Feeling the familiar shift in view as though I was watching whatever was happening on the surface from below, I found myself in the embrace of a dark space once more.
[Shadow veil] was one of the Shadow Art skills that I had gotten more proficient in using over the past weeks. Before, it had a three second delay between its activation and my body finding its way into this space, but now it took less than a second.
Above on the surface the only thing present where I previously stood was a round shadow with no owner.
All it took was a thought and the round shadow began to move across the battlefield. However rather than moving away from the two beasts that were still struggling against one another, it moved towards them.
By now all the Alpha Bear could do was release weak growls. The Panther's mouth dripped with blood that was clearly not its own but there was now a hint of fatigue in its body language, the way it breathed, the way its body seemed to slightly sway side to side and the way it seemed to stumble towards the bear that now lay helpless.
Just like the Alpha Bear, it too had run out of mana so it could no longer strengthen its body and hold its internal injuries but that was okay. Soon it would kill the Bear and level up hence replenishing its mana, then it would move on and consume the human with the pure soul essence too.
The Panther's blood was almost roaring with anticipation. This had to easily be the best day on its life.
The Panther slowly circled the bear, its steps carrying it so that it stood right in its face.
The Bear looked on weakly as the panther came closer with an open maw towards its neck. The panther seemed to be taking its actions with a deliberate slow pace as though to savor the moment and make it last for a just a little bit longer.
Alpha Bear closed its eyes in resignation. It had lost this battle just as so many other beasts had lost to it, it had some bitter feelings but ultimately it could accept that. The panther sunk its teeth. Canines tearing through the arteries found in its neck and closing in on its trachea. Thick pounds of flesh being easily crushed beneath the jaws of the panther.
The bear felt its life slowly ebbing away. Fading into the void of death.
Both beasts were too engrossed in their respective positions to notice a new shadow that had appeared right behind the Fiery Panther.
…
The timing had to be perfect.
If it rushed forward then I would just end up wasting time and energy on a battle with the Panther and if I was too late then the Panther would have grown to new leaps and dealing with it would be nearly exhausting.
I couldn't mess this up.
So, I waited. Setting the round shadow to a stop behind the panther that was now sinking its canines into the bear's neck. Each time it sunk deeper, every time more and more blood spilled and more flesh was crushed beneath the panther's jaws, sent my heart racing and my blood accelerating. The anticipation almost too much to bear.
I wanted nothing more than to jump out of the shadow and sink my blade in it but I held myself back. It had to be at the right moment, where victory was guaranteed.
I didn't have to wait long.
It was at the moment when the Panther had its full concentration on tearing and crushing the thick flesh of the bear's neck and it was coming dangerously close to crushing the bear's trachea, that I acted.
I dove out of the shadow, my body already executing the rest of my actions. No sooner had I rose from the shadow- cancelling [Shadow veil], had I swung my sword.
The blade flickering with shadows as [Shadow slash] took full effect raising the lethality of [Black Salamander] to all new proportions.
The panther's hair along its spine seemed to stand on end, warning it of danger but it was already too late. My sword passed through its neck cleanly separating its head from its body. I shifted before the warmth of soul essence pouring into my soul settled completely and drove the tip of my sword through the center of the bear's head.
[You have acquired the soul essence of Level 30 Second Star Order Fiery Panther.
You received Agility +20. Mana +14]
[You have acquired the soul essence of Level 31 Second Star Order Bear of Tribulation.
You received Strength +21. Stamina +14.]
[You have leveled up to level 18…
[You have leveled up to level 19. You received +2 stat points to distribute freely]
A warm feeling of ecstasy filled my entire being and the sudden rushing strength rising within my body as well as the subtle lightness of my muscles did little to help with that feeling.it felt as though I was on cloud nine, drifting off towards space.
The feeling didn't last though.
Something sharp and long pierced into my shoulder with enough force to send me tumbling to the ground. The warm feeling vanished replaced by a sharp pain that sent fire coursing through my veins.
It was so sudden, so out of nowhere that for a moment my brain threatened to shut down, my vision blurring. My eyes drifted down only to find what I could describe as a crudely crafted bone spear sticking into my shoulder, blood dripping off onto its length.
My blood.
My gaze shifted upwards in the direction where the bone spear had mostly likely been thrown from only for my eyes to widen.
Poised at the mouth of the crater was the large ape that was covered in bone. Its arm swinging back in stance that oddly resembled a baseball throw, only for a crude looking spear of bone to extend from its forearms.
It seemed I wasn't the only one waiting in ambush to strike.
My pupils constricted, my mind screamed.
'MOVE!'
The spear came. Thrown with so much force that it left the arms of the ape with a small bang. It tore through the air faster than I had anticipated, and the position I was in was by far the worst.
'Shit I cant dodge this' I thought in despair as the spear appeared not less than 50 centimeters away. It would tear into my chest.
However just as helplessness began to settle, the ground in front of me shifted and I felt the subtle flow of mana before a sharp pillar of earth shot upwards taking shape to directly cover me.
It exploded into fragments of rocks. The force throwing me back and knocking me off balance. My body spun in the air and for a second I thought I was going to plant face first into the ground with the spear jutting out of my shoulder.
It was safe to say that an impact like that would only serve to make things worse than the already were.
Luckily I didn't need to be too worried about that because not even a second after I was thrown back, a soft cloud of wind wrapped around me with the gentleness of a mother embracing their baby. My body was carried away into the air and over to the other side of the crater, directly opposite to the Bone Ape.
Softly, my feet landed on the ground but still I stumbled slightly only for a strong pair of hands to support me on my good shoulder. I looked up to find Jordan smiling at me slightly.
I found myself smiling back as I saw the faces of Lydia and Candice too. I was about to speak but Jordan's words silenced me.
"You might want to grit your teeth for this one" he said
"What" I asked and before I could even get a response, Jordan wrapped his hand around the shaft of the bone spear in my shoulder and in smooth motion he ripped it out. I couldn't help the next words that fell out of my mouth.
"FUCK!"