EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC101: Shadow Ink
Neo took a deep breath.
'It's Do or Die.'
[Quest accepted.]
He heard Elizabeth calling out to him while he was staring at the screen.
"Neo Hargraves, are my words so useless that you think they aren't worth listening to?"
"I apologize, professor.
"I was wondering who will be the leader of the S-rank mission."
His words touched the topic everyone was trying to ignore.
Three teams and three Corners.
Clearly, each team would handle one Corner.
However, a single failure could jeopardize the mission.
All of them had to work together for the mission to be successful.
A mission leader was necessary.
Harrison was about to speak when suddenly Mars stepped out.
"The mission leader will be Neo."
"What!?"
"Why would he be the leader? He is one of the weakest guys here!"
Mars glared at the members of Zeus clan when they opposed his decision.
"It's about Strength.
"Our team is the strongest out of all three teams.
"It's a given our team leader should be the mission leader."
The students, about to refuse, noticed Leonora and Mars.
Two of the monsters were in Team Umbra.
It was without a doubt the strongest team.
'He hasn't forgiven Zeus Clan for the phoenix's death.'
'I better not let him know I was the one who allowed them do it.'
Neo smiled bitterly.
"I agree with Mars decision," Lucas stepped up. "Neo should be the team leader."
He looked at Arthur.
"What do you think?"
"…I'm okay with it."
After the mission leader was decided, Elizabeth gave them the necessary equipment.
A gas mask, three vials of healing elixir and Divine Energy elixir each, and a vial of black ink.
"It's Shadow Ink.
"You will be able to harm the Shadow monsters if you coat your weapons in them."
Shadows could not be killed normally.
Neo recalled the trouble he had to go through during the ranking tournament due to the Shadow monsters summoned by Nathan.
The students opened the Shadow Ink vials and used it on their weapons.
Lucas, Arthur, Neo, Nathan, Jack, and Leonora did not open their vials.
"Why are you six not using the item?"
"I have Holy Affinity, professor."
"I awakened mine during the missions."
"I can use Aura Slash with Death element."
Lucas, Arthur, and Neo answered.
Listening to them, Elizabeth nodded and stared at the other three.
"I have Shadow element."
"Same."
"H-holy affinity."
Shadow Ink was created by combining poisonous substances with Shadow Elementals.
It was harmful for Shadow monsters.
Since they could fight shadow monsters with their affinities, they saved the ink for later use.
Everyone decided to suit up.
They wore the gas masks and checked their gears.
Neo opened the small case with elixirs and noticed he had two extra vials.
The liquid inside them was darker.
There was a note next to them.
—One vial of Healing Elixir and Divine Energy Elixir. They are highly potent with strong side effects. Use them only if you have no other choice.
—Stay safe and don't die.
The elixirs were potent enough that consuming two at once would destroy Neo's body.
He would be knocked out after digesting even one.
Their effect was, however, similarly effective.
They would show instantaneous effect unlike normal elixirs.
Neo raised his head and met Elizabeth's eyes.
'Thank you.' He mouthed.
Elizabeth nodded.
She seemed to have a lot to say, but she remained quiet
"What are you thinking about?" Christian asked.
"I was just…."
Neo shook his head.
"Never mind. It's nothing."
"I'll protect our team. It's my job as the tank. So stop making that worried face."
Christian patted his shoulder and wore the gas mask.
Neo nodded before he did the same.
The three teams gathered.
"Should we ask the academy staff to send us into the window?" Felix questioned.
"It's fine. Lucas can do it."
He looked at Lucas and received a nod in return.
Lucas joined his palms and rotated them into opposite directions.
"Open."
Broken shards of silvery light flickered.
They formed a swirling portal.
The shards suddenly condensed into a single point.
A beat later, they spread out and formed a portal that opened inside the Window.
The view of the other side was hidden by shadows.
Dense shadow elemental rushed out of the portal.
"Hurry!"
Lucas muttered while he focused on maintaining the portal.
Neo waited for everyone to enter the window.
When he was about step to the other side, the portal closed.
"Why did you do that?" Neo asked.
"I wanted to talk to you alone."
Lucas turned to Elizabeth.
She pursed her lips and left.
"Now…"
Lucas stared at Neo.
"I apologize for everything I did."
"Why?" Neo frowned.
"I've heard about your Bloodline.
"It was unbecoming of me to regard you, a kin of death, as nothing more than an insignificant bug."
"…Who told you that?"
"I can't reveal my sources." Lucas smiled.
Neo clicked his tongue.
"Is this all you had to say?"
"No, I wanted to ask about our mission…." Lucas puckered his lips. "How many will die?"
Neo looked at up at the Window.
He took a moment to answer.
"I can't predict death that far in the future. It's the domain of Fate affinity."
"You should still be able to see something."
Neo couldn't.
However, it was an opportunity.
'As I thought, this guy was able to find my bloodline.'
He knew who leaked the news.
He revealed his bloodline to his teammates since he knew Lucas would find out about it.
'It was a good everything worked as I wanted.'
Lucas' cooperation was necessary.
If lying would get him that, he would comply happily.
"Most of us won't return."
"I see." Lucas' eyes clouded. "Again, I apologize for my previous actions.
"I hope we can put our differences aside and work together."
Lucas raised his arm to shake hands.
Neo smiled.
"That's a good idea."
He held Lucas' palm.
After the reconciliation, Lucas reopened the portal.
The two entered the Window.
"Why were you guys late!?"
"Hey, did something happen!"
"Are you okay!?"
The students surrounded them.
"There was no problem. I just couldn't maintain the portal and had to close it for a short time," Lucas answered.
Suddenly, their watches rang.
"It's the alarm for our Shadows."
Neo swept his gaze to see how many among them would have a Shadow.
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC102: Unique Skill: Invincible
Their watches rang.
"It's the alarm for our Shadows."
Neo swept his gaze to see how many among them would have a Shadow.
"Us two."
Clara and Sean, members of Team Lumen, revealed their watches.
Harrison slightly raised his watch to show he had a Shadow and stayed silent.
"Three Shadows. It should be manageable," Felix muttered.
They surveyed the surroundings.
Broken pieces of lands, with destroyed buildings, floated in an empty void.
The gravity was messed up.
Some pieces of lands floated upside down and some floated directly at a right angle.
High above, there was a swirling mass of shadows.
"That's the door to the Depth Level 2.
"Use your equipment to check if there is any Corner at our current Depth Level."
Neo commanded.
He looked around and failed to see any Shadow monsters.
Shadows and Shadow monsters were different.
Unlike Shadow monsters, Shadows could use the abilities of their original counterpart and copy their battle tactics.
Suddenly, another watch rang.
"My Shadow is near," Arthur spoke.
The group fell silent.
Their nerves grew taut.
They kept an eye on the surroundings when Shadows of Harrison, Clara, and Sean appeared.
"All three of them are close quarter combatants.
"Use long range attacks to deal with them," Neo said.
"Let my team handle—"
"I… I'll do it."
Leonora cut off Lucas and stepped up.
"Remember our p-promise." She whispered when she passed by Neo.
She chanted spells.
Three magic circles appeared in the air.
A powerful water beam shot out of them each.
The Shadows dodged the attacks nimbly when suddenly the water beams changed their directions and followed the Shadows.
It was easy.
Too easy.
…As if they were a distractions.
Neo senses rang.
He turned around and saw Arthur's Shadow walking towards them at a leisure pace.
It held daggers in both hand.
'Arthur is an assassin. Why is his Shadow attacking us so openly?'
'Don't tell me—'
"Everyone set up your defenses!"
They were slow to heed to Neo's warning.
Arthur's Shadow opened its mouth.
"Unique Skill: Invincible."
Black lightning gathered around it.
A heavy presence slammed on top of the three teams.
Christian stood before Neo and used his defensive Magic Spell when—
Arthur's Shadow disappeared and reappeared behind Christian.
Black lightning crackled.
And.
Christian's head fell off from his body.
Blood spurted from Christian's headless body.
There was no time for anyone to react.
Everything happened too quickly.
Arthur's Shadow disappeared again.
Lightning crackled.
Neo had barely enough time to use Ocean's Embrace.
A sharp pain surged through his heart.
The dagger pierced his chest, but failed to pierce his heart.
Neo clutched his chest.
Arthur's Shadow appeared far behind him.
It turned its head, surprised to see Neo alive.
Before it could attack him again, a fire dragon and a condensed water beam attacked it from different sides.
The attacks connected.
Black lightning crackled and the Shadow disappeared again.
It reappeared before Leonora, unscathed.
The dagger in its arm swiftly attacked her heart.
A water wall suddenly shot up between Leonora and Arthur's Shadow.
The wall stopped the dagger.
