The Shadow King's Final Arrow
“Interesting. What more could you possibly gain from me? You’ve already contracted an ancient god, wield the Red Dragonkin’s bow, and even possess a sword bestowed by the Spirit King.”
Alkan wore a peculiar smile at Adel’s words.
“And what’s with that armor? It’s the legacy of the ancient dragon Shan, no less, and those gauntlets are treasures of volcanic fury.”
“The dead one’s right on the mark. Seeing how you see right through all that.”
“Isn’t it ridiculous to crave more? With the power you have now, you could conquer the continent and have plenty left over.”
“No greed, no growth.”
“What do you hope to gain by growing even further?”
“Who knows.”
Adel mirrored that peculiar smile, lifting the corner of his mouth.
“A peaceful life?”
“Kh, khuk… A peaceful life?”
Alkan let out a hollow laugh, as if caught off guard by the answer.
“Sorry. Wasn’t trying to mock you. It just doesn’t seem like something for someone who’s climbed all the way to the Ancestral Tomb to say.”
“It’s fine. You, more than anyone, know just how hard that is.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The other kings all became wandering spirits. But it’s not because they had regrets in this life. It was simply their will to test the kings of generations to come.”
Adel gestured behind him. At the base of the stairs, the spirits of the remaining kings had appeared, gazing up at them.
“But you’re different. You chose to stay here of your own will.”
Thud.
Adel took a step closer.
“You’ve guarded this place for hundreds of years. Why?”
Thud.
Another step closer.
“What did you want to leave behind?”
Thud.
One final step brought him right before Alkan.
“What did you want to pass on?”
He said it plainly.
“Are you staying here all alone out of loneliness?”
“Loneliness… Are you trying to comfort me now?”
“I think the dead feel their regrets most keenly when watching over the living.”
“Haha, and a pup who’s barely been born and hasn’t even tasted death dares say that to me?”
Woooong…
Shwaak—!!
Thud!
Plunk!!!
It happened in an instant.
Red arrows flew at Adel, embedding in his shoulder and thigh.
Thuk.
Adel crumpled to his knees without even a scream, staggering.
[…Adel!!]
“How’s that.”
His cold gaze vanished, replaced by a strangely playful expression as he asked.
“Scared?”
“…Why would I be?”
But Adel shot back at him.
“Experiencing death once doesn’t make you all that special. Why boast about it, Shadow King?”
He lifted his head defiantly.
“Death… That’s nothing.”
“Right. It’s nothing at all. The real torment is…”
Alkan waggled his eyebrows at him.
“Living. Isn’t it?”
He added.
“Going through that agony… twice. I should applaud you.”
…He read my regression?
Twitch.
Adel’s shoulder trembled.
“What the hell are you?”
“Nothing special. Just a man who lived long ago and lingered a bit longer…”
Alkan deflected.
“As you said, the Ancestral Tomb wasn’t built just to venerate kings. I was waiting for someone to pass my secret art to.”
He picked up a broken shard of the 【Heaven-Piercing Bow】 from the floor and pointed it at Adel.
“Someone like you.”
Alkan nodded slowly.
“Yes. So in your previous life, the tomb collapsed… Unexpected.”
Slap—!!
“I don’t know how you read memories, but try that shit again and I won’t stand by.”
Adel slapped away Alkan’s arm from his forehead and warned him.
“Don’t misunderstand. Living too long… just picked up some stray abilities.”
Alkan stroked the back of his hand.
“This place is where ley lines converge. Ever been to Taeo Cave? Ley lines flow there too. That alone makes it a spirit land, so this soil can birth abilities that didn’t exist before.”
“Don’t care. What matters is whether you pull that crap or not.”
“Just curious. Trapped here so long, wanted to see how the outside changed… Ended up glimpsing your secret by accident.”
He shrugged, waving a hand apologetically.
“But thanks to that, I gained something, so don’t be too upset.”
“What do you mean?”
“As I said earlier, I was waiting for someone to inherit my techniques.”
Adel eyed Alkan.
The Shadow King. Learning the arts of one who stood above any powerhouse on the continent was fortune beyond measure, a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
“All of Ulan’s hunting arts stem from my secret techniques.”
“Desert Archery is your art?”
“Yes.”
“A provision for posterity. I hoped the desert clans would become hunters, so someday they’d reach this tomb. I diluted the art so more could learn it.”
Alkan said.
“Even ordinary folk could master it. Quite a bit.”
