Massive black chains wrapped around an enormous, red-skinned figure standing nearly eight feet tall beneath the endless crimson sky. Two jagged horns curved upward from its head while long claws scraped against the black stone beneath its feet hard enough to leave deep grooves behind. Its body looked built entirely for violence, thick muscle layered beneath scarred crimson skin covered in glowing ancient markings pulsing faintly through the darkness.
Then its eyes locked onto Shadow.
Gold and crimson.
And smiling.
The pressure pouring from the demon made the entire void tremble.
'Pathetic,' the creature rasped while studying Shadow openly. 'This body can barely contain its own power, and you thought you could contain me too?'
Shadow immediately tried forcing himself awake, but the void twisted violently around him the moment he moved. The chains binding the demon rattled loudly as Astral Mana surged across the black stone beneath them.
Outside the mental space, Shadow's body suddenly stood.
The fox recoiled backward with a startled snarl as Astral Mana exploded outward in a violent shockwave that shattered the fractured pillar behind him into pieces. Shadow's movements looked wrong immediately afterward—too sharp, too fast, too unnatural.
Inside the void, realization hit Shadow hard enough to make his chest tighten.
The demon laughed.
'Yes,' it hissed. 'Feel it.'
Outside, Shadow's body launched across the wasteland in a violent burst of Astral Mana strong enough to crack the ground beneath him. Pillars shattered apart as he tore through the basin while unstable silver mana ripped across the landscape in destructive bursts.
Inside the void, Shadow slammed Astral Mana outward trying to regain control while the demon simply watched him with open amusement.
'Do you understand now?' the creature asked softly. 'Every time you lose control, the seal weakens.'
Outside, Shadow's body crashed through the remains of a colossal skeleton hard enough to collapse half of it into rubble before sprinting forward again across the basin.
The fox chased after him desperately through storms of shattered stone and drifting ash.
Inside the void, Shadow surged forward and drove Astral Mana directly into the demon's chest.
The impact detonated across the black stone beneath them.
The chains binding the creature rattled violently.
But the demon barely moved.
Then the grin widened.
'Good.'
The pressure exploding from the creature intensified instantly.
Ancient.
Violent.
Mad enough to make the entire void shake around them.
The demon stepped closer while the chains embedded throughout its body pulled taut against the movement.
'Fight harder.'
Outside, Shadow's body continued tearing across the wasteland destroying everything in its path while Astral Mana burned recklessly through his circulation, exhausting his body faster every second the creature remained in control.
Inside the void, Shadow could feel it happening.
His breathing was getting heavier.
His body slower.
The demon noticed too.
The laughter echoing through the darkness sounded almost ecstatic now.
'Break first,' it hissed. 'Your body or your mind. I truly don't care which.'
Shadow staggered backward across the black stone while the demon advanced slowly through the rattling chains wrapped around its massive body. Every step made the void tremble beneath its weight while Astral Mana surged violently through the air around them. Outside, Shadow's body continued tearing across the wasteland uncontrollably, and he could feel everything happening through fragmented distant sensations—the stone shattering beneath his feet, his muscles tearing themselves apart from the strain, Astral Mana burning through his pathways fast enough to make breathing painful. The demon was enjoying every second of it.
'Look at you struggle,' the creature rasped while chains dragged loudly behind it. 'Weak.'
Then it vanished.
Shadow barely reacted before a clawed hand slammed into his chest hard enough to launch him across the void. Black stone exploded apart beneath him as he crashed through one of the floating pillar fragments before tumbling violently across the ground. Pain detonated through his ribs, but before he could fully recover, the demon was already on him again. A massive claw closed around Shadow's throat before driving him headfirst into the black stone hard enough to crater the surface beneath them. Astral Mana burst violently from Shadow's body while cracks spread outward across the void floor.
Outside, Shadow's body crashed through another towering pillar inside the basin while unstable silver mana exploded across the landscape in destructive waves. The fox chased after him desperately through collapsing ruins and storms of shattered stone while Shadow fought for control inside the void.
The demon leaned closer while tightening its grip around Shadow's throat.
'This body is mine.'
Shadow slammed Astral Mana outward instinctively. The explosion forced the creature backward several steps as silver mana tore across the void between them. Shadow rolled away immediately and forced himself upright while Astral Mana surged violently around his body.
The chains snapped taut.
The creature launched forward again, and this time Shadow met it head-on. Astral Mana detonated beneath his feet as he crossed the distance instantly and drove his fist directly into the demon's jaw. The impact cracked through the void hard enough to shake the floating ruins around them.
The demon barely moved. Its grin widened before a claw ripped across Shadow's side hard enough to hurl him violently across the black stone again while silver mana scattered uncontrollably around him. Outside, Shadow's body skidded through the basin hard enough to carve a trench through the black earth before launching forward again in another violent burst of Astral Mana.
The Astral Mana inside him was becoming harder to suppress with every passing second. No—that wasn't right. It wasn't fighting him anymore. It was pushing harder against the limits he constantly forced onto it.
Another massive claw slammed into him before he fully recovered. The demon drove Shadow backward repeatedly through the void with overwhelming force while chains rattled violently around its body. Every strike shook the mental space around them while Astral Mana burst uncontrollably from Shadow's body. The creature was trying to break him completely—physically, mentally, spiritually.
Outside, Shadow's body tore across the wasteland like a disaster unleashed into the Trial World itself. Massive skeletal remains collapsed apart while shattered pillars exploded into rubble behind him from uncontrolled bursts of Astral Mana. The fox continued chasing him through the destruction despite the unstable mana ripping across the basin around it.
Inside the void, Shadow slammed against the black stone breathing heavily while the demon slowly approached again.
'Pathetic.'
Astral Mana twisted violently through Shadow's circulation while pain spread through every inch of his body. He could feel the damage building rapidly now. His pathways were tearing themselves apart. His muscles were reaching their limits. And suppressing the Astral Mana wasn't helping anymore.
It was making things worse.
The realization hit hard enough that something inside him finally snapped.
Shadow stopped trying to force the Astral Mana down.
Silver light exploded violently around him as Astral Mana surged outward in massive unstable waves. The floating ruins throughout the void immediately began shaking while cracks spread across the black stone beneath Shadow's feet. Pain ripped through his body hard enough to blur his vision, but this time he ignored it completely.
The demon stopped moving.
For the first time since the battle began, surprise flickered across its face.
Outside, Shadow's body finally halted in the center of the ruined basin while unstable silver mana spiraled violently around him. Loose stone lifted slowly from the ground as the pressure exploding from his body intensified rapidly.
Inside the void, Shadow raised his head slowly while Astral Mana roared around him like something finally released from restraint.
Then he moved.
The black stone beneath his feet detonated apart as Shadow crossed the distance instantly and drove Astral Mana directly into the demon's chest with enough force to shake the entire void. The impact exploded outward while the chains binding the creature snapped taut violently for the first time.
The demon staggered backward.
Shadow attacked again before it recovered.
Astral Mana ripped across the void in destructive silver arcs while Shadow drove blow after blow into the massive creature with reckless force. Every strike damaged him. Every surge tore harder through his pathways. But the Astral Mana flowed faster now—cleaner, more natural, almost violent in the way it answered him once he stopped restraining it.
The demon blocked another strike before slamming Shadow violently across the void hard enough to collapse part of the floating ruins behind him.
Then the demon laughed like a starving beast finally finding something worth tearing apart.