Chapter 19: Fighting the Starscourge

"What do we got?" I said as the shadow magician I left overseeing the mining task looked up from his clipboard. He handed me the clipboard, which had written down a long list of all the precious gems and ore my knights had found.

Let's see… fourth-five diamonds, sixty-eight gold, twenty-three iron, twelve rubies, seventeen emeralds, eleven platinum, two hundred quarts, and thirty-two sapphire gems. I nodded in approval and looked at the several mining carts stacked to the brim with all the ores and gems on the list. All my shadow knights stood in a line with pick axes in their hands, beaming with pride at their findings.

"Great job, everyone!" I said, causing the knights to nod with joy at my praise. It seems my shadow soldiers have personalities to them. I wonder if Igris and Iris also have one?

I placed all the mined goods into my inventory and called off my soldiers. They all bowed and vanished into my shadow. I smiled and began heading back to where I had found all the Rotten Strays. While essence stones are more valuable than these ores and gems. These can still get me plenty of money if I sell them.

After several minutes of walking, I returned to where I had found all the rotten canines. Their dead bodies lay scattered around with blood underneath. I walked over them and continued down the corridor, at the end of which were two wooden double doors. I opened the right door and saw that the rocky tunnel I'd been traveling through had become a stone brick walkway. Yellow torches burned brightly on the wall, and several scattered human-like bones sat along the ground. There were even a few skulls.

I looked up and saw what appeared to be a hunched-over werewolf with a large ox skull over its head. Its body was well-muscled and hairy, and its fingers and toes had long, sharp black claws. The creature was dragging a long and jagged curved sword behind it as it lumbered to me. The blade made a low rattling noise as it was dragged along the stone floor.

[ BEASTMAN ]

I glared at the Beastman, and its large, sharp mouth smiled at me. It then stopped and tapped its sword three times behind it. On cue, a small army of Beastmen walked out of the split at the end of the walkway and began marching towards me in a frenzy. The loud clangs and growls filled the long passageway as they dashed at me.

"Iris." I ran forward and summoned the Black Blade. I jumped high just as Iris zoomed forward from under me. She began to dismember all the Beastmen in her path with extreme skill and speed as she fought half of the legion of monsters. I fell and stabbed my blade through the skull of one of the Beastmen who tried to cut my lower body off.

I grabbed its shoulders and spun my legs in a circle, kicking three more monsters across their heads. I flipped forward and launched the dead creature in my hands towards several more companions. They fell over like bowling pins as their dead comrade violently crashed into them. I rushed forward and began cutting several of them down as they rushed me. Their skills were rough, but their animal instincts served them well.

I ducked under a wild swing and kicked my attacker in the stomach, causing them to hunch over with a pained whimper. I then jumped onto the ceiling and clung to it with my wall-crawling skill just as Iris swung her broad sword in a wide arc. Seven Beastmen fell back as they were cleanly cut in half. Thick red blood rained out of their chest and bowels.

I fell onto the ground and saw the rest of the Beastmen dead. Iris held nothing back and quickly disposed of the small army. I turned to her and saw her flick her sword aside to remove any remaining blood. Iris sheathed her blade and walked next to me. Her glowing white hair flowed behind her as she bowed to me.

"You could have held back a bit." I muttered and looked down the hall of ruined bodies. Blood and appendages covered the hallway in a brutal display of violence. Iris looked shocked and embarrassed, then began to bow to me quickly. "No, it's alright. I just wanted to fight some more myself. Good work, Iris."

Iris looked up at me and beamed at my praise. Her usually expressionless face was now a wide, happy smile. We then proceeded towards the split at the end of the hall and looked both ways. Shrugging my shoulders, I headed left. Iris walked four feet behind me and remained silent. I couldn't help but wonder if my shadows could talk.

"Hey, Iris? Do, uh, do you and Igris talk?" I asked as I saw her freeze. She seemed troubled and nodded. "Really? Well, can you?"

Iris shook her head, and her expression turned to turmoil. I stared at her for a while, deep in thought. Maybe that's a feature I'll unlock the stronger I get. Or perhaps I have to get them to level up even more. Iris had a look of deep disappointment. Despite them not being able to talk to me just yet, I could still get a sense of what she was feeling and thinking.

