BZZZZZZT!
A massive, destructive wave of darkness and Ether instantly erupted from the floor of the room. The air grew so thick that the glass in the window began to crack. The system attempted to construct a shadow core for a being with such immense existential weight.
Suddenly, however, the dark, menacing silhouette of Agron emerged from the shadow beside my bed. His purple eyes flared with anger and warning.
"My Lord... STOP!" Agron's voice thundered with unusual coldness and absolute disgust. "Thousands of souls have passed through my hands, but I will NOT tolerate this existence near me!"
I looked at him in surprise. "Agron? What are you doing?"
"Arthur Leywin is my archenemy from my original life!" Agron hissed, his shadow horns expanding dangerously around him. "He is the being who ruined my plans. You do not need him! Instead, summon someone from my clan... a loyal servant of the Vritra clan who will serve you without question!"
Agron's rage and resistance created an energy conflict within my own shadow circuit. The system creation interface began flashing red wildly:
[ WARNING! ]
[Insufficient energy detected!]
[System radically rejects the structure: Arthur Leywin!]
[Attempting to stabilize...]
[ ERROR! Unit creation failed! ]
KRAAAASH!
The mana detonated into a fine smoke and dispersed into the air. The system window turned gray.
[Creation of artificial shadow soldier aborted.]
The silence in the room was suddenly almost tangible. Agron slowly suppressed his dark aura, though the flame of deep resentment still burned in his eyes.
"I apologize for my disobedience, my Lord," Agron bowed his head, but his voice remained firm. "However, summoning that creature would disrupt the harmony of your shadow army. Please reconsider."
I took a deep breath from my thoughts and rubbed my temples. The creation of Arthur Leywin had failed due to Agron's deep conceptual resistance.
"We'll postpone the creation of another soldier for now," I said softly, closing the system interface. "Tomorrow, the final tournament begins. And I need to focus on what lies ahead."