Super in the Shadows

The best wars are bloody, eventful, and full of twists. This one is no exception. ENJOY!

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“Wolves, GET READY!”

Jack heatedly screamed, his blood running cold.

As the five portals rippled, all the hair on his body rose in dread. This couldn’t be happening, this freaking couldn’t be happening— and yet it was!

One portal was life-threatening.

Three portals was life-ending

Five was a doom sentence!

…

This wasn’t something they could face! And yet they had to. At this moment, there was one thing he was absolutely certain of. ‘If the five armies merge, it’s game over!’

He’d order his troops to target the leftmost portal so they wouldn’t be encircled that easily, and then he could— He suddenly froze, his eyes focusing on the portals.

“Shadow, is it me or the glow’s unequal?”

Amidst a world of boring white and dread, the portal in the middle felt incredibly alive. It was the same feeling he got from anything related to Supers back in the real world.

Wait, could it be?! He looked over to Shadow, wondering if he saw the same thing as him, but the latter looked utterly confused. There didn’t seem to be any difference to him.

“Human, are you sure? They’re all similar…”

They were. They really were.

But that didn’t change his gut feeling. The one in the middle was really different—revolting, scary, and glowing like a supernova that would annihilate all life.

“Wolves, swarm the portal in the middle. ONLY THAT ONE!”

This was a ballsy move, or perhaps a stupid one. If he was wrong, they’d be right in the middle of all the shit, the monsters from the adjacent portals free to collapse on them.

They’d be surrounded, trapped, and then slowly but surely slaughtered. Even as he gave the order, he couldn’t stop the visions of doom flashing before his eyes. He knew, and yet…

“Shadow, give them some cover. Turn this entire plain Ink Black!”

Jack requested, with his partner getting to work.

[Ally Used ‘Let me Summon You!’]

[Ally Used ‘Let me Summon You!’]

[Ally Used ‘Let me Summon You!’]

…

A blackish ink-like mosaic filled the space. What had been a pure white space quickly turned into an ink mess with the Ink wolves hiding amongst it as if trenches.

Black on black, hiding them perfectly. Yet, even that wouldn’t do much: buy them a few seconds perhaps, but nothing more. Either way, that’s all they could do.

They waited in the trenches, and then…. RIPPLE! RIPPLE!

Grey silhouettes appeared from the portals. Some looked similar to the “Goblins” from before, but then he saw THEM. Creatures big enough to make the goblins look like kids.

And as the first creatures crossed over, he gasped…

Grey maws full of rotten teeth, a pig-like appearance, and some even had wings?! They almost looked like orcs, but he knew they weren’t. They looked far too powerful for that.

Every one of their steps made the blackish ink trenches collapse in thousands of glowing particles, and even that was nothing compared to the gray, inhuman eyes locking on him.

[Warning! “Orcs” Locked on you!]

[Warning! “Orcs” Locked on you!]

[Warning! “Orcs” Locked on you!]

…

He felt like a piece of salami in a room of starving ogres.

Just looking at him was enough for them to lick their vile lips in expectation, their grips tightening on their bone clubs, or perhaps staffs, the things bigger than the goblins!

And there was a shitload of enemies. 100 000, perhaps?!

Thousands of goblins were marching out, all of them soon escaping the “safe zone” pushed by their enormous numbers, and for every 1000 goblins, there was a big orc-like monster.

Except in the middle. There, it was one every 100 goblins.

‘It’s their command post. Destroy the middle army, and the others will crumble like dominoes! Leave them alone, and there won’t be a future for the White Plane!’

He knew that much, and by the side was a wary Shadow.

“Human, those big guys won’t go down easily…”

“Yeah. One in every 100. They’re leaders.”

This was BAD!

Routing the goblins had been easy ONLY because they had quickly panicked after the first strike. But he could feel that this one would be different.

And as if to give him reason, the enemies had barely walked out for a minute when the Orcs stopped their advance, their cruel eyes turning toward the blackish ink expense.

“Grrnak... vorrgh... hrashk! Gahrr... vrakk... shrrtakh! Thrrak... grrah!"

Jack didn’t understand any of it, but the order soon became clear as tons of goblin archers powerfully grabbed arrows and then… TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!

They released it all toward the ink substance!

Streaks of blackish arrows flew, and then— CRUMBLE CRUMBLE! Every time an arrow collided with the Ink, the latter collapsed on itself, unable to keep its shape.

At this rate, the wolves would be revealed in a few volleys!

‘So much for having a cover….’

Jack couldn’t help but curse. But then he suddenly turned tail and ran with all his might, not even giving a look behind, leaving a baffled Shadow behind.

“Human?! What are you doing we—”

“They’re destroying all our traps! WE RUN! HURRY!”

As Jack hurriedly shouted, Shadow reluctantly followed. Had it been before, he never would have abandoned his wolves, and yet he still did, his trust in Jack boundless.

