The Villain's Story

It was such a strange form of vision when he realized it fully. Shadow Vision was just like he was expecting, but even then, it was strange watching his own body float in the air from below. The world was black and white, as if a Shadow couldn’t perceive color, but it was enough.

It was a third-person point of view from below. It was taxing on the mind, indeed, since Alan was using both his vision and the vision of the Shadow, but it was bearable.

He had experienced worse when he first sat on the throne of the Jade Palace; he had felt worse that time, and his mind had almost crumbled during the fight with Victor.

This was a walk in the park compared to that. Alan didn’t need long to adjust to this strange version.

Shi Lam was giving him plenty of time, quietly observing what he was doing. Alan was ready to perform instantaneous teleportation, but there was this strange but welcome sense of joy he was feeling…

Where was it coming from? Ah, it was his shadow, mixed in with all the others from the Mantle, spread throughout the ground, but he could easily recognize it, even among all the black.

It was screaming with joy, like about to do a cool move.

‘A shadow is your true self, huh?’

He couldn’t believe he was jumping in glee just from thinking of what he was about to do, but that was enough stalling. A stream of spatial mana flowed through his body and into his shadows. Alan focused only on Shi Lam with his eyes, but through the eyes of the shadow, he focused behind him.

And Voilà! Without any trace of mana, without any sort of giveaway, without any weakness. He had achieved true instantaneous teleportation. Appearing behind Shi Lam, he stopped for a brief moment, unable to believe he had actually done it, but went through with a strike moments after, forming a spear of Ice.

Shi Lam calmly turned around, catching his ice spear and turning it to nothing.

“Remarkable, using your unusually gifted body, and the gift of regeneration to attempt such a dangerous method of teleportation.”

Alan flew towards him the moment his spear was turned to nothing, and encasing his hands in frost mana and preparing a dragon breath.

“Many spatial sorcerers have attempted it; more than half of them died. Those who lived developed trauma from such an experience, and never did it again. However, most of them had one thing in common.”

‘Most?’

“Their eyes were a dead giveaway before performing such a tactic; many noticed it. Only one overcame it. However, even if I was unaware of such a fact, I would have still reacted.”

‘Only one?’

Alan teleported once more. The moment he was in front of Shi Lam, he teleported once more to the right of the man.

Shi Lam raised his hand, effortlessly blocking the breath. He blocked the flurry of punches with his tail.

“I am a Divine. I would have reacted to such a movement even if I didn’t know. However, it will work well, even among Epics who have achieved physical transcendence, even among some legendary beings.

But most legendary beings won’t fall for it. If you use the eyes, of course. But using the Shadows… that would be a trump card. You could use it once against a Mythical being as well, but that’s it.”

And then, to Alan’s surprise, Shi Lam disappeared. He felt the faintest trace of mana to his right, and his Shadow warned him of what was coming.

To his right, Shi Lam manifested once more, and Alan was barely able to block the devastating blow to his side with his arms. He was still thrown to the ground.

“Just as a shadow can facilitate that kind of movement, it can also alert you to it. Against a Shadow, or anyone who has mastered their shadow, that trick is useless.

But lucky for you, there aren’t many who have done so.”

‘So it doesn’t work for you people, huh. That’s okay.’

He wasn’t mad that it didn’t work. He hadn’t expected it to work against a Divine being, but all of his opponents wouldn’t be Divine. When he reached that level, he would think of other ways, but for now, it would work against anyone.

Except probably Kazikato.

It would work against everyone else, and to top it off, he hadn’t even scratched the surface of his element of space. He needed more, he wanted more, but it would all come in due time.

“Who was the one person who did it other than me? Who figured out instantaneous teleportation?”

Alan asked, curious as to who it was. He had been itching to ask the moment Shi Lam mentioned it.

The dragon in the sky smiled, it was weird to see the metal making his body shift and turn like gears one second, and move fluidly like liquid like the other. Shi Lam sheathed his sword and answered.

“Stellaron, the Elven Prince of the Stars. He figured it out. He’s the only and the most talented spatial sorcerer I have seen, though not much of a fighter.”

“Can I meet him? I want to figure out this element more.”

The dragon in the sky remained silent for a moment, his shoulders drooped down, and Alan got the feeling that he had disappointed the dragon. But how?

“Where is the fun in that, prince? The true beauty of sorcery is to cultivate it yourself! You act like you’re not a dragon! What’s the hurry?”

“…”

Ah, Alan had forgotten that dragons were obsessed with forming their own sorcery by themselves. The mere suggestion probably seemed like an insult to Shi Lam, who was a dragon at birth.

Dragons encouraged creativity and self-worth in magic to an extreme level; they weren’t against taking inspiration, but only so when they had already developed the basics of their sorcery.

Make it first, improve it later.

‘I am in a hurry though…’