Atop the imposing walls of Doom, eight figures stood gathered, observing the army of creatures that reduced the distance with each passing second. The ground trembled under the weight of thousands of beings of darkness, their twisted forms advancing in an unstoppable tide that covered the horizon like a plague.
"It really is a great number," Sebastian commented, crossing his arms, his analytical gaze sweeping across the enemy ranks. He could feel the density of the darkness emanating from that army—an oppressive presence that made even the air feel heavier.
"So, creatures of darkness... I've never fought one. This should be exciting," said Frost, a wild smile crossing his face as his fingers twitched with anticipation. The cold began to emanate from his body, forming small ice crystals on the edge of the wall.
"Hey, calm down, Frost," intervened a man with silver hair and red eyes, his melancholic expression contrasting with his companion's excitement. "You don't know what we're really up against."
"Come on, Jake, cheer up a little. We're going to fight something that even the boss couldn't beat," Frost replied, his tone mocking but with a hint of respect toward the mention of Uriel.
"So this is insubordination," commented a voice seated on the edge of the wall, its tone dry and cutting like a steel blade.
All those present turned sharply, their eyes widening with surprise as they recognized the voice.
"B-boss... how?"
"I'm your other boss, idiot," said Shade, rising with fluid movements. His presence was different from Uriel's—more intense, more ancient. "Your first boss still hasn't woken up. Anyway, don't underestimate the creatures of darkness, or you'll die."
The seven transcendents exchanged glances before nodding in unison. "Yes."
Shade let out a sigh as he raised his hand, causing the army of sleeping gargoyles to awaken from their ancient slumber. The stone statues came to life, their eyes glowing with a reddish gleam as they spread their wings and prepared for combat.
Under Shade's command, all the gargoyles flew against the creatures of darkness, beginning the battle. The clash was brutal. The gargoyles—nightmare creatures forged in the deepest darkness—crashed against the twisted forms of the invaders with a ferocity that honored their nature.
Shade observed the clash between the nightmare creatures and the darkness creatures, his analytical gaze registering every detail of the combat. The gargoyles were powerful, but the darkness creatures were numerous—an endless tide that threatened to devour everything.
Looking beyond the first clash, toward some elevated mountains in the distance, Shade observed Jerom, who sat lazily atop a peak. His posture was relaxed, almost bored, as if the entire spectacle was merely minor entertainment.
Feeling his gaze, Jerom smiled, making a mocking gesture for him to come. A clear challenge—a provocation designed to get under his skin.
Shade smiled as veins bulged on his face. 'Just wait, bastard. I'll make sure you beg for your life.'
Emerging from his thoughts, Shade paid attention to the battlefield, observing how the creatures of darkness launched themselves against the nightmare creatures, sinking into them to use their bodies as puppets.
The gargoyles writhed, letting out powerful groans of pain. The invading darkness penetrated their stone bodies, corrupting their essence and taking control of their forms. After half a minute, the hundreds of nightmare creatures turned in unison, advancing against the wall with their own bodies converted into weapons.
"Sebastian, your turn," Shade informed, his voice cold and calculating.
With a confident smile, Sebastian extended his open hand forward, his fingers spread as if wanting to embrace the horizon. Then, slowly, he closed his fist.
The next instant, enormous sharp stone spikes erupted from the ground, emerging with violence. The rock structures pierced through the bodies of the nightmare creatures, impaling them and killing them instantly. Blood—or whatever those creatures had in their veins—stained the newly formed stone.
"Frost," said Shade.
The boy smiled widely, using his aspect to freeze the entire combat area. The cold spread like a plague, covering the bodies of the fallen and trapping those still moving. Ice formed in seconds, transforming the battlefield into a sculpture of crystal and death.
"Scarlet," ordered Shade.
Without need for words, Scarlet created enormous spheres of infernal fire that were hurled at the ice statues, exploding into a million fragments. The heat was so intense that even from the wall, its scorching power could be felt.
The creatures of darkness that tried to abandon their vessels—now useless—were incinerated by the flames until they disappeared completely. Their screams, if they had voices, were lost in the thunder of the explosion.
"It actually worked," murmured someone among the soldiers watching from the walls.
"Was it really that easy?" asked another, his voice full of disbelief.
"No. Now is when things get complicated," said Shade as he watched skeletons in armor emerge from the ground. Their bones, dark as coal, joined together forming perfect rows. In the rear, an enormous dark knight emerged like a malevolent deity, his imposing presence guiding a march of destruction.
The knight stood at least twenty meters tall, his armor black as the deepest night. In his hand he wielded a sword that seemed to absorb the light around it, and in his chest glowed a core of darkness that pulsed with a life of its own.
Shade observed the forces of Shadow Garden gathered. His soldiers, trained and prepared, awaited his order with the discipline of those who had faced the impossible and survived.
"First line. Fire the artillery. Second line, prepare for combat," he began to order, his voice resonating with authority along the wall.
When the undead knights entered the firing line, a sea of enchanted arrows descended from the sky against the skeleton army. The arrows, imbued with the power of light and darkness combined, pierced the bodies of the undead, killing hundreds on the first impact.