As the two ran, they painted the lamest picture. There was no elegance to their retreat, nor tactic, the two simply looked like cowards, ones that were about to go insane with fear.

The goblins reacted. Let the two escape? They wouldn’t!

As if predators seeing blood, they ran after them. The White Plane shook as an endless line of goblins went after them, a VERY enthusiastic line!

"Grrraaak... vorrrgh... hrraaaashk!!!!"

They shouted war cries, their feet crushing the black expense, and god were they fast! They were like baby zombies as they rushed at them with incredible aggro.

A goblin legion

Another goblin legion

Yet another goblin legion

….

‘How many is that? Fifty thousand at least?!’

Even before any leaders could protest, they were almost upon them! Whatever mission they had, it was driving them mad with blood-thirst… and out of position!

ONLY the main army hadn’t rushed forth, and it found itself isolated. That’s what Jack had hoped and schemed for. “NOW! All out assault, destroy those bastards!”

“AWWOOOOO!!!!”

The little black expense that still remained suddenly burst like a huge bubble, with Ink Wolves erupting out of it like water from a high pressure hose, and they had their targets!

The main army. As long as they routed that one, it would be their win!

Anyone would have been terrified by tons of wolves appearing out of nowhere. The “Orcs” weren’t. They gave evil rictuses as they waved their ginormous staffs around.

"Grrahnk... vorrg... hurrk-tah!"

As they did, the goblins took defense positions, solidly planting their feet in the white ground and creating a crazy defense line with tons of spears raised.

This wasn’t an isolated army; this was a meat grinder! Any wolf dashing in there would instantly be skewered and reduced to inkish goo, even with their insane regeneration!

Their enemies were THAT confident and seemingly with reason.

“Awwwooooo!!” yet no wolf stopped even then.

They knew Jack and Shadow’s life were on the line. Any second now, the enemies would catch up to them and slaughter them. Their lives were in THEIR paws.

With heroic howls, they went in, the enemies grinning.

But just as the wolves were about to be impaled, there was suddenly a change. The dashing wolves turned into jumping wolves!! For half a second, it looked like they flew.

All the mid-air parkour training they had done was paying off! They lept over the spears, landing amidst baffled enemies. And before the latter could react, they went on a rampage!

BITE! SWIPE! CRUSH! DROP-KICK!

Blood flowed, and enemies tried counterattacking.

Tried was the keyword. As soon as spears, arrows, or even whips whooshed at them, their instinct kicked in! Those things were child play compared to Jack’s a̶b̶u̶s̶e̶ training!

He couldn’t help but stare with great pride. In the beginning, he had said it as a joke, but they really looked like ninjas! His training had worked, and so damn well!

At this rate they’d win this easi— SMASH! SPLATTER!

A ginormous club met a wolf, reducing it to paste. It was so damn fast that no one saw it coming. And then it happened again. SMASH! SPLATTER! SMASH! SPLATTER!

Wolves were reduced to smithereens in an instant, never to get up, their shadow cores damaged beyond repair. The “orcs”, it was those goddamn “orcs”!

Scheming glints in their eyes, they’d wait for the wolves to be in mid-air and defenseless, and then SMASH! A single strike was all it took them?! This angered the wolves.

As if they’d let it rest! They’d get revenge and—

“STOP THEM! Shadow, send the order. No fighting them!”

Jack called out, his heart beating faster than ever. Those creatures were scarily smart and opportunistic. He could already picture them killing all the wolves: GAME OVER!

Before long, the wolves had the strangest order relayed to them. They were supposed to ignore the big guys as if they were the portal’s dreadful chaotic energy? No engage whatsoever?!

Rage bubbled inside them, and their claws hungered for revenge, yet…

“You want revenge? Then, drive them mad. Hehehehehe!”

This message, and especially this tone, could only come from one being! As they turned for a split second, they saw a human about to be encircled by goblins, yet still showing a devious grin.

“What are you waiting for? Fuck them UP!”

And that’s when the flow of battle utterly changed. The angry wolves regained their calm, and a strange scene soon appeared as they ran from goblin to goblin like reapers while avoiding the orcs.

Wolves were dying, a LOT of goblins were slaughtered, but even more orcs despaired. What was wrong with those goddamn wolves?! They were so fast and seemingly immune to mind games!

Oh, and the orcs sure as hell had tried to rile them up!

→ They tore them alive

→ They screamed expletives

→ They cackled insufferably

→ They even shat on their remains

….

But no matter what happened, the wolves wouldn’t take the bait. They’d run away so fast whenever a leader came close that they turned into black streaks.

And even as many more kept dying, they didn’t give up one bit. They looked so confident that they’d win, the goblins the only ones crying for mercy.

In fact, the wolves even seemed to be showing off?!

That’s when THEY noticed.