"It's okay, don't worry about it. We'll figure it out eventually. Let's keep going." I said and saw her smile. She nodded, and we continued onwards.

x x x

Iris and I stopped once we saw that we were outside in the open air. A large dirt and grass path lay ahead of me instead of more rock caverns or caves. The sky was grey, and a light layer of mist filled the air around me, making it hard to tell where exactly I was. I looked back at the exit of the cave and frowned. The air was thick with energy, and whatever was at the end of this long dirt road would most likely be the dungeon boss.

"Whatever is over there is strong." I began following the dirt path. Everything was silent as Iris and I walked; the only sounds I could hear were her armored boots and the occasional squeaking of birds. It was a foreboding environment. The path began leading up a hill where several tall stone columns sat perpendicular to each other. To my right was the beginning of a large mountainside with exposed tree roots.

After another ten minutes of walking, we paused when the earth began to rumble in short intervals. A colossal shadow slowly walked out from the misty air. It was a massive golem made of black stone. Its body was intricate, well-detailed carvings that appeared like armor made from tree bark. Throughout its body were large glowing sections that pulsed in energy. A humongous halberg glowed in blue magical energy in its large hands. The Golem stopped its trek and slowly turned its large head towards me with a low rumble.

[ GATE GUARDIAN - LASER GOLEM ]

The Golem's massive body pushed away the mist around the area and revealed a massive gate. I knew then that the dungeon's boss was behind that gate. However, a sense of trepidation filled my chest as the Golem's red title hung menacingly over its head. If this Golem is that strong, what kind of monster is behind that gate?

"I'm guessing you won't let me in if I ask nicely." I said and watched as the Golem lifted its enormous halberg over its head. "Guess not!"

Iris and I dashed to the sides as the massive halberg crashed where we once stood. I landed on the side of the mountain and ran alongside its surface. Iris sprinted around the Golem's right and blurred behind its foot. She swung her sword, and a thunderclap echoed down the dirt path.

The Golem remained silent but fell to one knee as Iris's attack cracked off a significant portion of its heel. Seeing my chance, I jumped off the cliffside and fell onto the Golem's back. I stabbed down repeatedly with the Atlantean and Ice Dragon daggers. The Golem shook its body and flung me off. Once I landed on the ground I dashed towards the Golem's left while Iris took the right. Before we could strike, the Golem lifted its halberg and held it between its hands.

My eyes widened when the Golem's waist began to spin three hundred sixty degrees and carve a blue circle into the earth beneath it. From below the circle, three large glowing balls of magic rose. Out of sheer instinct, I dashed to the side and avoided a power beam of magic. As I ran, the beam chased after me and carved into the side of the mountain. One of the large columns exploded and fell as I jumped behind it as cover.

Running between the Golem's legs, Iris avoided the beams and spun between both of its feet. As she spun, her sword cut through the Golem's legs and threw it off balance. She dashed behind it and ran up its massive back, sword raised high.

Not one to be outdone, I used my dash and fatal strike skill to attack several parts of the Golem's chest. Once my attack was done, I rushed up his chest and held both blades by my sides. Iris and I jumped onto the Golem's left and right shoulders and swung our blades into its neck. Due to its powerful defense, we had trouble cutting through, but we gave it enough time to unleash a torrent of fire out of its head armor.

"SASORI!" I summoned my shadow scorpion, and he immediately shot acid from both tails at the Golem's knees. As I intended, the acid burned away at its joints to the point they snapped. Iris and I hopped off its shoulders and watched it crash onto the dirt ground below. The earth rumbled as its heavy body sunk into the ground.

"Take it out!" I summoned my shadow knights and magicians immediately. They rushed the fallen Golem and attacked it without mercy. Iris ran along its back, flipped her sword into a reverse grip, and sank it deeply into the Golem's cracked neck. With a jerk, she sliced a wide crevice into the Golem's neck and dashed away.

I ran up the side of the ruined cliffside and jumped above the column. Gripping my blades, I quickly spun and dashed towards the Golem's neck. Like a saw, I sliced away at the Golem's neck and spammed the fatal strike skill.