“…”
Adel couldn’t hide his surprise.
In his previous life, he’d mastered only one archery style: Desert Archery.
venturing to the continent, he’d encountered styles from countless clans and guilds. None surpassed Desert Archery.
When it fully took root in his hands, he’d believed there was no higher peak in archery.
That’s why, even after regressing, I never once pondered archery further.
Yet now, Alkan dismissed Desert Archery—which he’d deemed supreme—as insignificant, as if mocking his thoughts.
“Indeed… You shame me.”
“No need for embarrassment. Becoming the best with that art proves your effort was extraordinary.”
“Effort…?”
“Yes. Not talent. You say you didn’t awaken it in five years in the desert, but really, it took eighteen years, didn’t it?”
“That’s…”
“Lack of opportunity is just an excuse. True talent senses it instinctively.”
“Can you be sure?”
“Of course.”
Alkan answered as if he’d been waiting.
“I did.”
“…Then I can’t argue.”
“Hahaha. Wasn’t bragging. I’m telling you how impressive you are. You filled the lost time with effort despite lacking talent and reached the top. Now you get another chance.”
He gazed at Adel.
“The lost time? Your past efforts already reclaimed it. And not just that—with that reclaimed time, your future changed, bringing you here.”
He smiled.
“You’re strong. Strong enough to hunt gods. And their power made you stronger. But you know. It’s only possible because of Kalderet’s Void.”
Alkan’s hand touched Adel’s shoulder.
“True strength isn’t leaning on others. It’s forging it yourself. And everyone has that.”
“A power everyone has…?”
Adel looked at Alkan.
“Power from gods: blessings. From elemental twists: magic. From nature itself: spirit power. Master even one, and you reach great heights. One.”
Alkan said.
“But in thrall to those mighty forces, you forget something. The power that made you strong when you couldn’t wield divine might.”
“Aura.”
“Yes. My ultimate art stems from aura. Commonly, aura is seen as humanity’s own power, not borrowed from gods, elements, or nature.”
Woooong.
A faint light emanated from Alkan’s hand on his shoulder. Milky white—clearly aura.
“That’s why there’s no specific training method, just vague talk of ‘enlightenment.’ Awakenings vary wildly.”
Woooong.
The milky aura shifted to red.
“Why can’t aura be taught like magic or spirit arts? One common thread amid those varied enlightenments. Know what it is?”
Alkan said.
“Repeated training.”
“Exactly. Those who manifest aura achieve unity with their weapon. Reaching that demands endless repetition—absolute time.”
It might take ten years, or a lifetime without success.
“Aura is hard to grasp. That’s why only those who’ve mastered it can teach or learn it. Not like blessings or magic, following a drawn path on a blank slate.”
Adel nodded.
“See? Others devote lifetimes to that training’s enlightenment. You already have it.”
His previous life. As Alkan said, Adel had neared mastery in archery.
“And I gained enlightenment differently from you…”
A smile played on Alkan’s lips.
“So I’ll guide you down that path.”
Woooong.
The aura from his palm turned blue.
“…”
Adel watched the change.
Aura embodied one’s essence. Most bore a single color.
But Alkan’s kept shifting.
“I have three arrows.”
Adel looked up at him.
“The first sealed the Void, the second banished annihilation.”
Shing—!!!
As he extended his arm, three arrows materialized overhead. One blazed brilliantly, one burned redder than blood, and the last gleamed coldly blue, chilling to behold.
“The power that sealed Kalderet and expelled Rune’r…”
“Yes. Isn’t that what you crave? Power to surpass gods. The answer’s not far. Grow stronger yourself.”
Adel felt like he’d been struck.
He’d thought himself plenty strong. A hunter of gods—no one stronger.
Yet an inexplicable thirst lingered.
A craving to grow stronger.
Now he understood why.
I was wrong all along. I thought gaining mana—absent in my past life—was the way to grow stronger…
In the end, borrowed power. Not essence.
“What do you say.”
Thump-thump-thump.
Adel’s heart raced.
“Heir of Ulan.”
Alkan’s voice echoed through the tomb.
“Will you learn my ultimate art?”
The hand extended toward him.
Just grasp it.
Twitch.
Adel’s arm trembled instinctively.
“Any archer would welcome learning the Ghostly Spirit’s secret art with open arms. But.”
That was when.
“You haven’t told me one thing.”
“…”
“The final shot.”
Adel stared at him coldly.
“Who was it aimed at?”