Chapter 986 – Shadow Phantom Clones

Crushing the Deep Shadow Elves head-on in the very domain they were most skilled at and most proud of — that was the most effective way to earn the respect of the Nightveil Clan, especially that of a quasi-divine level Deep Shadow Elf like Shadowblade.

A pure, profound aura of shadow — one that seemed capable of absorbing all light — began rising slowly from Mo Lan’s body.

This change immediately drew the attention of the three Fangs of Nightveil squad members.

They were experts in this field and instantly perceived with keen awareness that Mo Lan’s attainment in the way of shadow was likely far more profound than they had anticipated.

It wasn’t merely a matter of level — it was a gap in the fundamental understanding of shadow itself!

Shadowblade’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly, and his expectations for this trial quietly rose a few notches.

The next moment, Mo Lan moved.

Her figure blurred like green smoke scattered by the wind, then split into three.

Three “Mo Lans” appeared simultaneously at three different positions across the training ground, each one identical in aura, posture, and even the fighting intent in their eyes.

Shadow Assassin ninth-level magic — Shadow Phantom Clone.

These clones could act in synchronization with the main body, share perception, and even distribute incoming damage to a certain extent. They could also be genuine phantoms, serving purely as decoys.

The three “Mo Lans” moved in unison, each locking onto one of the three Fangs of Nightveil members.

“Come! Let me see what the Fangs of Nightveil are truly made of!”

The moment those words fell, the three “Mo Lans” shot forward like arrows loosed from their strings.

Their movements were swift and precise, forsaking the Shadow Assassin’s most customary stealth attacks in favor of a direct frontal assault.

Each clone displayed a distinctly different yet equally ferocious combat style.

The clone charging toward the tall male Deep Shadow Elf moved with heavy steps, each footfall resonating with the shadows on the ground, producing a deep, muffled rumble. Her hands gripped empty air as shadow energy condensed into two heavy shadow blades, striking straight down the center with overwhelming momentum — like a knight born of darkness.

The clone lunging at the lean male Deep Shadow Elf moved with ghostly, elusive footwork, her trajectory impossible to predict. In her hands coalesced a pair of slender yet supremely sharp shadow needles, her attack angles cunning and vicious, targeting joints and vital points.

The clone facing the female Deep Shadow Elf had the most peculiar style of all.

She used no physical weapons whatsoever. As her hands danced through the air, shadow energy flowed between her fingers like a living thing, constantly reshaping — now transforming into entangling chains to restrict her opponent’s movement, now forming into piercing spikes for harassment, now dispersing into fog to disrupt perception.

The three Fangs of Nightveil members were instantly plunged into fierce combat!

Their originally tight cooperative formation was forcibly split apart by these three clones of vastly different yet equally formidable styles, leaving them no choice but to fight individually.

What alarmed them even more was the substantial force transmitted through every block, the convincingly lethal intent they felt with every dodge — all telling them that these clones posed a very real threat.

“Be careful! These clones are no pushovers!” the female Deep Shadow Elf called out sharply. She was having the hardest time of all, because her opponent seemed to always anticipate her shadow magic and counter or neutralize it with even more powerful shadow magic.

Shadow energy surged violently across the training ground, the clash of blades, the muffled thuds of colliding energy, and the whoosh of fabric cutting through air all interweaving together.

The three clones and the three Fangs of Nightveil fought to a deadlock, seemingly evenly matched.

Just as the three Fangs of Nightveil members were fully absorbed in dealing with the “formidable enemies” before them, their minds and senses completely locked onto the intense battle — in the deeper, darker corners of the training ground untouched by the fighting, a silent change was taking place.

Three more “Mo Lans,” identical in aura and appearance to the clones already in combat, emerged without warning, as if crystallizing from the thickest ink.

Their positions were fiendishly chosen, precisely within the blind spots and perceptual dead zones of each Fangs of Nightveil member, perfectly concealed by the energy fluctuations of the ongoing battle.

These three newly appeared clones emitted not a shred of killing intent, their movements as light as true shadows.

In each of their hands was a short blade forged from the most condensed shadow, its edge shimmering with a lethal, ghostly light.

Employing the Shadow Assassin magic combat technique Breathless Shadow Strike, they concentrated all their power into a single point, the tips of their blades locking onto the completely unguarded vital points of the three Fangs of Nightveil members — the nape of the neck, the heart, the kidneys.

An ice-cold killing intent, sharp as needles made real, pierced through the chaos of battle in an instant, pinning itself precisely onto the fatal weak points of the three Deep Shadow Elves!

“What?!”

“Behind!!”

Almost simultaneously, every hair on the bodies of all three Fangs of Nightveil members stood on end!

It was the ultimate sensation of danger — that of being pinned at one’s vital point by a superior hunter, using the very methods they knew best!

In utter horror they tried to turn, block, or dodge, but it was already too late.

The “opponents” in front of them suddenly intensified their assault, locking them down completely, while the bone-chilling killing intent from behind had already arrived at their flanks, freezing their bodies stiff and slowing their movements to a crawl.

The outcome was decided in that instant.

“That’s enough.” From the sideline, Shadowblade’s voice rang out at the perfect moment, his emotions somewhat complicated.

Almost the instant he spoke, the three clones locked in fierce combat and the three clones that had pressed their short blades to within a hair’s breadth of their targets’ skin, killing intent razor-sharp — all froze in unison.

Then, like bubbles in sunlight, they shattered soundlessly, dissolving into wisps of shadow energy that returned to the dense darkness suffusing the grounds, as if that intense and lethal siege had never happened at all.

All that remained on the field were three Fangs of Nightveil members — faces pale, breathing unsteady, eyes still haunted by shock and lingering dread — and the empty center of the training ground.

The next moment, Mo Lan’s true body slowly “stepped out” from behind the deepest shadow cast by an enormous stalactite at the edge of the training ground, as if emerging from a painting made of shadow.

Only now did the three Fangs of Nightveil members fully understand what had happened.

Six! She had simultaneously controlled six Shadow Phantom Clones, each possessing considerable combat power — enough to fight them to a standstill!

Three had been used for the frontal assault to draw all their attention, while the other three completed a near-perfect ambush and assassination.

What was even more terrifying was that her true body had never once entered the battle from beginning to end — had never even revealed her position.

They had assumed that among such powerful clones, at least one had to be the real one, or perhaps all of them were real. Never had they imagined that every single one was a clone!

The eyes of the Fangs of Nightveil Deep Shadow Elves were filled with disbelief.

Their vaunted shadow perception, in the face of a higher order of shadow manipulation and concealment, had been rendered utterly useless.

This comprehensive domination went beyond a mere gap in professional level — it was a chasm in the understanding of shadow’s very essence, in the efficiency of power application, and in the sophistication of tactical thinking!