My body shuddered. A pair of red circles which I assumed were the shadow creature's eyes were glaring at me. It didn't stay still as eyes should be, it was moving around the shadow's flat-empty face.
"The hell is that?!" I cursed.
The shadow played with their shadow sword. Twirling the hilt before they attacked me again.
This time it was a basic horizontal slash to my left side.
I didn't want to risk things by blocking its attack, so I stepped back two paces enough to avoid the pointy edge of the sword and launched a counterattack immediately.
Its swift and instant movement to the back nullified my attack completely as I only slashed their afterimage.
"Damn! You're fast!"
Growl–!
I didn't know if it was an illusion or not, but I heard they were growling. A short deep growl like a beast. Did they perhaps respond to my word earlier?
A flurry of attack, a mix between slashes, thrusts, and punches rained down on me. I couldn't block and avoid it completely, so I took some damage from its attack. My left shoulder, left hip, and left wrist was bleeding.
That damned shadow only attacked my vulnerable side!
It was not that I blame the shadow, it was actually a smart move. But, as the victim of the attack, I couldn't help but be annoyed and hated it.
'It won't do if I keep on defense. That shadow would slowly overwhelm me when my stamina depleted… huff.'
It was a matter of stamina. A fight against a creature such as a shadow, who couldn't feel tired or hungry, if the battle went on like this, I would lose.
Clang–!
I parried their attack and then dashed forward as my shadow sword was ready to thrust the shadow creature.
Just as I expected, the shadow would instantly back off four to five paces after a failed attack. Lucky me that I was ready in a position where my sword could reach the shadow once it landed.
The pair of red circles grew wide as I thrust my sword forward.
Just a bit more…
Clang–!
"Wha–?!"
I didn't understand. I was sure that my sword stabbed them right in the chest, they should die right then. But, did that thing even have a heart? Did stabbing their chest would make them die? I wouldn't know, and I regretted that I couldn't find it out.
All I saw at the moment was the darkness of this place's ceiling, then the next second I saw a mossy floor, it was cold, and also my headless body lying down there.
What happened?
My vision slowly grew darker until it was completely cold darkness.
…
Gasp–!
When I opened my eyes, I was standing in the same corridor where I first arrived here.
I looked around in confusion. No matter how hard I examined this place, it was really the same corridor before I walked through that door far in front of me. If I was to mention what was different, was that now my body didn't move by itself to go to the door.
It was of my own will, or at least that was what I felt. Somehow, I felt like my mind was a bit noisier than before, and that it was telling me to walk to the door.
Standing in front of the wooden door, I noticed that a star was gone from it. Before, it was 8 stars. But, now it was only 7 stars.
It was then that I realized the situation I got myself into when I opened the door.
Behind the door was the same room with giant statues circling a flat stone, just like the star on the door, one statue was gone from the formation.
In front of the flat stone stood the same shadow creature who was fighting me a while ago when suddenly I got myself back to the corridor. They threw a shadow sword at me again.
Now, it was clear that I have just died when fighting against the shadow. It was the moment when my sword almost stabbed its heart. I didn't know what did they do but my head was cut off even before it swung its sword.
I just died and I was respawning in the corridor. Looking at the stars and the statues, I thought that those were something like a 'life' or a chance. I had 8 lives when I first came here, but because of my first death, I only have 7 lives now.
I stretched my body and smirked. "This is going to be 'fun', isn't that right, shadow?"
The shadow growled, which I assumed they were agreeing with me. We'd have a very much fun time together.
This time, I took the initiative. I ran as fast as I could, but the shadow's speed was overwhelming me as I expected. But, I could reach them, my sword could reach them. I knew where they were going.
Clang–!
They parried my first attack, but not the second one!
Swoosh—!
"Tch!"
The shadow turned into a mist form and back to its solid form after my sword failed to cut it.
How the hell I was supposed to do?!
