Chapter 54

From Kim Chul's lifeless body, Jinwoo triggers Shadow Extraction. Black mist rises and the soul resists, but it emerges as a towering armored mass far larger than his usual soldiers, releasing a ground-shaking roar. Jinwoo names this new Roaring Shadow Iron. Iron's Taunting Cry pulls Baruka's focus, and the Ice Elf's strike meets Iron's massive shield, then a colossal hammer swing Baruka narrowly dodges. Iron proves too slow, but Jinwoo and Igris close in. The watching hunters, Han Song-Yi, Park Heejin, and Yoon Ki-Joong, are stunned by a battle unlike any raid they have known.

Igris and Jinwoo press Baruka together. Jinwoo pierces his shoulder with a paralyzing strike, but Baruka's high resistance shrugs off the effect, and he laughs, only to find his Ice Elf warriors slain by Jinwoo's shadows. His army is gone. Baruka charges again as Jinwoo throws the Knight Killer, dodges it, then watches Dominator's Touch halt the blade midair and send it back to shatter his own dagger. Iron seizes and restrains Baruka while the mages summon a giant fireball that explodes over them both, yet Baruka survives, clothes burned away. Jinwoo uses Stealth to reappear behind him and pierce his hips, and Iron finishes the job, hammering the body until Jinwoo commands him to stop. The shadow infantry celebrates, the surviving hunters rejoice, the gate begins to open, and Jinwoo turns to Baruka's corpse for one final shadow extraction.

Jinwoo extracts Kim Chul's shadow, creating the new Roaring Shadow named Iron. Iron's Taunting Cry redirects Baruka, and Jinwoo and Igris join the assault. Jinwoo's shadows wipe out Baruka's Ice Elf warriors. Dominator's Touch shatters Baruka's dagger, and after Stealth, fire, and Iron's restraint, Baruka is killed. The gate opens, and Jinwoo prepares to extract Baruka's shadow.

This chapter corresponds to anime Episode 14 within the Red Gate Arc. Iron debuts as a powerful armored shadow, and Jinwoo's abilities Shadow Extraction, Dominator's Touch, and Stealth are featured prominently. Iron's aggressive overkill on Baruka prompts Jinwoo to rein him in, hinting at the shadow's volatile temperament.