ShadowBound: The Need For Power-Chapter 519: Past Opponents (3)

As those words left Liam’s mouth, the two Purebloods lunged at once, crimson afterimages streaking across the open field like bloody comets. Their weapons—blades, axes, whips, and scythes all forged of hardened blood—shimmered under the red hue of their own mystic aura. Liam, wreathed in a storm of heat and smoke, charged straight into them, his entire body cloaked in roaring flame. When they met, the earth itself seemed to recoil.

Steel and flesh collided with explosive force. Sparks of molten orange and deep crimson lit the air as every impact cracked the terrain beneath their feet. Liam’s daggers, darkened by shadowfire, moved in blinding speed—one moment slicing low to intercept a spear thrust, the next whipping upward to parry a blood scythe that came for his head. The heat of his flames warped the air, distorting the demons’ vision, yet they countered flawlessly, as if guided by instinct beyond sight.

One demon swung down a cleaver-like weapon formed from coagulated blood, its surface glistening like glass. Liam crossed his daggers and blocked the blow, the shockwave splintering the ground into spiderweb cracks. He slid back several feet, boots digging trenches into the scorched dirt. The other demon used that brief moment to thrust a crimson spear at his flank. Liam twisted mid-slide, letting it graze past his ribs before igniting his left arm, spinning in a full arc, and slashing across both demons in one motion. Fire and shadow clashed together—an infernal edge that left molten streaks in the air.

But the demons were relentless. Their laughter echoed—a chilling, mocking symphony—as they advanced faster, weaving and shifting with supernatural agility. Each blow was met with another, their coordination flawless. Liam blocked, ducked, sidestepped; flames coiled around his daggers, leaving trails of heat that shimmered like mirages. But gradually, they began to close in, forcing him backward with every clash and impact.

Then the ground around him trembled.

From the soil erupted a forest of crimson spikes—razor-sharp, countless in number, shooting upward in blinding speed. They surrounded him in a swirling cage of blood, closing in from all sides. Liam’s eyes flicked around the encroaching prison, his mind analyzing in seconds.

’Crazy bastards. They’re compressing the space. Trying to bind me and drain the oxygen. Kinda smart, but useless. ’

The spikes twisted tighter, hissing with a metallic sound as the tips converged toward him. But just before they sealed completely—Liam’s palm shot forward, blazing with an intense, spiraling heat.

A deep hum built in the air—then boom.

A violent explosion of flame and pressure erupted outward, vaporizing the crimson spikes in an instant. The shockwave shattered the cage, sending molten fragments flying in all directions. Dust and heat rolled across the field like a tidal wave.

The two demons froze mid-step, their twisted grins faltering for the first time. Steam rose from Liam’s form as he lowered his smoking hand, embers dripping from his fingers like liquid fire. He didn’t give them time to recover.

His eyes narrowed—then he thrust both hands forward. Four hybrid javelins of shadowfire materialized around him, spiraling rapidly. The weapons hummed with unstable energy—half born of darkness, half forged from flame. Their cores pulsed like beating hearts.

Without hesitation, he hurled them.

The javelins screamed through the air, streaking like fiery comets toward the demons. The Purebloods reacted in perfect synchrony, twisting and leaping aside with blinding speed. The weapons struck the ground where they stood moments ago—and a split second later, each one imploded.

The world shook.

Four pillars of flame and shadow erupted upward, spiraling into the sky like black suns bursting. The implosions devoured everything within a thirty-meter radius, leaving behind molten craters and walls of heat that rippled across the battlefield. The demons were thrown back, their bodies slamming into the ground and skidding across the scorched terrain for dozens of feet before halting.

They rose slowly, smoke curling off their charred skin. Their breathing was ragged but their eyes—those golden, predatory eyes—still gleamed.

’That power output... that wasn’t just flame. It was a fusion of darkness aswell. He fused shadow density with combustion energy.’

Before the thought could finish forming in their minds, both demons stiffened—their instincts screaming.

A shadow passed above them.

They looked up just in time to see the sky alight with descending stars. Countless miniature suns—each swirling with both darkness and flame—came raining down like divine wrath. Umbra Stars.

The air fractured as they fell, slicing through the sound barrier. The demons barely had time to brace before the first impact struck. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Then another.

And another.

Each collision was an implosion of fire and void, detonating on contact. The ground split apart, massive chunks of earth hurled into the sky as the explosions cascaded. The shockwaves rolled endlessly, forming a chain reaction that tore through the surrounding plains. The entire area turned into a storm of darkness and fire.

The two Purebloods screamed—not in fear, but in rage—as their forms were torn apart piece by piece. Blood and ash filled the air, the sound of their regeneration desperately trying to keep up with the onslaught. When the last Umbra Star struck, the world went eerily silent.

The dust settled slowly.

Through the haze, the two demons stood—or what remained of them. Their bodies were riddled with holes, torn limbs half-formed, flesh knitting and melting simultaneously. The ground beneath them was glassed over, still glowing red-hot from the heat.

Then their regeneration began—flesh writhing, bones snapping back into place. But before the process could fully restore them, the temperature spiked again.

Liam descended from above, daggers in both hands, eyes blazing like molten rubies. He crossed his blades in the air and swung in an X-shaped motion.

For a brief moment, nothing happened.

Then—dozens of dark slashes manifested in the air, raining down like blades of death. The arcs of shadow tore through the battlefield, slicing through earth and air alike, converging on the demons with ruthless precision.

The Purebloods’ eyes widened, genuine fear flashing for the first time. They roared and thrust their hands forward, conjuring a massive dome of solidified blood, thick as obsidian and layered in pulsating veins of crimson myst.

The dark arcs struck.

The first impact cracked the dome; the second shattered it. The following barrage tore chunks off it like glass breaking under a storm. Some slashes deflected, others pierced through, slicing into the demons beneath. The air screamed with the force of the attack.

When the assault finally ended, the crimson dome disintegrated. The demons staggered within—torn, burned, and bleeding—but their bodies were already reforming. Steam and smoke poured off their skin as they fully regenerated, though the arrogance once on their faces had vanished. In its place was something else: annoyance... and the faintest trace of dread.

Their eyes darted through the dust.

And then they saw him.

Liam stood a few paces away, unmoving. His right arm was extended forward, palm open, heat distorting the air around it. His hair fluttered in the hot wind, his crimson eyes glinting with a quiet, dangerous amusement. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

At the center of his palm, a sphere of light pulsed—a miniature sun, far larger than the ones before. Its glow wasn’t steady; it flickered like a heart of pure wrath. Streams of flame coiled around his arm, feeding into it, making it swell brighter and hotter until the very air screamed from the heat. The ground beneath his feet began to melt, shadows writhing like serpents around him.

The demons froze, eyes widening slightly, sensing the catastrophic pressure radiating from that single orb.

Liam tilted his head, smirk deepening.

"What’s wrong?" his voice came out low, edged with a cold mockery. "Where’d those grins from earlier go?"

The Purebloods’ expressions twisted—but before they could move, Liam hurled the blazing sphere forward.

The instant it left his hand, the world fell silent.

Then came the cataclysm.

The orb struck the ground between the demons, and in the heartbeat that followed, it detonated with the fury of a dying star. The explosion wasn’t merely light—it was obliteration. The shockwave tore through everything within miles, splitting the land open, reducing trees, stone, and air itself to vapor.

Firestorms devoured the plains. Shadows stretched and dissolved in the blinding light as the roar of destruction drowned out all else.

And at its center—Liam stood, the storm of flames swirling around him like a crown of chaos.