He abruptly hurled the "Ancient Witchcraft Artifact" in his hand—the one he had feigned to throw earlier—at the empty space between himself and Murphy.

"Shadow Dust! Spiritual Scream! Detonate!"

The Shadow Hunter let out a hoarse roar. At the same time, his body shot backward at an incredible speed, moving like a boneless creature. He wasn’t aiming for the window, but directly for the wall behind him!

There, a patch of shadow, far deeper than its surroundings, was already writhing in silence.

This was his final trump card: "Shadow Leap," an ability that came at the cost of burning a portion of his Origin!

His entire performance, including his final act of "madness" and "compromise," had all been a prelude to this ultimate escape!

He knew his chances of winning a direct confrontation were slim. His only hope for survival lay in creating chaos, using his absolute mastery of shadows to flee in the most unlikely direction and in the most unexpected manner!

He didn’t actually believe Murphy would be stopped by the disruptive explosion, but even a moment’s delay, a flicker of sensory interference, would be enough!

The moment the black crystal hit the floor, a blinding Black Light erupted along with a silent, soul-piercing shriek!

A wave of Shadow Dust, thick as ink and mixed with a violent psychic shockwave, surged forth like a black tsunami. It instantly engulfed half the corridor, devouring all light and distorting perception as it rushed toward Murphy and, behind him, Annabelle, Leia, and Eleanor!

"Watch out!" Annabelle only had time for that short, sharp cry.

Leia’s mind went blank. Acting on pure instinct, she hugged Eleanor tightly, squeezed her eyes shut, and turned, trying to shield the girl with her own slender back—a final, fragile barrier.

But Eleanor, held tight in the embrace, had her eyes wide open.

As the all-consuming darkness and silent scream washed over them, she seemed to feel little fear. Her bright, dark eyes gazed past Leia’s shoulder, fixed on her father’s position. Her small mouth hung slightly open, as if she wanted to say something.

Just as the destructive Black Light and psychic shock were about to swallow Murphy whole—

The Dark Gold Flying Sword, which had been floating silently by Murphy’s side, moved.

VMMMM!

The blade emitted a low, piercing hum. Its ancient, Dark Gold patterns flared to life as violent, dark purple lightning erupted from their depths, instantly transforming the blade into a spear of thunder!

Moving at an incredible speed, it tore through the air and ripped through the surging dark tsunami. Emitting a piercing shriek, it became a streak of light with a dark purple, electric tail, shooting toward the Shadow Hunter’s escape route: the wall writhing with dense shadow!

Its speed seemed a fraction faster than the spreading explosion of Black Light and the psychic shriek!

BOOM!

The Flying Sword struck first despite starting second, slamming violently into the dense patch of shadow on the wall!

It wasn’t a thrust, but a brutal ram with unstoppable force!

The dark purple thunder detonated at the point of contact. The sheer kinetic energy savagely shredded the meticulously constructed Shadow Passage, interrupting the "Shadow Leap" process!

"No—!"

A bloodcurdling scream erupted from the dissipating shadows.

He was violently thrown out of his semi-ethereal state of transition. He staggered as the backlash from his Magic Power compounded his already severe injuries.

It was then that the black wave of "Shadow Dust" and "Spiritual Scream," now torn asunder by the sword’s passage, finally reached Murphy.

Yet Murphy didn’t so much as blink.

The Flying Sword that had just shattered the Shadow Passage seemed to possess a life and will of its own. In the instant it completed the ram, it used the rebound force to pivot 180 degrees in mid-air.

WHOOSH!

It reversed direction, ignoring the pathetic figure of the Shadow Hunter, and shot like a Dark Gold Streaming Light straight into the surging tide of Dark Energy.

The residual dark purple lightning on the blade flared violently once more!

This time, the thunder didn’t explode outward. Instead, it condensed upon the blade as the Flying Sword charged forward—like a red-hot plow through frozen earth, or a searing Holy Sword parting a sea of filth.

SZZZZT!

FWOOM!

Wherever the Flying Sword passed, the ink-thick Shadow Dust was rapidly annihilated by the Thunderbolt Power, emitting a harsh crackle and a series of faint pops.

The intangible, soul-piercing Spiritual Scream also melted away like snow in the sun upon contact with the condensed layer of dark purple lightning on the blade, scorched and dispersed.

The Flying Sword blasted open a perfectly straight, clean, cone-shaped tunnel through the all-consuming darkness and chaos.

Then it reversed direction once more!

The tip of the Flying Sword now pointed back down the tunnel it had just created!

Straight at the Shadow Hunter!

WHOOSH!

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

The Shadow Hunter had barely steadied himself from the backlash of the interrupted leap, his nerves still frayed, when he saw it. That damned Flying Sword, having torn through the dark wave of his own making, was now rocketing toward his face like the soul-reaping Scythe of Death, radiating an aura of destruction!

’Too fast!’

’Too relentless!’

Weakened by the backlash and his injuries, he had no time to construct another effective Defense Magic.

In desperation, he could only raise his good left hand, attempting to gather the last of his Shadow Energy into a thin shield as he threw his body backward.

But it was futile.

PFFT!

The Dark Gold streak of light, trailing wisps of purple lightning, easily pierced his hastily formed shadow shield. It tore through the palm of his raised left hand, and finally, with unerring precision, plunged into his wide-open, terror-filled mouth.