SSS Ranked Shadow Monarch: Summoning Infinite Shadows-Chapter 208: Floor fifty
Aren saw the expression on his brother’s face. He thought maybe his brother had now seen that he wasn’t the same person as before, but nothing on earth could have prepared him for what his brother said next.
"Oh, I see. This aura must be part of your ability, it must have been what allowed you to get so far ahead."
The moment he heard those words, Aren was left dumbfounded. His brother was so much under the belief that he was incapable of being better than him. Aren smirked, but the tip of his lips trembled, one eye raised higher than the other. He clenched his fist.
"Bro, have I ever beat you as an elder bro?" Aren asked.
"No, why?" Lewis asked.
"Because it is long overdue." Aren said and walked forward, and before Lewis could even react to this, a punch shot forward so fast that there was no way he could react.
BAM
Lewis was thrown back fast and hard. He slammed against the wall extremely hard, coughing up spit and collapsing to his knees. He looked up, eyes filled with disbelief. He saw Aren standing there, a smug look on his face. Anger filled him. He grabbed his sword and drew it, getting up and standing with it, both hands on it, eyes blazing with anger.
"What? You look mad, can’t handle your brother being stronger?" Aren taunted.
"Stronger my ass." Lewis roared and shot forward, and Aren had to admit, the speed that he showed was impressive. He came in with a downward diagonal slash. Aren dodged, moving backwards fast.
Lewis recovered instantly, thrusting towards Aren’s chest.
"He is fast, and his movements are pretty darn good, sadly, that’s not enough." Aren stepped to the side and without hesitation, sent a powerful kick right into the chest of his brother, sending him flying again.
Lewis flipped in the air and landed on his feet, skidding backwards until he came to a stop. He looked at Aren, the disbelief in his eyes grew every second. He gritted his teeth.
Standing up to his feet, he didn’t speak. He simply gripped his sword and took a stance.
"My ability is inherently speed and agility." He said calmly.
"The Black Dragon Sect offered me tons of martial arts that allows me to use my speed to the max." He slowly shifted his stance, getting ready to lunge forward.
"Phantom Blade."
As those words left his mouth, he vanished instantly, not even the dust settled before he was already behind Aren with a slash downward, believing that he had won, but the attack passed right beside Aren, as Aren stepped to the side at just the right time.
Aren turned around, moving faster than even his brother. He smiled. "You aren’t at my level yet, bro." He said before unleashing a punch, harnessing the power of his own martial art. Aren followed the right flow and landed a punch that would end this.
BANG
It sounded like a gunshot. Lewis folded with the fist inside his guts. He coughed blood and then collapsed to the ground.
Aren looked at him for a few seconds, and then bent low. "Sorry bro, I have to go ahead, it was really nice seeing you again, I hope we get to talk soon," Aren said and then got up, walking into the stairs like he had not just floored his own brother.
[... ]
The journey up the stairs after one day had taken its toll. Many people had collapsed and could no longer move at all. Some passed out and were left to lay there on the ground.
Many didn’t end due to the pressure, but rather the monsters that spawned on every floor. If they were lucky, they would face it in groups, else they would be forced to face it alone.
At this point as well, the difference between the awakened was clear. Some people were almost halfway, while some were still at the very beginning.
One of the few people that had made it to the halfway point was Aren as well. He stepped into the floor casually, not thinking much about it, but then he saw three other people inside. Two of them were part of the chosen. One was a burly dude. He had on a full armor set with a massive sword attached to his back. Aren had taken notice of him that day before the first stage, but he didn’t put much thought into him.
The second was a lady. She had silky white hair, one of the last chosen to arrive. She wore casual clothes, a grey hoodie and black pants. She sat against the wall with her eyes closed.
And then the third person was another dude. He had long flowing hair and wore a T-shirt and black pants. His head was facing the ground. He gave off a wannabe mysterious aura.
Aren didn’t pay attention to any of them. He simply scanned the room to understand what was happening, and that was when he spotted it. On the wall above the stairs was a number, and it had changed from three to four the moment he walked in.
"There is a count, is there a number of people that are allowed in before we can progress?" he wondered to himself. He walked to the wall and sat down to wait to see what would happen.
With nothing to do now, he decided to check on Flo. Ever since she saved him, she had been asleep. He summoned her to his hands and took a look, and that was when he noticed something was off. Her fur had gotten even more streaks and she had grown slightly in size.
"Something is happening." He muttered and started checking her body for any issues, but there was nothing.
"Tch, I wish I could help you somehow." He muttered, pained that she risked her life for him, and yet he couldn’t do much for her. He placed her away and relaxed against the wall. Not long after, someone walked in, and the number changed to five.
