SSS Ranked Shadow Monarch: Summoning Infinite Shadows-Chapter 273: Shadow

The ground rumbled beneath Aren. He struggled to keep himself standing as he looked into the distance, right at the statue of the angel. It pulled its sword from the depths of the mountain and gripped it with both hands.

Aren looked on as the massive stone sword in the sky was about to be swung, and he knew that he was the target.

’It’s trying to stop me.’

Aren knew that if he faltered now, he would not be able to save Athena, so it was now or never to charge ahead and ensure he stopped her.

He bombed forward, even as the angel moved slowly into a stance where it could attack from. He kept his eyes in the front, while using shadow sense to ensure that nothing unexpected could happen.

’I have a bad feeling about this trial, with the gods watching and with Elton enraged, this doesn’t seem like it will go well.

Tch, fucking gods, I hate that I have to be manipulated by their desires in this stupid game, sadly it’s the only way to get stronger and ensure I can stand without someone coming to kill me.’

Thoughts tumbled in his mind as he rushed up the mountain, fueled with the sole desire to ensure that the plans that the gods had for them didn’t come to pass, and that they didn’t become a television show.

The statue angel finished its preparation, and then it attacked, swinging its gigantic sword down. It tore through the skies, ripping the clouds apart, the winds rushed aside as it moved, everything gave way for its attack.

Aren felt the sword coming, the massive shadow covered him like a blanket, a veil bringing death and desolation. There was nowhere to run to, nowhere to escape at this very moment from this all-encompassing attack that was before him. Yet his face was calm, like the ponds were ducks’ swamp, his eyes were still, his breathing controlled. Each arm swung forward in perfect rhythm with his legs, he didn’t reduce his stride nor try to change direction.

But underneath all this calm was a raging storm of thought, wondering if the plan that he had would work to avoid the attack.

’Please work, please work.’ He screamed in his mind, a complete difference to the show he put on outside.

"Shadow Form," he muttered as the blade drew close.

BOOM!

The sword collided with the ground, the entire mountain shook from the attack, rocks were displaced, tossed down the side, they rolled down in huge numbers, sizes that ranged from a pebble to a house.

The awakened on the mountain were all shocked and stunned by the rocks that flew down faster than trucks on a free highway. They all rushed to hide, run, or do whatever to protect themselves and not get hit.

The sword split the ground, leaving a crack that traveled for more than a hundred meters, wide enough for several humans to fall into.

If Aren was truly hit by this attack, none of his defenses would hold up.

Lucky for Aren, his shadow form had done the job, he had survived, but was now inside the structure of the sword.

He looked around, but all that he saw was darkness, there was no light inside the compact structure of the sword, he could only rely on his shadow sense now to get him through.

"Keep moving, let’s get out before something else happens," he said to himself, and then charged ahead, running through the sword.

The angel statue seemed to have noticed that Aren was not dead yet, so it pulled its sword back slowly, exposing Aren who was running on the ground. The angel statue had no means to show expression, but if it had one, it would be showing one of shock.

’It’s going to attack again, I have to run faster.’

Aren pressed against the ground hard, his feet exploding off a rock, his stride wider, he covered a hundred meters in barely two seconds.

"Get to the top, get to the stop," he muttered under his breath.

The angel slowly moved into position again, this time it got ready for a slash.

"Shit, a slash is bad, the wind from it will surely blast me back," Aren deduced, he didn’t want to have to risk another attack again, so rather than keep running, he decided to try something else.

His shadows were all far now, and so pinpointing a single one from the ground would be a delicate task. He decided to wing everything and give it a go.

"Switch," Aren said, and instantly vanished, taking the position of one of his goblins.

The moment he appeared, he felt the air change, it was weighty, and he felt sluggish instantly, like moving through syrup.

He spread out shadow sense, but that was stopped immediately, a force refused to allow him. So he looked up, and there he saw Athena and Lily, but they were not alone, numerous other awakened stood with Lily, all facing Athena and her army of shadows.

Aren could already guess the situation that had taken shape, but he needed to be sure, so he walked up, calm, collected, his presence calling for attention immediately.

Everyone looked, their faces twisted when they saw him, many of them knew him.

"Aren," Athena called out as he stepped beside her.

"What’s happening, Athena?" Aren asked.

"When they saw the shadows, they knew you were close, and so they decided to stand and stop you from reaching the angel," Athena explained.

"Ahhh, I see," Aren muttered, he looked up at the awakened, "if this is the case, I can assume that you’ll not listen to whatever I have to say," Aren asked, not an actual question, it was rhetorical.

The group across kept their silence, everyone already knew that.

Someone stepped forward and then spoke, "Regardless of your strength, you’ll not reach the angel, you are not the strongest awakened after all, you are not Shadow."