Those wolves had insane regeneration and insane morale, but it could all crumble so easily. Every time they’d glance away from the battlefield, albeit rarely, it was always the same.

They were gazing at the soft-flesh-looking bipedal creature.

The human. Kill the human, and they’d win.

That’s when the battlefield changed for the second time. So what if the wolves were fast? So what if they were good at dodging? Soon, they’d lose their leader and make a TON of mistakes!

The “Orcs” grinned as they gave the orders…

“"Skreeeek! Grrrik... skrinnn! Chik-chik-chik! Zrrrak! Vrikk-taaak! Skaaahk!"

The effect was instantaneous. The goblins chasing Jack and Shadow raised their heads in shock, then elation, and finally went crazy, with their eyes turning completely red.

That’s when the armies collapsed upon them!

Goblins, so many goblins! Short limbs squirming everywhere, sinister grins, and weapons that glimmered with the aura of death. AND THEY ALL WANTED HIM!

They knew that he was screwed! Their legs were tiny, but they were twice as fast as he was. There was absolutely no way for him to escape their grasp.

Or so they believed. Right at the last second…

[Ally Used ‘Let me Summon You!’]

[Ally Used ‘Let me Summon You!’]

[Ally Used ‘Let me Summon You!’]

…..

Shadow summoned allies.

An Ink Puddle appeared, and out of it came 50 wolves?!

There was a limit to the number of wolves he could summon, and he had clearly reached it, Shadow blood dripping from his eyes. Yet, that didn’t stop the sorrowful smile.

“Leave, human. They’ll escort you to safety. As for me….”

“Let me guess, you’re staying behind to fight?”

“Yes. Thank you, Huma— Jack.”

That thank you contained the fate of a world. What if not forcing him to fight today was the droplet that made the glass overflow? What if it doomed them all?

Yet, Shadow had already chosen. He wouldn’t risk the human’s life any more than that. After all, what could one human change in the face of such an army? Barely anything.

Besides, he didn’t want the human to see him like that…

[Ding! Mission Change Offer!]

[Save this Plane → Run!]

[Accept? Y/N?]

The easiest mission ever.

Run. Run away from responsibilities. Run away from death. Run from a fight that could be his last. It was so very tempting, and yet Jack rejected it all!

[Quest Change Refused! Save this Plane!]

“Yep, that’s more like it.”

HE stood next to Shadow, the latter gasping in incomprehension. Why?! What was the point of Jack fighting alongside him? The point was that he wasn’t freaking done.

Instead of cowering, he prepared himself the only way he knew how.

[Strength of a Thousand Men Activating!]

[STR++, AGIL ++, FOCUS +++]

[A Mortal, Yet More…]

Just in time for their position to turn into a bloody battlefield. Wolves met goblins, tearing them apart, but that didn’t stop screaming goblins from reaching him either.

"Skreeek! Grrik! Vrraaak!” A creature swung a powerful bone whip. The thing drew an arc toward his head, and he barely avoided it, counter-attacking!

“I got no clue what you’re saying, but it’s time to die!”

He drove his spear in and— SPLATTER!

Blackish blood came out of the gaping hole in the creature’s skull. One shot kill! But before he could rejoice, there was another horrendous creature stabbing him with a bone knife.

It was too late for the spear. He grabbed his Volstrike and— ZAP!

As 10 000 volts of power shocked the goblin, the later seizured and suddenly smelled of burnt chicken, just in time for yet another goblin to leap at him in super close range.

Both weapons were extended, with no time to recall them.

He met the goblin Head on, literally! SMASH!

As he twisted his body to dodge the creature’s filthy claws, he gave the most powerful headbutt he could muster, his entire cranium feeling like it had just collided with an anvil!

He heard a crack, felt his head thump in pain, and then— CRACK! The goblin’s softer skull gave up, collapsing on itself and leaving him dazed in place, looking for his footing.

There were more of the creatures already….

“Stay back, you bastards!”

They didn’t. There was yet another creature ambushing him. A goblin with bone gauntlets, and a terrifying grin on his lips. It knew that he was out of options!

It ruthlessly struck, its claws reaching for his soft neck!

With this, the bounty would belong to it, AND it could already taste it! Oh, would it enjoy desecrating the human’s body and parading it around as they— TACKLE!

Out of nowhere, a nearby wolf tackled the enemy. No, it wasn’t just a tackle, it was a full-on mauling, the wolf biting the creature so many times, as if it had killed its entire family!

“Awwoooo!!”

Covered in blood, it howled powerfully.

As for Jack, he struggled back in a defensive position, making sure his back was to wolves. As long as they were here to cover him, he had a chance! And soon, the massacre resumed.

Goblin after goblin zoomed to him. He killed most of them. Another bunch died to the wolves; others seemingly drifted away in the crazed battlefield, but so did he.

Sweat, tears, and blood. He stopped being human entirely.

