Shadows of Ascension

86. The Awakening of Fear

Luca grips Aiden’s hand and pulls himself up, exhausted but alive. His wounds are deep, but Riona wastes no time—she grabs his palms and begins healing him with her aura. 

Across from them, Sylvester Somniac struggles against his frozen state, his rage boiling over. 

"Come face me, you coward!" he roars. "You let another person intervene! That does not make you a true warrior. At least kill me and my men! We have lost the battle—we will not take this shame!" 

Luca glances at Aiden. 

Aiden exhales. "It’s true. We can’t leave you stuck like that, unable to move," he admits. Then his eyes narrow. "But I never kill." 

Sylvester glares at him, eyes filled with defiance. 

"Luca," Aiden continues, his voice firm. "Use all your remaining energy to create a shield for yourself and Riona. Riona, assist him to make it more stable and powerful." 

Luca and Riona exchange glances but follow his command. 

As they focus on their shield, Aiden does something unexpected. His aura begins to surge—rising, intensifying, growing denser and heavier with every second. 

The air becomes suffocating. 

The enemy hunters, still paralyzed, start trembling. One by one, they pass out, unable to withstand the sheer force of his presence. 

"I can feel it..." Luca mutters, sweat dripping from his forehead. 

"Me too..." Riona gasps, struggling to maintain the shield. "It's… too intense!" 

"Aiden!" Luca shouts. "This is too much power!" 

Aiden stops. 

The battlefield falls silent. Every enemy has collapsed. 

But one remains conscious. 

Sylvester, though barely able to breathe, is still awake. 

"He’s still standing," Aiden observes. 

Sylvester's body shakes, his limbs refusing to move properly, but his mind is clear. 

"Such insane aura..." he thinks. "That guy is stronger than me..." 

Aiden walks toward him. 

"That’s right. This guy is a B-rank hunter—and he’s stronger than Luca, too. He’s tough."

Aiden sighs. "I guess I have to knock you out the old-fashioned way." 

Before Sylvester can react, Aiden grabs his throat in a vice-like grip. 

Sylvester thrashes, but Aiden’s strength is absolute. Slowly, his struggling weakens. His vision darkens. And then— 

He’s out.

Aiden drops Sylvester’s unconscious body. 

"They’ll be down for a while," he says. "Let’s move before other hunters arrive." 

Luca and Riona glance at each other as they follow Aiden, their minds racing. 

"He fights like nothing happened. Like he didn’t just defeat an entire group of hunters without breaking a sweat."

"Admirable… incredible…" they whisper to each other. 

Two hours later.

Sylvester and his men begin to stir. Some wake up groggily, others faster, helping their comrades regain consciousness. 

Sylvester presses his hand to his head, still feeling the aftershocks of Aiden’s overwhelming aura. 

"I think around two hours have passed," he mutters. He glances around. "Surprisingly, no enemy hunters have come to steal from us. No bounty hunters have come to finish us off." 

"Indeed, sir," one of his men replies. "I wonder—" 

The man freezes. 

A cold hand grips his shoulder. 

His body locks up. 

A chilling voice speaks. 

"No one came because I was waiting for you to wake up." 

Sylvester’s blood turns to ice. 

The voice is calm. Too calm.

"I killed every single one of those who tried to rob you." 

Without hesitation, Sylvester draws his axe and swings.

CLANG!

The stranger stops the heavy weapon with his bare hand.

Sylvester’s eyes widen in disbelief. 

"I wouldn’t do that if I were you," the stranger says. 

The grip on Sylvester’s weapon tightens. He can feel the sheer **strength** in that hold—it’s like trying to move a mountain. 

"Who… are you?" Sylvester growls, pushing harder against the stranger’s hand. 

The stranger leans in slightly. 

"I could have killed you all here and now." 

His voice is cold. Unnaturally cold. 

"But I didn’t." 

He whispers the words, and somehow, they echo in their ears, as if the sound itself was alive. 

A dark aura begins to seep from the man’s body. It is not normal—it is not even human.

The bounty hunters tremble.

Sylvester’s fingers twitch. He can’t hold his axe. 

He drops it.

"W-Who are you? W-What do you want?" Sylvester stammers, his voice weak—fearful.

The stranger steps forward. 

"I want your assistance."

He finally reveals his name. 

"I’m Shadowbane."