The Golem tried to stand by pushing itself up with its arms, but two magicians pelted its hands with explosive magic and knocked it back down. I roared as I stopped spinning and held my blades above my head.

"IT'S OVER!" I shouted and sliced the Golem's head off its neck. It rolled down the inclined hill we were on and stopped when one of the tall columns stood in its way.

[ (!) NOTIFICATION ]

[ You have defeated [ GATE GUARDIAN - LASER GOLEM ] ]

[ You have leveled up! ]

[ You have leveled up! ]

[ You have leveled up! ]

[ SKIN OF A GUARDIAN ]

[ TYPE: ELIXIR ]

[ CLASS: A+ ]

[ +30% Physical damage reduction. ]

[ +30 STRENGTH ]

I breathed deeply to catch my breath and looked down at my defeated foe. I roared in victory and was quickly followed by my shadow soldiers as they cheered alongside me silently. Iris smiled and sheathed her sword.

I looked down at the elixer and drank it. I felt the buffs instantly and grinned. I dismissed all my shadow soldiers and sat on a patch of grass. As I sat alone, I drank several stamina and mana potions to recover what I'd lost. I peered over at the gate with slight nervousness. This was a boss fight on its own. Whatever is on the other side is going to be an absolute monster. I stood up and looked over at the Golem's corpse and smirked. "Arise."

Slowly, a larger version of the Golem rose from its body. Its body was a mix of black and greys, and glowing blue power swirled out its helmet and limbs. In its hand was a black halberg that radiated blue fire. Its massive body kneeled in front of me and bowed its head.

[ Shadow Extraction is successful. ]

[ The shadow will start with a base level of 6. ]

"Shinai." I said and watched Shinai bow in gratitude for its new name. I nodded and dismissed him. With my new shadow soldier added, I walked over to the gate. Reaching it, I looked to the right and saw an old steel lever. I pulled it back and saw the gate slowly open downwards like a drawbridge. When it was fully open, I walked over to the other side and came upon the end of a cliff.

Confused, I looked over the cliff and saw a sprawling desert below with a large red ocean surrounding it. Stabbed throughout the desert were several abandoned weapons and debris. The sky had also turned a shade of red as a thin layer of mist flowed in the air over the desert. I focused my eyes and saw that there were also hundreds upon hundreds of bones and skeletons lying on the sandy hills.

I jumped off the cliff and slid down its inclined surface. Once I reached the bottom, I walked deeper into the desert. The sand crunched below me as I walked. A bead of sweat formed on my brow as I looked around. This energy is overwhelming. Off in the distance, I saw one of the piles of debris begin to move. That's not debris!

I rolled to the side, and a swift arrow of purple energy whooshed past me. Following behind it was an intense wind pressure that pushed sand in every direction. I had to cover my face as sand pelted my body. I looked over to where the arrow came from and saw purple energy swirling once more. I began running to the side as another arrow was fired where I once was.

You must be the boss! I dashed towards it in zig zags to avoid the rocketing arrows. As I grew closer, the shadowed form of the boss paused and lifted its bow to the sky. I looked on in horror as several dozen giant arrows descended towards me. You gotta be shitting me! I dodged side to side to avoid the armada of arrows as they tried to skewer me from in front and above. I have to get close!

I used the dash skill and zoomed towards the boss. As I finally neared it, my heart dropped down to my feet as the boss's floating black title hung over his head.

[ STARSCOURGE RADAHN ]

Radahn's body was massive and powerful. Old, gold armor protected his chest and short legs while a bellowing red cloak danced behind him like a wave of water. On his head was a gold helmet with two large pointed horns hung to his temples. Underneath the back of the helmet flowed a wild mane of red hair that reached down his weapon-filled back. Radahns arms were large and muscular. Around his forearms were leather and gold gauntlets that ended in white fur. His weapon of choice were two massive black blades with golden hilts while intricate patterns were carved into the flat sides of the blades. What stood out like a sore thumb was the diminutive form of a horse between Radahns legs.

NOPE! Nope, nope, nope, nope! I rolled towards Radahns left side and avoided the slashes from his twin blades. The attacks may have missed, but the desert behind me exploded as two waves of energy carved through it. Kicking up sand and gusts of wind. I slid beside his legs and cut into them with the Atlantean and Ice Dragon blades. Radahn winced but then stomped the ground beneath him, throwing me off balance briefly.