Leonora was about to attack until she saw the Shadow twisting the dagger.
Black lightning gathered at the tip of the blade and exploded.
The water wall dispersed into a mist.
Leonora sensed an attack and raised her arm to protect her neck.
The dagger sliced her arm off and was about to slit her neck when suddenly the Shadow stopped and retreated at a swift pace.
An aura slash passed through the area where the Shadow had been moments ago.
The Shadow looked at Neo, the one responsible for the attack, before it disappeared.
Everyone waited.
One breath…
Two breaths…
Ten breaths….
There was no follow up attack.
"Did the Shadows… retreat?" Jack questioned.
Neo bit his lips.
'This damned protagonist's Shadow. Why is it using the unique skill from the get go!?'
Invincible Unique skill could be used only once every 24 hours.
The Shadow shouldn't have used unless…
"Stay vigilant!"
Neo shouted.
"It hasn't ended!"
"Unique Skill: Thunderbolt."
A black lightning bolt descended from the sky.
The group dispersed to dodge.
Neo ran and picked up Leonora since she was too shocked to react.
'That attack is powerful. But there is no way it will hit us.'
'Why did the Shadow use that?'
While they were distracted, fist-sized black portals appeared next to everyone's head.
Arrows shot out of them at a lightning-fast pace.
Neo detected the attack on time.
However, he couldn't dodge with Leonora in his arms.
He triggered Ocean's Embrace and used his body to block the attack on him and Leonora.
He heard shouts of his teammates.
Not everyone was able to dodge or block the attack.
"Ch— Christian…"
Neo was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Leonora's broken voice.
She was staring at Christian's corpse while ignoring her own injury.
A thin water film, created by Ruby, stopped her arm's bleeding, but she had lost too much blood.
She could go into shock at any moment.
Neo raised his head to scan the surroundings.
There was no further attack.
'They probably retreated after the duration of Arthur Shadow's unique skills ended.'
He pressed his chest to stop the bleeding.
"Fuck…"
The last attack, probably by Lucas' Shadow, took out four members.
Clara from Team Lumen.
Gwen and Kendrick from Team Astra.
And.
Jack from Team Umbra.
Nobody spoke.
While they kept an eye on surroundings, they tried to organize their thoughts and calm their emotions.
Too much happened too quickly.
Neo picked up Leonora's arm and returned to her.
"Christian… Christian…"
She was shaking the corpse, trying to wake him up.
Her eyes were unfocused.
The scene broke Neo's heart.
He had known both of them for less than a week.
Still.
He found it hard to breath.
His ears were ringing loudly and he couldn't think of anything.
His mind was frozen.
"Leonora…"
His body continued to move.
This was no time to rest.
Shadows could use Shadow element and the elements they 'mimicked' from the original.
Unless Leonora's injury was baptized and healed quickly, her body would be contaminated by the Shadow World and she would become a shadow monster.
It was the same for Neo.
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC103: Elemental Interference
Neo took out the healing elixir given by Elizabeth.
He took a sip and forced the rest of it into Leonora's mouth.
She tried to resist.
"Drink it.
"Or do you want to die like Christian."
Leonora stiffened.
She stared at Neo with unfocused eyes and gulped down the potion.
At the same time, Neo carefully pressed the severed arm back against the stump of her hand.
"Circulate your Holy Affinity."
She nodded.
Veins wriggled on her arm and black blood dripped out of the wound.
The severed arm was attached slowly.
Holy Affinity and Healing Elixir put together were barely able to heal her.
A scar remained where the cross-section of the severed arm met the stump.
Leonora was breathing heavily.
Her eyes were bloodshot and her lips were pale blue.
She could lose consciousness at any moment.
Raising her hand, she placed her palm on Neo's chest and baptized his injury with Holy affinity.
"Thank you."
"…."
Neo heard a commotion among the group.
Sean, Clara's twin brother, held Arthur by his color.
"Why can your Shadow use the unique skill of Zeus Bloodline!?
"Why didn't you stop your Shadow!?
"If it could use the skill you could too!
"Why… why did you let my sister die…?"
Sean broke into tears.
The mood of the group became heavy.
Neo looked around and noticed Lucas staring at him.
'Stop them from fighting amongst themselves.' He mouthed.
Lucas nodded.
He approached Sean and Arthur.
"As I thought, you had Zeus Clan's bloodline."
"You knew about this…?" Sean questioned.
"I had a guess."
"Then why—"
"Arthur's Unique Skill must have been sealed.
"The same is done to all illegitimate children of Zeus Clan.
"None of us could've guessed his Shadow could use the skill."
Zeus Clan being Arthur's origin was a great shock to Sean.
However, he couldn't care less at the moment.
"You think I give a fuck!?
"Tell me, why didn't you use your skills to fight back!
"We have 6 people from Zeus Clan here!
"The six of you could've easily overpowered Arthur's Shadow if you used your skill—"
Lucas punched Sean in the gut.
The hit knocked the air out of him.
"Don't blame others if you are too weak to protect yourself."
Sean coughed.
He held his stomach and glared at Lucas.
Before he could speak, Harrison interfered.
He pushed Sean.
"Skill Invincible.
"You think it's easy to use?"
"Of course it is! It's a skill! You can activate it with a snap!"
"Did this damned idiot come to the mission without learning anything?
"Invincible leaves major aftereffects, sometimes even permanent injuries, upon its use.
"If it was easy to trigger, everyone with Zeus Bloodline would've been spamming it!"
"That's no excuse—"
"Fucking shithead.
"If it's too hard for you to understand, then I'll spell it out clearly.
"We tried.
"We tried to activate our skills.
"But we couldn't due to Elemental Interference."
The words made Sean frown.
He opened his mouth.
"Elemental Interference…?"
"Wait a second.
"You don't know what is Elemental Interference?"
Harrison blinked.
He couldn't believe his ears.
"Fuck, this is why I hate you fuckers from outside God Clans.
"Talent? Skills? Potential?
"How the fuck is it useful when you idiots are drunk on your success — just because you entered the academy — when you have zero knowledge to back it up!?"
"W-what do you mean!?"
Sean tried to argue back.
It only angered Harrison.
"You tried to fight your team leader and my team leader because of your lacking knowledge!"
Elemental Interference.
Not everyone could use strong skills, like Invincible, and powerful Magic Spells with their limited internal Divine Energy pool.
Most demigods absorbed ambient Divine Energy from air and used it for these abilities.
When two demigods used similar skills, say Invincible, both of them would draw Divine Energy from air.
The one who activated with the skill first would absorb most Divine Energy from the air.
Thus, the other demigod wouldn't be able to activate their skill or they could use only a weaker version.
There were ways to avoid Elemental Interference, but they were hard to achieve.
"Okay, stop fighting.
"Blaming others is not going to help," Lucas said.
The mood of the group was not improving.
Neo opened his mouth.
"Nathan, did you analyze the area?"
"Y-yes."
Nathan was surprised when Neo called out to him.
He checked his watch and shook his head.
"There are no Corners on this Depth Level."
"I see. Store the corpses in your Shadow Space. We are going to move now."
"S-store?"
"Yes, you should know what will happen if we leave them here."
Nathan bit his lips and nodded.
None of them expected Arthur's Shadow to go for the kill.
It was not how Shadows behaved.
They realized it was due to Arthur being an assassin.
The Shadow acted how would act.
It did not capture the opponents and killed them instead.
Suddenly, they heard noises and noticed dozens of Shadow monsters running in their direction.
"They were lured by the corpses," Neo said. "Lucas, Harrison, Arthur, and Felix. You four deal with those shadow monsters.
"Mars, protect Nathan while he stores the corpses.
"I'll keep an eye on the surroundings for sneak attacks…."
Neo stopped speaking when he noticed Leonora chanting a Spell.
He was fine since he drank only a little from the potion, but she was on the verge of losing her consciousness.
A giant whale appeared in the sky.
It let out a high-pitched cry and flew over the Shadow monsters.
Snowflakes fell down from its body.
The flakes burst into frozen icicles upon contacting the Shadow monsters.
The icicles spread rapidly, freezing everything they touched.
In moments, the Shadow monsters were buried within a massive, gleaming iceberg.
"…"
Neo looked at Leonora in his arms.
She lost consciousness.
Her head was burning and her Divine Energy reserves hit rock bottom.
'She would have fainted either way, so she decided to faint after doing everything she could.'
'Was she was lashing out after Christian's death?'
Neo picked her up and looked at his teammates.
"We need to keep moving."
"N-Neo, there is something I need to tell you.
"Jack's corpse disappeared before I could store it."
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC104: Contract With Former Grim Reaper
"It's fine. He was a shadow wielder so I expected it to happen."
