n

n

nAries laughed to himself, enjoying the feeling of superiority he possessed.

nIt had been quite a while since he was able to enjoy crushing a foe so easily.

nMost of the time, his strength was overshadowed by his superiors, making him appear weak when in their presence.

nEven when he was with Virgo, he felt stifled due to her superior rank and strength.

nAnd that was why he felt very ecstatic at the moment. Watching an opponent so easily crushed, yet struggling to survive, made him extremely happy.

nWhile he was still drowning himself in his false sense of victory and satisfaction, Shamac's groaning voice finally managed to complete the statement it had been trying to make.

n

"Is... is that what.... you think...?

"

nAs Aries heard those words, he glared at the wounded figure. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The helpless being dangled on his sword as his body neared expiration. In a few moments or so, the brat would be dead.

nOr so he thought!

n>SHUUUUUUUU<

nBefore Aries' eyes, the unbelievable happened. A dark spot swirled on the ground, a few meters from where he stood. The darkness, like a large pool of shadow, gave a very ominous feel, and suddenly something began to emerge from within it.

nThe figure's head came out first, followed by the body, and in a few seconds, the entire figure appeared.

n

"W-what is the meaning of this...

" Aries'eyes bulged as he spoke in disbelief.

nShrouded in darkness and the mysterious feel of shadows was Shamac. The young boy's hands were in his pockets as shadows covered his vicinity and dark cackles of lightning buzzed around his short frame.

n

"You should really look at what you're stabbing...

" Shamac's voice sounded in a low, amused tone.

nInstinctively, Aries turned his face from the newly appeared Shamac and stared at the one he had brutally injured.

n>SHUUUUU<

nLike dissipating air, the wounded Shamac began to evaporate. Its body which had the appearance of a pale person, dyed with the crimson color of blood that dripped from it became darkened. Turning black, the evaporation became faster, as the figure totally transformed into black smoke, and the blood puddle underneath went through the same process.

n

"W-what is... What is this nonsense?!

" Aries barked in confusion.

nThe dark fog returned to their owner, the Shamac that stood a few meters from Aries.

nShamac's expression had not changed since he first challenged Aries. Having a condescending expression while casually maintaining his posture, Shamac grinned widely, further taunting the Constellation.

nHe pondered on whether to reveal how he was able to avoid being fatally injured by Aries, but decided against it.

n'It's better he doesn't know. That way, he'll remain flustered...' He thought.

nBesides, seeing the mortified expression of the Constellation was also something Shamac wanted to enjoy a little more.

nWhat had actually happened a few moments ago, before Aries' appeared to stab Shamac was simple.

nWhen Shamac realized that the fog was the problem, he encapsulated himself with his shadows, creating a dense structure of the shadow sphere he used to blow away the fog.

nDuring the explosion, he hid himself into the ground, turning his body itself into a shadow.

nAs for what remained, the being that Aries pierced and appeared to dominate... that was none other than-

n

"Nice job taking care of my clone. I'm sure you enjoyed yourself a little...

" Shamac grinned as he spoke.

n

"Your... clone...?

" Aries mumbled, taking in the words Shamac uttered.

n

"Yeah, that was one of my shadow clones. Not only am I able to change my shadows to how I will, but I can also make them into perfect copies of myself. Pretty useful, wouldn't you say?

"

nThe way Shamac casually mentioned this made Aries shudder a little. He was just a little kid, yet was able to perform such a trick.

nNot only was he able to make a perfectly functional clone, but the details were also so precise, that even Aries, as a Constellation, could not tell the difference.

n'Who... who is this kid?!' Aries thought to himself.

n

"I would get serious now if I were you. There isn't much time, and I want to end this as efficiently as possible, or Ruth will have to interfere.

" Shamac said, finally taking a step from where he stood.

n

"You insult me. Why would I need to go all out against you?

"

n

"Oh, I don't know... Just a hunch!

"

nShamac shrugged as he said this, and in an instant, he spread his shadows around him. The shadows stood upright, quickly taking a humanoid form.

n

"This is...

" Aries mumbled, stunned by the sight.

nEach of the standing shadows immediately turned into Shamac, causing multiple copies of the young hybrid to appear before Aries.

n

"I can make more, but let's start with this, shall we?

" Shamac smiled, displaying over a hundred copies of himself on the battlefield.

nFor a moment, Aries remained stunned. However... he regained his composure instantly.

n

"Hehehehehe... Hahahaha!!!

" The Constellation burst into laughter.

n'What am I doing? So what if he can create multiple clones of himself? They're still clones in the end! There's no way they pose any real threat!' Aries' reasoned.

nWith a single thought, a multitude of white clouds appeared and began to take form.

n

"This is perfect, my Grace against yours. Let's see how long you'll be able to last... against these projections!

"

nWith a grin, Aries instantly caused the white fog formation to generate white beasts. The ravaging monsters all had clear skin, taking after the fog that formed them.

nAppearing to be like molded animated statues, they growled at Shamac and his clones. Even though they were of various shapes and sizes, the most notable feature about them was their overwhelming numbers.

n

"Your shadows will eventually run out, since they are finite, while I can produce an endless amount of projections with my Grace. Not only that, but my beasts are certainly superior to yours in quality. Now then, let's see how long you'll be able to maintain your confidence!

" Aries grinned.

nWith a single snap, the white horde of monsters rushed at Shamac's army in their hundreds, far outnumbering the shadow clones at least five to one.

nAs they continued pressing on, nearly reaching Shamac's location, the boy didn't appear to be fazed in the slightest. Instead, his lips curled up even more, in anticipation.

n

"Charge!

" He let out a single word.

nIn a flash, the shadow clones dashed from their location, generating dark cloaks on themselves and black blades to follow suit.

nBefore the beasts could do much, the group of a hundred Shamac's made short work of the white monsters, each of them killing at least five on the spot.

nThe beasts vanished in the blink of an eye, completely erased by the more superior army.

nAries couldn't even speak as he watched the unbelievable sight unfold before him.

n

"I-impossible...

" Was all he could utter.

nHowever, Shamac appeared to have even more to say. With a wide grin, slowly displaying his obsessive drive to fight and dominate his foe, the boy shrouded in darkness gave a chilly remark.

n

"Are we done here.... Mr. Constellation?

"

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