careful — it kills the distracted."
She was lost for words. The cut on her cheek still whispering heat.
The distance between us wasn’t more than twenty paces, but it felt like standing in the middle of detonating bomb.
Somewhere above, the moon blinked behind clouds. The moment it vanished—she did too.
A sudden rush of cold air brushed past my cheek—the telltale signature of her blink. I twisted instinctively, the motion snapping my spear into her projected path.
clang!
Sparks exploded. The shaft caught her blade in mid-arc.
"You’re faster," she hissed in annoyance, "but not fast enough to contend with me."
Before my eyes even processed it, she blinked behind me, dagger arcing for a killing blow.
Crash!
My spear spun in reverse, the butt-end catching her wrist and redirecting the strike skyward.
The force rattled her bones; and she got away before she took more damage.
"Running again?" I taunted, turning my head just enough for her to see my confident grin "You’ll wear yourself out before you even touch me."
"Cocky bastard."
She reappeared directly above me, daggers gleaming in both hands.
Unfortunately for her, such attacks were a bad matchup for me.
"Moon Reflection!"
I gripped the spear with both hands and spun it, faster than sight could track. The blade blurred into a halo of silver and shadow, shredding the air itself.
She teleported out just before the rotation could swallow her — smart move. A second slower, and she would be in pieces.
By the time she reappeared beside me, my eyes were already locked on her.
"Predictable," I muttered, tilting the spear’s handle and catching her strike with the flat end.
The clash cracked like thunder. She rebounded off the pressure, flipping before landing on a branch.
"H... How... where did you learn to fight like this?" she panted, buying herself a few more seconds.
As expected, the constant teleporting was scorching her stamina—no ability that overpowered could be used continuously without a high cost.
"Let’s just say I was born this way." I slammed the butt of the spear into the dirt, the impact sending a shiver through the forest floor.
"So... what now?" I let my gaze sweep over her "You going to keep fighting, or are you ready to admit defeat?"