He didn’t know who he was or where he was; there was only killing and howling. Before he knew it, he found himself howling alongside the pack.

“AWWWWWOOOOO! AWWWWWOOOOO! AWWWWWOOOOO! AWWWWWOOOOO! AWWWWWOOOOO! AWWWWWOOOOO! AWWWWWOOOOO! AWWWWWOOOOO!”

Was it him? Was it them? He didn’t know. Every second of it was Hell, yet it seemed not to exist simultaneously. He saw it all happen as if a spectator in his own body.

The screams of agony, the heavy putrid smell of death, the fights all over the damn place. He just kept acting on instinct and repeating the same actions over and over.

Slash! Stab! Throw! Bash! Dash! Ram! Sweep!

“Awoooo! Die, you bastards!”

He was still alive.

He was still alive.

He was still alive.

….

At some point, his silver Razorspear turned entirely blackish red from all the blood on it. At some point, his Volstrike ran out of Mana, but he still kept bashing motherfuckers with it. At some point, his clothes turned to rags, but he didn’t need them anymore.

At some point, the System even chimed in…

[Wolf Pack Attunement Increased!]

[Wolf Pack Attunement Increased!]

[Wolf Pack Attunement Increased!]

….

“Awoooo!” He silenced the damn thing with a howl as he bit a goblin ear off! As for the goblin in question? No idea, he had already lost it. Was it the bloodied one on the ground? Or was it the one that was running from a wolf? Ah, another was coming.

Another goblin, even more goblins, always more fucking goblins. Kill one, and there would have been millions coming, or that’s how it felt. Yet, as he killed, he chuckled.

‘If only this was a video game. That would be so much XP.’

Sadly, it wasn’t one. There was only one mission, and he was to protect this plane. So that’s what he would do. Save this plane. Save this plane. Save this plane. Save this—

Suddenly, he came face to face with an eldritch entity, a primal fear overwhelming him. Dreadful shadow tentacles, crazed abyssal eyes, a world-devouring maw.

