Rise Of The Infinite Sovereign-Chapter 444: !

The three remaining shadows seem to sense his fatigue and promptly take advantage of it.

They moved faster, their attacks now viciously coordinated.

Ezra finds himself on the defensive, parrying claw strikes from all directions.

A sudden sharp pain shot through his side as one of the shadows manages to land a hit.

Ezra staggers but doesn’t fall, retaliating with a fiery slash that forces the shadow to retreat.

He activates universal concealment, but...

’As expected. I’m just losing more energy’

While the concealment did activate and his presence lay hidden, it didn’t make him intangible.

Therefore, the skill is simply another outward usage of his energy from which the environment can siphon, thus rendering it a burden.

Ezra determined that these shadows are beasts created by this section of the island as a defence mechanism, rather than independent lifeforms like the elemental beasts from the fire island.

<Life seeker> is rendered ineffective because it might not register such creatures as living, not to mention that the ray of energy sent out could be absorbed before it can return.

’Is retreating the only option?’ Ezra ponders.

The battle has begun to drag and Ezra’s energy levels have fallen before half point.

That much energy, when factoring the cursed environment, wouldn’t be enough to defeat the remaining three shadows.

If he pushed forward using the same tactics earlier, Ezra estimates he would only be able to take down two of them at most, before completely emptying his reserves to be at the mercy of the remaining shadow.

Of course, he could kill the other two and then run away to the sovereign universe.

’But I don’t want to do that’

So, Ezra is forced to think intensively on how to get past the obstacle before him.

But the shadow’s weren’t waiting for him to find an answer.

They had already entered close proximity once more and this time, they looked determined to draw blood.

To this, Ezra throws a fireball at them, and to his shock, the shadows immediately move away from the fireball’s trajectory and into a section of darkness, all as one.

Their previous panicking and erratic movements had all but disappeared.

’Well, that’s not good’

It’s proof that they too had grown quite a bit from the short encounter.

’Perhaps I should have learned more from Mr. Kovar?’ Ezra wonders, with the situation becoming more difficult by the moment.

The skill he honed during the short training was efficiently concentrating his energy and maximizing its effectiveness.

Usually, a large portion of the energy he sought into his attacks leaked out, causing a lot of waste, which is why Ezra has not been able to break Kovar’s barrier during his inauguration.

It was this training that allowed to further use his energy efficiently in terms of energy strikes.

Which is what had allowed Ezra to cut through the minotaurs hide back at the fire island.

A half assed attack like he usually did would have simply dispersed upon contact during the minotaur fight.

In anycase, this is not the point of contention.

’There has to be a way to take down these three, but how...?’

With the shadows eagerly approaching, Ezra hurriedly retreats, taking more than twenty steps backwards while looking through his system skills.

’Is there really no skill here that can help me?’

The next moment, his gaze falls on a skill he had been unable to test out properly and swept aside due to a lack of interest in its functions all this time.

But Ezra clearly recollects that the skill took a large amount of energy to activate, making him hesitant.

After four seconds of consideration, Ezra simply shrugs.

’If it doesn’t work, I’ll just run away to my universe’

After all, <Gatekeeper> didn’t cost him energy to use.

"Phewww....."

Exhaling, Ezra sprints towards the shadows, who respond in kind, eager for the confrontation.

As the distance closed, his thoughts sharpened.

"This had better work," he muttered, gripping Skyfall tighter.

At four feet, the shadows lunged, claws aimed for vital points.

Ezra exhales sharply, pouring his remaining energy into the skill.

"<Sovereign’s Space>!"

The air around him warps, rippling like disturbed water.

A radiant pulse of energy erupts from Ezra, spreading in a perfect sphere around him.

The moment Ezra activated his Sovereign’s Space, time seemed to pause, growing still before the effects of the skill rapidly manifest.

The world around him seemed to exhale and collapse inward.

A deep, resounding hum echoes through the air as the surrounding space fractures, cracks splintering outward in a perfect circle with Ezra at its epicenter.

These fractures glow faintly with an otherworldly radiance, like veins of molten silver coursing through glass, creating the boundary of his dominion.

Within this space, the landscape transformed into an abstract representation of command and rule.

The ground beneath Ezra’s feet became an endless expanse of polished black obsidian, reflecting his form with a distorted clarity.

The air itself felt heavier, charged with an invisible authority that bent all things to its presence.

An ethereal glow emanates from Ezra’s figure, lighting up the surroundings.

The darkness rapidly tears away as though retreating from the space, the oppressive atmosphere replaced by the distinct presence of his universe.

Above him, a fragmented crown of multicoloured energy, mirroring the chaotic symphony of cosmic forces shimmers into existence.

It lay incomplete but imposing, a visual testament to the domain’s governing concept.

Despite dripping with regality and majesty, Ezra shudders violently as the skill takes effect.

A wave of exhaustion hits him like a hammer, his legs threatening to buckle.

Yet, despite the fatigue, something extraordinary was happening.

His breathing steadies, his senses expanding, enveloping every inch of the sphere he had created.

It wasn’t just an extension of perception—Ezra felt the space around him as if it were part of his body.

He could feel the shadows’ movements as vibrations in the air, sense the flow of energy they radiated, and even perceive the faint pulses of whatever power birthed them.

The shadows hesitate, their forms flickering and writhing, caught off guard by the sudden change in their environment.

The horizon of the Sovereign’s Space blurs, a hazy border where reality struggles to reconcile with Ezra’s claim.

