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Conqueror of the Verse
By ColdLink Writer
CHAPTER XXVIII
The Feast of Shadows
Arc 2 – The Shadow Conspiracy
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Darkness swallowed the forest.
Not the natural darkness of night…
But something heavier.
Something alive.
The moonlight that once filtered through the trees had completely vanished, devoured by the expanding shadow wings of Nytheris.
The clearing no longer felt like part of the human world.
It felt like a fragment of the Abyss itself.
Lucas stood at the edge of the battlefield, his crimson eyes glowing faintly as he observed everything carefully.
"…Yeah."
"This is definitely getting out of hand."
The air had changed.
It had weight now.
Every breath felt heavier, as if the atmosphere itself resisted movement.
But in the center of that suffocating darkness—
Kashihero stood unmoving.
His katana rested in his hand.
The thin line of blood connecting his finger to the blade pulsed faintly like a heartbeat.
Across from him, Nytheris hovered slightly above the ground.
Its massive shadow wings stretched across the sky like a curtain of night.
Violet eyes burned in the darkness.
Cold.
Patient.
Predatory.
"You do not retreat."
Nytheris's voice echoed across the battlefield.
It wasn't loud.
But it carried everywhere.
Kashihero didn't respond.
His gaze remained fixed on the shadow sovereign.
Lucas crossed his arms.
"He doesn't do that."
Nytheris tilted its head slightly.
"I see."
Then—
The shadows moved.
Without warning, the darkness beneath Kashihero erupted.
Dozens of shadow spears shot upward like a storm of blades.
Kashihero moved instantly.
His katana flashed.
Steel met shadow in a rapid sequence of strikes.
Clang. Slash. Break.
Each movement was precise.
Efficient.
But the attacks didn't stop.
The shadows kept forming.
More spears.
More blades.
More pressure.
Lucas narrowed his eyes.
"…This isn't a normal attack."
Nytheris wasn't simply attacking.
It was overwhelming.
Testing limits.
Measuring reactions.
Kashihero stepped forward.
Instead of retreating—
He advanced.
The katana cut through another wave of shadow spears.
The moment his blade connected—
Something changed.
The shadows didn't simply disappear.
They were… consumed.
Lucas blinked.
"…Wait."
"That's new."
The faint black particles from the destroyed spears were drawn toward Kashihero.
Absorbed into his body.
Nytheris noticed it immediately.
Its violet eyes sharpened.
"…You can devour even this?"
Kashihero's voice remained calm.
"Yes."
Lucas let out a low whistle.
"Okay…"
"That's actually insane."
Because shadow energy…
Was not something normal beings could absorb.
It was unstable.
Corruptive.
But Kashihero's Carnivorous skill didn't care.
If it existed—
It could be devoured.
Nytheris slowly descended to the ground.
Its wings folded slightly behind it.
"You adapt quickly."
Kashihero stepped forward again.
The energy around him began to change.
The faint presence of the powers he had devoured before started to surface.
Lucas noticed it instantly.
"Oh…"
"He's stacking it."
The first layer—
A dense aura of raw physical enhancement.
Strength.
Speed.
Endurance.
The power taken from defeated enemies.
The second layer—
A sharper, more refined energy.
The techniques of the Hollow Sigil elders.
Controlled.
Precise.
Deadly.
Nytheris watched silently.
Its voice was softer now.
"…So this is how you grow."
Kashihero didn't respond.
But his presence had already changed.
The ground beneath his feet cracked slightly.
The air trembled.
Lucas smirked.
"Now we're talking."
Nytheris raised one hand.
Dark energy gathered again.
But this time—
It condensed differently.
Not into weapons.
Not into spears.
But into a single point.
A dense sphere of shadow formed above its palm.
The surrounding darkness was pulled into it.
Compressed.
Condensed.
Lucas's expression changed immediately.
"…That's not good."
Nytheris spoke calmly.
"Let us test your limits."
The sphere pulsed once.
Then—
It shot forward.
The speed was unreal.
Kashihero reacted instantly.
His katana moved.
The blade cut across the incoming attack.
For a moment—
Time seemed to stop.
Then—
BOOM.
The impact exploded.
A massive shockwave tore through the forest.
Trees shattered.
The ground split open.
Dust and debris filled the air.
Lucas jumped back several meters.
"Yeah…"
"That's definitely worse."
When the dust began to settle—
Kashihero was still standing.
But his position had changed.
He had been pushed back.
A long mark carved into the ground behind him.
His katana was still raised.
But the blade trembled slightly.
Nytheris observed silently.
"You endured it."
Lucas smirked.
"Of course he did."
But Kashihero's eyes had changed.
The hunger inside him had grown stronger.
That attack…
It wasn't just power.
