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The two other Inquisitors nodded. One held a staff crackling with lightning, and the other wielded a mace that radiated divine energy. They began to move in a triangular pattern, attempting to close in on Akun from three directions.

"By the light of our goddess, we shall cleanse this darkness!"

The leader shouted, charging forward with a shield glowing with holy light.

The Inquisitors coordinated their attack, the lightning staff crackling with energy as bolts arced toward Akun, while the mace-wielder swung with all their might, hoping to land a decisive blow.

Akun, however, remained unfazed. With a gesture, the shadows at his feet surged upward, forming a barrier that absorbed the lightning bolts and deflected the holy energy of the mace. The leader's shield bash was met with a wall of dark tendrils that wrapped around the shield, wrenching it from his grasp and tossing it aside.

"No! He's countering everything!" the lightning-wielding Inquisitor exclaimed, panic rising in his voice.

"Stay focused! We can do this!" the leader urged, though his voice shook with doubt.

Akun extended a hand, summoning shadowy spikes from the ground. The spikes shot toward the trio with a burst of speed, piercing through their armor with ease.

The Inquisitor with the lightning staff was the first to fall, skewered by multiple spikes that shattered his bones and dropped him to the earth.

The mace-wielder fared no better, a spike catching him in the chest and driving the air from his lungs. The leader watched in horror as his comrades fell, and then a final spike burst through the ground, impaling him and lifting him off his feet before the darkness claimed him.

Nearby, another group of Inquisitors attempted a more tactical approach. They split into two groups, hoping to flank Akun and catch him off guard.

"We'll strike from the sides! He can't block everything!" one of them shouted, rallying his comrades.

The two groups circled around, approaching from opposite directions, their weapons glowing with divine enchantments.

"Now!" the leader of the left flank ordered, and both groups launched their attacks simultaneously.

Akun observed their movement with a slight tilt of his head. As the Inquisitors closed in, shadows erupted from the ground, forming tendrils that snaked through the air like living serpents.

The left flank charged with swords raised high, aiming for a synchronized strike. But as they swung their blades, the tendrils wrapped around their arms, yanking them off balance and wrenching the swords from their hands.

"No! It's too strong!" one of them cried as he struggled against the shadowy restraints.

On the right flank, an Inquisitor launched a barrage of magical missiles, each one glowing with purifying light. Akun flicked his wrist, and the shadows morphed into a swirling vortex that swallowed the missiles, dissipating their energy harmlessly.

With a casual wave of his hand, Akun directed the shadows to retaliate. The tendrils lashed out with blinding speed, striking with the force of a tempest. Discover hidden stories at My Virtual Library Empire

The left flank was swept aside, their bodies flung through the air like ragdolls. The right flank fared no better; the tendrils pierced their armor and flesh, cutting their cries short.

The ground around Akun was littered with fallen Inquisitors, their once proud expressions faded into that of pain and despair. The power Akun wielded was undeniable, and truly terrifying.

"Retreat!" another voice shouted, desperation creeping into the tone. "Fall back and regroup!"

The remaining Inquisitors hesitated, uncertainty etched on their faces. Thorne, seeing the tide turn against them, stepped forward, anger boiling beneath his calm exterior.

"This isn't over, heretic!" Thorne snarled, his voice a mixture of rage and desperation. "You will not defy the goddess!"

Akun's shadows swirled around him. "I couldn't care less what the will of your goddess is. Your goddess led the slaughter of her own people and now sends you to your death. How loyal you are to a being who sees you as nothing more than a disposable chess piece?"

Thorne raised his dagger, trembling with a mixture of fear and fury. "You shall slander our goddess no more! I shall put an end to you!"

With a burst of speed, Thorne launched himself into the air, his twin daggers glinting under the moonlight. Using holy boost magic to amplify his agility and strength to supernatural levels.

He leaped from tree to tree, his movements a blur of red and white, seeking an opening to strike at Akun.

The shadows swirled protectively around Akun, anticipating each of Thorne's attempts. As Thorne dove in from the side, one dagger aimed for Akun's heart, a dark tendril sprung upward, intercepting the blade with a clang. Sparks flew as shadow met steel, and Thorne was forced to retreat, flipping backward to avoid the retaliatory strike of a shadowy spear.

Unfazed, Thorne circled around, using the trees for cover and launching feints to probe Akun's defenses. He darted between the trunks, emerging at unpredictable angles.

Thorne charged forward, his daggers spinning, aiming for Akun's throat and abdomen. The shadows responded, forming a shield that deflected the blows, the impact sending shockwaves through the air. The ground quaked beneath them as Thorne's strikes met resistance, chipping away bark from the nearby trees.

"Is that the best you can do, heretic?" Thorne taunted, an intense expression etched on his face. "Your shadows can't protect you forever!"

Akun remained composed, his expression betraying not a hint of being exhausted. With a flick of his hand, the shadows extended into the trees, twisting branches into jagged spears that shot toward Thorne.

Thorne spun in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the attack, his speed allowing him to evade the lethal grasp of the shadows. He landed atop a sturdy branch, using it as a springboard to propel himself toward Akun once more.

This time, Thorne's approach was more calculated. He zigzagged through the forest, moving too swiftly for the eye to track, his daggers whistling through the air as he unleashed a flurry of strikes.

The shadows barely managed to keep pace, parrying his endless rain of attacks with rapid movements.

Akun retaliated with a wave of his hand, sending a barrage of shadowy spikes from the ground, each one seemed to hone in on Throne. Thorne twisted and turned, his enhanced reflexes allowing him to dodge the majority of the spikes, but one caught him in the leg, ripping through his armor and drawing a pained grunt from his lips.

Despite his injury, Thorne refused to give in. He pushed forward, his red eyes burning intensely with holy power. The forest around them was now a ruin, the ground scarred and the trees shattered from the clash of their cash. But as time went by, Throne kept on sustaining multiple cuts, though not deep but they were chipping away at his blood and stamina.

With a desperate cry, Thorne leapt high into the air, his boost magic pushing him to his limits. He aimed to descend upon Akun with a powerful downward strike, his daggers positioned for a decisive blow.

Akun, sensing the opportunity, summoned the shadows to form a massive hand that rose from the earth, its fingers closing around Thorne in mid-air. The dark tendrils wrapped around Thorne's body, immobilizing him with an iron grip.

Thorne struggled against the shadows, his daggers slipping from his grasp and clattering to the ground below.

Akun approached, his expression calm yet cold. "You were never a match for me; your goddess knew that. Your faith is misplaced, and it has led you to this."