"Doesn't that mean he is still—"
"Focus on the mission for now.
"We don't know at which Depth Level Jack will revive. Trying to rescue him in our current situation is no different from a suicide mission."
"…"
Nathan nodded with a stiffened expression.
"Let's go," Neo said.
The group moved towards the swirling portal at the top.
It was the doorway to the Depth Level 2.
Neo remained at the back of the group.
He took a look at their situation.
Five members died and they could not kill a single Shadow.
They were decimated.
And he had to kill Arthur's Shadow singlehandedly?
'Is that even possible?'
'Status,' Neo thought.
[Neo Hargraves]
[Rank: Grade 4 Awakened]
[Divine Energy Purity: Grade 5 Mythic]
[Stats]
﹂Strength: 28
﹂Speed: 32
﹂Dexterity: 26
﹂Constitution: 25
﹂Luck: 0
[Affinity: Death, Shadow, Darkness, Void, Water]
﹂Magic Spell: Necrotic Touch, Ocean's Embrace, Essence Breath
[Bloodline: Monarch of Death]
﹂Unique Skill: Death, Immortal
[Quest]
﹂Complete Barbatos' training (Part 1)
﹂Defeat Arthur Kingsley's Shadow singlehandedly
He looked at his status screen.
"Yeah, it's impossible with these stats and Spells."
Neo couldn't win unless he cheated.
He made his decision and spoke in a barely audible voice,
"Paimon, I want to make a contract."
"Do you want to revive your friends? It's not impossible, but I'm no longer a Grim Reaper—"
"I'll sacrifice my blood."
"…"
Paimon became silent.
The blood of Hades' descendent was a nectar for anyone living in Underworld.
Even for her.
"You do realize what that means doesn't it?
"You will never be able to recover the blood you will sacrifice."
"I know."
It was only a slight problem.
He would gain more God Blood as his rank increased and when he devoured others with Darkness.
"What is that you want in exchange for your blood?"
"Return the blessing of Underworld to me."
Paimon thought about it.
"I can return your complete blessing temporarily.
"Or I can return a part of it permanently.
"Make your choice."
"I can't gain the complete blessing permanently?"
"I cannot do that without Barbatos' permission and I doubt he wants your blood."
Neo was surprised.
He wondered how strong Barbatos was for him to think of Neo's God Blood as worthless.
"I'll give my answer later."
Partial blessing of Underworld wouldn't put him on par with Arthur's Shadow.
The group entered the portal to Depth Level 2.
They felt as if they were drowning in quagmire.
When they opened their eyes, they were in a similar but different location.
The presence of shadow element in the air increased considerably and the area itself grew twice as large as Depth Level 2.
A few shadow monsters attacked them.
"Make sure your masks don't fall."
Neo continued.
"Team Astra, deal with the monsters.
"Nathan, come with me."
Lucas, Harrison, and Cassandra intercepted the shadow monsters.
Nathan approached Neo with a hesitant gait.
"Darkness… come."
Neo used Coffin of Darkness.
The Darkness beneath his feet bloomed and formed a dome with Neo and Nathan within it.
"W-what is it?"
"I want you to search for the Shadows."
Nathan's brow jumped.
"How can I do it!?
"Arthur is an Assassin and others have their own unique techniques. I can't find them."
"Calm down. I have a plan."
Neo explained.
"Use your Shadow summons to infiltrate the ranks of Shadow monsters.
"As long as you don't attack first, the Shadow monsters wouldn't attack your summons.
"It should allow you search the entire Depth Level without any interference from the monsters."
"…"
The Shadow monsters summoned by Nathan were named Shadow summons.
However, the summons were not different from Shadow monsters at all.
Neo's idea sounded plausible on paper.
On paper only.
"It's impossible.
"I don't have enough Divine Energy for such thing," Nathan said.
"Use the ambient Divine Energy.
"It's already infused with shadow element so it should reduce the strain on your Divine Energy pool drastically," Neo answered.
"That… that sounds possible?"
Nathan continued with a perplexed expression.
"I should be able to do it if I follow your words.
"But was there a need to use Coffin of Darkness to talk about this?" Nathan questioned.
"Arthur's Shadow can use Spells to eavesdrop our conversation. Don't forget he has Sound Affinity," Neo answered.
Nathan's face hardened.
He always knew Arthur was strong.
But having him as an enemy was an entirely different level of nightmare.
Neo patted Nathan's shoulder.
"Do everything covertly.
"Make sure no one catches a whiff of what you are doing, not even our teammates."
Neo removed the Coffin of Darkness after Nathan agreed to the job.
As soon as he came out, Lucas approached him.
"We've defeated all Shadow monsters in the vicinity. Their next nearest group will reach us in fifteen minutes."
"What about the Corners?"
Lucas' watch rang.
He read the details and opened his mouth.
"Two Corners are at our current Depth Level.
"They are in opposite directions.
"Left one is 1.5 kilometers away from our current location and the right one is at 3.5 kilometers distance."
Neo quickly formulated a plan.
The original information given by the academy said all three Corners were at Depth Level 2.
It was common for the information to be wrong since they used devices to collect data without entering the Window.
"We'll split into two teams. Five members each.
"Lucas, Harrison, Felix, Mars, Cassandra. You five will go to the Corner in the east.
"The rest will come to the other Corner with me."
Putting Felix together with people from Zeus Clan could bring trouble.
But Neo knew Lucas and Mars would stop any infighting.
"What if the Shadows return while we are separated?" Lucas asked.
"Adopt a defensive stance and use a flare to call back the other team.
"Lucas, use your portals to cover the distances quickly if a flare is used," Neo explained.
The group split up.
Neo, Sean, Arthur, and Nathan ran in the direction of the west-side Corner.
…
Depth Level 5, Window #12862
Arthur's Shadow moved through the castle corridor.
It entered a broken hall.
The Shadows of Harrison, Sean, Clara and Lucas sat around on the rubbles.
"Good work," it said. "Especially you, Lucas. Your ability to attack from outside their detectors range helped greatly."
The Shadows nodded.
Arthur's Shadow frowned.
"Why is it that none of you can talk, but I can?"
Unable to find an answer, it shook its head.
"Prepare 'that'. I can't use the Invincible again, so I have to be reborn."
Lucas' Shadow nodded.
It created a portal and took out a black crystal from it.
Upon seeing the Shadow Elemental Seed in Lucas's Shadow hand, Arthur's Shadow nodded and pulled out its dagger.
It stabbed its heart.
The Shadow's form shook.
Black blood spilled out of its injury and it died.
Suddenly, the corpse of Arthur's Shadow shrunk and formed a black crystal.
The crystal was vaporizing into black mist at a slow pace.
Lucas' Shadow used the Shadow Elemental Seed in its hand and placed it next to the crystal formed from Arthur Shadow's corpse.
Both crystals fused.
They stopped vaporizing and absorbed the shadow element infused Divine Energy from the air.
The crystal expanded.
It transformed into Arthur's Shadow.
"The timer was reset. I can finally use the skill again."
The Shadow played with the daggers.
"I can't understand why we have to mimic the weakness of the original too."
It turned around to look at other Shadows.
"Do you guys know why it happens?"
There was no answer.
The Shadows stared at Arthur's Shadow silently.
A sigh escaped its lips.
Arthur's Shadow did not know why, but it felt lonely.
…
West-side of Depth Level 2, Window #12862
The mood couldn't have been worse.
Leonora was unconscious and Neo carried her on his back.
Arthur was silent — too silent — as he dealt with the stray shadow monsters on their path.
Sean fought the monsters that slipped past Arthur's defense.
However, seeing how he was not stopping monsters that attacked Arthur's back, it was clear Sean was not in the right state of mind.
Nathan was busy controlling his Shadow Summons to search for the Shadows.
They reached an inconspicuous building.
"The detector shows the Corner is inside there," Neo said.
He continued as he looked at Arthur and Sean.
"I know you guys have a lot on your mind. But you need to focus on what's infront of you.
"If we fail here, none of us can return alive."
Sean clenched his teeth.
His arms shook and before he could say anything Arthur spoke,
"I'm sorry."
Sean looked away.
"It's okay. I know it was not your fault," he answered after a short silence.
"Since you guys made up, let's enter the building," Neo said.
He knew it was a stopgap, but it had to be done.
They had to focus on the mission at hand instead of losing their cool due to the deaths of their teammates.
Neo added,
"Be on your toes.
"Strong monsters stay in the vicinity of Corners since they try to absorb the elementals leaking from the Corners.
"I don't know what we will encounter inside, but it won't be easy to defeat."
They entered the building.
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC105: Securing Corners
The interior of the building was covered in darkness.
"Keep your eyes peeled open…."
