Chapter 45: General Shadow
All of Mike's strikes clashed against Shadow's blade.
Mike's eyes burned with pure determination.
Then — with a powerful slash,
Shadow was knocked back — flying through the air.
Mike didn't wait — he sprinted right after him.
But Shadow attacked midair —
Their swords clashed again.
Mike suddenly grabbed Shadow's arm,
twisted him, and threw him upward.
Then Mike leapt into the air himself —
They were now fighting midair,
Sword against sword.
Shadow growled,
"You think you can defeat me again?!"
"MIKE!!"
They both crashed down — landing on a bridge.
Under the bridge —
nothing but endless sky.
Shadow stood at the end.
Mike — in the middle.
The wind howled through the emptiness.
Mike shouted,
"Shadow… why do you fight for evil? You're so strong!"
Shadow… laughed.
"Mike… I can't.
I was created for this."
Mike's eyes narrowed — confused.
Created?
Did Shadow actually want to stop?
Suddenly Shadow screamed,
"Please, Mike… kill m—"
Then he laughed again, his face twisted.
Mike's eyes glowed an even brighter blue.
He lifted the Dragon Sword and said:
"Okay. Then I'll do it."
He charged forward.
But Shadow did too.
Their blades collided —
A massive shockwave exploded outward.
The bridge cracked beneath them.
Yet they both stood firm —
Still fighting —
Blow after blow, parry after parry.
Then Shadow came from the side —
Mike ducked,
and punched him hard in the stomach.
CRACK!
Shadow's armor shattered.
He was launched backward.
Mike gripped his sword tightly,
held it at an angle,
and ran toward him.
Shadow was still flying backward —
But suddenly stopped himself.
Mike leapt into the air —
his sword gleaming.
And—
SLASH!
Mike cut straight through Shadow's arm.
The arm hit the ground.
Mike landed — sword still in hand.
But Shadow… laughed again.
"Look…"
The arm began to regrow.
Then — Shadow attacked from above.
Mike had just landed — directly beneath him.
Shadow grabbed Mike with one hand,
and with the other, began to pound him mercilessly.
BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM.
Each punch landed — lightning-fast —
slamming into Mike's face.
The final blow —
straight into Mike's stomach.
CRACK.
Mike coughed up blood.
But…
he was still standing.
The ground around him began to shake.
The air became heavy.
A gray aura surrounded Mike —
but it suddenly shifted —
turned blue.
His brown hair began to float upward,
as if lifted by raw power.
Mike began to laugh.
"THIS ISN'T MY END—IT'S YOURS!"
In a flash, Mike teleported right in front of Shadow,
and hit him once—with such force that Shadow was launched into the air.
Instantly, Mike teleported again—this time behind Shadow in midair—
and hit him once more, sending Shadow crashing down into the ground below.
While still in the air,
Mike re-equipped his Dragon Sword,
gripped it with both hands,
and dove toward Shadow like a falling comet.
Shadow, lying on the ground, rolled aside just in time.
Mike's sword split the earth open.
Both of them plunged into the chasm.
As they fell,
Mike stored his sword back into the inventory,
and punched toward Shadow mid-fall.
But suddenly—from the side of the abyss—
a coal-black dragon burst out from the wall,
catching Shadow on its back.
Mike, refusing to let go, grabbed onto the dragon's tail
and climbed up.
Now, both of them stood
—on the back of a flying dragon—
soaring higher and higher into the sky.
They clashed fiercely, trading blow after blow
on the back of the flying dragon.
Shadow growled,
"Let me introduce you… this is Black, my dragon."
Mike laughed.
"Then let me introduce my dragon!"
He drew his Dragon Sword once again.
With a sharp spin, Mike slashed all around him—
his blade cut through the air—
and struck Shadow, right across the eye and abdomen.
Black blood splattered violently into the wind.
Shadow gritted his teeth,
reached out into the air,
and formed a spear from his dark magic—
glowing with a twisted, red-black aura.
Spear vs. Sword.
The spear in Shadow's hand became sharper,
and his aura flared intensely.
Then—from under his helmet—
two glowing red eyes appeared, burning with rage.
But then—
a system notification appeared before Mike.
New Skill Unlocked: Dragon Slash
Mike's lips curled into a grin.
"DRAGON SLASH!"
A red aura exploded around his sword—
the blade grew longer, brighter, and heavier with power.
With a single, thunderous swing,
a massive wave of red energy
sliced the entire dragon in two.
Mike landed on one half—
Shadow on the other.
Both halves of the dragon spiraled down,
blood raining through the air.
But Mike and Shadow didn't fall—
not with magic,
but by channeling their aura.
They hovered in the air, glowing.
The dragon's severed body crashed to the ground,
its blood staining the land.
Now they stood, still facing each other—
on a strange, field of black grass,
as the very earth beneath them turned red from the fallen blood.
The two warriors locked eyes.