The forest exploded into motion.
Jade descended from the sky like a black meteor.
His crimson greatsword carved downward, dragging a trail of blood-red flames behind it.
Silent Fang didn't even attempt to block.
Instead...
It simply disappeared.
BOOM!
Jade's sword smashed into the earth.
The ground split apart.
Ancient roots burst upward.
Several nearby trees collapsed under the force of the impact.
Before Jade could recover—
Something slammed into his side.
CRACK!
He felt at least three ribs fracture instantly.
His body was sent flying across the clearing before crashing through two massive trees.
Blood escaped his lips.
His vision blurred.
"...Too fast..."
The Awakened Demon slowly emerged from the dust.
It wasn't rushing anymore.
It walked.
Calmly.
Confidently.
As though it already knew the outcome of the battle.
Its crimson eyes never left Jade.
Every step carried terrifying pressure.
Jade forced himself back to his feet.
His breathing had become ragged.
His essence reserves had already dropped by nearly half.
Every time Silent Fang's claws touched him, a portion of his essence vanished.
If this continued...
He wouldn't lose because of his injuries.
He would simply run out of essence.
The wolf suddenly opened its mouth.
No roar came.
No sound at all.
The entire forest...
Became silent.
The wind stopped.
Leaves no longer rustled.
Even Jade's own heartbeat disappeared from his ears.
The silence itself felt unnatural.
Then Beast Sense screamed.
Danger.
Jade instinctively threw himself sideways.
A silver blur flashed past his previous position.
The creature hadn't attacked from the front.
It had circled behind him without producing even the slightest sound.
"So that's your ability..."
Jade whispered, though even he couldn't hear his own voice.
It wasn't merely fast.
It hunted inside absolute silence.
Without sound, an opponent couldn't judge distance, direction, or timing.
Every attack became impossible to predict.
The wolf attacked again.
One claw.
Two.
Three.
Jade blocked the first strike.
The second tore through his shoulder.
The third slashed across his thigh.
Blood soaked the forest floor.
His obsidian vines were beginning to crack.
The armor that had protected him throughout the Trial could no longer withstand the difference in rank.
Jade staggered backward.
His shadow continued watching.
Still wandering.
Still behaving like an uninterested child.
"...At least help..."
The shadow looked toward him.
Then...
It looked toward Silent Fang.
For the first time since arriving in the Spiritual Realm...
It became serious.
The little shadow suddenly stretched.
Its body became longer.
Flatter.
It slipped across the ground like flowing ink.
Silent Fang immediately noticed it.
The wolf pounced.
Its claws sliced directly through the shadow.
Nothing happened.
The attack passed harmlessly through the intangible body.
The shadow tilted its head.
Almost mocking the monster.
Silent Fang attacked again.
Again...
Nothing.
For the first time...
The Awakened Demon hesitated.
Jade's eyes widened.
"...It can't touch my shadow."
An idea formed instantly.
"Keep distracting it!"
The shadow actually nodded.
It darted around Silent Fang, constantly passing through its body.
Although incapable of dealing damage, it successfully stole the monster's attention for brief moments.
That was all Jade needed.
He activated Beast Sense once more.
This time...
Instead of focusing only on the creature's weak point...
He observed its movements.
Every leap.
Every twist.
Every landing.
Patterns.
Silent Fang always placed more weight on its left foreleg before changing direction.
It wasn't a weakness.
It was a habit.
A tiny opening.
The kind ordinary people would never notice.
Jade smiled despite the blood running down his face.
"I found you."
The wolf lunged again.
This time Jade didn't dodge immediately.
He waited.
One heartbeat.
Two.
At the exact instant Silent Fang shifted its weight—
Jade moved.
He stepped inside the attack rather than away from it.
The claws grazed his chest.
Pain exploded through his body.
But he ignored it.
His left hand ignited.
The gentle blood flame appeared.
Instead of healing himself...
He poured it directly into his own muscles.
Warmth surged throughout his body.
The damaged fibers forced themselves to move one final time.
His right hand erupted with the destructive blood flame.
The crimson greatsword became wrapped in violent blood-red fire.
The shadow instantly merged with him again.
His speed doubled.
Jade vanished.
Silent Fang's eyes widened.
For the first time...
It had lost sight of its prey.
Then—
A crimson flash appeared beneath its neck.
Exactly where Beast Sense had identified earlier.
Jade didn't swing wildly.
He remembered the memory Beast God had left him.
A gentle cut.
The sharpest blade required the least force.
His sword barely touched the wolf's neck.
Then he stepped past it.
Silence.
Everything stopped.
The forest remained motionless.
Jade slowly sheathed his greatsword behind him.
A thin crimson line appeared across Silent Fang's throat.
The Awakened Demon stood perfectly still.
Its crimson eyes slowly lost their brilliance.
Then—
Its head separated from its body.
The enormous corpse collapsed with a deafening crash.
BOOM!
The unnatural silence disappeared.
Wind rushed through the trees once more.
Birds began singing.
Leaves danced across the clearing.
Jade remained standing for only a few seconds.
Then his legs gave out.
He fell onto one knee.
Blood dripped steadily from dozens of wounds.
His obsidian armor dissolved.
His breathing became painfully uneven.
"...I actually..."
He coughed up another mouthful of blood.
"...won."
The living shadow walked over.
It gently poked Jade's forehead.
Then proudly pointed toward the dead wolf, as though demanding credit.
Jade couldn't help laughing despite the pain.
"You..."
"...did help."
The shadow immediately puffed out its chest.
Jade shook his head with a tired smile before looking toward the corpse of Silent Fang.
"Well..."
"I guess breakfast wasn't easy after all."
The system then whispered
"You have slain an awakened demon:Silent fang"
"You have received a data"
Data name: Essence devourer
Data type: arrow and bow
Data rank: Awakened
Data class : demon
Jade eyes widened.
To be Continued....