The thing looked at him with a vengeful gaze…

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H̵̗̲͇̬͉̦͂̋͆́̐͐̃̆̇̄u̵̢̺͎̖̟͎͑̈́͒͑̓͌̄̄̕̕m̶̢̧̩͉̒̓̆̊͋̓ạ̵̧̠̼͓̣̳̟̜̍̋͊͌̕͝ͅn̵̠͑͋̔̀̓̚͠,̴͈̩̗͓͇͊ ̸̧̘̳̜̤̔͝k̵̥̬͂̐́i̴̡̖͔͖̻̱͔̥̅̋̔͐l̴̳͇̗̞̤̫̂̄̐͂̾̒̎͘͘͜͝ļ̴̘͕̜̣̭̈́̽͌,̴̢̧̠͔̟̥̪̩̍̄ ̵̮̮͚͕̏̐̊̏̈́̈ͅk̸̨̬͕̩̫͖̗̠͑̈́͆̇͒̑̃͆́í̴̧̜̜̽̔͊̍̈́͋l̸͈̳͕͔̠͚̈́͘͠ͅl̵̠͋͂͊ ̸̖͚̌̓t̸̘̦͕̪̩̤̂̅͒͑͌̀̕͝h̶̨̙̟̭̯͈͇̟̐̓ě̷̼͆̿m̸̛̛̳̬̹̀̽͌̄́͑̊̊ ̷̳̰̤̗̱̬͕̉̀͌̉̕͠a̶̧͂̽̈l̷̨͚̙͇͈͖͔̓͗̾̈́̆̀ľ̵̖͗̉̚͜!̸̨̘̮͎́̾͜͝ ̷̛̣̱̊͝L̴̠̯̲̮̋͂̆̅͑̕͜ë̶̖̖́̑̃́̿̈́̿͊t̸͚̳͙̪̙̜̪̪͈̍̄́̕ ̶̳̘̳́̒̍̽̕ͅt̴̖͈̼̺́́̍̋̆̈́̃̈͊͝h̷̞͚̜͖̰̆͛͒̎̌̒̾̋ͅe̴̡͉̜̪̠͙͆͂͊̿m̷̭̝̐ͅ ̶̣͔̝̖̇r̶̨̡̲̜̗͉̤̞̍̈́̓͆͛̈́͋̔̚͘ͅę̸̜̱̱̹̫̱̭̭̿̀̅͛͠g̴̩̪̒͌̍͊̐͑͂̀̂ŕ̴̢͙̱̞͓͒͜͝͝e̶̺͙̒̐̽̇̀͐̈̏t̶̲̤͍̻̳̊̑̅̈́ͅ ̵̧̭̤̈͛́̋͐́̄̅͝ę̵̩̹̠͂͊̓̀̂̋͘͘͝v̶̛̼̏̀̐̍̈e̶̜͖̻͔͒͌̉͐̀͝r̶͇̹̊̒͗̇̆̑̈́̕͠͠ ̶̢͔͎̙̈́͊ĕ̷͖̆̋́̎͑̚x̶͔͗̊̎̆͊̈́̌̚͝i̷̹̭̩͎͕̙̹͎̮͕͆͑͒̑̅́͑̔s̴̩͉͍͑̌̑̆̋͠͝ͅt̴̹̭̻̆̾͋į̵̛̬̺̣̼̞̽̀͂͛͑̾͑̐̍n̴̛͍̤̰̙̣̰̘̝̳̭̉͗̄͑̒̑͒̚͝ġ̴͙̜͈̍͋͑.̵̡̫͈̪̞͊͊̀̐̿̕̕ ̴̩̞̘̬̣͛̆͌̽̏̅̕͝Ç̸̺͙̣̮̭̖̹̤͉̒͛͠ṳ̸͇̭̭͈̼̎̾̈͂̍͑̏ͅr̵̡̞̘̻̄̀̾̊ŝ̵̛̬̹͝e̴̫͉͙̯͑̇̄͆͆́̕͝ ̵̛̼̾̾̏́̑̓̔͒̚t̵̖͔̞͐͋̇̽̎̃͐͑̑̚ḧ̸̨̡͔͇̜͍̝̲́̓̓̾̀̇̌̕͠ĕ̸̩̙̮̱̜̭͚̖̍̃̓̐̕͠͝͠ͅṁ̸̠͒͑̉͌̂͘ ̶̖̬̦̟̱̿̊̈́̚͠i̴̠͉̱͖̪̊͋͋ͅͅņ̵̢̨̦̩̰̩̤̖̀͒̇̀̂͗͐̎̓̎t̸̻̔o̶̤̟̫̤̗͈̓̎̈́ ̶̡͓̭̬̘͌̽̀o̶̢̨̝̖̼̭̐̆͐̒͋̔̎̕b̴̨̧̺͓̫͌̓͝ĺ̷̹̺̳̞̺́̈́̆̅̄̄̆͝i̵͍̰̒́͌̍͆́͝v̷̰͉͑̎̍̉̆͋͘ḯ̵̝̺̞̦͍͊̿̆́̾̎͜o̶̹̠̞̣̞͛̄̈́͂̓n̴̢̘̟̳͍͖̼̖̒͜.̷͓̻̓ͅ ̵̣͔̇̎͆́͆̃̀d̴̨̗̙́̅̽͐́̃̐̕̚e̶̘̳͎͓̮͕͔͇̼͠v̶͉̣͖͉̣̪͉̒̈́̐͐o̵͎͈͉̥̣͖͇̤̝͇̓͂̑̅̌̉̅̈́̚ư̵̡̛̟͉͕͙̆͆̃́̄̏̚͝r̷̢̢̳͈̟̪̘͚̱͌̾̽̐̂̌̏̓̚͝ ̵̫͔̥̱̲̞̖̯̫̘̑̍̽͐͑̈́͊̿ẗ̸̡͔́̿̿̉͑͐̄͐͝h̶̨̹̪̭͌͐̃̉̋̌ẽ̸̞̽͠i̸̙͔̒̂́r̶̲̦̀ ̷̱̫̲̱̩̱͈̖̀̏͆̆̀̽̕͝f̵̡̲̦̺̜̬̗̳̞͛͊̈́͆̃̀̉̂͝l̸͉̓̅̂̓͆̍ẹ̷̛̫̳̹̅͛͆͌ͅs̶̛̪̿̽̎̔̀h̶̙̦͈̠͗́̇́̌̓́ ̸͖̖̪̻͓͌̑̀ą̷̯̼̩̭̠̟̯͆̄͒́n̷͖̍́̃̾d̵̰̮̫̺͛̔͒̄̔̂̈́͝͝ ̷̠̝́͂͊̐̓̊̈́̐̀s̶̨̝̹̥̤̱̯̋̑͗̎͗͜ỡ̴̢̨̡̲͎̠̠͍̗̈́̽̏̅̈̕ų̶͒̈͛̅͊̊̍l̷̛͖̙̺͈͕͔̯̤̈́̄͐͋̇̓̌s̴̥̹̯̺̑̀̈́̈͠.̴͈̺́̒̚ ̶̺̿͜͝͠S̷̛̜͙̾̐̆̓́̃̃ḩ̸̛̟̯̦̥͙̤̟̣̃̏̄̍̃̚͝͝ȁ̴̧̬̥̺͖͋͜ţ̴̥̗̰̪͕͚̖͒̓̓́̋ͅt̵̞͎̟̱̦̪͐͗̂ě̴̟̗̲͓̫͆̔͐̎̀̑̀̓̚r̶̛̳̗͉͈̙̪͉͒́͋͋́ ̷̨͈̙̪̘̻͎̣͎̍̀͌͐̐͌͂̈́͠ṱ̷̢̧̧̨̠͈̲̜̈͒͜h̵̢̡͉͙̬̖̗́e̸͉͉͓̜̅͠ì̶͔̻̰͕̳͙͈̹͎͐̽r̶̳̩͙̣̻͖͎̂͋̆̔̀̅̆̈́͒ ̵͈̜̳̥͎̽e̴̝͚̫̣̊́̓̕ś̶̨̿̈́͊̅̋̿̕s̸̢̛̝͉̠͖̤̎͘e̶̤̤͔͍̗̖̣͗̇͌͐̑͗͑̕n̶̨̡̨͓̮͇̗͇̭̦̓̌̎̉̈͐̐̂̑̓ĉ̴̺͙̗̩͇͈̅̓̊͛́̇e̸̮̞͓̾̅̐͆̑̀ ̶̼̻̖̻̲̖̲̇͛̒͐́̊̔͜ạ̵̧̨̩̦̱̫̪̗͒͆̉̓̏͌̋̇̚͝n̵̦̻̲̲̫͖̪̣̫̐̅͐̑̚d̵̮͚̻̭̆̀̚̕—̶̨̩͇̠͎̬̜͚͑̈̍̚̚