Neo stopped speaking when he sensed a presence behind him.
He turned around only to find nothing.
"W-what is it?" Nathan questioned.
"…"
Before Neo could answer, he sensed another presence rushing at him.
Something came out of the wall.
It was the face of a woman with hollow cheek and empty eye sockets.
The woman smiled.
She giggled and disappeared back into the wall.
"Stay sharp!" Neo shouted.
Arthur and Sean took out their weapons.
Suddenly, a hand came out of the floor and grabbed Sean's neck.
It smashed his face into the floor before disappearing into the wall.
A leg came out of the roof to flatten Sean's neck.
Arthur arrived at the nick of the time and slashed at the leg.
He planned to cut off the monster's limb only to find his dagger passing through the leg as if it was air.
The leg returned to where it came from.
"Huh?"
"It's a wraith. It can make its body tangible and intangible at wish.
"Our attacks won't connect if it sees them coming."
Neo's words made Arthur frown.
"Intangibility? Isn't that too overpowered?"
"Not really," Neo answered.
He helped Sean stand.
"You okay?"
"Cough! Y-yes, I was just caught off guard."
"Good, let's keep moving."
The wraith kept harassing them on their way to the Corner.
Whenever they would try to attack, it would make its body intangible and their attacks would pass through its body harmlessly.
Leonora woke up.
She groaned and tried to move.
"Let's take a break," Neo said.
They sat at the center of a long corridor.
Neo put down Leonora carefully.
He gave her a bottle of water.
Giving her another recovery elixir, even if it was weaker, was lethal in her current condition.
"Thank you."
She gulped down the water with trembling arms.
"Neo, the wraith…. Is it okay to sit like this when it can attack us at any moment?" Arthur asked.
"Yeah, it's fine. Look at this."
Neo pointed at the ground.
The Darkness beneath his feet was not normal.
Arthur realized they were inside the Coffin of Darkness.
"Monsters follow their instincts.
"The wraith won't try to attack us through the Coffin of Darkness."
"Isn't it hard to maintain something like this for a long time?"
"It is. That's why I used it only when we had to rest."
As he answered, Sean spoke up,
"What… what are we doing?
"We've been walking for over two hours and we haven't reached the Corner.
"I should've never accepted this mission.
"My sister died and now even I will die, stuck in a damned place that is making us walk in the same place over and over."
He started to cry.
His voice cracked.
"We aren't stuck in a loop. We are moving forward.
"It's just that this 'space' couldn't bear the weight of high amount of elemental leaking from Corner and it ended up being stretched," Neo explained.
"No! We are in a loop! Can't you see we've been walking in the same corridor!"
"S-Sean, calm down. Shouting will just tire you out."
Arthur intervened.
He tried to pat Sean's back, but Sean swatted his hand away and glared at him.
'Sean is beginning to lose his cool," Neo thought.
While he was thinking of how to improve the mood of the group, he felt a tug.
Leonora was holding the end of his sleeve.
"…?"
"I'll deal with the wraith and the Corner."
Neo frowned.
Leonora, although awake, was in no condition to fight.
She had recovered only a small portion of her Divine Energy.
Her eyes were shaking, unable to focus, and her breaths were short.
"You should rest. We can deal with it ourselves—"
"N-no," she said as she tried to stand. "The Shadows can return at any moment. Trying to close the Corner while dealing with them will cost us greatly.
"Open the Coffin of Darkness."
Her gaze was firm.
She used the wall as a support and waited for him.
Neo knew his words wouldn't change her mind.
He sighed and released the Darkness.
The giggles of wraith returned.
"H-hold your breath," she said.
The group followed her instructions before she chanted a Spell.
A cry of a whale echoed when suddenly cracks started to appear on the walls.
Water leaked into the corridor through the cracks.
The flow increased.
Like a dam had burst, the corridor was flooded within seconds.
A whip of water held everyone by the waist.
The Grim Reaper's giggles turned into the screams of banshee.
It came out of the wall.
The monster was no longer smiling.
It tried to attack Leonora.
However, it couldn't touch her since it had turned intangible to avoid being blown away by the strong water currents.
The wraith pulled at its hair.
Its scream turned into cries when the building started to break.
Cancelling its intangibility, it lunged at Leonora only to get smashed into the wall by a powerful surge of water.
The wraith wailed as the wall beneath it cracked.
It was crushed to death before it could reactivate the intangibility.
Leonora stopped chanting the Spell.
She triggered another Spell.
The water stopped leaking into the building and it began to turn into the mist.
"Cough! Cough!"
Nathan and Sean doubled over.
Their faces were red from holding their breath for too long.
"Couldn't you have used an air bubble to let us breath?" Nathan asked as he huffed.
"I haven't learned that Spell."
"Why?"
"Cause all of my Clanmates can breathe underwater."
Nathan flinched when Leonora mentioned her Clanmates.
He looked away.
While they talked, Neo devoured the wraith's corpse.
[Reflex +2]
He approached Leonora.
"How are you feeling now?"
"I'm o-okay."
It felt wrong to see Leonora, known for her laziness, push through pain and exhaustion to fight the monsters.
Neo didn't comment on it and instead told them to continue towards the Corner.
After the wraith died, it was easy for them to move around.
The corridors ended after a long walk and they reached a hall.
There, at the center, was a crack in the air.
Shadow elementals rushed out of it at great speed.
"..."
Neo took out a circular object.
He pressed the button on it and threw it towards the Corner.
The sphere exploded into white sticky substance and covered the crack — the Corner — like a cap.
He pressed the earpiece.
"We have secured the Corner at the west-side.
"Team 2, report your progress."
There was a short silence before the earpiece crackled to life and Lucas' voice flowed through it.
"We need another hour."
"Got it."
The group sat in the empty area of the hall.
"Won't there be more monsters here? I doubt the wraith was the only one," Arthur questioned.
He looked at Neo.
Neo turned to Leonora.
"M-my attack took them out and R-ruby is guarding the building's perimeter."
She pulled her hoodie down and tried to suppress her irregular breathing while she answered.
Her face was pale and she was sweating heavily.
"I don't think any monster can sneak in here, so w-we should be safe."
Arthur's brow furrowed when he heard her.
"What about my Shadow and Lucas' Shadow?"
"Don't worry about them," Neo said.
Neo was covering the hall's floor with Darkness.
It worked as an impromptu detector.
"I will sense your Shadow as soon as it steps into the hall even if it's invisible.
"As for Lucas' Shadow, it can create portals only at places within its visible range.
"The hall is empty and open. It won't be able to catch us by surprise here."
His words put them at the ease.
They took a rest until they received an answer from Lucas.
Neo's earpiece rang.
"We've secured the Corner."
"Good job."
He heard Lucas cough.
"Now what are we going to do?
"To close the Window, we have to destroy all three Corners at the same time.
"These Stasis Bombs are just a stopgap method."
Lucas exhaled as he continued.
"The third Corner must be at another Depth Level.
"Who will stay behind and who will go ahead?"
They had to make sure the seal on the Corners was not lifted by the monsters.
And someone had to stay behind and destroy the two Corners at Depth Level 2 when the others destroyed the third Corner.
Neo looked at Nathan.
"They aren't at Depth Level 2," Nathan answered.
'So the Shadows are waiting for us at Depth Level 3 where the last Corner is,' Neo thought.
The Shadows wanted to fight them after they split into smaller group.
He understood this.
However, they could not all go to the third Corner.
....
Author's Note:
Thank you to all my readers. It's been fun to write Hades' Son and we've recently hit 100 chapters mark.
It's something I could do only because of all my readers who read daily or returned to read the chaps every few days.
With thanks out of the way, I want to talk about 'Trivia' section I'm going to start.
After writing 100k words, I've noticed I can't put all information in the novel even if it will add to the world building (since it's not needed or is useless).
From today, I'll add 'Trivia' to reveal these little world building snippets I've been cutting out of the novel.
Trivia #1:
Arthur's Shadow spoke the name of the Unique Skills since it enhances the effect of the skills.
Mimicked skills and Spells are weaker than the original thus calling out their names to strengthen them is important. It allows the Shadows to use attacks as strong as the original.
(The next Trivia will be all in Author's Thought and not in the chapter. Make sure to check Author's Thoughts regularly.)
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC106: Depth Level 3
"Harrison, Lucas, Sean, Arthur, Nathan and I will go to Depth Level 3.
"The rest will stay behind."
His words made them react.
"I w-want to come to the Depth Level 3," Leonora said.
"Let me follow you." Mars' voice flowed from the earpiece.
Neo pursed his lips.
'Looks like the deaths affected them greatly.'
He pressed the earpiece.
"No, I can't allow that.
"Mars, I'm taking most of the heavy hitters with myself. I need someone strong to protect the Corners after we leave."
