Hunter Of The Six Realms

The sword came at him like a blur of death. Kaizen barely managed to raise both his daggers and cross them in front of his body.

CLANG

The impact wasn't just powerful, it was overwhelming. The blow didn't stop at his weapons. The sheer force launched him backward like a missile.

He crashed into one of the thick stone pillars, shattering it on contact. The sound of cracking stone echoed through the chamber as dust and debris rained down on him. His body dropped limply to the floor, coughing hard. His ears rang. For a few seconds, the world tilted sideways. Then the pain hit.

It crawled through his chest and ribs in a slow, deep throb. His regeneration had already kicked in, knitting the damage together, but it still hurt like hell. His arms were trembling. That block hadn't protected him. It had only saved him from being cut in half.

He pushed himself up, staggering slightly. His whole body screamed in protest.

This wasn't like the others. The Dungeon Master didn't move like a reanimated puppet. It wasn't hollow or slow.

It was fast, and it was obvious it wasn't a puppet like the rest. This was something else entirely.

The statue was already on the move again, dragging its massive great sword along the ground with a low screech. With each step, Kaizen noticed dark mist bleeding from its armor, thick, shadowy smoke that crept across the floor like spilled ink. The shadows didn't just spread randomly. They were moving like they were searching and reacting to something in the room.

Kaizen narrowed his eyes.

It wasn't just leaking energy. The shadows were behaving like they had a will of their own.

"…What the hell are you?" he muttered under his breath.

Instinctively, he tried to summon another shadow dagger.

But something unexpected happened.

Before he could even issue the mental command, the shadows at his feet moved on their own. They sprang upward in sharp, twisting tendrils, flaring around him like a reflexive shield. As if they had sensed the danger before he had.

Kaizen froze.

…No way. They're moving without me now?

It wasn't just a weapon anymore. It was responding. The Dungeon Master raised its blade for another swing, and the floor cracked beneath its feet.

Kaizen didn't wait this time. He sprinted straight toward the statue, ducking beneath the wide arc of the sword as it came down. The air above him split with the weight of it. He slid across the ground and stopped just short of the creature's massive leg.

This time, he didn't attack with his daggers. He plunged his hands directly into the shadow pooling beneath them. The moment his fingers touched the dark surface; it reacted like liquid, coiling upward and wrapping around his forearms. It was cold, but not lifeless. It moved with a strange, pulsing energy. And then it obeyed.

Two long strands of shadow lashed out from the ground, shooting forward like ropes and wrapped tightly around the statue's leg.

Kaizen pulled hard.

The bindings snapped tight fast and with more force than he expected. The Dungeon Master's leg jerked, throwing its balance off. It stumbled, just for a second. Just half a step. But it was enough.

Kaizen didn't stop there. He twisted his arms again and the ropes split. They branched out, forming a rough web of shadow that spread across the creature's lower half, anchoring it to the ground like a spider's trap.

He exhaled sharply.

Alright… that's new.

He'd never done anything like this before. The shadow wasn't just forming weapons, it was forming structures and constructing tools, but he barely had time to process it, because the Dungeon Master roared.

The sound wasn't natural. It was deep, distorted, like it came from inside the stone itself. The entire hall seemed to shake. And then—

Boom.

A burst of shadow exploded outward from the statue's body in a violent shockwave.

The black web Kaizen had wrapped around its legs was torn apart instantly, shredded like paper in a storm. And the blast hit him too, slamming into his chest and hurling him backward again.

He hit the ground hard, sliding across the cold stone before skidding to a stop. He coughed, spat out blood, and groaned.

That power… it was incredible. The shadow element he wielded had potential, but it was wild. It wasn't just his to command yet. Every time he tried to dominate it, it pushed back like a bucking beast.

Kaizen slowly rose to his feet again, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"…Okay. So brute force is out."

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to focus. If the shadow fought him when he tried to command it, maybe he needed to stop thinking like he owned it and start thinking like a partner.

Not domination but harmony.

He let go of the urge to shape it with willpower alone and simply let it flow through him.

From the ground beneath him, the shadow rippled outward again. This time, it was smoother and more precise.

It rose up around him, not in ropes or weapons, but in thin, curved plates, like fragments of armor forming a shell. A shifting barrier.

Not strong enough to stop another direct hit but maybe enough to buy him time.

And right now, time was the most valuable thing he had.

The Dungeon Master lunged again. The greatsword came down, faster than before.

Kaizen dropped low, crouching beneath the shadow barrier. The blade slammed into the plates overhead. They shattered instantly, but they slowed the swing just enough for him to roll out from under it.

His hand snapped forward.

This time, the shadow on the floor didn't form ropes, it spiked.

A dozen jagged tendrils shot upward from the ground beneath the statue, sharp as blades. They drove into the armor's joints and limbs, locking it in place. It didn't bleed. Didn't even flinch.

But it froze. Even just for a second.

And Kaizen took that second.

He sprinted forward and jumped, letting the shadow rise under his legs. It coiled like a spring, then launched him higher into the air.

He brought both daggers down over his head, aiming directly for the base of the creature's neck.

The blades hit.

Not deep, but deep enough to crack the stone. The impact sent a jolt through Kaizen's arms.

Then suddenly, a massive stone hand reached back and grabbed him.

Kaizen gasped.

The hand wrapped around his entire torso like a vice. Fingers of jagged armor digging into his ribs.

He struggled and kicked. But the grip only tightened.

His bones creaked.

But just then, he saw something.

Right near the statue's wrist, where the shadow curled unnaturally around its joints, there was a thread.

A thin, black line of shadow extending from the Dungeon Master… all the way back to one of the fallen knights on the ground.

His eyes widened.

No, several threads connecting it to the puppets.

It wasn't just giving them orders. It was linked to them like a hive.

"…You're not just controlling them," Kaizen whispered. "You're fused with them."

The hand clenched tighter but Kaizen didn't resist physically this time.

Instead, he reached into the thread. Not physically but mentally. Energetically.

He didn't pull hard. He didn't force it. He just… touched it. And the shadow responded.

The thread jerked.

A ripple ran across it like a pulse, and one of the knights lying on the ground suddenly spasmed. Its limbs twitched violently. Like a puppet with its strings crossed.

Kaizen stared, breath caught in his throat.

If it's using these threads to control them…Then maybe I can pull the strings back.

---

"Welcome sir, please take a seat."

Dragos stepped into the office and walked towards the seat where he'd been ushered. He observed the chair for a moment then lowered himself to seat.

"Where's your guild master? I thought he'd be here to welcome me." Dragos questions, his brows raised. He'd just arrived after a two hours journey from the capital. He was already pissed that he had been chosen to come to this wretched city. And now the person who had requested for his service was nowhere to be found.

"He should be here anytime soon." The man reassured him, his hand crossed over his front as he bowed his head slightly in respect. Dragos was intimidating just from seeing him alone. His aura was overwhelming.

"I'm already here." A voice echoed just at that moment and the huge door creaked open revealing the black veil guild master as he walked in with his hands crossed behind his back.

But just when his eyes fell on Dragos, he paused and tensed. No way they had sent him of all people.

Dragos scanned the guild master head to toe, his brows raised. "You're the guild master?" He asked, his voice holding a tone of disappointment.

The guild master swallowed, then looked down, "Welcome, master."