.

.

It stopped its monologue to devour a goblin.

Shadow. This was Shadow?! The tiny appearance was nowhere to be seen. Shadow was now as big as its biggest wolf and hovering over the battlefield like the evilest eldritch abomination.

He instinctively knew. This THING had to die! It would devour all life as long as it was in this world. As long as it existed, it would slaughter all humanity. It would—

He slowly found himself raising his Volstrike and SLAM!

His body moved on its own, slamming Shadow head-on with all his power! Wait, what? Why had he done that? And that’s what broke the dissociative state he had been in.

Seeing as his friend wasn't hurt, he gave a thumbs up…

“You got this! Keep up the good work! I’ll take care of commanding!”

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.

Ư̵̦͐̃̆̈́͐̆͒͘n̵̯͂͐͌d̴͇̗̬̤͔͖̦̾͊̃͒͋͗̌̊ę̸͓̺̦̑̎̂͆ř̴̢̲̲͖͔̫͖̎͆s̵͕̠̜̹̥͎̦̰̐͛ẗ̶͇̮͙́̀͑͂͐̓̈̒̂͋ö̸̯̗̬̗́̚o̶͈͚̲̱̭͐̄͌̑̀̈́ͅd̸̖̗̻̓́̃̓̌̄̋,̶̨̼̯͎͔͉̠͍͂͂̂̏͝ ̷̡̻̗̫͉͍̦̊͑̚͝͝h̶̨͚̘͖̞̀̈u̴͚̘͑̓̐m̴̻͇̪̒͐̚͜a̶̡̯͎̘̖͔̟̦̞̓͗̓͠n̶̥̥͔̖̫͙͎̾͂.̶̥̰̭̫͔̤̱̘̌̓́͒͝ ̵̧̥̹͚̫̩̾͐̂͜Ŵ̵͕̺̙̭̗̗͙̃͘ȇ̴͇̃̒̓̾̎́͝ ̵̧̭̥͉̼̬̥͒̿ͅś̶͓͍̅̂̒̇̀̚h̵̦̺̜̙͔͛̄͒͂a̵̭͉͉̿̓l̴̘̥̈́̍̿̍ļ̵̞̣̱̗͂̓͊̈́͌̍̿͝͝ͅ ̸̡̨̙̈̓̉̈́̇l̵̢̮͉̜̻̺̺̉̓͒̀͛̒̆͒͝ę̴̨̲̪͈̻͎̼̇̔̉͝t̸̡͎͈͖͔̯͍̽͜ͅ ̶̧̲͚͚̊̀̒t̵̨͖̤͈͉̰̮̳̮̦̀́͊͒̎͝ḥ̸̢͖͈̹̓́̽͝e̵͚͎̯̲͎͆̃͑ͅͅm̴̬̙̤͂̔̈́̚̕ ̵͇̼͑̈́̓k̴̦͕͎̖̆̋͊́̀͛̽ͅṇ̷̡̲̩͔͈̰͗͛̈͛̊͜ͅŏ̵̢̀̎̾̐̿̚̕w̴̡̘̠͎̗͍̌̿͂̎͒ ̶̲̰͙̰͕̦̹̣͑͒́̐͊̃͝ṕ̶͙̣̆̃̂̋͆͑͜ā̷͙̗̳̼͈̘͚̹͌́̋̔̌̓͑̚͝i̷̖͇̬̯̰̒ṅ̴̢̪̻͉͚͔̞̤̪̎̕!̷̧̫̝̲̭̲̰̻̀ ̷̪̬̮̭̞̗͆̃̈́͜W̸͖͕͙̳̹̰̽́̊͂̅͘ͅe̵̱͇͑ ̸̖̃̄͋̈́̃̈́s̴̨͎̞̘̻̯̋̂͝ḩ̴̨̠̩̜̹̻̮͋̽̅̀̎͋̔̍̌͒a̶̜̣̳̾̊̾͑̈̐͑̕ļ̴̢̲̲̫͍̙̬͚̑́̊̑̒̔͌͠l̸̛͈̰͈͔̅̽̔͒̈́͗̈́͑͠ ̴̢̯̞͚̹͕͙̼̊̎̔̀̋̈́̅̊͘͝ļ̷̧̥̗̖̻͛͌̋̋̾̾̕͝͝e̶͙̮͚͑̅̾͌̀͝ṯ̶̢̩͇̗̉̿̈́͊̏̈̂ͅ ̵̤͆t̵̰͈̙̼̽ḧ̵̘̟̽̅̿̅e̴̮͔͉̦̳̘͕̔̌͒͆̀̉͗͗̚͜ͅm̷͔̲͈͔̫̯̌̄͑̀̋͛̕ ̵̛̤̻̆̒̀̓̏̚ś̸̛̖̱̥̒͆̎͐̎͝ͅṳ̵̮̟̺̳̳̆͗̾͋͗̒͑͘͘f̶̻̺́̈̊͗̿̈̓͘͜f̷̩̙͖͔̙̍͒͌̈͆̈̾ͅe̶̜̻̼͚̟̖̩̹͗̀̚͜r̵̢̡͎̙̖̯͙̀́̑̒͝ ̴̯̩̲̺͑́e̷̼̼̔̿̈́͐̅̾̎̚t̵̠̜̭͓̯̂ͅe̵̢͙̮̥̝̦͈͍͋̕͜ͅr̵̨͓͎̫̩͎͉̄͜ň̶̩͎̲̺̪́̆̀͌̂̊͒̌̈́a̶̜̹̘͊̓̍̽́́͆̊̊l̵̩̰͆̅͛̂͝l̴̙̝̫̽͋̉̒̄͂̇̕͝y̷͈͍͖͋́̉̉.̵̠̺͎̟͈̮̩̱̐̎̽̓̓͝ ̴͓͍̟͓͙̻̣̎̐͜ͅͅW̸̡̭̭͕͍̞̜͍̐̃́̈́̀e̴̢̫̻̤̬̘̰͕͌̑̉̌̔̓̉̕ͅ ̸̻̲̞̩̦͙̣̥͋́̈́͒̆̑̕͜͠͠ś̴̱̳͉̯̰̔̄h̴̨̛̙̩͕̦͎͚͓͖́̀̍͐̈̐̚a̶̛̝̮̼̜̖͙͂̎̓͜͜l̶̝̮͙̣͋̓̀̊͗̎̋̎̃͝ͅl̵̜̹̟̙̮̂̉͐͘͠ ̵̛̬͖̪̪̩̬̣̠̀͆̇̇͋͋̾̎̕m̵̡̝͍̗̳̮̱̗̬͛̃͗͐̀̓̏ą̵̛͙̣͖̳̭̖́͑̋͝k̸̮̈́̇̋̊̀͘ė̷̤̈̽͛͘ͅ ̴͍̬͓͓͐̊͗͆̓t̸̬̫̣͎̲̞̠̋̓h̸̝̯̘̪͖̽̾̎̋̿̈́̚͝ȅ̵̡͇̬̱͈̺͌͝m̵̤̹̥̣̳̬̣̖̘̈̏ ̶̩͊̚ŕ̷̫̯̯̦̥̣͉̪̳̫̅̀̈́̿e̴͙̠̞̻͈͈̤͚̻̘͊͂̌̽͑̒́ģ̵̛̝̬̙̤̣̤̬̒̏̆̒̉̃̄ͅr̶̺̟͕̱͒̈́̈́̑̀ȩ̷̡̨̛̤̮̪̙͍̃̂̽̑̓͜t̴̢̬̘̭̳͈̝̾̿̉̉͆ ̴̺͍̑͐͛̈́l̷̛̞̬̳͙̦̰͓͇̑͆̍͜ỉ̸̢̺̯̙̥̰̮̼̎͑͗͊̈́̉̄͊̎ͅv̴̧̦̗̱̋̀̈́̃͊͊̂̿͆ì̵͎̯͍̝̟͓̲̽̑̄̍̀́̕̚͜͠n̴̝͇̐͂͑͗͂̅͋͘g̴̢͍̥̓̀͘ͅ ̶̤͓̜̰̖̔͂͌͒͛̋̂͜a̵̟͈͓̲͐̅̓̔͊̕͝n̴̯̮̝̯̹̬͐͐ͅḑ̶̣͕͓͒̈̀̊—̸͚̠̦̙͒͋̋̀̈̚͝

.

.

“Sure, sure! Whatever you said!”

