Chapter 723: I won't underestimate you
After the brief surprise, Kyle burst into wild laughter as he stared straight at Damien. "Haha, so the famous first shadow general himself has shown up to fight me!"
"Truly, what an honor!"
He sensed that after leaving the building, Bia had transformed into her smaller form and hidden herself in the area, so he wasn't worried about her anymore. As for James... Well, it's not like he cared whether that man died or lived. They had just met, so he felt no attachment to him.
Hearing Kyle's words, Onicuss whipped his head back, and immense relief flickered in his eyes when he saw the first shadow general. He rushed toward Damien.
"You're finally here! This human is very dangerous! He can manipulate both time and space. But... but..."
He fumbled with his words.
"Don't you know that nature's favorite is the very person our master called a friend?"
Damien looked down at the disheveled elven man hovering before him, bewildered by his strange words. Master's friend? How can nature's favorite be a friend of Azazeal? He is an enemy, not an ally! An angry vein throbbed on his forehead.
"Utterly useless."
He raised his hand and smacked Onicuss, the sharp sound resonating through the air. The fifth shadow general staggered back in mid-air with a shocked expression.
The numerous survivors and injured individuals from the Dark race and Nightkin race in the surroundings collectively gasped as they witnessed the scene unfold.
Damien had saved them from James upon his arrival on the planet, but who could have anticipated that they would witness him hit the fifth shadow general instead of fighting the two powerful enemies?
The twin demons and Wyatt, who had emerged from the rubble of the collapsed structure, were just as astonished.
The air was thick with tension, and Onicuss's eyes gleamed with fury as he glared at Damien with clenched fists. But after a moment, he lowered his head and closed his eyes; he couldn't fight him. The first shadow general was far stronger, and they were on the same side. Right now, they couldn't clash with each other, especially with two powerful enemies nearby. He could always settle his grudge later.
"I apologize."
He braced himself for another blow from the first shadow general, but was surprised when Damien grabbed his shoulder.
"It's good to see you still have some sense left. Stay back. Don't get yourself killed. Will has already fallen, and our side can't afford to lose another shadow general."
Onicuss lifted his head in disbelief, recognizing how misguided he had been. Damien wasn't truly that bad. How could he have felt resentment toward someone who was here to help him?
Just then, the sudden solemn atmosphere was shattered by a faint, stifled laugh. "Pfff!"
Right away, all eyes snapped to the dark-haired human floating in the distance, desperately trying to hold back his laughter. Kyle raised his hand to clarify that he was not at fault, feeling the intensity of the many furious glares directed at him.
"Wait, it's not my fault. It's because you two are just acting out of character!"
"Is not this the moment when you two should be at each other's throats? So what is with this sudden brotherhood? I just can't wrap my head around it, you know?"
James, who had just arrived behind Kyle after healing the injuries he sustained when Damien sent him flying, stared at his back with a dazed expression.
'Wow, he really has a talent for getting under people's skin...'
He glanced at Damien and Onicuss, and a nervous laugh slipped from his lips. No, it wasn't a laugh; it was more of a breathless exhale, a sound that caught in his throat as he saw immense dark energy rising behind Damien, so powerful that it engulfed everything in its wake.
"Now we are truly done for... He has just summoned all his strength to end us both."
James had battled Damien numerous times and knew just how strong he was. The first shadow general indeed ranked second to Ceano in terms of overall power, but that was only because Ceano had the ability to create multiple fake bodies!
The second shadow general can undoubtedly overpower Damien when all of his fake bodies are assembled with the real one, but even he wouldn't dare to confront Damien when the latter gets serious.
James clenched his fists tightly as the air around him thickened, enveloping him in a suffocating pressure.
'I need to contact the elders somehow. I can't fall, nor can I let Kyle...'
His thoughts abruptly halted when he noticed the indifferent expression on Kyle's face, as if the young man didn't care about his own life or death.
'This reckless young man!'
Damien stretched his neck, fixing Kyle with a dark gaze as a massive blade began to take shape in the sky above him.
"I won't underestimate you, as I know you are the one whose name currently sits at the top of the supreme projection. Nor will I underestimate the man behind you. But I believe it's time for both of you to perish."
He had never been able to defeat James, the human he loathed most, because the latter never fought him alone. But today, he finally had the perfect chance to kill the leader of the force opposing the dark side. To make things even better, he would also eliminate the new powerful force rising in this universe to prevent future problems.
Kyle pulled out the silver spear floating in his mind space. Its metallic tip gleamed in the darkness surrounding him.
"You want to end me? But what a pity. Today, I am not here to fight you. I am here for the elven man flying beside you. After all, I hold an old grudge against him. That's why I want to end him with my hands."
Suddenly, he held out the spear in his grip toward Damien, and it quivered slightly as if conveying anger. An unreadable glint flashed in Kyle's green eyes.
"By the way, do you remember this weapon? It belongs to someone who despises you to the
-core."