Chapter 292: Trap?

As we marched on through the cursed land, the light rain continued to fall, a sign of my presence and my magic. The soldiers behind me were filled with renewed vigor, their spirits lifted by the sight of me and the magic I brought forth. Their cheers and chants echoed through the land, but as we continued on, a sense of unease began to creep into my mind.

The cursed land was eerily quiet, the only sound the pattering of the rain and the rustling of our footsteps. No creatures dared to make their presence known in this land, as if they knew the danger that lurked here. I had expected to face more resistance from the Shades, but instead, there was only silence.

As we pressed on deeper into the land, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. This was not a natural quietness; it was as if the Shades were laying a trap for us. The scales on my back began to tingle as my instincts told me to be on guard. I raised my head, sniffing the air and scanning the area for any signs of danger.

The land was still and lifeless, yet I could sense the Shades were nearby. They were watching, waiting for the right moment to strike. My heart began to race as I braced myself for the battle. The auras that were nearby were weak, but this was still an unusual occurrence when it came to the Shades. They were rarely this coordinated. Not to mention we were cutting through their territory.

I turned to face the army behind me, shouting out a warning for them to prepare for a surprise attack just in case. They grew quiet, sensing the danger that surrounded us. The rain continued to fall, but it no longer brought them comfort or reassurance.

I couldn't shake off this growing sense of unease. Something was wrong. Soon, our group crossed a small mountain when I suddenly signaled for them to stop.

"I knew it," I muttered to myself.

My head shot up as my aura spiked. I was able to feel its presence before I could see it. High up in the sky, a single Shade was waiting, surrounded by a dark cloud, emanating an eerie and ominous aura. I could sense the immense power that radiates from it. This one was different from the trash we have been fighting so far. The army stood no chance before him, that I knew.

Looking down, I could see the bastard was not alone, it was leading an army of Shades below it, but my focus was solely on the Shade in the sky. The army behind me began to panic, and I could hear their murmurs growing louder.

I clicked my tongue in annoyance, but I had no time to do much, it was up to the humans now. I let out a loud roar, signaling the army to get ready for battle. The ground beneath us trembled as the Shades below us started to move, and the bastard in the sky descended, aiming straight toward me and ready to engage in battle.

"About time, it was starting to get boring in here!" I roared. The mana coursing through my body surged as I jumped to the sky with a flap of my wings to meet the incoming Shade.

The bastard was a monstrous sight to behold. Its size was massive, dwarfing even my form! Its body was surrounded by a thick, dark cloud, which made it difficult to make out any discernible features. But as the cloud shifted, I could finally make out its hideous form.

The Shade's skin was a sickly gray color, almost like rotting flesh. Its wings were leathery and tattered, as though it had flown through a storm of blades. Its eyes glowed a deep, blood-red, filled with a wicked intelligence that sent shivers down my spine.

But what truly made me feel unease was the writhing mass of tentacles that protruded from its back. The tentacles seemed to have a life of their own, undulating and thrashing about as though they were alive. Each tentacle ended in a sharp, barbed point that dripped with a sickly green ooze.

"Poison?" I mumbled.

the Shade in the sky then let out a bloodcurdling roar that echoed across the cursed land, signaling the start of the battle. The dark cloud surrounding it seemed to pulse with malevolent energy, causing the air to vibrate with each beat of its wings.

My body crackled with energy as I summoned my elemental powers, ready to unleash them on this monster. And as we clashed in mid-air, the shockwaves of our blows rippled through the clouds, causing thunder to boom across the sky.

The Shade's massive size cause me some concern as I was not used to fighting opponents larger than me. Its eyes glowed with an intelligent red light, and its razor-sharp teeth gleamed in the fading sunlight. It let out another screech, sending a wave of force towards me that shook the very air.

I roared in defiance, unleashing a burst of dragon breath from my jaws that struck the Shade square in the face. It let out a howl of pain, but quickly recovered, lunging at me with its massive tentacles. We danced through the air, our bodies colliding with explosive force as we fought tooth and claw, I did my best to avoid his poisonous limbs, but it was a hard thing to do, as I weaved through the sky, launching strike after strike, and illuminating the battlefield.

The ground below shook with the impact of our blows, causing boulders to tumble down the mountainside. I could hear the human army below engaged in their own battle, their shouts and screams echoing up toward us, but I had no time to care about them.

The battle stretched on, the Shade's massive size and tentacles placed me at a disadvantage. Water and earth elements did not do much damage to the monster, and every time I tried to summon my cosmic mana, it would suddenly launch an all-out attack, covering itself with the dark cloud, and turning its body almost invisible, making it harder to aim for it.

Still, I had other tricks up my sleeve. I focused all my power on the clouds above, willing them to churn and gather into a massive storm. Lightning crackled within the dark clouds as they swirled around each other, building in intensity with every passing moment.

The Shade in the sky noticed my efforts and attempted to fly higher, but my powers surged beyond my control, causing the lightning storm to follow the creature. The elements roared mirroring my rage. The beast cried out in anger and unleashed a powerful blast of dark energy that I barely managed to dodge. A mountain in distance, was instantly destroyed.

But I did not falter. With a ferocious snarl, I continued to channel the elements into the storm, causing it to erupt with a blinding flash of light. The lightning bolts descended from the heavens with an ear-splitting roar, striking the Shade with incredible force.

The dark cloud around the beast's body writhed and crackled with electricity as the lightning bolts continued to strike it. The creature let out a deafening shriek that echoed through the sky, causing the humans and lower shades on the ground below to stop fighting and look up in awe and terror.

"Time to end this!"