He jovially replied, suddenly feeling better. Amidst the crazed battlefield, he had found a respite, and it was so damn satisfying a the moment. He glanced around in awe.

The wolves were slaughtering, Shadow was quite literally killing it, and anything in a 15 meters vicinity, and he was still alive! Smiling, he fished something from his pocket.

[Successfully Found a Mana Crystal!]

“Found, my ass! I’ve had it all along, you shitty System!”

Whistling under the protection of a rampaging Shadow, he grabbed his out-of-power Volstrike, affixed the Mana Core to it, and got himself ready to battle some more.

He’d zap the next motherfucker that dared approach him in the balls! Oh, and it would be WAY more effective now that it had Mana.

He even found himself laughing like a madman…

‘Jack, the Legendary Ball-Zapper!’

‘What if I get that as a Quirk?’

‘Would be hilariously bad.’

As he mused, a bunch of goblins were having heart attacks, some not even figuratively. What had gone wrong?! Everything had been going so well, and then— human, wolf, monster?!

As they watched the dozens of tentacles turning their brethren to shreds, even their little goblin brains understood that something was hella wrong. A few orcs showing didn’t help.

The latter reached the periphery of the death zone and faced the tentacles. Those big guys weren’t as “enthusiastically dumb” as their smaller versions and were very careful.

Every time a tentacle headed their way, they’d smash it, diverting its course. But that didn’t do much when there were dozens right behind it! They had no choice but to step back.

Their hearts quickly filled with anger.

The scene of Jack whistling next to Shadow wasn’t just enraging, it was downright unbearable! In fact, it quickly reached the point of no return.

[Aggro Rising! You’re HATED!]

[Aggro Rising! You’re HATED!]

[Aggro Rising! You’re HATED!]

….

Their cruel eyes rested on him non-stop, not that he minded. Instead of freaking out, he hugged a Shadow tentacle as he wholeheartedly taunted them.

“What, never seen a human as handsome before? Hmm, it’s not polite to stare, you know? Well, I guess you guys are jealous; you're all fugly after all, but please show some discretion.”

He casually insulted them, his tone more than insufferable, but his eyes were scanning the main battlefield even as he did. It was mostly a stalling game while THEY died.

But seeing as they couldn’t kill the Human and Shadow duo, it wouldn't be long before it got intense once more. Seeing as Shadow was busy, he went ALL-OUT!

He especially went very, very loud:

“Third Unit, Operation Dine and Dash!”

“Second Squadron, movement Duck and Destroy!”

“Seventh platoon, Leeroy Manoever on those bitches!”

…

As his voice boomed on the battlefield, there were changes. The semi-organized wolves that had been zooming across the battlefield suddenly formed ranks?!

If before they had been hunting wolves, causing chaos wantonly, they had suddenly turned into wolf soldiers that were more than ready to crush any opposition!

And with this, the tide changed…

[Successfully Altered the Course of the Battle!]

[Successfully Altered the Course of the Battle!]

[Successfully Altered the Course of the Battle!]

…

Still covered in blood, he grinned.

Every time he saw the messages showing a significant achievement happiness bubbled inside him, especially as he heard the despairing cries of the enemies.

‘If this wasn’t life and death, it would be the greatest strategy game. I’m sure Lilly would love seeing it. I gotta bring a Mana-Lense to record it all next time for sure.’

‘♩♫♪ Life’s worth living, so record it all! Get one now at your local K-Mart! ♩♫♪ ’

As he remembered the catchy jungle, he found himself singing it as he kept barking orders. Perhaps it was the adrenaline from the fight, but never had he felt so good!

Just like that, everything went super well. Until it didn’t—

Out of nowhere, Shadow suddenly started trembling, its whole body almost shaking out of existence. Wait, was he running out of Mana?! Was he about to revert to his tiny form?!

But as Jack freaked out, Shadow extended a trembling tentacle, pointing­.

The portal, the one in the middle… RIPPLE! RIPPLE!

It wasn’t just rippling… it was glowing?!

[Ding! Second Wave Incoming!]

[Ding! Second Wave Incoming!]

[Ding! Second Wave Incoming!]

….

“WHAT?!!!”

He screamed, and so did the creatures.

Except they screamed in elation, and seconds later, he understood two things: one, why they were rejoicing, and two, why the portals were as big as houses in the first place.

[New Side-Mission! Slay the BOSS!]

As IT spawned, everything changed. Slay! How were they supposed to slay that thing?! Also, what was up with its appearance? It almost looked like—oh god!

Jack couldn’t help but tremble, with reason…

[Aggro Rising! You’re HATED!]

[Aggro Rising! You’re HATED!]

[Aggro Rising! You’re HATED!]

….

Aggro? This wasn’t a notification, it was a goddamn death sentence! Once more, he tightened his grasp on his Razorspear, but he knew it wouldn’t be enough.

They were utterly and royally fucked…