Radahn began spinning around like a tornado and slashed his blades toward me. I flipped back in a series of backflips and narrowly avoided his attacks. Seeing the distance between us, Radahn leaned forward and rushed me. He's not that fast! As Radahn closed the distance, he raised his twin blades and slammed them towards me. I dashed underneath him and began cutting away at him with extreme speed.

[ Fatal Strike Lv. 1]

[ 70 mana required ]

[ For Daggers Only ]

[You've learned how to attack more efficiently. You can locate an opponent's weak spots and inflict fatal damage. ]

[ ACTIVE SKILL ]

[ DASH - Lv. 1 ]

[ Skill: Dash has been activated. ]

[ Your speed has increased by 30% ]

Radahn roared as my dagger's poison effect began to work away at its health. He dashed out in a burst of speed and circled me. Radahn aimed low and performed an upward slash. I flipped over his attack but was thrown out of control as his cloak rammed into me. I rolled on the ground and looked up just in time to see one of Radahns black blades stab down towards me.

"IGRIS!"

A loud clang resounded throughout the desert as Igris parried Radahns sword back. I hopped to my feet and dashed towards Radahns right while Igris took the left. Radahn looked back and forth between us and then roared as we cut deeply along both his thighs. Good! Just like that, Igris!

Igris nodded at my mental command, and we slashed away at Radahn as he tried to attack us. Unfortunately for him, we were too fast and agile for his large body. Radahn growled in anger and slammed both his swords into each other. A powerful burst of purple lighting exploded from them, causing Igris and me to back off. With a loud heave, Radahn raised his daggers and slammed them into the sand.

Several bolts of lightning exploded from them and rushed out in different directions. I gritted my teeth and danced around the lightning bolts. As I dodged, I saw Igris avoid a broad, horizontal attack from Radahn. The attack struck the ground, and a large purple sphere exploded from the blade, knocking Igris away.

I activated my dash skill and hopped onto Radahn's back. Pulling my right arm back, I stabbed down deeply into Radahns back with the Ice Dragon dagger. Radahn roared in pain but suddenly froze. NOW! Igirs and I moved in sync and began to hack and slash at Radahns frozen body. Blood and chunks of armor flew in the air from our onslaught.

Before I could cut off one of Radahns arms, he roared and crouched under my attack. In an explosion of purple energy, Radahn shot himself into the sky and vanished. What the hell!? Igris and I scanned the dark red sky. From the corner of my vision, a bright burning ball of fire flew straight towards us with epic speed.

If that thing hits us, it's over! Igris and I exploded off to the side and narrowly evaded an enormous explosion of fire and sand. Once the dust settled, Radahn glided through the desert with the speed he didn't possess earlier during our fight. His body was covered in purple aura and lighting as he crossed great distances in seconds. Just my luck!

Igris and I ran after him; the sand below us slightly slowed us down. Radahn paused in his rush and lifted his twin blades over his head. An enormous maelstrom of purple magic concentrated on the blades. Radahn then slammed them in front of him, and several arcs of energy exploded out around him in sharp waves.

I jumped to the side and evaded one of the energy waves. While in mid-air, I saw seven large orbs of magical energy blasting towards me. I won't be able to dodge! I twisted my body frantically and avoided six of the orbs. However, one found purchase into my chest and blasted me a hundred feet back through the desert.

"GAAH!" I roared in pain and sat up to see my chest covered in burns and cuts. I'd be dead if it weren't for my physical damage reduction buffs! I looked up and saw an enraged Igris fighting Radahn in a flurry of slashes and stabs. I gritted my teeth and stood up. That attack had taken away half of my health. I couldn't afford to take another attack. I re-summoned my blades and rushed the Starscourge.

The three of us began a long battle of blades as we weaved in and out of attacks. Radahns, new movement speed, put him on equal footing with us as whatever he did to himself somehow affected his weight. I ducked under a low swipe and stabbed my right dagger deep into Radahns left arm. I was pulled alongside his arm, but I held firm. I used my free blade and carved a deep cut into his bicep. Severing the muscle.

