SSS Ranked Shadow Monarch: Summoning Infinite Shadows-Chapter 269: Versus Ragna

"Arghhh," Aren groaned as he got up from the ground. He stretched his body a bit and then looked at Ragna.

"You guys really had to come back and attack me again?" Aren asked. He stretched his hands again and then looked at Ragna.

Ragna looked at Aren and then smiled. "Are you ready for our long overdue round two?" Ragna said, and then charged forward. He dashed forward at the speed of light, swinging his hammer down at Aren.

Aren pushed back, retreating very fast as the hammer slammed into the ground. The crater exploded, forming an even deeper hole.

Aren landed a few meters back, looking at Ragna, who was already charging at Aren again. He swung at full speed. Aren blocked the attack with his wolf guard.

BOOM

An explosion ripped off. Both of them were pushed back, but from the look of things, Aren was the one at a disadvantage. From how it looked, after all, Ragna was level thirty, and being from a warrior class, he was far more powerful when it came to physical strength.

"You’ll not win this time, no matter what you do," Ragna roared, charging in again.

’He is really out for me, tch, every shadow is already headed for the mountains, I’ll have to take him on myself,’ Aren thought. He looked at Ragna, who already swung at him, and then stepped forward, throwing a punch. His fist and the hammer collided.

Boom! Another explosion ripped through the air. Ragna gripped his hammer tighter, pulling back and swinging again while Aren dodged the attack. The hammer flew past his face so fast that it left a cut on his face, drawing blood.

Aren didn’t falter. His eyes locked on Ragna as he unleashed a claw strike at point-blank range. The attack was fast, and Ragna couldn’t dodge it. It slammed into his chest, blood gushed out instantly, and he was pushed back.

Ragna looked at the wound on his body, enraged that Aren was able to harm him. He clenched his jaw hard and then attacked again. This time his swing carried even more power.

Aren dodged the attack and then went for a low punch. Ragna’s eyes followed the attack. He stomped into the ground, causing a massive crack and making the ground shake. That alone caused Aren to wobble and allowed Ragna to move away in time.

Ragna retreated and immediately attacked again. His hammer pulsed with power as he swung upward.

BAM

The hammer collided with Aren’s chest, throwing him back through the air. Aren flipped and landed a few meters away. He locked eyes with Ragna, who was already coming to attack again, and then unleashed multiple shadow slashes through the air.

Ragna saw the slashes coming and instantly stopped. He slammed his leg into the ground hard and swung his hammer. A massive shockwave exploded from the hammer, slamming into every shadowy blade that came his way immediately. He lunged forward after that, moving like a rocket, but Aren already had a plan.

"There is no way I’ll allow you to defeat me, Ragna. You should have known that from the very beginning, and no matter how much you grow, you’ll always be weaker than me," Aren said.

"Huh? Let’s see about that," Ragna bellowed in anger. The hammer in his hand glowed even more. His body sped up.

"Arghhhhhhhhhhh! Meteor Smash!" His voice thundered through the air as he swung down at Aren.

’That attack will definitely do a lot of damage if it touches me. He wants to really take me down, tch, sadly that’s not how this will end,’ Aren thought. Tendrils exploded from the ground, wrapping around Ragna.

"Arghhhhhh!" Ragna roared louder, swinging down as fast as he could and with as much force as he could summon in that moment. The hammer shattered the sound barrier.

"Stubborn, are we? It’s not going to end your way, sadly," Aren said. He activated the true form of his dark armour and pulled his foot back, throwing a powerful punch that shattered the sound barrier in an instant.

His fist slammed into the hammer, and the shockwave that ripped through the air was massive. Everything trembled, the entire battlefield, as even grass and plants were uprooted due to the shockwave as it travelled farther and farther into the distance.

Ragna was thrown back. He slammed into the ground hard while Aren stood there without a single struggle on his face.

"I told you this, I’m not letting you win," Aren said confidently.