But hundreds more replaced the fallen. The skeletons emerged from the ground in ever-increasing numbers, forming an endless legion that advanced without fear, without fatigue, without end.
"Offensive line, attack," said Shade.
Upon giving his order, hundreds of awakened clad in Shadow Garden uniforms summoned their memories—weapons personally forged by Uriel. Each had been enchanted to cut immaterial things like souls, or directly, in this case, creatures of darkness.
The Shadow Garden soldiers launched into combat with a ferocity that could only come from years of training and sacrifice. Their weapons shone with their own light as they cut, struck, or crushed the creatures, one by one reducing their numbers.
Shade watched as his soldiers began to advance, creating a battlefront that slowly pushed the undead back. Every blow was precise, every movement calculated. But the enormous dark knight still stood, his imposing presence intimidating even the bravest.
"Leader, let me deal with the big one," Scarlet requested, her voice firm and determined.
Shade observed the determination in Scarlet's eyes and slowly nodded. "Alright. Do it."
Enveloping herself in a swirl of flames, Scarlet shifted into her transcendent form. Fire enveloped her completely, transforming her figure into something that barely resembled her original form.
Her form possessed a titanic size, imposing as a moving mountain. Her skin was thick, covered in scales that shone with a reddish glow. She bore a resemblance between a flying bird and a fighter jet that Shade remembered from the past—a legendary creature that had been forgotten by time. All accompanied by a pair of powerful legs with sharp claws that could tear steel as if it were paper.
It was Burning Sky. Her true name, her manifested essence.
Leaping, a powerful screech escaped her throat as Scarlet brought hell to earth, living up to her true name. The flames spread from her body like a mantle of destruction, enveloping the massive knight's armor.
The heat was so intense that the metal began to melt, dripping onto the ground like tears of fire. But the knight did not retreat. He showed no pain. He simply drew from his body a gigantic sword—a blade so large it could split a mountain in half.
The knight swung his weapon, parting Scarlet's sea of flames in two. The fire divided as if it were water, creating a direct passage toward her.
Scarlet gained altitude in the sky, creating hundreds of reddish weapons that she fired at her enemy. The lances of fire flew at supersonic speed, impacting against the knight's shield as he raised his defense with precise movements.
The dark knight, however, did not stay on the ground. He grew a pair of wings black as the abyss that allowed him to soar through the night sky, rising to Scarlet's height.
The aerial combat was fierce. The knight, despite his size, moved with an agility that seemed impossible. His sword cut through the air, creating shockwaves that made the sky tremble.
With a swift movement, Scarlet's body was completely split in half.
The soldiers on the ground held their breath. But Scarlet had not died.
Her body ignited in reddish flames that enveloped the dark knight in a dome of fire. The sphere of flames began to contract upon itself, compressing the space around it until it became a minuscule size.
From that single point, Scarlet's body formed, her hand holding a dark sphere that burned until nothing remained.
Thus, the knight had been annihilated by Scarlet.
The black knights, without their commander, lost their cohesion. Their formation broke, their advance halted. A few tried to keep fighting, but without their leader's guidance, they were nothing more than purposeless shadows.
It was quickly exploited by the Shadow Garden members, who massacred the remaining knights. The combat was brutal but efficient. Every blow was lethal, every movement precisely calculated to eliminate as many enemies as possible.
Upon completing their mission, they took their wounded and retreated, returning to the safety of the walls. The battlefield lay covered in debris, ashes, and bones—a testament to the ferocity of the combat.
Shade wore a thoughtful expression as he observed the battlefield, his mind working at full speed to anticipate Jerom's next moves. The first wave had been contained, but he knew it was only the beginning. Jerom was testing his defenses, evaluating his forces.
Shade looked to where the creature of darkness had been—the one that had directed the attack—which had gone. It had disappeared into the distance, taking with it what remained of its defeated army.
Shade felt a bad feeling in the depths of his being—a premonition that something worse was yet to come. However, for now, they had withstood the first two waves. That was something.
Giving the order to remain on guard, Shade passed directly into the mental space he shared with Uriel.
The world changed around him, transforming into a version of reality that only existed in their minds. Observing the now familiar house, Shade entered inside. It was a quiet place, filled with memories and emotions that didn't belong to any living being.
Climbing the stairs, he arrived at a room where he observed Uriel. His body was damaged with multiple cracks in his being that spilled darkness, as if his very essence was crumbling. And above all, there were no signs that he would wake soon. His consciousness floated somewhere deep, lost in a sea of pain and confusion.
For now, Shade acted as a dam preventing Uriel's essence from dispersing into the void, containing the flow of darkness that threatened to escape his body. However, it was only a temporary measure. Damage like this could only be healed by Uriel himself.
As long as he remained in that state, Shade would not be able to exert all his power. At most, only sixty percent of his total strength. The connection they shared was deep, and Uriel's wounds affected him in ways he didn't even fully comprehend.
If within some time Uriel showed no signs of progress, Shade would have to do something he truly didn't want to do.