The air trembled with tension as Julian faced both Erwin and Ryan. The standoff didn't last long.
Erwin took a step forward, and vanished in a blur.
BOOM!
A sonic shockwave cracked the ground as his punch missed Julian by inches, slicing the air like a cannon blast. Julian barely had time to react, his Shadow Guard flared out, absorbing the impact, but the sheer force sent him skidding backward, his boots tearing a groove into the earth.
"Still standing," Erwin muttered with a smirk. "Wonderful"
Ryan, who had been watching, suddenly growled. "Take this!"
But Erwin turned to him sharply, his voice low and dangerous. "I told you not to touch Aya."
Ryan flinched, visibly paling. "I-It wasn't like that! She, she started it!"
Erwin's glare darkened. "Save your excuses for later. First, we kill Julian."
Ryan swallowed his fear and nodded. "Fine."
Inwardly, Erwin smirked. Thanks to Gary, I learned their whole strategy. Those lies from the Shadow group were useless against us. I just fed back a false command... and Kael? A shame. I found him turned, just another brainless corpse now.
He glanced at Ryan, who looked as reckless as ever. Still… even if Ryan messed up and Aya lost loyalty, we outnumber him. He's alone. He can't win.
Erwin charged again, the ground shattering beneath his feet from the sheer strength of his legs.
Julian stood firm this time.
CLANG!
Their fists collided, shadow against raw strength. Julian absorbed the blow, letting the momentum carry him backward, then twisted, letting a second shadow-arm lash upward, nearly slashing Erwin's side.
Ryan lunged in behind him, his tentacles whipping in a chaotic pattern. Julian ducked, spun, and kicked Ryan in the gut, sending him staggering.
Julian's eyes narrowed.
He began analyzing Erwin's patterns, his tendency to feint left, the subtle shift in his hip before a strike, the three-second charge time between Ryan's tentacle barrages.
They were strong.
Julian vanished into his shadow, appearing behind Erwin and going for the neck, but Erwin spun faster than expected and countered with an elbow. Julian blocked with his forearm, absorbing the hit, but felt the bone rattle.
Damn… his strength is unreal.
Julian leapt back, calling out, "Aya! I need your help!"
Aya, who had been frozen behind a broken wall, clutched her arms. Her gaze darted between the three men, confused, torn, trembling.
"I… I don't know what to do," she whispered.
Julian glanced back at her, his voice softer now, calm, certain.
"I'll protect you. I'll never force you. But right now, I need you to trust me."
Aya looked into his eyes… and saw no lies.
Only truth, and determination.
She took a breath. Her hands glowed, and a swirl of mana burst around her. With graceful movements, and iron scrap, she forged weapon after weapon from pure light, a dagger, a spear, a bow, a staff, a longsword, all suspended in the air like an arsenal waiting to be wielded.
Julian's lips curved into a smirk. "That's more like it."
With a flick of his hand, shadows reached out and grabbed the weapons. The spear flew first, straight at Ryan, who barely dodged before a flurry of arrows followed, pinning his tentacles to the ground.
Julian danced through the battlefield, switching between sword and dagger, using staff for deflection, mixing his shadow constructs and Aya's light weaponry with deadly precision. His movements were fluid, unpredictable, a one-man army.
Ryan shrieked, losing control. "Damn you! I'll kill you all!"
His body twisted grotesquely. Tentacles erupted from his back, doubling in size. Flesh tore. His eyes rolled back as he transformed into a massive, writhing tentacle beast, crushing everything around him. Stones shattered, the earth cracked.
RRRRAAAAGGGHHHH!!!
Then, more groaning.
Zombies. Drawn by the chaos, they swarmed from the shadows.
But Julian only smirked.
[Skill Activated: Domination]
His shadow extended, wrapping around the nearest zombies. Their eyes glowed violet, now his to command.
With a wave, Julian sent his new undead forces charging toward the tentacle-beast Ryan.
Erwin growled, frustrated by the turn.
He attacked again, this time from above, Julian countered with a blast of darkness, sending Erwin flying into a rock wall.