The speed, the form, everything was bullshit. A physical attack won't work on them. Should I use magic? But, what magic should I use? I meant, I didn't know how to cast a magic spell. The flare magic was the most basic of all spells, and the only spell that I knew how to cast because it was the only one that I wrote how it work.
Hah.
"Let's try it first…"
The flare won't do any damage but at least, it would give me a light to weaken that shadow…
I put on a defensive stance and taunted the shadow.
But, like last time, even before the sword was swung, I was already dead.
I found myself standing in the corridor again.
Fvck!
Another death. At least, I could still try the strategy I was going to try.
'Let's see what will happen to your body when I light your body up!'
Only 6 stars and 6 statues left, 6 chances to pass this test. A devil number!
The shadow growled. Swinging their sword madly; horizontal slash, vertical slash, stab, thrust, everything happened so quickly. Some were deflected, parried, blocked, and dodged but some cut and sliced my skin.
Even under pressure by their rapid attack, I could see some afterimages of where would their attack be. It was a battle of stamina and speed once again, and of course, I lost in those two aspects.
In that short, and quick battle, I ended up the one who received the most damage.
But, this much wound was still manageable.
Another flurry of attack was coming to my left side. I grinned upon noticing that.
"Finally!"
Finally, the attack that I was waiting for. It was the attack on my vulnerable side that I usually dodged, but it was not the case this time. Instead of dodging, I faced it head-on. In a quick motion, I released the sword momentarily and grabbed it with my left hand then parried their attack.
In that short time, I succeeded in parrying their sword with my non-dominant arm. That was such a close call though. If only I was a little bit late, I would be dead for the third time.
Parrying their sword with my left hand, I cast the flare magic spell on my right hand.
Just as the last time. Every time I parried their attack, they would be moving in an instant to the back four to five paces. So, I didn't release the spell immediately but instead stepped forward three paces, closing our distance.
My eyes were moving, observing their entire body movement, especially their hands in case they pulled something that suddenly killed me.
There was a faint glow that came from their shadow sword.
'So that is what caused my death?' I thought.
A battle of speed again. Which one would win this battle? My casting speed or their sword draw speed?
Of course!
"I'll win this!"
"
My right palm was shining brightly with a yellow hue.
But, I lost again.
The shadow was faster. Their shadow sword, the faint glow that I saw in that split second earlier… There must be something going on with that sword.
I sighed.
Standing in the room again, I caught the shadow sword that was flying toward me in the air. I tested the sword in my hand, a few slashes and cuts here and there but there seemed to be nothing special in this sword. I didn't see the faint glow like those on their sword.
Could it be caused by the skill and not the sword?
"Hey! Can we exchange weapons?"
They didn't growl like before. Their red circle eyes stayed still in their place. I felt like they were observing me.
A moment later, I suddenly stood in the corridor.
Huh?
What the hell just happened?!
I looked around my surrounding, it was the same corridor where I respawned every time I died.
'Did I die? H-how??'
There were only four lives left. Fvck. What would happen if I spent all of my chances here? Would I die? Or would I simply get kicked out of this place? It'd be good if it was the latter, but if it was not…
"DAMN IT!" I shouted as I punched the wall beside me. Although, there was no voice coming out of my mouth. Hell, I didn't even hear the sound of the walls cracking and my footsteps.
Huh?
I looked at my hand which was now broken because I just hit the wall using it, but I didn't feel any pain.
Now that I think about it, I got sliced, cut, stabbed, and even died several times. But, I felt fine. There was no pain accompanying me even when I got hurt and battered.
Slap–!
The slapping sound should be echoing loudly in that corridor if something didn't block any sound coming out. Anyway, even that hard slap from myself didn't leave any sting or pain feeling on me.
My grin widened as I walked toward the door.
'Fvck defending, I'll just rush them the moment I got my sword!'