It was energy worth devouring.
Kashihero stepped forward again.
This time—
Faster.
Much faster.
He vanished.
Nytheris reacted instantly.
Shadow wings moved.
Darkness surged.
But Kashihero had already reached him.
The katana cut downward.
A precise, controlled strike.
Nytheris blocked it—
But something unexpected happened.
The moment the blade connected—
The shadow armor cracked.
Lucas's eyes widened.
"…He broke it."
Nytheris stepped back slightly.
For the first time—
Its movements weren't completely effortless.
"You are evolving mid-battle."
Kashihero spoke quietly.
"Yes."
Lucas laughed.
"Yeah, he does that too."
Nytheris's wings expanded again.
The darkness thickened.
The pressure increased.
But Kashihero didn't slow down.
He attacked again.
And again.
Each strike carried more power than the last.
Each movement sharper.
Faster.
More precise.
The devoured abilities were synchronizing.
Blending.
Becoming his own.
Nytheris countered.
Shadow blades clashed against steel.
Darkness collided with devouring force.
The forest trembled with every impact.
Lucas watched carefully.
His usual relaxed expression had disappeared.
"…This is bad."
Because he understood something now.
Nytheris was still holding back.
And yet—
Kashihero was already being pushed to evolve.
Nytheris raised its hand again.
This time—
The shadows behind it surged violently.
Multiple figures began forming.
Humanoid shapes.
Made entirely of darkness.
Lucas frowned.
"Are you serious?"
Five.
Ten.
Twenty.
Shadow soldiers emerged from the darkness.
Each one radiating a fragment of Nytheris's power.
The clearing filled with them.
Nytheris spoke calmly.
"If you wish to devour…"
"…then devour them."
Lucas sighed.
"Yeah, that's definitely a trap."
But Kashihero didn't hesitate.
Instead—
He smiled.
A cold, calm smile.
Then—
He moved.
The katana flashed through the darkness.
One shadow soldier was cut down.
Its body dissolved instantly.
And the energy—
Was devoured.
Kashihero moved again.
Another.
Then another.
Each kill made him stronger.
Faster.
More dangerous.
Lucas's eyes widened slightly.
"…He's using them."
Nytheris observed silently.
Its violet eyes gleamed.
"Good."
The battlefield turned chaotic.
Shadows and steel clashed endlessly.
Kashihero moved like a storm.
Cutting through the shadow soldiers one by one.
Devouring their energy.
Growing stronger with every strike.
But something was building.
Something deeper.
The more he devoured—
The more unstable the energy became.
Lucas noticed it.
"Kashihero…"
"…don't overdo it."
But Kashihero didn't stop.
Because for the first time—
He felt it.
A threshold.
Something inside him was close to breaking.
Nytheris raised its hand once more.
The remaining shadow soldiers surged forward all at once.
A final wave.
A final test.
Kashihero stood in the center.
Surrounded.
His katana glowing faintly.
The blood line pulsing faster.
Lucas clenched his fists.
"…What are you doing?"
Kashihero closed his eyes.
Just for a moment.
Then—
He moved.
Faster than before.
The blade became a blur.
One strike.
Five shadows vanished.
Second strike.
Ten more.
Third—
Everything exploded.
A massive burst of energy tore through the clearing.
All shadow soldiers were destroyed instantly.
And their energy—
Was devoured.
The forest fell silent.
Nytheris stood still.
Watching.
Kashihero slowly opened his eyes.
The air around him had changed completely.
He exhaled slowly.
Lucas stared at him.
"…You broke something, didn't you?"
Kashihero didn't answer.
But the faint aura around him had deepened.
Stabilized.
Nytheris spoke quietly.
"…Interesting."
Its wings slowly folded.
"For now…"
"…this is enough."
Lucas blinked.
"Wait, what?"
Nytheris turned away.
"The Devourer has potential."
Its voice echoed through the forest.
"But you are still incomplete."
Kashihero didn't move.
Nytheris continued.
"Grow stronger."
The shadows began gathering around it again.
"Because when we meet again…"
"…this forest will not survive the battle."
Lucas frowned.
"Yeah, I don't like the sound of that."
Nytheris disappeared into the darkness.
The pressure vanished.
The forest slowly returned to normal.
Silence remained.
Lucas exhaled deeply.
"…That was exhausting."
He looked at Kashihero.
"You okay?"
Kashihero stood still for a moment.
Then slowly—
He sheathed his katana.
"Yes."
Lucas sighed.
"Good."
But even as the battle ended…
One question remained.
Because now—
The Abyss had sent not one…
But multiple entities after them.
And the terrifying truth slowly settled in—
If this was only the beginning…
then what kind of monsters were waiting when the real war started?
---End of chapter XXVIII---