The next moment, boom!
Ang's pupils abruptly contracted as an unprecedented power of shadow erupted from within him.
The Fallen Crow's Shadow behind him, its head firmly clamped in the jaws of the Despair Winter Dragon, let out a desperate shriek.
Its black wings beat frantically, trying to force apart those fatal fangs.
However.
A terrifying force, like a battering ram, brutally smashed through layer after layer of shadow shields.
The wind from the punch tore through the air with a piercing boom, then suddenly froze an instant before touching his skin.
It was less than three centimeters from Ang's face.
The violent airflow did not stop with it. It scraped across Ang's cheeks like blades.
His carefully groomed long hair was violently dragged backward by the gale, plastered against his scalp as it whipped wildly.
Not only did Ang not blink, he even forgot to breathe.
On his pale face, the eyes that usually carried a teasing smile were now filled with nothing but blank shock.
There was no pain.
No death.
Only that fist, its knuckles sharply defined and brimming with destructive power, filled his entire field of vision.
"Phew—"
Dago let out a long breath, as though he were expelling all the sludge that had built up in his chest over the years.
"I've always wanted to do that."
His voice was not loud, yet it rang with exceptional clarity in the dead-silent center of the battlefield.
"Looks like you're not without fear after all. You can be afraid too."
Dago loosened his five fingers, and the force field that had confined the surrounding space dissipated.
Like a hunter releasing a trap and letting go of prey that had already been frightened out of its wits.
Ang staggered half a step back, his eyes unfocused as if