Shadows of Ascension

91. Elite Hunters

The battlefield stood frozen for a split second, wrapped in the intensity of Aiden’s power. His aura unleashed another devastating wave, expanding outward like a rolling tempest. It devoured the wind, silenced the world, and made the air tremble.

Maxwell groaned as he pushed himself up, his body trembling. Blood dripped down the side of his face.

“Impossible…” he muttered.
“Not even I—with the fastest reflexes among the five generals—could dodge. I couldn’t even tell I was about to be hit…”

With sheer will, Maxwell stood tall, and the others followed.
Their auras flared—burning with defiance, pride, and survival instinct. Each general unleashed their full force, lighting up the air with five different aura signatures.

Aiden dashed forward again—but stopped. His fist hovered just a centimeter away from Dyno Angstrom’s face.

Dyno didn’t even blink.

“You saw through my shield,” he said, breathing heavy.
“Impressive.”

Without hesitation, Aiden pulled back and then struck Dyno square in the stomach. A blast of force sent the hunter flying, his body bouncing across the sand until he slammed into the base of a jagged rock.

“Interesting technique…” Aiden said as he stepped forward.
“Your shield’s no ordinary one. It was designed to withstand even the strongest aura strikes. You used something like an aura blocker—am I right?”

Dyno coughed violently, blood pouring from his mouth as he tried to sit up.

“That’s correct…” Owen answered for him, grimacing.
“The more power you strike him with, the more the shield absorbs and reflects it back. Like punching an unbreakable wall… the more damage you deal, the more damage you take.”

Sylvester’s eyes narrowed.

“He must’ve used his shadow control to bypass the aura blocker. No one’s ever done that before…”

Aiden didn’t wait. He surged forward with explosive force, this time aiming to take the remaining generals all at once.

He launched a devastating double kick. Sylvester and Owen crossed their arms and braced for impact—blocking it just barely. But before even a millisecond passed, Aiden’s fist had already rotated, slamming into Sylvester and catapulting him into Emory Jack Junior behind him.

Owen blinked—and found himself behind Aiden, his own movement too fast for most eyes to follow.

But not fast enough.

Aiden spun—his body a blur of shadow—and delivered a shadow-coated punch directly into Owen’s spine.
A blast of energy erupted from the impact. Owen’s body crumpled to the ground, groaning.

Luca’s eyes were wide, his lips slightly parted.

“That hit… it would’ve taken me out instantly.”

Riona nodded slowly, voice hushed.

“They’re still standing. They’re still fighting. These aren’t ordinary bounty hunters… they’re on another level…”

Aiden moved again. No hesitation. No pause.

The bounty hunter generals exchanged only a glance between them—and that was enough.
A flick of the eye. A subtle shift in weight.
That was all they needed.

No words.
No signals.
Just raw instinct, sharpened by years of battle.

They had already formed a plan.
Aiden was powerful—but he was about to experience the full weight of what it meant to fight the top of the hunters.