I jumped off his arm and skidded back to a stop. Radahn looked over at his mangled bicep and roared at me. He then slammed his right blade into the ground, causing the earth beneath us to quake. Igris and I looked up in shock as several giant balls of the rock rose into the air covered in purple energy. Each one of them was easily twice the size of Radahn. The monster pointed his blade at us, and the giant balls of earth flew at us with great speed. Iris and I dashed back quickly.

"Shinai!"

Shinai rose from the ground and used his helberg to swat the orbs of earth out of the sky into hundreds of pieces. Shinai then slammed his weapon at Radahn, sending a massive shockwave along the ground toward him.

Radahn dodged to the side but was surprised when Igirs blurred beside him and stabbed his blade deep into his neck. Shinai held me in his palm, and with a command, he threw me towards Radahn like a torpedo. I had both my blades in front of me and impacted Radahns chest with a loud sonic boom.

We fell forward and slid a hundred feet through the sand. I roared and pulled my blades apart while still in Radahns chest. He tried to raise his arms to pull me off but found them trapped in the arms of Igris and Iris. With one final heave, I tore Radahns chest open. Blood and bone lay exposed beneath me as his beating heart thumped quickly. I grabbed the beating organ and crushed it beneath my grasp.

[ (!) NOTIFICATION ]

[ You have defeated [ STARSCOURGE RADAHN ] ]

[ You have leveled up! ]

[ You have leveled up! ]

[ You have leveled up! ]

[ You have leveled up! ]

[ CHEST PLATE OF THE STARS ]

[ TYPE: ARMOR ]

[ CLASS: S ]

[ +15% Physical damage reduction. ]

[ +20 STRENGTH ]

[ +30 AGILITY ]

[ When equipped, Player will have access to the Skill: GRAVITY BOLT ]

[ If strength is less than 120, movement speed will decrease. ]

[ LEGENDARY MYSTERY BOX ]

[ TYPE: MISC ]

[ CLASS: S ]

[ 90% of receiving a legendary item. ]

I breathed deeply and let go of my daggers. They shimmered away as I hopped off Radahns corpse and looked at my rewards. This chest plate makes almost dying worth it. I smiled and looked over to Igris and Iris as they kneeled before me. Shinai lumbered behind them and kneeled, his large body causing small tremors as he moved. I then turned to Radahn and held my hand out to him.

"Arise."

[ Shadow Extraction is successful. ]

[ The shadow will start with a base level of 9. ]

"Radahn." I said, watching as the large shadow version of Radahn kneeled before me, unlike the rest of my shadow's blue aura. Radahn's was purple; his hair had become a mane of purple flames, and its glowing purple eyes pierced through his helmet. A small shadow horse was beneath him, still supporting its rider's heavyweight.

I then looked down at the S-grade mystery box and opened it. The box unfurled to reveal a red key with three spikes along its end. I lifted the key and inspected it.

[ ITEM: THE DEMON CASTLE'S KEY ]

[ ITEM CLASS: S ]

[ TYPE: KEY ]

[ A key to enter Dungeon: The Demon's Castle. It can be used on the roof of Shibuya 109. ]

"Another key. S-Rank no less." I put the key away and watched as the dungeon around me began to vanish. I dismissed my shadows and looked around at the small clearing. The sun was up and shining through the gaps between the leaves. Picking up my phone from where I left it, I saw it was twelve in the afternoon. It's a good thing it's Sunday, at least. I yawned and laid down on the grass. I'll take a small nap before going home.

x x x

[ STATUS ]

[ NAME: HACHIMAN HIKIGAYA ]

[ JOB: SHADOW MONARCH ]

[ TITLE: The One Who Overcame All Odds. ]

[ HP: 14578 ] ( +1% x 60 sec )

[ MP: 1637 ]

[ LEVEL: 61 ]

[ FATIGUE: 0 ] ( +20 )

[ STRENGTH: 138 ] ( +70 )

[ AGILITY: 129 ] ( +52 )

[ SENSE: 103 ]

[ VITALITY: 104 ] ( +15 )

[ INTELLIGENCE: 100 ] ( +5 )

[ REMAINING POINTS: 0 ]

PHYSICAL DAMAGE REDUCTION: 84% ( +15 )