ShadowBound: The Need For Power-Chapter 520: Plan Perfectly Executed

Liam stood amidst the wreckage of the battlefield—what was once a vibrant stretch of golden fields and greenery now reduced to smoldering ruin. The air shimmered with residual heat, the ground fractured and scorched black from his last attack. Charred earth spread out before him like a wound in the world itself.

He exhaled softly, running the edge of one dagger beneath his jawline in idle thought, the faint glint of flame still flickering along its edge. His expression remained unmoved—cold, calculating.

"That went perfectly according to plan," he muttered in a detached tone, his voice carrying faintly through the settling smoke. His eyes stayed fixed ahead, scanning the torn horizon as though waiting for something—or someone—to reappear.

For a long moment, nothing stirred but the whisper of wind. Then, with a sigh, Liam straightened his posture, sliding one dagger backhanded into a ready grip. "Hey, blood idiots," he called out, his tone dry and unamused. "I know that didn’t kill you, so quit being dramatic and show yourselves already. I’ve got better things to do than wait around for your encore."

His words hung in the air as the silence stretched again—until the ground where his attack had hit began to tremble faintly. From the blackened crater, two separate pools of shimmering crimson seeped out, slithering like living creatures. The pools flowed toward each other, hissing and churning, then collided with a wet splash, fusing into one.

Liam’s crimson eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of intrigue glinting behind his stoic mask. "Fascinating," he murmured under his breath. "Just like in dad’s memories—they can regenerate even from fragmented blood remnants."

The words lingered for a second before his lips pressed thin, expression twisting faintly. "Ugh... saying ’dad’ still feels weird," he muttered, giving a subtle shake of his shoulders as if physically shaking off the discomfort.

His gaze returned to the merging pool. The blood began to rise, defying gravity, twisting and spiraling upward into a swirling mass. The liquid thickened and pulsed with dark life, stretching and reshaping. Slowly, a shape emerged—a towering figure nearly eight feet tall, the fusion of the two demons into one monstrous entity.

Its body was pure crimson, darker now, its surface rippling like living armor. Four horns sprouted grotesquely—two curved forward from the brow, two sweeping outward from the sides of its head. Muscles rippled across its frame, and from its forearms down, the flesh turned pitch black, pulsing like molten iron beneath a hardened crust. Two pairs of pitch-black eyes with molten gold irises opened, each glowing like embers in a furnace.

The merged Blood Demon took a step forward, the ground cracking beneath its feet. Its gaze locked on Liam, no longer filled with mocking amusement, but with pure, unfiltered rage. The air around it warped from the sheer concentration of myst energy radiating from its body.

Liam stood his ground, unflinching, watching the creature rise in silence before letting a faint smirk tug at his lips. "Everything went exactly how I wanted it to."

From the very beginning, this had been his objective—to force the two demons into merging. Separately, they were unpredictable and fast, their coordination impeccable. Together, though far stronger, they became a single target—more direct, easier to read, and much simpler to destroy.

But forcing that transformation had been far from easy. Purebloods never fused unless they felt truly cornered. Liam had to push them to the edge—assaulting them with wave after wave of relentless attacks, never giving them even a heartbeat of recovery. The challenge wasn’t just overwhelming them; it was outpacing their regeneration, which could mend mortal wounds in seconds.

That was where his plan came in. The hybrid javelins—those shadowfire constructs that imploded upon impact—were key. Each one carried dark magic tuned to disrupt the regenerative process, however briefly. The implosions didn’t just burn; they corrupted, destabilizing their mystic balance long enough to break their rhythm.

And once that happened, Liam had flooded them with his most destructive techniques, driving them past the point of restraint, making their inevitable.

He twirled his dagger idly, watching the merged demon test its own strength with a guttural growl. ’Even though that whole maneuver burned through a good amount of myst, it was worth it,’ he thought calmly, eyes narrowing. ’And besides, I’ve still got enough to finish this.’ 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The merged demon’s voice broke through his thoughts—a deep, reverberating snarl layered with two distinct tones that echoed across the ruined plains. "To think a mere mortal would dare force our unification... how insulting."

Liam tilted his head slightly, crimson eyes gleaming faintly as he studied the demon

The demon sneered, lips parting to reveal jagged teeth that glistened with wet crimson. "But no matter," it continued, its tone swelling with dark arrogance. "With we brothers now one, your fate is sealed. You’ll—"

Before the rest of its words could exit it’s mouth, Liam had vanished.

