grew denser. A feeling deep inside me told me that the real battle had just begun. A red light glowed brighter before revealing another enemy, taller than anything I'd faced before. It resembled a human but had large black horns on its head and was wrapped in pitch-black armor. Its face was hidden in darkness, only its glowing red eyes glaring at me.
[Name: Dark Sentinel] [Level: 7]
"Level 7!?" I gasped. Could I handle this alone? Fear crept back in, but I reminded myself that running away was not an option. Gripping my katana tightly, the strength from Enona Tetsu and Kankakuno Mayoi kept me standing.
"I won't let you pass," the Deep, resonant voice of the Dark Sentinel echoed from the shadows. It raised a massive sword, and the dark energy emanating from it chilled the air around us.
I braced myself, the shadows around me began to distort again. My power seemed to respond to the increasing determination.
"Come at me!" I shouted as loud as I could. Even though my heart was trembling, I had no choice.
The Dark Sentinel charged, its speed caught me off guard. But in the final moment, I used Kankakuno Mayoi to distort its vision, causing its sword to strike empty air.
"Now!" I seized the opportunity and gathered the energy of Enona Tetsu, sending a purple fireball toward it. However, instead of disintegrating its body, the Sentinel used its sword to deflect the fireball.
"It... can block it?" I gritted my teeth. This was unlike any enemy I'd ever faced.
"You think that power will work on me?" The Dark Sentinel laughed coldly.
I stepped back slightly, trying to think of a way to deal with it.
"If I can't separate my powers..." I murmured to myself, eyes fixed on the black shadows swirling around me. "Then I'll combine them!"
I closed my eyes and gathered all the power I had. The shadows around me began to swirl wildly. The purple light from Enona Tetsu and the distorting power of Kankakuno Mayoi slowly fused together. The darkness turned into a blazing purple flame that engulfed me.
"Try this!" I shouted as I charged at it.
The Dark Sentinel's sword came down again, but this time, I didn't retreat. I combined shadows and fire to create a protective barrier before closing in.
"Enona Tetsu!" I unleashed the full force, sending a purple fireball wrapped in dark shadows toward it.
The explosion echoed through the room as the Dark Sentinel collapsed, its shadowy aura fading.
[Enemy defeated]
[Experience gained: 500]
[Level up: Level 4]
"Did it..." I gasped, panting heavily, staring at the fading form of the enemy. But this was only the beginning. I knew there were more enemies ahead.
"If this power will help me, I'll use it to the fullest..."
My journey was far from over. My goal remained unclear, but one thing was certain—I could never return to who I was before.
After the intense battle, I collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily, my body aching from the wounds and exhaustion. Even though I had won, relief was replaced with tension.
A voice echoed in my head again.
[Dark Shadow Mode unlocked]
[Next area: Judgment Chamber]
"Judgment Chamber?" I muttered. Suddenly, the ground around me trembled. The once-sturdy walls began to crack, and the floor beneath my feet crumbled. In an instant, I was sucked into the void.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a strange space. It was a large, circular room, its walls covered in moving dark shadows, as if alive and watching me.
A deep voice reverberated.
"Welcome to the Judgment Chamber..."
I looked around, but saw no one. Then, the shadows in front of me slowly began to form a shape.
It was... me.
"What is this?" I staggered back. The shadowy figure looked like a dark copy of myself, its eyes glowing red with a chilling gleam.
[Defeat your Shadow Self to unlock your true power]
[Warning: The Shadow Self can use all of the player's powers and abilities.]
"This isn't fair..." I muttered, but I had no choice.
The Shadow Self raised a katana, mirroring my movements. The pressure in the air thickened with every passing second.
"If you're me..." I spoke to it, "Then I'll show you who the true owner of this power is!"
The shadow lunged at me. Its speed matched mine exactly. Its sword came down with the same purple flames from Enona Tetsu.
"Ugh!" I blocked with my own sword, but the force of its attack pushed me back. Before I could recover, the shadow came at me again, faster than before.
"Too fast!" I gritted my teeth, using Kankakuno Mayoi to distort its vision. But the shadow didn't hesitate.
"It... knows my moves?" I took another step back. This shadow knew everything about my powers and movements.
"Then I need to do what it least expects!" I thought quickly, gathering all my power. The darkness around me began to swirl once more.
"Take this!" I dashed forward, releasing Enona Tetsu, a purple fireball aimed straight at it. But the shadow dodged easily. That was exactly what I wanted.
"Gotcha!" I used Kankakuno Mayoi to redirect the fireball, sending it toward the shadow from behind.
The shadow recoiled, roaring in pain as parts of its body were consumed by the purple flames.
"That worked!" I smiled slightly.
But the smile faded quickly. The shadow began to regenerate, its dark aura thickening again. Its red eyes gleamed even more ominously.
"It looks like I'll have to use everything I've got..." I braced myself, ready for the most crucial battle of my life.
This wasn't just a fight for survival. It was a confrontation with my true self.
The Shadow Self advanced steadily, and the pressure in the room intensified. Its dark aura started to shimmer, as if absorbing power from the surroundings.
"Why do I feel... like my power is draining?" I thought, noticing how the shadows around me began to move slower.
[Warning: The Shadow Self is mimicking the player's shadow powers]
[Suggestion: Use a different strategy to counterattack]
I watched it carefully. The shadow moved quickly again, this time not directly attacking, but creating purple fireballs like Enona Tetsu in its hands. It began launching them in rapid succession.
"This is bad!" I dodged left and right, the fireballs exploding midair. Each blast seemed to drain the energy from the room.
"If I keep fighting head-on, I'll never win..." I thought frantically, then an idea sparked.
"It's time to use it..." I focused, channeling all my remaining shadow power. My body became heavier with the increasing shadow energy.
"If it can copy everything I do, then I'll do what it least expects."
I raised my katana, my gaze fixed on the Shadow Self. "I control this power, not you!"
The shadows around me exploded outward. I spread my arms, unleashing the full force of my shadow power across the room.
"Enona Tetsu!"
The purple fireballs swirled around me, but this time, they didn't go straight toward the shadow. They circled me, creating a storm of purple flames.
The Shadow Self froze, seemingly trying to predict my next move.
"Did you forget? This power responds to my will and intent," I whispered, pointing my sword at it.
The swirling fireballs shot out in unpredictable directions. The Shadow Self tried to dodge, but was too slow. Some of the flames struck it directly, causing it to roar in agony as its dark aura began to dissipate.
"I did it!" I shouted in triumph. But before I could celebrate, the remaining shadow lunged at me with incredible speed.
"Not done yet!?"
It slashed at me with its katana. I raised my sword to block, but the force was overwhelming, and I almost lost my footing.
"You've forgotten something..." I gritted through my teeth as the shadows around me began to flare up again.
"I am the original. You're just the copy!"
With that thought, I gathered every last ounce of power I had, unleashing the largest purple fireball I had ever created. It shot straight at the shadow.
The explosion was deafening, and in an instant, the Shadow Self vanished, leaving only silence in the chamber.
[Shadow Self defeated]
[Shadow Power fully unlocked]
I collapsed to the ground, exhausted, my breath ragged as if my very life force had been drained.
"This is it... my true power..." I whispered, as everything slowly faded to black.