The Shadow Manipulator

Chapter 41: Pale Blue Eyes

No...no way...

I slowly looked at the thing stuck in my chest. I slowly fell down due to the loss of blood but it didn't hurt that much since something far worse than this happened before. I could still see the Mirror Reaper, still in my  field of vision. I knew that I'm the only one standing in his way of making a successful poaching for the day, and that thought gave me one final surge of adrenaline.

I could feel my irregular energy welling up inside me as I tugged at one of the suppressor stone that hung around my neck.

I transformed into my shadow form, ignoring the pain caused by his attack. Even though I got pierced through the heart, I didn't feel any pain anymore, instead, I felt some sort of hotness around the part where I got stabbed. I've made up my mind, I'm going to fight as long as I can still move.

Using my Legendary Sword of the Shadow, I reverted to my human form and charged at him with all I got with one fluid motion. Taken off guard since he was expecting me be dead already, the Mirror Reaper wasn't able to defend himself. I saw the shocked expression in his eyes as I knocked him down using the broad side of my sword. He fell on the ground, probably not knowing what had hit him.

Phew! That was close!

Wait?!

I hurriedly put my hand on the gaping hole on my chest, expecting it to go through sine the invisible 'thing' that stabbed me disappeared. However, there was no hole on my chest anymore. The only thing that I found were the traces of blood and a hole on the front and back of my shirt. I was kind of relieved that I did't die, but seeing the evidence on my shirt reminded me that it wasn't a dream; that it really happened. The thought of the near-death experience immediately removed my relief in an instant.

Using my shadow bind once again, I gathered all the poachers in one place and bounded them. Then, I set to work freeing all the summoned beasts that they caught. Fortunately, the summoned beasts weren't hurt during the fight.

And during all these events,

I've finally decided on a  familiar.

I looked at the white dragon while it was still sleeping. It was really strong back there so I had decided to choose it as my familiar. Since it can fly, and since it was strong enough to take down a chopper in one blow, I guess it would really complement my ability.

I slowly cut the net surrounding it. It must have been strongly affected by that sleeping gas since it had not woken up yet. The other summoned beasts were already up and running as soon as I freed them. Frankly speaking, the whit dragon's the only one who's still asleep.

""Let us go, you brat!" One of the man exclaimed trying to get away from the bind.

Ignoring them, I found  a place to sit down as I watched over the sleeping white dragon. I wonder how Master Ryu's holding up back there. And when will Dad's group and the Blue Fire's group get here? I thought.

.....

Meanwhile...

As soon as Master Ryu entered the portal, he was greeted by a bunch of men wearing the same navy blue uniform. Master Ryu didn't waste any time dealing with the men. With one strong swipe of the shadow bind, he knocked them all unconscious. It was a pretty one-sided battle since it didn't even take him a few seconds to knock all of them down. "Now, where's the leader?" He muttered.

"Are you looking for..."

Master Ryu immediately shifted to his shadow form and glided forward. He tried to get as far as he could from the voice that he heard behind him. How did he get there? Didn't I just knock everyone down? Master Ryu asked himself, trying to figure out what just happened.