Shadows of Ascension

83. The hunt begins

Luca's mind races as he walks beside Aiden and Riona. 

"How long has that thing been following us? It’s been weeks since we fought Shadowbane… has it been watching us this whole time?"

He glances at Aiden, who walks silently, his face unreadable. 

"And more importantly… Aiden only sensed it when we left the cave system. Does that mean his shadow-sensing ability is stronger than before? But how? He’s been sitting around, doing nothing… so how is he getting stronger?"

Luca keeps these thoughts to himself, but the unease lingers. 

--- 

Meanwhile, near the peak of a towering mountain that separates the Lawless Area from the Pathway beyond the Well of Fate… 

Mr. Yun stands still in the raging blizzard, his sharp eyes locked on a shadowed figure approaching through the snow. His trusted yeti companion stands beside him, growling lowly. 

"Who is it that I’m facing?" Mr. Yun asks, his voice steady despite the cold. 

The wind howls, but the dark figure continues its approach, wrapped in a mysterious black cloak. The air around it pulses with a sinister presence. 

"That dark aura… it can’t be…" Mr. Yun’s expression hardens. 

Before he can react, the figure moves. A flurry of rapid attacks, too fast for the eye to follow—even for someone with 152 years of combat experience. 

Mr. Yun is knocked backward, skidding through the snow. 

The yeti roars and lunges, intercepting the next attack. It holds its ground, claws clashing against the enemy’s dark energy. 

Mr. Yun rises, shaking off the snow, but suddenly—an army appears out of thin air. 

Not men. 

Dead corpses.

"Necromancy." 

Despite his age, Mr. Yun’s reflexes remain unmatched. He moves like lightning, cutting through the undead with deadly precision. His blade slashes, his aura flares. One by one, they fall. 

The battle between the yeti and the dark figure grows more intense. But then— 

The enemy knocks the yeti back and floats into the air. 

Mr. Yun exhales sharply. 

"I see… So it’s you."

He releases a powerful wave of aura, paralyzing the entire undead army. Though fatigued, he steps forward, eyes locked on the enemy. 

"You’re the necromancer," he says coldly. "What do you want?" 

A deep, eerie laugh echoes through the blizzard. 

"Mordecai Shadowbane," the figure replies. "I’m surprised you can still hold on, Master Yun. But your days of glory end here. You will make a fine addition to my army of corpses." 

As Shadowbane hovers, his eyes glow—bright, unnatural. 

Then, something changes. 

The B-rank symbol on his chest shifts and morphs. 

An unmistakable new mark takes its place. 

A-rank. 

Mr. Yun’s breath catches. "It can’t be… So soon?" 

Shadowbane attacks. 

Mr. Yun raises his weapon, but the yeti leaps in front of him. 

A fatal mistake. 

Shadowbane’s blade cleaves through the yeti, splitting it in half. 

Mr. Yun barely has time to react before another strike comes. Their clash shakes the mountain itself. 

"Are you after the Shadow User?" Mr. Yun grits out, blood trailing from his lips. 

Shadowbane grins. "You got that right, old man… You fought well." 

His aura surges. 

"But it all ends now." 

Shadowbane releases a devastating attack. 

A flash of darkness. 

A mountain splits in two. 

Blizzard winds swallow Mr. Yun’s body as he falls. His voice is faint, but clear. 

"Good… luck… A-Aiden…" 

His eyes close. 

And the mountain crumbles. 

Far away, within the desert… 

Landslides erupt in every direction as the catastrophic event unfolds. Even hundreds of kilometers away, Aiden, Riona, and Luca can feel it—a pulse of sheer destruction shaking the earth beneath them. 

The sand trembles. 

The wind howls. 

Riona looks up. "Did you feel that?" 

Luca’s fists clench. "Something terrible just happened." 

Aiden stares at the distant horizon. His gut twists with an unease he can’t explain. 

Somewhere, out there… 

Shadowbane is coming.