"…"
There was a short silence before Mars responded.
"Okay."
His voice was off, but Neo did not purse the issue.
"Leonora, I can't take you either. You are in no condition to fight."
"I can fight. I defeated multiple monsters after the Shadows' attack and I dealt with the Corner."
She spoke in between her ragged breathes and stared at him with bloodshot eyes.
"N-Neo, I will go to the Depth Level 3.
"Either with everyone or alone."
"What…?
"You think this is a game? You will die if you encounter Arthur's Shadow in your current condition!"
The group flinched when Neo raised his voice.
It was their first time seeing him like that.
"Christian, Kendrick, Gwen, and Clara are already dead.
"We aren't sure if we can rescue Jack.
"People are losing their lives, Leonora. Stop acting like a brat.
"This isn't your Clan.
"We won't pamper your requests."
She clenched her teeth.
Heaven's Gifted…
Genius…
Leonora had been called with many similar titles.
Her natural talent was unrivalled.
It was why she could lazy around all day, skip training, and still stand on par with geniuses like Morrigan and Mars.
What if she had put in effort and trained diligently?
'I could've saved Christian.'
Leonora strengthened her resolve.
She glared at Neo.
"I d-don't care. I'm going to the next Depth Level."
"..."
He let out a sigh.
"Fine. But I don't care if you die."
When everyone became silent, Lucas spoke,
"Is it okay for seven of us to go and leave only thee here?
"The Shadows might attack them while we are away."
"That won't happen. The Shadows will attack our group since everyone who has a Shadow is coming with us."
"What if they are already at this Depth Level? I'm sure they'll go after Mars and others before following us to Depth Level 3."
"They aren't here."
"…Are you sure?"
"I am."
Neo added.
"Send Cassandra here. She will guard one Corner while Mars and Felix will guard other."
Since Felix was too weak, Neo decided to keep him with Mars for safety purposes.
Cassandra arrived at their location after a few dozen minutes.
Neo explained to her about the current situation of the building.
"There are no monsters at the moment.
"You should be able to deal with ones who are lured by the Corner since this is only Depth Level 2.
"If too many monsters come at once, use the narrow corridors to fight them one by one while Mars come to your location."
He gave her two slips of paper, one red and the other blue.
"These are one time use communicators. They will work even if we are at different Depth Level.
"Use the red one if you and Mars can't deal with monsters and need our help.
"The blue one is to time the destruction of the Corners."
"Understood."
She looked far from enthused to receive orders from Neo.
"Is there any problem?" he asked.
"No."
She clicked her tongue and looked away.
'Our teamwork is a mess,' Neo thought.
He left with Leonora, Arthur, Sean and Nathan.
They met with Harrison and Lucas at the entrance of the doorway to Depth Level 3.
"Let's enter.
"Again, keep an eye on your masks. Make sure it isn't broken or loose.
"We can't afford a careless mistake like that."
The mask created a translucent layer around their bodies.
It protected them from the high-concentration of Shadow elemental inside the Window.
They would die without it.
The group stepped into the swirling mass of shadows.
They felt as if they were stepping into quagmire.
Opening their eyes, they found themselves on the other side.
The concentration of shadow elemental increased by several folds.
An invisible presence was pressing down on them.
"Use your Divine Energy carefully.
"The air here is full of shadow elemental.
"There isn't much non-elemental Divine Energy to absorb if you run out of juice," Neo said.
He looked at the group complicated gaze before releasing an inaudible sigh.
'This is going to decide how everything goes.'
Neo opened his mouth after he checked the watch.
"The third Corner is here."
The indicator on the watch continuously.
"We will split into two groups.
"One group will deal with Shadows while the other group — Nathan and I — secures the Corner."
Everyone stared at him with varied expression.
Apprehension, doubt, worry.
"Just you two?
"The monsters at Depth Level 3 are stronger than the previous Depth Level. Are you sure you want to face the monster guarding the Corner with only Nathan?
"What if Shadows attack you?" Lucas spoke.
"We can deal with the monsters ourselves.
"The Shadows won't attack us. Despite being strong, they are still monsters in the end.
"Their instinct is to attack the original to take over their bodies."
Neo's words made Lucas stare at him for a few seconds.
Lucas answered after a while.
"…It's your call. I'll follow the orders of the mission leader."
Everyone except Arthur agreed.
"We don't need to split off.
"It's better to deal with the Shadows first, then the Corners."
"That's where you are wrong, Arthur. The Shadows will revive even if we eliminate them.
"We have to destroy the Corners if we want to close the Window and leave.
"Defeating Shadows is not our goal. It's a distraction that needs to be dealt with."
Arthur did not look convinced.
Neo added,
"Don't worry, we'll ask for help if we can't secure the Corner ourselves."
"Fine…"
Neo left with Nathan after explaining them the order they should fight the Shadows.
He created a Domain of Darkness when they were far from the group.
"Are we really going to secure the Corner alone?"
"No, I lied to them."
A relieved expression appeared on Nathan's face until he heard Neo's next words.
"Keep a Shadow summon near Arthur's group and use the others to search for Lucas' Shadow.
"Lucas is smart enough to know what I'm planning, so he will make sure the Shadow summon near them isn't killed."
"Is this to…"
"Yeah, we'll go after Lucas' Shadow as soon as Arthur's Shadow attacks their group."
"Two of us alone against Lucas' Shadow?!"
He stared at Neo in disbelief.
"There is no other choice. Lucas' Shadow can use portals. It can help the other Shadows escape or ambush us easily."
Unless Lucas' Shadow was defeated they could never win.
Neo continued.
"Had I brought anyone else with us, the Shadows would've kept an eye on us and went after us too.
'This is why it's only us two."
"Look like I get your plan. But it's impossible for us to defeat Lucas' Shadow!
"He is the second strongest from the Zeus Clan after Morrigan!
"Hell, he could've contended for the first rank if he was allowed by his Clan!"
"We can defeat his Shadow. Didn't I do what he couldn't? I defeated Morrigan and I'm the Ruler."
"You cheated back then!"
"I had a plan at that time and I do one now."
Nathan suddenly became quiet.
Despite everything, he was more afraid of Neo than Arthur.
Arthur was strong — very strong — but only that.
He had nothing other than his strength.
Neo, however, was shrewd and smart on top of being a capable fighter.
He displayed multiple times why he shouldn't be faced as an enemy.
His plan back during the ranking tournament to defeat Morrigan and rescue Felix.
His team receiving a slot after they failed to clear the participation requirement for the S-rank mission.
His crystal clear instructions after they entered the Window.
'Maybe we can defeat Lucas' Shadow?'
Nathan pursed his lips.
"Do you really have a plan to defeat Lucas' Shadow?"
"Yeah."
It was not exactly a plan, but saying the truth would make it hard to get Nathan's cooperation.
After receiving Nathan's approval, Neo cancelled the Coffin of Darkness.
They moved around while fighting and avoiding Shadow monsters before Nathan received a feedback.
He clutched his forehead and closed his eyes.
"My Shadow summon following the team just died."
"Is it the Shadows?"
"I think, yes. The summon said Arthur and everyone suddenly took out their weapons."
"Looks like the battle started on their side. What about Lucas' Shadow?"
"About that…"
Nathan squeezed his eyes shut.
"I've been searching all high vantage points that have a clear view at Arthur and others.
"Only three places are left. One of them should've Lucas' Shadow—"
He stopped speaking and took an audible breath.
"Found it."
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC107: Fighting Against The Shadows
Depth Level 3, North-east side
The group of Lucas, Harrison, Leonora, Arthur and Sean was moving forward when suddenly Arthur pulled out his dagger and slashed.
An invisible flying dagger clashed against his blade.
"They are here!"
He warned.
The group pulled out their weapons.
They dodged while Leonora chanted a Spell.
The area was quickly covered in faint mist.
It allowed them to see the trajectory of the daggers flying at them.
Suddenly, Harrison turned around.
He stared at the empty air far from them.
"Found you!"
Condensed golden lightning crackled around him.
Skill Invincible.
He disappeared from his position, leaving behind a trail of lightning, and slashed.
"Unique Skill: Invincible."
Black lightning surged.
The air rippled and Arthur's Shadow was revealed.
It blocked Harrison's attack with his forearm.
Harrison clicked his tongue and disappeared from his position as he reappeared back at the group's location.
"The Shadow can use the Skill even though I used it first."
His face contorted.
Arthur's mastery over lightning was higher than him.
Far higher.
Which was why he could use the skill.
Harrison could not accept it.
The truth in front of his eyes — that an illegitimate holder of Zeus' bloodline was better than him — made his blood boil with anger.
"I'll deal with him alone."
