Chapter 347: Find your Mother

Blood gushed out like a fountain.

The man tried to smile but struggled, as his own spear had lodged into his chest. When Aren had sensed the attack, it was too late to dodge it, so he used his shadow form, and that was all. The spear was now lodged into the chest of his attacker.

Aren looked at the attacker with a cold, uncaring gaze. "If you wish to keep your life, tell me where they are," he asked.

The man coughed up blood for a few seconds and then opened his mouth to speak. "I guess I’m done for," he said.

"No, you are not," Aren replied and then proceeded to use Consume. He swallowed up the man without a second thought.

Immediately, he ran through the memories at the speed of light and found what he was looking for. His parents had been taken by the Sacred Palace and were now held somewhere in the domain.

"Those bastards," he cursed and clenched his fist. His knuckles went white.

"Aren, everyone is safe," Aiden walked over to say. "Did you find anything useful?" he asked.

"I did. They have my family locked somewhere in the Sacred Palace," Aren said.

Aiden’s eyes widened when he heard that. "Oh shit, that’s not good," he stated.

"I know," Aren replied and then took a very deep breath to calm himself. "Regardless, I’ll storm in and I’ll take them back, no matter what it costs."

"You can’t be rash, Aren," Aiden said. Aren looked at him with a confused gaze.

"Listen, I am sure that they already know you would take this course of action," Aiden stated.

"That’s true. Doesn’t mean I’ll not take it," Aren replied.

"How about you pressure them into a deal?" Aiden stated. He grabbed his chin and thought for a bit. "I know Lucy went after the demon, but we all know for certain she cannot stop the coming of the Abyss and the demons.

"So how about, rather than rushing in alone, you force the Sacred Palace and all of them to heed you? You possess the greatest, most fearsome army a single man can handle, shadows that do your every bidding and grow stronger.

"Attack with that. Come as the shadow that they think you are and show them just how wild you would get when they push you to the edge," Aiden explained.

"I see. That way they know how far I am willing to go. They will end up dangling my family in front of me and telling me to stop, else they’ll kill them.

"And from there I channel an ultimatum. The demons are coming. I have shown my military might. They can either choose to hand me my family and I will help against the incoming demons, or they can choose to fight me, and I’ll cause them massive losses. Then the demons will come and they will lose for sure.

"I am sure after the clash we had, their strength has waned, losing two of their patriarchs and whatnot," Aren analyzed faster than a computer. He turned and looked at Aiden.

"To truly do this, I must first harness the shadow of Shadow, whom I consumed. His shadow is the very essence of my being, and inside him are his shadow summons, beings that have the power to shake the realm. With them, I can force their hand far better," Aren explained.

"That sounds like a plan, so when do you want to do that?"

"I need a place with soul energy inside the domain, not here, which means we have to head back," Aren said.

"Well, that will not be easy. They have for sure noted our presence now and will surely be sending more people to hold us down and capture us," Aiden stated.

"That’s true, but it’s also a good moment to start showing our mettle and break through them with my shadow army, to show them that I am not here to joke." He clenched his fist and looked straight ahead.

"A few people will die for it, but they should never have crossed me in the first place." His eyes glowed beneath the mask. He had not yet noticed it, but a part of him had begun to twist more than it was before. His emotions were no longer the same.

Athena and Zero arrived. They ensured everyone was safe, and they placed a call to an ambulance, which also meant more awakened would be sent along to apprehend them.

"We should leave now," Zero said.

Aren looked at Zero for a pretty long moment and then spoke. "Zero, I think it’s time we find information on your mum. There is no better time than now that we want to go against the Sacred Palace and all of humanity, so I think it’s the right time." He looked her dead in the eye as he said it. He had never forgotten the promise that he had made to her that day.

He had only been waiting for the right time to do it, and now that moment had shown itself. Zero froze. She looked at him with her mouth slightly open. She tried to speak, but no words came out, so she stepped forward and gave him a playful punch on his chest. "I guess that’s a plan," she finally said. She looked up, and there was a smile on her face.

Since they were done here, she created a dome and took them into the air, but only a few seconds into their flight, a bright flash of light filled the sky and a blast headed their way.

"Everyone brace for impact!" Aiden yelled before the attack landed.

It slammed into their dome and shattered it. All four of them were hurled into the air. They hit the ground hard and rolled until they came to a stop. In the sky, the cloud of smoke from the explosion remained, slowly spreading away like a timer to something.