Too bad though, the moment the door opened, what greeted me wasn't the usual sword throwing by the shadow, but was a thrust attack by the sword itself.
I was dead. Again.
It was three lives now…
This time, I dodged the sword that flew at me. It stuck on the door behind. Trying to pull it out, but the shadow was already in front of me, ready to swing its sword.
"Shit!" I rolled to the side and then prone as they swung their sword at a low angle horizontally. "Doesn't even give me time to rest, huh?"
The shadow growled somewhat angrily, the sound was deeper and shakier. Attacking me by stabbing their sword to the ground, I kept on rolling and eventually cast a magic flare.
Exposed to my flare, the shadow creature shuddered for a moment.
I kicked the shadow sword off their hand. Now it was fair.
"Are you good in martial art?" I asked, purely out of curiosity.
The shadow growled as it lunged at me. Their black hand turned big like a balloon that had just been inflated.
I blocked it, but their strength overwhelmed me.
"Guh!"
My body felt light as I flew across the room. Before I even landed on the ground, the shadow teleported above me and dealt me a crushing blow.
It didn't hurt, nor I felt any pain. But, I couldn't move my body because it was broken.
I died.
Two lives left…
Hah… Fvck it…
I brought torches each in my hand. As soon as the door opened, the shadow lunged at me, I ducked and then extended my hand upward enough for the fire to burn the shadow.
To my surprise, it worked. The fire could burn its shadow.
"Haha. Why didn't I use this method earlier…"
The shadow moved back instantly, it has now hesitated.
"You're scared?" I said as I play with the torches.
It growled while backing up a few paces back.
"Heh… Then…"
One torch was sent flying toward the shadow. The other one was still in my hand. I dashed forward as soon as I threw the torch.
"This is a payback."
Arriving in front of him, I catch the torch I threw earlier while it was still in the air with one hand. Meanwhile, my other hand had swung the torch at the shadow.
The shadow was shaking, and its form slowly faded away.
They dodged the torch I swung by teleporting behind me. That move was already predicted by me. Another torch in my right hand flew toward the shadow position.
Before teleporting again, I caught a glimpse of faint light on their sword.
"
I cast a flare toward them, interrupting their attack. It slide forward and bounced when it hit the wall.
The shadow teleported again, close to me. Their black hand was ready on the sword's hilt to slice me at any time.
"Eat this, motherfcker!"
I threw the torch in my left hand toward the door's direction and my right hand was already lightened up a yellow hue.
"
The yellow flare shone brighter. "It's checkmate!"
Vuuuushh–!
The flare shot out from my hand. The shadow teleported again. I didn't have any idea where they teleport, but, it was my win this time.
The flare bounced upward when it hit the floor.
"
Coincidentally, the shadow was teleporting on the flare's trajectory but it could teleport again, and almost got hit by the flare. Although it didn't get hit, it was already exposed to the light at such a close range, it must be already weakened as its form didn't resemble its original solid shadow humanoid form which looked like me.
The third flare bounced when it hit the wall and… It collided.
The first and second flares which had already bounced from earlier, and the third flare that had just bounced off; those three flares collided with each other and created an explosion that illuminated the room.
A perfect calculation I would say.
Now, with fewer shadows in this room, there was only one place that shadow creatures could teleport to. A small area near the door.
As expected, the shadow teleported into that area. Its form was fading. Trapped. Nowhere to run. And…
"Vanish."
The torch I threw earlier burned the shadow.
Growl—!
It growled like a mad beast. But, it was over, nothing it could do to be free from that.
"No matter how strong the darkness you have.
In the end, it will be devoured by the eternal fire." A deep voice suddenly played in my head.
"Huh? What? Where did that voice come from?"
'Was that the shadow's voice?'
Along with the defeat of the shadow creature, the light of the exploding flare also disappeared. The room was dim again.
The reflection of light struck my eyes. In the place where the shadow creature had disappeared, there was a sword lying there.
"Hoh?"