"That wasn't the plan—"
"Shut up!"
Harrison disappeared, leaving behind a trail of lightning.
He clashed with Arthur's Shadow.
Black and golden lightning danced around the battlefield.
They were too fast to be seen with naked eyes.
The others were about to join the fight when suddenly another trail of black lightning rushed towards Harrison and Arthur's Shadow.
Harrison's Shadow, having activated Invincible, attacked.
He barely had time to block Arthur Shadow's attack when the blade hit his back.
It didn't penetrate his body since Invincible increased all stats, including durability, greatly.
However, it threw him away like a rag doll.
His body bounced once and a black portal suddenly appeared before him, transporting him to another place.
Harrison's Shadow followed him into the portal before the portal closed.
"Damn it. They teleported Harrison away," Arthur said.
He clenched his teeth and tried to block his approaching Shadow.
Suddenly, Sean shouted.
Something invisible grabbed him and pulled him into a portal that appeared next to him.
"Follow the plan! We'll defeat them individually!" Lucas shouted.
He used his portal to teleport himself.
And jumped into the portal where Sean was pulled.
It closed as soon as Lucas entered.
Only Arthur and Leonora were left.
They faced Arthur's Shadow.
…
Depth Level 3, South-east side
Lucas looked down.
Two daggers pierced his torso and one was stabbed into his thigh.
"I couldn't react on time."
Just before Lucas entered the portal, Arthur's Shadow threw daggers at him.
The speed and force behind the attacks took Lucas by surprise.
Lucas scanned his surroundings.
He was sent to a forest at the edge of the floating land.
His gaze shifted to Sean on the ground.
"Get up."
Sean groaned as he tried to stand.
The two prepared to fight when the air far ahead of them distorted.
Two Shadows — Clara and Sean's Shadow — appeared after the invisibility casted on them disappeared.
"C-clara? You are alive?"
Sean's voice broke.
The Shadow did not attack.
They waited.
As if they knew Sean would break.
"It's m-me, Clara. Your brother."
Sean lowered his sword.
He staggered towards the Shadow.
A portal suddenly appeared below him and Sean fell into it.
"It doesn't look like he is going to help. Might as well send him somewhere else," Lucas said.
He could see Sean was not in the right state of mind.
Lucas did not care about Sean.
He was worried Sean would do something stupid and cost them both their life, and thus teleported him away.
"Neo warned me you two are undefeatable when you fight together. I wonder if that's true."
Lucas maintained his smile.
His eyes gleamed with confidence as he stared down at Sean and Clara Shadows.
Sean Shadow's eyes narrowed.
Despite being a monster, it had basic intelligence.
It was capable of understanding Lucas' words.
And knowing Lucas' Shadow it knew he was right.
The odds were stacked against them.
Lucas' ability to create portals allowed him to control the battlefield with ease.
He could strike from any direction, retreat when needed, and return at any moment.
But Sean and Clara's Shadows were not helpless.
They gained the experience of the original Sean and Clara that they honed over years after fighting side by side.
They didn't need words.
They were always in perfect sync.
Clara's Shadow twirled it spear and pointed it at Lucas to taunt him.
In a blur, Lucas vanished.
He stepped into a portal as if stepping into another room.
The moment of stillness that followed set Sean Shadow's on edge.
Clara's Shadow spun around, and Sean's Shadow raised its sword just in time.
Lucas emerged above them.
Sean's Shadow barely managed to deflect his sword with the shield, but the force of the attack sent it stumbling backward.
Lucas didn't give it a moment to recover.
Another portal snapped open behind Sean's Shadow, and Lucas lunged through it, his fist aimed for Sean Shadow's back.
But Clara's Shadow was already there.
Its spear struck out like lightning, aiming for Lucas' ribs.
He dodged, slipping through another portal, and appeared at Clara Shadow's side in an instant.
His hand shot towards her in a vicious arc.
Clara's Shadow parried, but the impact jarred its arm, forcing the Shadow back.
Lucas continued to smile, amused.
"Try to keep up," he taunted.
He vanished once more.
His voice, seemingly echoing from all directions, disoriented both Shadows.
Sean's Shadow gritted its teeth.
It scanned the field, the sword ready, as it tried to predict where Lucas would appear next.
But Lucas was everywhere and nowhere, emerging from portals with blinding speed, striking and retreating.
His attacks grew more relentless with each passing moment.
Each time Sean or Clara's Shadow attempted to counter, Lucas would vanish before they could land a solid blow.
It was as though they were fighting a phantom.
As if he was the monster, not them.
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC108: Lucas VS Siblings' Shadow
Another attack hit Sean's Shadow and sent it crashing into a tree.
The Shadow grunted as if in pain.
It struggled to rise as Clara's Shadow fended off Lucas alone.
The ground beneath Clara Shadow:s feet cracked from the force behind Lucas' attacks.
Sean's Shadow staggered back to its feet.
Its face contorted.
The Shadow could see the exhaustion in Clara's Shadow eyes.
Clara's Shadow deflected another barrage from Lucas, its spear moving in an elegant dance, but its breath was becoming labored.
Lucas smiled as he noticed its weariness.
He raised his hand, and a portal opened above Clara, this one larger, darker.
The energy that crackled from it was different—dangerous.
Sean Shadow's eyes widened. He recognized the portal's purpose.
…!
It tried to warn Clara's Shadow only to realize it could not speak.
The dark portal released a vortex of raw power that hurtled toward Clara's shadow.
The Shadow eaped to the side, but the edge of the blast clipped its side and sent it sprawling to the ground.
The Shadow gasped, trying to push itself up, but the force had knocked the wind from its lungs.
Watching Clara's Shadow helpless, Sean Shadow's rage boiled over.
Exhaustion, Anger, Pain.
It experienced them for the first time.
"Hmm? Your synchronization rate is increasing?"
Lucas noticed Sean Shadow's expression.
The synchronization rate represented how similar a Shadow was to the original.
100% synchronization could be achieved only after the Shadow devoured the original.
Sean's Shadow charged at Lucas, swinging its sword with all its might.
Lucas merely sidestepped.
He opened a portal to redirect Sean Shadow's strike and caused the Shadow to stumble.
Using that moment as a chance, Lucas stepped forward, tightening his grip around the sword, ready to end it.
In that moment, something clicked in Sean Shadow's mind.
Impeccable teamwork.
Sean and Clara were not strong individually.
But together they were undefeatable.
The memories and experience were adapted into the body of Sean's Shadow.
Its synchronization increased.
"Clara, now!" the shadow, suddenly able to speak, shouted.
Clara's Shadow, barely standing, understood.
It didn't need the details.
Clara's Shadow focused all its energy, summoning what strength it had left, and hurled the spear at Lucas.
Not directly at him, but through a small portal Lucas used earlier.
Lucas smiled as he noticed the desperation of the Shadow's move.
But then his smirk faltered.
His eyes flicked toward the portal—and too late, he realized the trap.
The spear shot through the portal.
It emerged from a second rift that Clara had calculated precisely and struck Lucas' side with a powerful force.
He staggered, blood spraying across the ground.
For the first time, the confidence behind Lucas's gaze faltered.
He underestimated them.
They had been planning for this moment all along.
Sean's Shadow saw the opportunity and leapt forward. He slashed down in a brutal arc.
Lucas barely raised his guard in time.
He summoned a portal to deflect the blow, but it wasn't enough.
The sword grazed his shoulder, leaving a deep cut.
He stumbled back.
His portals flickered, unstable.
The tide of the battle had shifted.
Sean and Clara's Shadow regrouped, panting but determined.
Lucas was injured and weakened.
The confidence behind his eyes vanished, replaced by a look of serious gaze.
He pressed a hand to his bleeding side.
For a moment, it seemed he would lose.
Just for a moment.
"I can see why Arthur invited you two to his team.
"Neo was not exaggerating your abilities."
He smiled.
In an instant, the forest around them warped.
Multiple portals opened simultaneously.
They circled Sean and Clara, disorienting them.
Lucas moved with a speed and aggression they hadn't seen before, even while injured.
He vanished and reappeared with blinding quickness and stuck both of them from different angles.
The Shadows were forced to go on the defensive.
Sean Shadow's breath was caught as he realized what was happening.
Lucas wasn't playing anymore.
He was using his full power.
Before Sean's Shadow could react, a portal opened beneath him, swallowing him whole.
He fell through the void, tumbling into another part of the battlefield, disoriented.
Clara's Shadow tried to regroup with him, but Lucas was already upon Clara's Shadow.
He increased his attacks intensity while he still held the advantage.
Desperation flashed in Clara Shadow's eyes as it parried.
But the Shadow was too slow.
Lucas delivered a devastating blow.
