Reborn Regress Return: I Am the Heir of Shadows!-Chapter 80: Myserious Hero
The state of the mall was horrific—blood and gore spread across the destroyed first floor, people's bodies left crushed under rubble with expressions of pure terror. Julian squatted on the second-floor balcony, watching like a hawk. He tried to locate the monsters, but what he saw should have shocked him greatly—but it didn't.
'What's wrong with me?'
"Julian, are you alright?"
"Eh, Sena?"
The shadowy figure tilted her head with a faint smile.
Julian's voice twisted when the voice that spoke out from behind made him confused. The momentary visage of Sena appeared while wrapped in black spiked armour and a blood-red spear.
However, this was Umbra. My shade, Umbra! It had to be.
A dark and twisted thought started growing in my mind.
Because of the strange occurrences, but the more I noticed the similarities between Eclipsa, Umbra and the people I knew.
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My confidence waned.
"Phew, forget it, mask yourself in shadows, okay?"
"Mm, I will make myself look like you!"
Umbra's figure transformed, wrapped in a black cloak with tribal patterns and a mask that covered the upper part of her face, only leaving her kissable, glossy red lips.
"Can you take them?" Julian asked.
Despite their level difference, he didn't want to risk her suffering. No matter if she resembled his lover or was just his shadowy protector.
'I have this... after all.'
A faint black aura wrapped around him, glowing dimly.
This aura was the protective form of Eclipsa. Not quite a complete summon, but when he closed his eyes and focused on the system menu that vaguely appeared.
▼ Julian Pendragon • Shadow Mancer (SSSR)
• Level: 13 (6,500/13,000)
• HP: 780 + (500)
• MP: 300
• Attack: 6
• Defence: 15 (+7)
• Speed: 7
• Magic: 25 (+2)
• Total: 50
• Command Points: (15/20)
• Bonus Attribute Points: 0
• Bonus Talent Points: 2
***
All the Nightmare Hounds were level 6.
They would all grant him full experience points because the bars above their bodies were green. If their level became too low, then it would be in grey.
"Umbra, I won't give you detailed instructions. The only thing I want you to do is protect yourself. Understand?"
The shadowy figure parted her lips with her tongue in a seductive gesture before she nodded slowly. But I couldn't see her face because of the black mask.
Despite the strange feelings, it wasn't the time for this. I gazed below and noticed the police who had entered first stopped firing and instead started barricading the doors. But what I wanted to know was how the shopping mall became so messed up.
Because Nightmare Hounds couldn't cause this much damage alone...
"Forget it. Let's go!"
With an order, Umbra jumped down like a cat and summoned her weapon and dropped rapidly. She placed it between her thighs, squeezing tight with her muscles before landing on one of the Nightmare hounds.
The hound's head exploded like a melon.
The level or health it had didn't matter... the instant her spear destroyed its brain, the hound died.
Julian watched as Umbra yanked the spear from the concrete with a loud scraping sound. Blood splashed across the floor as more glowing red eyes appeared from the rubble.
"Hah... let's go!"
He stepped over the barrier and dropped onto the platform above a shop entrance, his body shaking as the metal bolts winced under his weight. The Nightmare Hounds were in pursuit of Umbra, who was like a black whirlwind, with her spear.
'I envy her speed.'
However, he couldn't complain.
His hand grasped the air but his body felt a sense of constriction, like the world wanted to stop him from casting magic and contain his strength, but Julian gritted his teeth. "Come on!" Thinking about the moment he fought Sena, those vivid desires and the link of his magic pathways... forgetting the spell names and game world for a moment.
Four Ghastly hands made of bone and shadow crawled from the ground. No, it wasn't bone, but the concrete itself, which formed sharp, blade-like claws.
"ARRF!"
"WOO!"
Two of the hounds shuddered as the four hands grabbed them violently.
No damage, no magical numbers.
Sharp claws gouged their flesh and ripped open the two beasts' innards.
'Yes... this is the feeling from back then!'
Attributes were a guideline to teach humans the power of enemies, letting them understand but not set in stone or something they could guarantee their lives upon.
Someone with 1000 defence would take less damage, but if something pierced their neck or crushed their heart. They would die the same as someone with 2 defence points.
The Nightmare Hounds were fleshier than wolves, and their bulky, muscular bodies made easy targets for blades and sharp weapons. As Umbra's body twirled between the four of them, she used her Phantom Spiral attack, spinning her spear in a rotating assault before stabbing out with sharp, deadly attacks three times in a row.
The first strike skewered a hound trying to dodge, the second disembowelled another, while the last strike, gleaming with a red light, struck towards the largest hound.
But the spear didn't penetrate its face as it growled loudly at Umbra and flicked a smaller hound onto the spear.
'Grr... GRRR!'
"Gah!"
Umbra staggered as she tried to pull out her weapon.
The large hound charged forward, but at that moment, a bolt of shadow lanced through the sky, penetrating its skull and impacting the ground.
"You alright, Sen... Umbra?"
The shade flickered, almost revealing her beautiful face before it glanced toward his position. Despite the mask, he could tell she was happy, smiling faintly at him.
Julian remained on the platform, safe from harm and gazed at the dark passage leading further down the first floor, wondering if they should proceed or not. With his magic and Umbra's deadly spearmanship, he believed it wouldn't be too difficult, but what if there was another monster beyond him?
'The battle rewards haven't been distributed...'
In the real world, you wouldn't gain anything until the battle or event ended. This change caused many people to die from expecting to level up in a struggle to keep fighting.
"What do you think?"
"I do not know, Master. This world is strange."
"How so?" Julian wondered.
Do the shades have feelings, or was it something only available to those with soul shards restored?
The Nightmare Hounds didn't show any sign of attacking and instead growled in retreat, as if they knew his power. It didn't seem like he would get any more rewards from them.
Until his eyes shone with a violent purple light, a flicker of shadowy energy hovering at his fingertip that pointed into the darkness, the shade beside him peered at Julian with a sense of anticipation and excitement from his action and nodded several times.
"Goodbye."
VWOOM!
The shadow bomb shot down the dark passage, a place where countless shops used to thrive, now filled with dozens of dark red eyes and a lingering threat. Julian's explosive magic tore up the flooring and created a crater, causing the entire building to rumble and vibrate. But it was also a signal of their death.
Because the next moment, a familiar ping sounded in Julian's mind.
