Chapter 197: DOING IT AARON’S WAY II
The shadows crept stealthily toward Edmond’s hand, their dark tendrils weaving through the air like silent serpents in the dimly lit room. As they converged, they materialized into a sleek pistol, its form emerging from the inky blackness with an almost ethereal grace. The weapon’s polished, obsidian-like surface gleamed faintly under the harsh overhead lights, drawing the wide-eyed attention of everyone present, the guards with their fingers hovering near triggers, the council members frozen in mid-conversation, and even the flickering shadows on the walls seeming to pause in reverence.
Edmond had channeled one of his newfound abilities, Umbral Dominion, to forge this weapon, the one he was most accustomed to handling from his days of desperate skirmishes against the trolls. It felt natural in his grip, an extension of his will, cold and unyielding yet perfectly balanced.
◈ Umbra Dominion: Shadows answer your will as extensions of your body. Weapons, barriers, illusions, or tendrils—your command defines their form.
With deliberate slowness, Edmond raised the pistol, its barrel aligning precisely with Jacob’s forehead, the metallic click of the safety echoing softly in the tense silence that had fallen over the chamber.
"What do you think you are doing, Edmond?" Jacob demanded, his voice laced with a mix of authority and underlying fear, a deep frown creasing his weathered face, his bushy eyebrows knitting together in disbelief.
"What does it look like?" Edmond replied coolly, his finger curling around the trigger, the pressure building with calculated intent as he prepared to pull, his eyes locked on Jacob’s without a hint of hesitation.
"Kill him!" Jacob bellowed, his command sharp and frantic, as he ducked beneath the heavy oak table for cover, its surface scarred from years of heated debates and spilled secrets, providing a flimsy barrier against the impending chaos.
The guards, trained to obey without question, immediately sprang into action at Jacob’s desperate yell, their rifles barking to life in a deafening chorus. They opened fire relentlessly, unleashing a barrage of mana-infused bullets that streaked through the air like glowing tracers, illuminating the room in brief flashes of ethereal blue energy.
To the guards’ astonishment, the mana bullets passed harmlessly through Edmond’s form, as if he were nothing more than a mirage woven from the very shadows that danced around him. The projectiles continued on their path, embedding into the far wall with sharp cracks, leaving the soldiers stunned and momentarily speechless, their jaws slack and eyes wide with confusion and dawning horror.
◈ Living Darkness: Body becomes fluid shadow. Attacks pass through you, and you may travel instantly between connected shadows.
Thanks to his skill, Living Darkness, Edmond didn’t even bother to dodge the onslaught; he stood resolute and unmoving, his silhouette flickering slightly as the bullets phased through him without resistance, the air around him rippling like disturbed water on a still pond.
"Is he dead?" Jacob shouted from his hiding spot beneath the table, his voice muffled yet piercing amid the relentless turret of gunshots that reverberated off the stone walls, shaking dust from the ceiling.
"Clearly not, sir Jacob," Edmond whispered directly into the old man’s ear, his breath cool and steady, sending a chill down Jacob’s spine that made every hair on his skin stand on end in primal terror.
Edmond had traversed the shadows in an instant, slipping from his original position across the room to the dim patch cast by the table where Jacob cowered, the transition seamless and silent, like a ghost materializing from the void.
Jacob whipped around, his heart pounding in his chest, to face Edmond’s expressionless visage—cold, unyielding eyes staring back at him without a trace of mercy, his mind racing through a whirlwind of regrets and desperate pleas.
"We didn’t start on the right track. Can we perhaps renegotiate again? I’m willing to wholeheartedly pledge my loyalty to him. The whole of Stronghold 20 will be willing to pledge our loyalty to him," Jacob stammered, his words tumbling out in a rush, his once-commanding voice now trembling and broken, all traces of his former arrogance and pride evaporating in the face of imminent death, sweat beading on his forehead and trickling down his temples.
"Deal’s off," Edmond stated coldly, his tone flat and final, as he pressed the muzzle of the shadow pistol firmly against Jacob’s temple, the contact sending a shiver through the old man’s body.
"Wait. We can—"
Edmond, uninterested in hearing any more of Jacob’s frantic bargaining, pulled the trigger without a second thought. A bullet forged entirely from compressed shadows erupted from the barrel, drilling its way into Jacob’s skull with ruthless precision, splattering brain matter, blood, and fragments of flesh across the table and floor in a gruesome arc.
The grisly remnants phased harmlessly through Edmond’s shadowy form, leaving him untouched amid the carnage, the metallic tang of blood filling the air as silence began to reclaim the room.
The ceaseless firing came to an abrupt halt, the guards’ weapons falling silent one by one, all eyes now riveted on Edmond and the lifeless body of Jacob slumped awkwardly beneath the table, a pool of dark blood spreading slowly across the cold stone floor.
Fear etched itself deeply into the eyes of every guard, their faces paling as they witnessed how effortlessly Edmond had extinguished Jacob’s life right in the midst of their furious assault, their hands trembling on their rifles, breaths coming in shallow gasps.
"Anyone interested in joining Jacob?" Edmond inquired calmly, his gaze sweeping across each guard in turn, the shadow pistol still held loosely at his side, its presence a silent threat that hung heavy in the air.
Tap. Tap. Tap tap tap.
One by one, the guards dropped their weapons in surrender, the clatter of metal on stone echoing like a reluctant admission of defeat, their shoulders slumping as the reality of their vulnerability sank in.
"Wise choice," Edmond said with a faint, satisfied smile, turning on his heel and striding out of the room with purposeful steps, the door swinging shut behind him with a resounding thud.