Clara's Shadow was sent crashing to the ground.
It tried to rise, but Lucas' boot pressed down on its stomach and pinned the Shadow down.
"It's over," Lucas said.
He raised his hand for the finishing strike, but before he could bring it down, a dark flash of light erupted from the edge of the clearing.
"Let her go!"
Sean's Shadow, battered and bruised, returned.
His sword glowed with the last of his energy.
He threw himself at Lucas with a roar as he swung with everything he had left.
Lucas, surprised by the ferocity, was forced to step back, releasing Clara's Shadow.
For a moment, it seemed like Sean might turn the tide once more.
But Lucas, even wounded, was still the stronger.
He sidestepped Sean Shadow's wild swings and opened one final portal.
Lucas plunged his hand through the rift before Sean's Shadow could react.
He reappeared behind the Shadow.
With a single, devastating blow, Lucas struck Sean's Shadow down.
The clearing fell silent.
Lucas stood over Sean's Shadow.
He looked around.
Clara's Shadow was missing.
"The other shadow escaped."
He snorted.
"It wasn't in any condition to fight, so there should be no problem letting it go.
"Rather, this is better.
"If I kill that Shadow, it would just revive.
"It's better to leave it injured and make sure it can't join the battles."
Lucas crouched and picked the black crystal.
It was left when Sean's Shadow evaporated after his death.
He pressed his earpiece.
"I've secured one shadow elemental crystal. Where should I send it?"
"Send it to me," Neo's voice flowed through the earpiece. "I'll reveal my location in a few seconds. Be prepared."
"…?"
Reveal his location?
Lucas looked around.
Was Neo nearby?
Although he understood Neo was searching for his Shadow, he didn't understand how Neo would go about it.
Neo's words about him revealing his location confused Lucas further.
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC109: When A Genius Faces A Wall Known As 'Shadow'
Depth Level 3, South side
The domineering presence of shadow elemental pressed down.
It corroded everything in the vicinity.
"Where was I teleported?"
Harrison looked around.
He stood in the center of a clearing.
The energy of the Unique Skill Invincible pulsed through him.
His muscles tensed.
He tightened the grip around the sword and stared at his Shadow across the clearing.
The Shadow wore the same face, wielded the same sword, but its presence was darker.
It felt sinister.
"You know you can't win.
"You're just a shadow of me."
The Shadow smirked at his taunts.
A shadow mimicked the original.
It was always weaker.
But, in return, it knew the original better than original itself.
Harrison's Shadow lunged forward without another word.
Their swords clashed.
A storm of golden and black sparks flew and the ground beneath them trembled.
Harrison pressed forward.
He used his superior strength to force the Shadow back with brute force.
The Shadow tilted the blade and let Harrison's sword slip.
Harrison charged again.
His Shadow rolled to the side and dodged the powerful strike of golden lightning from his blade.
It spun on its feet and slashed at Harrison's side.
The blow bounced off Harrison's tough skin harmlessly.
Invincible gave a major boost to all abilities.
The boost acted differently for everyone.
In Harrison's case, it increased his defenses the most.
Harrison barely flinched when the Shadow's attack connected.
He smirked.
Lightning crackled around his blade as he slashed downwards.
His Shadow leapt back just in time.
The ground where the Shadow stood moments ago was scorched and smoking.
"You can't even scratch me.
"You will never win." Harrison grinned.
The original could never win against his Shadow?
That might be true for everyone, but Harrison was different.
He was genius.
He would not lose.
Never.
The Shadow's smirk stayed on its face as it charged at Harrison, this time faster.
Its strikes became more precise.
Harrison parried each blow with ease.
But he realized something was off.
The Shadow's movements weren't random—they were deliberate, almost rehearsed.
Each time he moved to counter, the Shadow was already a step ahead.
It dodged and parried with uncanny precision.
Harrison growled in frustration.
He raised his sword high and summoned a surge of lightning from the sky above.
"Unique Skill Thunderbolt."
The air around him buzzed with electricity.
He brought the blade down in a powerful, swift arc.
A golden arc of lightning descended.
His Shadow didn't dodge.
It sidestepped just enough to let the bolt pass and hit the ground next to it.
The calculated precision left Harrison stunned.
Before he could react, the Shadow closed the distance between them in an instant.
It disappeared into a black arc of lighting and reappeared before him with a flash.
The Shadow's sword struck at his wrist.
The attack barely had any strength behind it.
It would never hurt Harrison, especially not when he was under the effects of Invincible.
Harrison ignored the attack.
He should've been able to brush it off.
But something unexpected happened.
…!
Harrison's grip faltered and the sword slipped from his hand.
The Shadow capitalized on the opportunity.
It landed a solid kick to Harrison's chest.
Harrison stumbled back.
Shock and pain flashed through his eyes.
His skin was tough, but the spot the Shadow hit was just below his sternum.
A spot Harrison didn't even know was vulnerable.
"How…?"
His voice cracked.
He had trouble breathing and he could not speak properly.
Looking at his actions, the Shadow continued to grin.
And Harrison realized.
'A Shadow knows the original better than the original itself.'
'My weaknesses, habits, and fears. It knows everything about me.'
Harrison's heart pounded in his chest.
For the first time, he felt truly exposed.
As if there was nothing he could hide.
The Shadow's strikes weren't random.
They were calculated, aimed at places Harrison didn't defend instinctively.
'It knows me better than I know myself.'
The Shadow came at him again.
Its blade targeted Harrison's wrists, elbows, and the small of his back—places Harrison didn't think twice about.
Each strike was weaker than Harrison's blows.
But they were more precise.
Harrison gritted his teeth and blocked another attack.
'I can't lose here!'
'Not me!'
The Shadow was exploiting his habits.
Harrison, who always fought with brute strength, was in a disadvantage.
Harrison's Shadow ducked under a wild swing from him.
It slashed across his ribs.
Harrison hissed in pain.
There should've been no wound, but the Shadow, capable of mimicking Invincible, could fight against him on equal footing.
It retreated before Harrison could retaliate.
The Shadow's mocking smile grew wider.
As if it was taunting him.
Calling him weaker.
A loser.
Harrison's eyes narrowed.
He wanted to let loose and attack in a berserk rage.
But he held on.
He knew attacking without a plan would get him killed.
'Predictable.'
That word echoed in his mind.
It cut deeper than any sword.
The Shadow wasn't stronger.
It was just playing to Harrison's weaknesses.
His habits.
His overconfidence.
Suddenly, realization struck.
'My habits.'
The Shadow knew exactly where he'd swing, where he'd step, how he'd move.
It wasn't the Shadow's strength that was the problem — it was Harrison's own predictability.
He had been relying on the same moves and the same strategies since forever.
The Shadow was not beating him.
He was beating himself.
Harrison had to surpass himself.
That was the only way to win.
'Everyone is busy with their battles. They can't help me. If I lose, I die.'
Harrison could hear his heart beating against his chest.
He was in danger and he felt a thrill unlike ever before.
Harrison grinned ferociously.
The golden lightning crackling around him flared.
His breathing slowed.
He focused not on overwhelming his Shadow with power, but on breaking the patterns the Shadow exploited.
'I can win this. I just have to fight smarter.'
When the Shadow lunged forward again, Harrison didn't respond with brute force.
He sidestepped.
Normally, he would've met the attack head on.
His abrupt action took the Shadow by surprise.
Its eyes widened for a split second, unable to understand the cause behind the change.
Harrison capitalized on the moment.
He brought the sword down in a swift, unexpected angle.
The blade crackled with golden lightning and struck the Shadow's shoulder.
The Shadow staggered.
It gritted its teeth in pain.
The wound was shallow since the mimicked Invincible strengthened it.
But the attack shook the Shadow.
Harrison pressed forward.
He switched his style and moved unpredictably.
His strikes were different—angled, timed, and powered in ways the Shadows hadn't anticipated.
Harrison, after understanding his weakness, broke free of his old habits, and for the first time, the Shadow struggled to keep up.
The two exchanged blows after blow.
Their figures blurred.
They looked like flickers of lighting dancing around in a dance of fury and chaos.
Harrison moved with precision.
He tried to exploit the small opening he had created.
His confidence returned, stronger than ever.
The Shadow was on the back foot.
It was barely able to parry his attacks.
"I told you," Harrison growled, his voice thick with determination. "You're just a shadow."
At the final moment, Harrison summoned a massive bolt of lightning from the sky.
This one was far larger and stronger than before.
The air crackled with electricity as he brought it down in one devastating strike aimed directly at the Shadow's head.
But.
Just as the attack was about to connect, the Shadow smirked.
…!
A black portal opened between them.
Harrison's strike disappeared harmlessly into it.
'Lucas Shadow is helping it…?'
