Chapter 368: Head on

Our abrupt reentry into the vast void of space was disorienting, the familiar stars absent from our view. Urgency gripped my heart as I rapidly surveyed our surroundings, my mind racing to connect with the cosmic mana once again. The ethereal thread descended promptly, interweaving with my intentions.

"Brother! Hurry!" Amidst this tense moment, Sidus's voice pierced the air with an edge of desperation, urging me to act swiftly. The lingering currents of his anxiety and dread were palpable, intertwining with my own unease. A chilling realization crept over me, its weight heavy as lead – the relentless pursuer was closing in, a harbinger of imminent danger.

The relentless pursuit persisted, an unsettling game of cosmic cat and mouse. My attempts at evasion were thwarted, each teleportation seemingly anticipated by the persistent Bastard that trailed us. Frustration mingled with trepidation as I grappled with the enigma of our pursuer's uncanny ability to locate us across the vast expanse.

Doubt and anxiety gnawed at the edges of my mind, shrouding my thoughts with a growing unease. Was this Shade deliberately interfering with our teleportation? Were we mere pawns in some insidious design? My attempts to outwit our pursuer felt like futile gestures, no matter how I attempted to change the teleportation's coordinates, leaving me questioning the very fabric of our escape strategy. The missing stars only added to the surreal sense of disorientation, amplifying the suffocating weight of the unknown.

With the way things were going, it was only a matter of time before my energy ran out, and we were caught. Breta and the others seemed to have sensed that, their growing anxiety evident in their features.

After another teleportation into what looked to be the same starless space, Sidus suddenly spoke, "We need to fight,"

"Yes, brother, even I am starting to feel the bastard's presence closing in on us!" Ynos chimed in.

The tension was palpable, and the urgency in my siblings' voices mirrored the growing dread within me. Their pleas to stand and fight echoed in the hollow expanse, resonating with their deep-seated anxiety. Yet despite their words, I remained steadfast in my conviction that a direct confrontation with the Shade would be our downfall.

And so I ignored their suggestions, and swiftly initiated another teleportation, desperation fueling my actions. As we materialized in yet another starless void, I could sense the palpable frustration radiating from Sidus and Ynos. The growing realization that our evasive maneuvers were proving futile cast a suffocating cloud over our hopes of escape.

"Aether, they are right. We have no choice," Breta's voice held an edge of urgency as she pressed her point, aligning with the growing consensus among my companions. Despite their collective plea for action, my resolve remained unyielding.

As their words reverberated in the air, I clenched my claws, my mind racing to find an alternative, an escape from this inescapable pursuit. I quickly shook my head and answered, "We will die. That's not a normal Shade," before I initiated another teleportation.

Breta retorted as soon as we stepped out of the teleportation once more, "Normal Shade or not, we have no choice!"

I was about to teleport us once more when In the blink of an eye, danger had materialized once more."Dodge!" Sidus's urgent warning acted as a catalyst, propelling my body into a swift evasive maneuver, narrowly dodging the malevolent darkness that obliterated the space we had just occupied. The sheer force of the attack sent ripples through the void, its abyssal nature a grim testament to the power behind it.

Reacting instinctively, my dragon form unleashed a torrent of destructive energy from each of my three heads, the combined breath attack cutting through the darkness with searing brilliance. But the Shade was not to be underestimated; with a mere gesture, he summoned an impenetrable shield of his own dark power, effortlessly thwarting my assault, and swallowing it without leaving a trace.

Tension crackled in the air as my companions and I were brought face to face with an unimaginable foe, our fight for survival spiraling into a dire confrontation.

"I finally caught you. You sure can run fast, but are you tired already? It was just getting fun!" The malevolent presence before us radiated an unsettling confidence as the Shade's chilling chuckle reverberated through the dark expanse. His taunting words slithered into my ears, a venomous reminder of our vulnerability. My fury surged, a fierce counterpoint to the fear that threatened to take hold.

In the midst of this perilous encounter, I realized there was no escape, no more room for evasion. The battle that I had tried to avoid was now thrust upon me, and with a surge of determination, I accepted the challenge. A deep resolve settled over me – if a confrontation was what fate had dealt us, then a confrontation was what I would meet head-on.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Just my luck!" Amidst the unfolding chaos, Breta's frustration seeped through her muttered curses. Her divine weapon materialized in her grip, emanating an otherworldly radiance that defied the surrounding darkness. With a swift transformation, her form was encased in a shimmering full-body armor, its brilliance akin to the gleam of a star. Her figure exuded a radiant glow, an embodiment of celestial power.

I released my siblings, allowing Sidus and Ynos to float to my left and right. "Be careful, that attack of his is too damn fast," I cautioned.

Sidus nodded, then turned his attention to Ynos. "Stay behind us and avoid getting too close," he advised.

"What? You expect me to hang back while you all face that bastard head-on?" Ynos's immediate frown dismissed the notion.

Sidus began to explain, but time was a luxury we didn't possess. Breta and I surged forward, positioning ourselves in front of the others. She conjured a radiant golden shield, and I bolstered its defenses with my mana while cosmic energy swirled around it, poised to deflect the impending assault.

The onslaught came swiftly, an abyssal darkness resembling the gaping maw of a monstrous entity surged toward us, its malevolent aura suffocating. Breta's radiant shield strained against the force for mere moments before it dulled and crumbled, the combined mana reinforcement I used dissipating entirely.

The assault pressed on, undeterred until it collided with my cosmic mana. In that instant, space itself contorted as fissures opened and closed, causing both us and the Shade to be thrust backward. The two opposing forces seemed to wrestle for supremacy, and a fleeting glimmer of hope ignited within me, hope that we would survive all of this, only for it to be promptly snuffed out.