The elder's aura crashed down like a mountain.
Ragnar's knees buckled. His lungs screamed for air. This wasn't like fighting heirs — this was a cultivator who had trained for decades, one step from true mastery.
"Law Abominations," the elder spat, "taint reality itself. You dare exist in front of me?"
He lifted his palm. Lightning and stone fused together, condensing into a spear of radiant Law. It burned with killing intent.
"We can't fight him." Ragnar's shadow whispered, curling around his feet. "But we can flee."
"I can't outrun him!" Ragnar hissed.
"You can."
[ Shadowlight Step Activated. ]
The world shattered into black and silver streaks. Ragnar's body flickered, dissolving into shadows, then reappearing ten paces away. His heart thundered as the ground where he once stood exploded under the elder's strike.
BOOOOM!
A crater smoked behind him. Trees splintered like twigs.
"Law Thief!" the elder roared, eyes blazing. "You can't escape judgment!"
Ragnar didn't look back. His body blurred again, shadows bending, lightning crackling. Each step hurled him through the forest faster than his eyes could track. Branches split, rocks cracked, beasts fled from his passage.
But every breath tore his lungs raw. Shadowlight Step wasn't free — it drained him like a river breaking its banks. His vision blurred.
"Don't stop," the shadow urged. "Every step feeds me. Every breath makes us stronger."
Ragnar's teeth ground together. He wasn't sure if that was comfort or threat.
Hours blurred into chaos.
When he finally collapsed, chest heaving, he was miles away — deep in the uncharted parts of the merged realms. The air here was heavier, wilder. Strange beasts roared in the distance.
He dropped to his knees, clutching his chest. Sweat and blood mingled, dripping into the soil.
[ Warning: Shadowlight Step overuse detected. ]
[ System Note: Host body capacity insufficient. Risk of collapse: 78%. ]
Ragnar's face twisted. So even my cheat has limits…
The shadow chuckled in his ear.
"Don't worry. If your body breaks… I'll keep moving without you."
Ragnar froze. His own shadow stretched unnaturally long in the moonlight — and for just an instant, it smiled back at him.