Before Harrison could even process what was happening, the Shadow reappeared behind him.
It slashed.
The blow was not strong and it didn't need to be.
It struck the back of Harrison's neck— the one spot where his impenetrable skin was the weakest.
Harrison's body seized up as the Shadow's blade discharged a pulse of lightning directly into his spine.
His sword slipped from his hand and his legs buckled.
He collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.
The Shadow stood over him.
It smirked triumphantly.
'This damned fucker…!'
The Shadow ignored his anger.
It grabbed his head with both hands.
Suddenly, the Shadow's form shook.
Its skin crumbled into black motes of energy that entered Harrison's orifices.
Harrison did his best to resist while the Shadow tried to overtake his body.
He could not move after the Shadow's last attack at his nape.
His Divine Energy flowed slowly, like sludge, since the Invincible was at its limit, and he couldn't use his Spells.
Harrison clenched his teeth.
He tried to hold on and search for a way to stop the Shadow.
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC110: Fighting With Awakened Obitus
Depth Level 3, Extreme west-side
Neo and Nathan stood at the edge of a small road.
The world around them was broken while the gravity defied the laws of nature.
Floating debris and crumbling ruins were scattered around.
The road beneath them was cracked and fragmented, and every few feet, chunks of pavement hovered in the air.
"The place is worse than other locations.
"Lucas' Shadow must have come here since it's easy to hide here," Neo said.
He gazed at the surroundings.
Some of the buildings were ripped from their foundations entirely.
They hovered at odd angles and casted flickering shadows over the chaotic ground below.
Wreckage of buildings, vehicles, steel beams, chunks of concrete, shattered glass.
Everything drifted without purpose.
Nathan pointed at the roof of a building that hung upside down in the air.
It was as though the structure had been torn from reality and flipped on its head.
"Lucas' Shadow is there."
"Can it see us?"
"I doubt it. This place is filled with broken wreckages that are hiding us.
"Besides, the Shadow is assisting other Shadows in their battles. It doesn't have leisure to search for us," Nathan answered.
He pursed his lips.
Lucas' Shadow was dangerous.
It was only slightly weaker than Lucas.
Moreover, its ability to use portals made it nearly impossible to defeat since the Shadow could run away when it was on the verge of losing.
"So what's the plan?" Nathan questioned.
Instead of answering, Neo posed another question.
"Can you use Noctis Burst Spell?"
"How did you even know I can use that…. Sigh, nevermind."
Nathan massaged his nose.
Back in the academy, he used the Spell once during the missions.
Felix uploaded the videos of their mission to the private website of the Academy.
Neo might've seen the Noctis Burst Spell in those videos.
"The one I can use is not very powerful since my mastery is low.
"It is far weaker than the standard version you can see other Shadow wielders using and—"
"Can you use it or not? A simple yes, no is enough."
"Yes, I can use it.
"But why?" Nathan asked.
"I need you to attack Lucas' Shadow with the Noctis Burst Spell.
"Since it's a long range Spell, you should be able to use it from this distance," Neo answered.
"Wait, wait, wait! What!?"
Nathan's eyes shot wide open.
He took a step back and shook his head.
"Impossible. You want me to attack Lucas' Shadow? I'm too weak to fight him."
"Calm down. You can retreat after the first attack. I'll handle it from there."
"....What do you mean by that?"
"Noctis Burst Spell can stop Lucas' teleportation ability for a few seconds.
"That's the only moment when we can defeat Lucas' Shadow."
Nathan understood what Neo was trying to say.
Noctis Burst Spell was a condensed sphere of shadow elementals.
It exploded upon contact with the target.
The high concentration of shadow elementals released from the explosion would disrupt the elementals in the air.
That included Space elementals.
Let alone Lucas' Shadow even Lucas would not be able to manipulate the Space elementals to create portals after he was hit by Noctis Spell Burst.
But….
"I can't stop Lucas for more than five seconds!
"How the hell are you going to defeat the Lucas in five seconds!?"
Nathan pointed at the path between their location and Lucas Shadow's location.
"We are several hundred meters apart!
"And the path is filled with debris and shadow monsters!
"Look at that."
A massive shadow monster with long arms and sharp claws slept on the ground.
"That thing is as strong as the wraith we fought. There are dozens of monsters with similar strength around the building where Lucas' Shadow is hiding.
"The Shadow chose that location because it knew the monsters would act as alarm for it in case it was ambushed.
"Five seconds will be up before you cover half of the distance.
"There is no way you can defeat Lucas' Shadow when you can't even reach it.
"You'll just… die."
Nathan bit his lips and looked away.
"We should make another plan."
"It's fine." Neo smiled at Nathan's concern. "Just trust me."
He put his hand over Obitus' hilt.
Since he could fight at his full strength after Obitus awakened, he was confident.
It was not easy to convince Nathan.
But Nathan had to agree to the plan after Neo remained firm on his decision.
"I'll start."
Nathan chanted the Noctis Burst Spell.
Motes of black energy gathered above his palm.
They formed a condensed, swirling mass of shadows.
The Spell flew through the air and struck the building where Lucas' Shadow was.
Hundreds of shadow hands came out from the explosion.
They wrapped around the buildings.
The concentration of shadow elementals in the vicinity increased by several folds.
"He knows we are here! Go now!"
Neo dashed forward.
The shadow monsters, alerted by the attack, turned to Neo.
'Be calm.'
Neo exhaled.
'I can do it.'
He didn't know how strong he would be after releasing Obitus from the sheathe.
His current actions were a gamble with his life on the life.
If he had a choice, he would have not taken it.
Neo pressed his thumb against the hilt of the sword at his waist and pushed it out of its sheath slightly.
Instantly, the debuff that weighed him down vanished, and a surge of energy coursed through him.
His speed exploded.
The world around him turned into a blur of light and shadows.
Monsters lunged at him, but they were too slow.
Neo weaved between them like a phantom.
Their claws and fangs missed him by a fraction of a second.
His speed was overwhelming.
He turned into a blur that even the sharpest eyes couldn't follow.
The monsters rushed at him from all directions like a giant tsunami.
Neo leapt above them.
He used the floating debris as foothold and made a straight beeline towards the rooftop where Lucas' Shadow hid.
As he neared the building, he saw Lucas' Shadow.
The Shadow stared at him with a smile.
It pulled the bow taut and aimed towards Neo's head.
The air around the bow trembled.
Although the Shadow was unable to use portals for the moment, it could not be underestimated.
Lucas used the portals to battle, not because he was weak without them, but because they were convenient.
He was one of the strongest demigods of his generation for a reason.
Neo's eyes narrowed.
He didn't slow.
The Shadow released the arrow.
It turned to a black bolt of energy that tore through the air with deadly precision.
Neo drew his sword with a fluid motion.
As the blade left its sheath, it became wrapped in darkness.
The Aura of Death and Darkness swirling around it extended the sword's length massively.
He slashed through the air in one smooth strike.
The blade cleaved through the oncoming arrow as if it was made of paper.
The bolt of energy was split in two.
The strike didn't stop there.
It cut across the Shadow's body and sliced him in half with a single, decisive blow.
The giant blade continued onward.
It split the building where Lucas' Shadow stood moments before.
Neo landed on crumbling building gracefully.
His blade reverted to its true size before he returned it to the sheathe.
The fight was over with a single strike.
Neo looked at the Shadow's corpse.
The Shadow, split into two halves, continued to smile.
It was dead before it knew what had happened.
"It wouldn't have lost so easily if it didn't underestimate me and used Invincible."
Neo shook his head.
As the Shadow disintegrated, Neo picked the elemental seed it left behind and devoured it.
[Divine Energy +1]
"I don't think this is enough to defeat Arthur's Shadow."
Neo exhaled.
He was about to call Paimon when suddenly he saw something far in the distance.
In the North-east direction, white mist covered everything. Neo could not see what was happening there.
"That must be where Arthur and others are fighting against Arthur's Shadow."
Squinting, he turned his gaze to the South, and...
"Huh?"
Far into the distance, he could see Harrison about to be devoured by his Shadow.
Neo's face hardened.
He was too far to do anything.
"No, I need to try. We need as many peoples as alive if we want to win."
Neo looked around.
He tore apart a long rebar from the floating wreckages.
Just as he was about to pull the sword out of the sheathe, a voice spoke into his mind.
You don't need to unsheathe me every time.
As long as you wish, I'll remove the burden over you.
Neo nodded.
He followed Obitus' words and thought about removing his debuff.
Instantly, endless power surged through his body.
The sword began to absorb his Divine Energy at a rapid pace.
Neo tightened his grip around the rebar.
He wrapped the Aura of Death and Darkness around the iron pole and pulled his hand back.
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