Ragna scoffed. "I promised Lily I’d get revenge for her hand. I have prepared every means to defeat you."

Ragnar gripped the hammer with both hands. His veins bulged, turning red as they pulsed with an immense amount of energy. He looked right at Aren.

"No matter what it takes today, I’ll defeat you," Ragnar said, his voice growing deeper as the veins crept up his neck.

Aren could sense the soul energy inside Ragnar rising rapidly. He could tell Ragnar was going all out and had something planned for him. But Aren simply smiled.

"Seems like you’re really ready for me," Aren said. "Since that’s the case, then I’ll go all out against you as well. Whatever you do, I’ll match it and go beyond."

"Let’s see how that goes!" Ragnar roared.

He launched off the ground. Boom! A massive shockwave erupted as he blasted into the air.

"Ahhh!"

He swung down with both hands toward Aren.

Aren reacted instantly, using all his strength to cross his arms and block the attack.

Boom!

The hammer landed. The ground beneath him cracked and caved in, dust exploding in every direction. Aren was pushed back a few meters, but he held firm.

But the moment he lowered his arms, Ragnar was already in front of him again, swinging once more with the same overwhelming force.

Aren blocked again.

Each attack and each block sent shockwaves ripping through the air, loud and powerful enough to tear into the ground around them.

Ragnar made sure he was the one in control, pressing forward and attacking from all angles to ensure Aren didn’t get a single chance to counter. His swings came relentlessly, one after another, each heavier, faster, more aggressive than the last.

His mindset was simple: keep the pressure, don’t let up, and eventually Aren would break.

That was the plan.

And for a moment, it felt like it was working.

Ragnar got into rhythm, his attacks flowing smoothly, his confidence rising with every swing. He could already see it, Aren cracking under the pressure, the fight tilting in his favor.

But then...

Aren smiled.

The next attack passed right through him.

Ragnar’s eyes widened.

Shadow form.

The hammer tore through empty space as if Aren wasn’t even there. And before Ragnar could react...

Boom!

Aren’s fist slammed straight into his face.

The impact was explosive. Ragnar was launched backward like a rocket, crashing into the ground, bouncing and tearing through it for several meters before finally coming to a stop.

He gritted his teeth and slammed his hammer into the ground, using it to force himself to halt. The ground cracked under the force as he dragged to a stop.

He lifted his head.

Aren was gone.

"Looking for me?" Aren’s voice echoed.

Ragnar’s head snapped upward.

There...

Aren was already in the air, descending.

Without hesitation, Aren unleashed multiple shadow slashes from above, each one tearing through the air with lethal precision.

Ragnar reacted instantly, swinging his hammer wildly, smashing through the incoming slashes one after another.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each collision exploded in the air, but...

It wasn’t enough.

Before he could fully clear them...

Aren had already landed.

Low.

Fast.

Right in front of him.

Ragnar barely had time to react before...

Boom!

Aren’s fist drove straight into his gut.

The force bent Ragnar’s body inward as the impact landed clean.

And then...

He was sent flying again.

Ragnar slammed into the ground hard and rough, the impact cracking the surface beneath him. He skidded for a few meters before coming to a stop.

He immediately looked up, eyes sharp, ready to catch Aren before the next attack came.

But this time...

Aren didn’t move.

He simply stood there, looking at Ragnar with a smile on his face.

A calm, confident smile.

The smile of someone who had already won.

That irritated Ragnar more than anything else.

Even more than being pushed back.

Even more than getting hit.

That look, like he was already defeated, made his blood boil.

"I’ll make sure I wipe that smug look off your face," Ragnar said, his voice low and filled with anger.

He hated it.

Hated the fact that Aren stood at the top as the strongest new awakened.

Hated the way he carried himself like no one could bring him down.

Hated that no matter what he did...

Aren still looked untouchable.

Ragnar’s grip on his hammer tightened as his veins pulsed even harder, the red energy surging violently through his body.

His rage only grew.