The moment the shockwave struck the section of darkness, the shadows rippled violently.
Moments later, Varek’s figure emerged from within them.
For the briefest instant, surprise flickered across his usually composed face.
He hadn’t expected Kael to locate him so quickly.
The expression vanished almost as soon as it appeared.
Without wasting another second, Varek raised a hand.
A thick shadow tendril burst from beneath his sleeve before whipping toward Kael like a venomous serpent.
Its speed was astonishing.
The tendril sought to coil around Kael’s body, binding him before tightening with crushing force.
But Kael had already anticipated the attack.
The moment the tendril lashed out, he threw himself into a swift roll.
The shadow swept harmlessly past, striking nothing but the stone floor before carving a deep trench through it.
Kael planted a hand against the ground and sprang back onto his feet.
His grin remained firmly in place.
"Dodge this!"
Earth energy flooded into his arm once again.
This time, the power gathered even faster than before.
Kael twisted his waist before throwing another devastating punch.
Boom!
Another invisible shockwave exploded from his fist.
The compressed force surged toward Varek, tearing through the air with frightening momentum.
Varek calmly extended a single hand.
Darkness immediately converged before him.
Layer upon layer of shadow compressed together until a massive shield materialized.
The shockwave slammed into it.
An explosive roar echoed throughout the throne room.
Although the shield successfully blocked the attack, the shadow constructs caught within the blast weren’t nearly as fortunate.
Several were instantly obliterated.
Their bodies burst apart into countless wisps of darkness before scattering across the battlefield.
Yet only seconds later...
The drifting shadows began flowing back together.
Their shattered forms gradually reconstructed themselves as though nothing had happened.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
Meanwhile, Varek remained standing where he was.
With a casual wave of his hand, the darkness beneath the throne stirred once more.
This time...
The shadows didn’t stop.
One construct emerged.
Then another.
Then another.
Within moments, dozens had crawled from the darkness.
Soon they numbered in the hundreds.
The throne room was flooded with moving shadows.
They shifted across the floor like a black tide, their crimson eyes locking onto Kael in eerie unison.
Kael slowly swept his gaze across them.
His brows furrowed.
"They’re still the ordinary constructs..."
He looked toward Varek.
"So you’re trying to tie me down with numbers?"
A grin spread across his face.
"Let’s see how that works out."
The instant the first wave charged, Kael leaped high into the air.
Several shadowy hands burst upward from below, reaching for his ankles.
Earth energy rapidly gathered around his right leg.
Without slowing his momentum, Kael spun.
His leg cut through the air like a battle axe.
Boom!
The resulting kick exploded with overwhelming force.
The nearest shadow construct was torn apart instantly.
The shockwave continued through the group, blasting apart several more before finally dispersing.
Kael landed lightly.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
But it didn’t last.
The scattered shadows on the floor suddenly began moving again.
They flowed back together before reforming into complete shadow constructs.
Within moments...
Every single one stood once more.
Kael frowned.
"...How annoying."
Destroying them accomplished almost nothing.
As long as Varek continued supplying mana, they would simply rebuild themselves endlessly.
If this continued...
The battle would never end.
"I’ll have to find another way."
His gaze shifted toward Varek.
"The real target has always been him."
Without another word, Kael burst forward.
Any construct that attempted to block his path was shattered by a single punch or kick.
He no longer wasted time engaging them.
Instead, he carved a direct path toward Varek.
Across the battlefield, Varek quietly observed everything.
His expression remained calm.
He made no attempt to interfere.
Instead...
He simply watched.
Waiting.
Waiting for Kael to expose another opening.
Another lapse in concentration.
Another mistake.
Yet that opportunity never came.
Kael had already learned from his earlier defeat.
Although his fists continued destroying one construct after another, a portion of his attention remained fixed entirely on Varek.
He no longer allowed himself to become consumed by the enemies directly before him.
If Varek attempted another surprise attack...
He intended to detect it immediately.
Time quietly slipped away.
Minutes gradually turned into hours.
The battle continued without pause.
The throne room echoed endlessly with the sounds of explosions, colliding fists, and shattering shadow.
Neither side managed to gain a decisive advantage.
Kael couldn’t permanently eliminate the endless shadow constructs.
Likewise, Varek found no opening to launch another decisive strike.
Of course...
Neither of them was fighting seriously.
This was only a spar.
Kael’s purpose wasn’t victory.
It was experience.
He wanted to sharpen his instincts against an intelligent opponent, something the monsters inside the Tower had never truly offered him.
Eventually...
Kael threw one final punch, blasting apart another construct before his shoulders finally relaxed.
His breathing had grown noticeably heavier.
The constant exchanges had steadily drained both his stamina.
Without another word, he lowered himself onto the cold stone floor.
He lay there on his back, breathing deeply as he stared toward the ceiling high above.
A satisfied grin slowly appeared on his face.
"...That was fun."
Although most of the battle had been spent destroying shadow constructs, the experience had been invaluable.
Perhaps next time...
He would have Varek fight him directly.
No shadow constructs.
No distractions.
Just a pure exchange of martial skill.
That would be the perfect opportunity to improve both his hand-to-hand combat and weapon techniques.
For now, however...
That could wait until another day.
He closed his eyes briefly, allowing his breathing to steady while the silence gradually returned to the throne room.
Several minutes passed before Kael finally rose to his feet.
The lingering fatigue from the spar still weighed on his body, but compared to when the fight had ended, his breathing had already steadied considerably.
He stretched his shoulders before letting out a slow breath.
"I’ve spent enough time here."
There were still matters waiting for him in the outside world.