Chapter 92: Sparring With Varek.
Chapter 92: Sparring With Varek.
Kael met their attacks head-on.
His fist shot forward with explosive force, shattering the creature’s torso before it could react.
But before he could recover another shadow slipped into the opening on his right.
Its elongated arm slashed toward his ribs.
Kael twisted just in time.
The razor-like limb skimmed across his side, leaving a burning sensation even though it barely touched him.
He didn’t stop moving.
Instead, he rolled beneath another incoming strike before springing back onto his feet in one fluid motion.
Three more constructs descended simultaneously.
Kael stepped forward instead of retreating.
His fists became a blur.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Each punch landed with frightening precision.
One construct lost its head.
Another caved inward beneath a crushing hook.
The third exploded apart as Kael’s elbow smashed through its neck.
Fragments of shadow scattered through the air before slowly drifting back toward Varek.
Almost immediately...
They began reforming.
Kael barely spared them a glance.
If they wanted to keep coming...
He would keep breaking them.
His body flowed from one opponent to the next like an unstoppable current, every movement cleaner than the last.
His punches carried overwhelming force.
His footwork grew increasingly refined as he slipped between attacks with growing confidence.
Yet despite all of that...
Varek remained completely composed.
From the very beginning...
The shadow constructs had never been meant to defeat Kael.
They existed for only one purpose.
To occupy his attention.
Varek’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"...Now."
His figure vanished.
There wasn’t the slightest warning.
One moment he stood dozens of meters away.
The next...
One of the shadow constructs battling Kael suddenly distorted.
Its body rippled like disturbed water before collapsing inward.
And out of that writhing darkness Varek stepped out.
Silent.
Effortless.
Already standing directly behind Kael.
His fist shot forward.
Fast.
Too fast.
Kael’s instincts screamed.
Danger!
His muscles tensed instinctively as he attempted to turn.
But he was already too late.
The punch had arrived.
Fortunately, Varek pulled back at the final moment.
Instead of driving through Kael’s spine, his knuckles merely tapped lightly against his back.
Tap.
It wasn’t painful.
But to Kael...
It might as well have been a fatal blow.
Varek calmly withdrew his hand.
"Lesson number one, Master."
His voice remained as composed as ever.
"Never allow your attention to become completely occupied by what’s in front of you."
"There is always something happening elsewhere."
His crimson eyes shifted toward the surrounding constructs.
"Battle isn’t simply about strength."
"There are feints."
"Distractions."
"Blind spots."
"Every opponent capable of thought will exploit them."
Kael exhaled before slowly straightening.
Then...
He laughed.
Not out of embarrassment.
Not out of frustration.
But genuine excitement.
"I get it now."
He rubbed the back of his neck with a grin.
"I was completely played."
There was no disappointment on his face.
After all, he had expected this outcome from the very beginning.
His current strength might have increased dramatically.
But strength alone wasn’t enough.
Most of the battles his future self had experienced took place inside the Tower.
There, the majority of his opponents had been monsters.
Ferocious.
Powerful.
Relentless.
But predictable.
Against monsters, overwhelming strength often decided everything.
Against intelligent opponents...
It was different.
Humans planned.
They deceived.
They baited.
They manipulated their enemy’s attention before striking where they least expected.
That wasn’t something raw power alone could overcome.
And in that regard...
Kael’s experience was painfully lacking.
He looked at Varek and nodded sincerely.
"Alright."
"I’ll remember that."
Varek returned a slight nod.
"Good."
Then he added one final sentence.
"And never forget."
"It’s all about positioning."
Kael couldn’t help chuckling.
"Positioning, huh..."
His eyes slowly brightened.
The excitement within them only intensified.
He lowered his stance once more, every muscle in his body coiling like a compressed spring.
The vast throne room seemed to grow quieter.
Even the lingering shadows appeared to still.
A powerful aura began radiating from Kael as fighting spirit surged through him once again.
This time...
He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
Without another word, his feet slammed against the ground.
The stone beneath them cracked.
Kael shot forward like an arrow released from its bow, tearing across the throne room with Varek locked firmly within his sights.
Varek watched as Kael burst toward him, yet not the slightest ripple of concern crossed his face.
The instant Kael entered striking distance, Varek’s body sank into the darkness beneath his feet as though it were a pool of black water.
In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.
Kael’s fist tore through empty air.
His attack had missed.
But there wasn’t the slightest hint of surprise on Kael’s face.
"I knew you’d do that."
His senses expanded outward almost instinctively, spreading through every corner of the throne room.
Although Varek had hidden himself within the shadows, his presence couldn’t remain concealed forever.
A moment later...
Kael’s eyes locked onto a seemingly ordinary patch of darkness several dozen meters away.
"There you are!"
Earth energy surged violently toward his right fist.
A heavy, oppressive aura spread through the throne room as countless strands of earthen energy wrapped around his arm, compressing into a single point.
Without hesitation, Kael drove his fist forward.
Boom!
Kael’s fist cut through empty air, and the next moment a shockwave erupted. It roared across the throne room like an invisible tidal wave.
Everything standing in its path was swallowed whole.
One shadow construct after another was struck by the expanding blast before exploding into clouds of black mist.
The overwhelming force continued onward until it crashed into the section of darkness Kael had targeted.
# #
[AN_ Hey everyone, I’ve noticed some of you have already purchased Premium. I apologize for that. I had initially planned to launch this privilege earlier, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I was forced to post late. That’s on me.
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