Ryan crushed two zombies, but not before Julian's shadow tendrils sliced upward—
SLASH!
Ryan's monstrous body split in two. The beast wailed, and collapsed, dead.
Julian dropped to one knee, gasping.
Too much power used...
Erwin burst from the rubble, fury blazing in his eyes.
"You're tired. I can see it."
He blurred forward, aiming for Julian's chest.
But Julian was ready.
He raised both arms, shadow forming into a shield—CRACK!
The blow connected, but didn't break him.
Julian grit his teeth. "I knew you'd try that."
Erwin stepped back, breathing harder now. Then he smiled.
"Then let me show you my last card."
His veins glowed red. A strange pressure filled the air.
[Skill Ultimate Super Strenght : Overload Command]
His muscles expanded, aura turning blood-red. His power skyrocketed, at a cost. Veins bulged across his temples, and his expression twitched.
Julian stood, staring him down.
He's traded mental clarity for raw power… This is going to be brutal.
Erwin grinned wide.
"Let's end this."
BOOM!
Julian didn't even see the punch coming.
One second Erwin was standing in front of him, and the next, he was already behind, his fist crashing into Julian's ribs like a freight train. The impact hurled him across the battlefield, his body slamming through broken pillars before crashing into the ground.
Blood sprayed from his mouth. His vision blurred.
But he didn't fall.
He couldn't fall.
Gritting his teeth, Julian forced himself upright, one arm clutching his side.
He's too fast now… My eyes can't follow him.
Across the field, Erwin approached with a wicked grin. His body pulsed with raw Overload energy, every step cracking the ground.
Julian exhaled shakily and reached into his mind—
[Skill: Domination]
A dark ripple burst from him like a wave.
The zombies nearby stopped groaning.
Their eyes turned violet.
And then, like a swarm of death, they turned, charging at Erwin from every direction.
"GO!" Julian roared, blood dripping from his lips.
The horde collided with Erwin, dozens piling onto him, clawing, biting, grappling.
But in the back of his mind, Julian felt it, his consciousness cracking under the pressure. Controlling this many was too much. His head throbbed violently. Darkness crept at the edges of his vision.
Not now… just a little longer…
He dropped to one knee. For a moment, it felt like the world was spinning out of control.
This is just to buy time…
He bit his lip and gathered what little focus he had left.
His shadow stirred around him, rising like a cloak of darkness. It wrapped his arms, his legs, his chest, reinforcing his exhausted body with what remained of his mana.
Julian stood.
One last time.
He leapt forward, through the swarm of zombies, diving straight into the chaos where Erwin was still crushing undead like rag dolls.
Erwin roared, flinging bodies aside, just in time to see Julian coming.
Julian's shadow-clad fist slammed into Erwin's jaw.
CRACK!
Erwin stumbled back.
Julian didn't stop.
He rushed in again.
Fists met fists.
No more skills.
No more tricks.
Just raw strength. Martial instinct.
They exchanged blow after blow, Erwin's supercharged muscles against Julian's shadow-forged endurance.
A right hook.
A spinning elbow.
A knee to the gut.
A headbutt.
Each strike sent shockwaves rippling through the air. The ground cracked beneath their feet as they circled, traded blows, blocked, countered, gasped.
Both were bloodied. Bruised. Battered.
Neither gave in.
Until—
Julian saw the opening.
He gritted his teeth, and in a flash, called upon the last sliver of shadow within him.
From the swirl of darkness, a single shape took form, a dagger, barely more than a shard of black steel.
He gripped it tight.
Erwin threw one last punch, Julian ducked under it—
And thrust upward.
SHHHK!
The shadow blade slid into Erwin's side.
The world stilled.
Erwin gasped, eyes wide. His hand reached for Julian's shoulder, then slowly dropped.
He stumbled back… one step… two…
Then smiled like a maniac.
"…That was a good fight," he muttered.
And collapsed.
Still.
Julian stood over him, swaying.
The shadows around him flickered, faded, and vanished.
He took one breath.
Two.
And then—
The exhaustion hit him all at once.
His knees buckled.
And everything went dark.