Beyond it, the section of darkness persists, untouched.

This is not a realm of destruction, nor one of mercy—it was a realm of control.

Everything within the space vibrated with a singular truth: here, Ezra was the law.

And while his grasp on that authority was fledgling and imperfect, the raw potential of the Sovereign’s Space sent shivers through even his own veins.

Ezra’s eyes gleam, his fatigue momentarily forgotten as he basks in the feeling of omnipotence that engulfs him.

His gaze loses focus as he becomes more in tune with the sovereign space, his expression portraying utter wonder as though transcending after gaining enlightenment.

"In here...I can do anything" Ezra declares, turning his gaze to the three shadows caught in his grasp.

He could feel his energy no longer being siphoned.

’But on other hand, it isn’t recovering either’ he notes.

Testing out his claim, Ezra stretches his right arm towards the shadows.

The shadows snarl—if such soundless entities could snarl—their movements frantic as they tested the boundaries of Ezra’s space, utterly befuddled at the disappearance of their realm.

Such a thing lay beyond their comprehension.

But they seemed to understand that there would be no escape, so they did as they originally would and charged towards Ezra.

Taking a lazy pose embodying peak relaxation, Ezra’s eyes glow, and simultaneously, space bends, melding like clay.

Most surprisingly, this only occurs within the perimeter of the sphere where the shadows lay in.

Ezra’s perimeter remained as normal.

The shadows and the cursed section that had cornered him now seemed distant.

They felt so feeble, so fragile—like paper that could be crushed or torn apart at any time.

Ezra gestures with his hands, and like a lie, the melding space straightens, with the shadows still disorientated.

Renewing his intent, a large green sigil forms in the air, before shattering into crumbles which promptly disappear.

To this, the space undergoes another change with the shadows becoming completely still as though frozen or turned to sculptures.

"Hoo..." Ezra exhales. Surprised that his intuition had come to fruition.

"Incredible"

Right now, the shadows...lay frozen in time.

With only intent, he had frozen time within only a section of the sphere.

Such capabilities....!

Ezra’s mind couldn’t help but run wild.

’With this! With this! I’ll be able to defeat any-

*COUGH!*

His monologue is forced to an end as blood violently spews out of his mouth,

With it came all the pain he had momentarily pushed aside.

"Urgh!"

A groan escapes his lips as his brain begins to throb painfully, with blood streaming down his nostrils.

’My head!’

As the pain begins to intensify, Ezra’s breathing turns ragged and raspy.

[Ezra!]

The sure advisor arrives to aid just at the right time.

[The sovereign space relies on your mental power to function and establish attacks. End this quickly or your brain will be cooked!]

"Let’s end this," Ezra mutters, his voice steady.

Nodding, Ezra darts towards the three shadows, releasing them from time freeze because of its toll on his mind.

Still, the shadow lay disoriented as Ezra pounced on them.

With Skyfall in both hands, he cleaves through the first shadow, the blade glowing with concentrated energy.

The shadow disintegrated upon contact, its form dissolving into nothingness.

The other two shadows make distance, scattering in both directions as they slithered about him warily.

They no longer had the advantage of invisibility or the cursed environment draining Ezra’s strength.

Ezra doesn’t give them time to regroup.

He dashes towards the nearest one, his movements precise and fluid.

The creature retaliates, its claws swiping at him with desperation.

Ezra ducks under the strike, spinning to deliver a clean slash that tore through its midsection.

Like the first, it evaporated, leaving only one remaining.

The final shadow, perhaps sensing its impending doom, attempted to retreat into the darkness at the edges of Ezra’s space.

But the Sovereign’s Space left it with no place to hide.

Ezra extends his hand, summoning a small orb of condensed flame.

The light illuminates the shadow’s form, forcing it to confront him directly.

"You’re not getting away," Ezra said, throwing the orb with pinpoint accuracy.

The flame struck the shadow, engulfing it in searing light.

Its form twisted and screeched silently as it was consumed, vanishing without a trace.

With the last shadow defeated, Ezra let out a long breath, lowering Skyfall, canceling the skill.

The Sovereign Space shimmers and fades, its otherworldly visage gone in seconds, as the crown shatters into particles as well, it’s ethereal shine disappearing with it.

The cursed darkness promptly pressing in once more, quick to reclaim its lands.

Utterly fatigued, the throbbing in Ezra’s head reduces bit by bit as he gasps for breath, his chest heaving violently as his knees finally buckle, giving into the stress.

He sits on the dark, cold ground, placing both swords in front of him as he holds a meditative pose to begin recovery.

While doing so, he extends his senses to be on the lookout for any enemy.

He expected for those five shadows to be all there was, but if he happens to be wrong, Ezra intends to flee into the sovereign universe the moment he notices a presence.

So for now, he waits for either a new beast, or, his reward.

All while refreshing the smile on his face.

The fight had cost him a significant amount of energy, but it had also revealed new depths to his abilities.

So Ezra was thankful for such hardships.

Because through it, he had grown stronger once again.

Half a minute passes with Ezra awaiting his reward.

When finally, a change occurs.

The oppressive and stifling darkness covering the section diminished, making it easier to breath. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

Then, a faint light appears in the distance—the sign of an exit.

Ezra chuckled weakly. "Looks like I passed"

Forcing himself to his feet, he returns Skyfall back to its scythe form and began trudging toward the light, each step heavier than the last.