x
Earlier before the lab...
The air was still and heavy as King Kael and Kenshiro Takamura walked quietly through the dense, shadowed terrain leading to the Main Lab. The hushed atmosphere carried a sense of foreboding, the faint hum of distant machinery acting as a constant reminder of the dangers that awaited them.
Kael walked slightly ahead, his sword sheathed on his back, its faint shadow aura flickering in response to his sharply attuned senses. Kenshiro followed, his katana Hikari no Kiba tightly strapped to his side, his weakened steps betraying the wounds still lingering from his battle with Sentient Aiden.
Kael broke the silence first, his tone calm but laced with concern. “I can sense a lot of the same aura ahead,” he said. “I’ve felt it ever since we were back in the cave.”
Kenshiro frowned. “Do you think this is where Project X is happening? What about Elder Moros and Captain Elowen?”
Kael paused briefly before answering, his gaze fixed ahead. “I don’t know. I can’t sense the auras of either of them.”
Kenshiro didn’t reply immediately, his thoughts consumed by the unknowns swirling around them. The weight of their mission—and the implications of their choices—pressed heavily on his mind.
Kael continued, breaking the silence once more. “My ability to send us to my pocket dimension is drained from when I used it to escape the White Castle. If we enter this lab and things go wrong, which is highly likely, then we’ll have no choice but to fight.” He paused, his voice lowering slightly. “There’s just one problem.”
Kenshiro turned to him, his expression sharp and questioning. “What problem?”
Kael sighed, his tone shifting into one of reluctant honesty. “You are in no shape to fight. I’m shocked you didn’t die from your wounds back there. The power of Bushido is truly incredible, but it won’t be enough to keep you alive in this state if this turns into an all-out battle.”
Kenshiro’s eyes hardened, his voice steady despite the ache in his body. “I’ll be fine. I won’t just leave you to fight on your own.”
Kael’s gaze shifted to Kenshiro, his expression growing serious, his words heavy with authority. “No. If things reach a point where fighting becomes dire, I’ll summon a shadow dragon and have it take you as far away from this planet as possible.”
Kenshiro’s temper flared, his fists clenching despite his exhaustion. “You just asked me to be your second in command, and now you act like I’ll just accept leaving you behind? If I’m to be your second in command, acting like this is pitiful.”
Kael’s shadow aura flickered faintly as he turned fully toward Kenshiro, his tone firm and unyielding. “Keni, you don’t understand. The war against King Arion and the Sentients won’t end today. Today is just the start of it—and I can’t allow my future second in command to die before the war has even begun.”
Kael’s piercing gaze bore into Kenshiro as he continued. “As your new future King, I am telling you what is going to happen—not asking you. And if you try anything different from what I’ve planned in that situation…” Kael’s voice grew colder, his words carrying the weight of his conviction. “…I’ll kill you myself.”
The silence between them stretched as Kenshiro let Kael’s words sink in—not as a threat, but as a declaration of care disguised within the harsh reality of command. Kael was willing to do whatever it took to protect Kenshiro, even if it meant taking the harshest measures.
Kenshiro’s expression softened slightly as he finally responded, his tone quiet but resolute. “Fine. But I’m at least sending a parting strike before the shadow dragon takes me away.”
Kael’s lips curled into the faintest smile as he turned away, his shadow aura settling as they continued toward the lab.
Back to the present...
The sterile air of the Main Lab was stained with the rising tension as Kenshiro stood firm against Second Generation Sentient Morrigan’s taunts. His white Bushido Aura flared slightly, signaling his resolve as he says, "I don't think that is a good idea. A fight with the King of the Requiem Universe will send you right to your grave."
Morrigan tilted her head, her crimson eyes narrowing as she smirked mockingly. “Who are you talking to with that smart mouth—”
Before she could finish, Morrigan disappeared, her movements faster than the blink of an eye. She reappeared directly in front of Kenshiro, her Chains of Eternal Dread coiling around her like serpents, ready to strike.
“Nether Binding!” Morrigan commanded, aiming to release the chains toward Kenshiro. The chains would drain not only Kenshiro’s energy but his memories, leaving him hollow and weakened.
But before the chains could touch him, SLASH!
A brilliant white aura erupted from Kenshiro as his Fūjin Geki struck true. Morrigan froze mid-motion, her eyes widening in shock as both of her arms were severed cleanly.