A streak of flames tore through the air, heat distorting the space where he’d been standing. He reappeared midair beside the hulking creature, his right dagger engulfed in fire. In one fluid, lightning-fast motion, he brought the blade down diagonally toward the demon’s face.

The merged demon tilted its head by a mere fraction—just enough. The blade sliced through the air, missing by inches.

Before Liam could adjust, he caught the faint flicker of red light at the edge of his vision. His instincts screamed a warning. From the demon’s shoulder, a spike of hardened blood shot out like a spear, aiming straight for his skull.

Liam’s body moved before thought. Using the momentum from his missed swing, he twisted midair, dragging his body into a tight spiral. His left-hand dagger came up, catching the incoming spike and deflecting it downward with a sharp clang. The motion sent a ripple through his arm, but he didn’t stop.

Using the spin to his advantage, Liam ignited his feet, channeling a burst of flame through his kick. His heel connected with the demon’s jaw, detonating a fiery explosion point-blank. The blast threw both combatants apart, a shockwave rippling through the scorched field.

Liam was hurled backward, twisting midair before crashing into the ground and rolling across the scorched terrain. He slid to a stop in a crouch, one knee down, one dagger pressed into the dirt for balance. A line of blood trickled from his lip, but his crimson eyes stayed locked forward, unflinching.

As the smoke parted, the merged Blood Demon stood there completely unharmed. Not a scratch marred its crimson body. It hadn’t even flinched. The only sign of impact was the faint scorch mark across its cheek, already fading as the skin mended itself in seconds. Its four glowing eyes bore into Liam with quiet malice.

’Looks like I was right,’ Liam thought, exhaling slowly as he wiped a thin trail of blood from his lip. ’Their durability skyrockets after merging. I’ll need to use higher output attacks from here on out. Direct hits won’t even scratch them otherwise.’

The demon’s lips curled into a grin that didn’t reach its eyes. A low, guttural chuckle rolled through the air, reverberating across the landscape, echoing against the ruins.

"It seems your strength is already spent," the creature taunted, voice rippling like molten iron. "You unleashed everything you had just to make us stronger. How pitiful."

It took a heavy step forward, the ground trembling beneath its weight, and pointed one massive claw toward Liam.

"We can sense it—the exhaustion seeping through your veins. The despair you try to hide behind that empty face. We can smell your helplessness all the way over here."

Liam stood still for a moment before slowly risinv to his full height. His crimson eyes found the merged demon’s furious gaze, and a faint, almost taunting smirk curved his lips.

"You can sense my helplessness?" Liam murmured, his voice low, edged with mockery. He gave a small laugh, a sharp breath of amusement that carried a chill through the air. "Pfft... is that supposed to be a joke or something?"

The demon’s grin faltered, its jaw tightening ever so slightly. The faintest flicker of irritation ran through its monstrous eyes, golden irises pulsing within the pits of black.

Liam tilted his head, his tone calm yet steeped in venomous amusement. "You see... right now, I’m anything but helpless. Everything that’s happened—every second of this fight—has gone exactly the way I wanted it to." His gaze darkened as he took a slow step forward. "So here’s a fair warning... don’t let your weak senses fool you."

As he spoke, his shadow began to ripple violently beneath him, stretching outward like an ink stain across the battlefield. The ground trembled faintly as it warped, the darkness twisting and deepening, stretching far beyond what should’ve been possible. The edges pulsed with faint, eerie red veins of Myst energy.

"Nyxie," Liam whispered beneath his breath.

The name carried like a command, and in the next heartbeat, the shadow erupted.

From its depths, Nyxie emerged—not as the colossal dragon she truly was, but in her humanoid draconic form. Her tall, imposing figure towered behind him, her body sculpted of solidified shadow that glimmered faintly under the sun’s dying light. Jagged scales of black crystal lined her limbs, and her long wings unfurled behind her with a sharp metallic rasp. Two sleek horns curved backward from her head, and her eyes, glowing with searing blue luminance, locked on the merged demon with predatory intent.

She exuded a cold, sovereign power—the kind that sent ripples through the air itself. Standing behind Liam, she cast an enormous silhouette over him, her wings spanning wide like a cloak of darkness and flame.

The merged Blood Demon’s expression twisted into faint distaste, its four eyes narrowing as it clicked its tongue in annoyance. Its earlier confidence wavered for just a breath.

And Liam noticed, causing his smirk to deepen.

"C’mon now," he drawled, his tone dripping with sardonic ease. "What happened? Can’t you smell the helplessness from me anymore?"