Kenshiro stood silent, his aura glowing brightly as Morrigan stumbled backward, clutching the stumps where her arms had once been. She screamed in rage and pain, her voice shaking the room.
Before anyone could move, a massive Shadow Dragon emerged behind Kenshiro, its wings spreading wide as it enveloped him in shadow energy. The dragon let out a deafening roar as it swooped forward, crashing through the ceiling of the lab at blinding speed, taking Kenshiro into the sky.
Morrigan yelled furiously, her voice trembling with rage. “CATCH THAT BASTARD!!!”
Kael’s calm voice cut through her screams like a blade. “It’s no use. He’s gone now.”
Morrigan turned to Kael, her crimson eyes blazing as her arms began regenerating. “Was this your doing? You’ll pay for this.”
Kael’s tone remained measured. “I didn’t do anything. You were simply overpowered by Kenshiro.”
Meanwhile, Zephyros’s sharp eyes scanned the room, his perception honed to a razor’s edge. He froze as realization struck him.
“Dr. Vorst is gone.” Zephyros turned his gaze upward, seeing Kael’s faint smirk and piecing together the truth.
Kael’s shadow aura flickered slightly. “You’re correct. Kenshiro wasn’t the only one taken by the Shadow Dragon. I sent Dr. Vorst with him as well.”
Zephyros’s jaw clenched as Kael’s presence seemed to grow larger, his confidence unwavering even in the face of the Sentients.
Kael’s voice deepened slightly as he stepped forward. “Now… how about we settle this before your boss comes back?”
Zephyros didn’t respond immediately, but his mind raced as he processed the sheer scope of Kael’s terrifying aura. Before he could utter a word, Kael’s shadow energy erupted in massive, continuous waves that rippled across the room.
The oppressive waves of Kael’s Shadow Aura swept through the lab, knocking out all of the researchers in the room. Their bodies crumpled to the ground as the aura wrapped them in its suffocating grip.
Zephyros’s thoughts spiraled as he tried to comprehend the overwhelming power before him. What is this aura? The thought burned in his mind, a mix of awe and confusion. This aura might even be stronger than—
Before he could finish his thought, Kael was suddenly beside him, his sword glowing faintly with shadow energy.
“Divine Edge.”
With a single, clean slash, Zephyros’s body was split in half, his stunned expression frozen as the two halves fell apart.
Kael turned slowly, his shadow aura calm but deadly as Morrigan’s screams filled the air. Her arms had regenerated fully, and her anger had reached its peak.
“Abyssal Command – Nether Ascendancy!” Morrigan shouted, her voice reverberating across the lab.
Darkness swirled around her as she summoned eight hyper-intelligent creatures, their forms twisted and malicious. Each creature exuded terrifying power as they prepared to strike.
The eight creatures stood ready, each unique and devastating:
Umbrovex – A serpentine beast capable of creating vortexes of shadow energy that trap enemies in an endless loop.
Necrothorn – A humanoid figure covered in spiked armor that absorbs the life force of enemies it impales.
Dreadmaw – A massive, dragon-like creature spewing corrosive dark flames that destroy anything they touch.
Shadowflayde – A sword-wielding assassin with speed so great it creates afterimages that confuse and disorient foes.
Ebonspire – A colossal, spider-like entity that lays traps of sticky webs that weaken magic and sap strength.
Voidreaver – A hulking brute that punches with shadow energy so powerful it creates localized ripples in space-time.
Nightshale – A bird-like creature that emits soul-piercing shrieks, disrupting concentration and weakening resolve.
Abyssfang – A wolf-like predator that stalks with invisibility and preys on fear, becoming stronger as its victims panic.
The lab’s atmosphere darkened further as these creatures emerged, their forms radiating malice and hyper-intelligence.
As Morrigan’s creatures surrounded Kael, a massive storm cloud began to form overhead, visible through the hole in the roof.
Suddenly, a powerful lightning bolt struck Zephyros’s split body, sending sparks of electricity across his remains. The bolt surged between the two halves, pulling them together as Zephyros’s laughter echoed across the room. His body reformed, now glowing faintly with electrical energy.
“You didn’t think it’d be that easy, Kael.” Zephyros’s voice was mocking, his smirk twisted as he tested his regenerated limbs.
But before Kael could react, the lab descended further into chaos as four more Second Generation Sentients emerged. Their forms were cloaked in shadow, their identities concealed for now.
The oppressive weight of their combined presence settled across the battlefield as the lab became a warzone.
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