"I will never undo the seal of Ultimate Fear. If you want it opened, you'll have to step over my corpse."
Faced with the Tower Master's unwavering resolve, Shadow finally lost the last vestige of his patience.
Lowering his hand, the voice that emerged from within his black robe was no longer the deep, resonant echo that had reverberated moments before, but something flatter, colder, and infinitely more terrifying.
"To lowly beings like you, whether the seal is undone or not won't change the inevitable fact that you will die by my hands."
He sneered, a sound like grinding stone. "However, since you've chosen to struggle until the bitter end and are determined to waste my time...."
"Why not make this farce a bit more entertaining?"
With that, Shadow spread his arms wide. In an instant, the very fabric of the night sky seemed to warp as thick, oily black clouds gathered directly above them.
The clouds churned violently, spinning into a vortex that screamed with psychic energy. A cold, soul-numbing wind whipped through the empty streets of Sky City. The oppressive, crushing aura emanating from the vortex forced the Tower Master and Claudia to retreat several steps through the air, their instincts screaming of danger.
"What is he doing?" the Tower Master muttered, his voice gravelly with strain.
Claudia frowned, her sharp eyes analyzing the shifting magic. "It doesn't feel like a direct offensive spell... The energy signature is all wrong. It looks more like a large-scale summoning ritual. Or maybe... a mass teleportation?"
As she spoke, Claudia recalled with chilling clarity what Leon had told her about Shadow's methods—that one of his primary tactics was using the corrupting power of Black Dragon scales to control and amplify various dangerous creatures from across the continent.
The realization made her pupils contract in dread.
"Tower Master," she said, her voice tight with urgency, "until Leon arrives, we may be in for a very long and painfully one-sided fight."
Her words had barely left her mouth when the black clouds dispersed, not fading, but rather parting like a curtain. Emerging from the swirling void behind them were countless creatures, their forms a grotesque tapestry of nightmares, varying wildly in size and shape, until they filled the sky like a living, snarling plague.
They roared and screeched, a cacophony of hatred. Some spread massive, leathery wings to hover mid-air, while others, more insectoid or bestial, darted toward Claudia and the Tower Master on currents of dark energy, swiftly encircling them and cutting off all conceivable escape routes.
Claudia quickly recognized them: they were high-level, notoriously dangerous species from the most remote and deadly corners of the Samuel Continent, creatures that should never coexist.
Each creature bore wings of black or blood-red, their countless scarlet eyes gleaming with a feral, magically-enhanced hunger as if they were single-mindedly ready to tear the two defenders apart.
"Now then," Shadow said coldly from his vantage point above, "show me how much resolve you truly have to protect that pathetic seal."
With a disdainful laugh that held no humor, he gave his simple command. "Tear them apart."
At his order, the swarm of creatures surged forward as one mindless, ravenous wave.
The Tower Master was the first to act.
Channeling his spatial magic, he sliced his hands through the air, opening two large, interconnected portals—one directly in the path of the charging horde, and the other positioned behind their main group.
The creatures, numerous but lacking any tactical coordination, charged straight into the first portal without hesitation.
As they emerged from the second, their sudden disarray and momentum caused them to collide violently with one another, leading to a chaotic, snapping brawl among their own ranks.
Their infighting delayed the swarm's advance momentarily, but given their overwhelming numbers, it was merely a fleeting reprieve.
The Tower Master used precise spatial cuts to bisect the incoming creatures that broke through, while Claudia, though not primarily a combat-oriented dragon, unleashed powerful, wide-area water magic with practiced and deadly ease.
Together, they managed to slay hundreds of the creatures, their corpses vanishing into the spatial rifts or dissolving into black mist.
The once suffocating encirclement thinned slightly, giving the two a precious moment to catch their breath.
"For lowly beings, your fighting spirit is almost commendable," Shadow remarked, mockingly clapping his hands three times, the sound sharp and insulting in the chaos.
"But that is the absolute extent of my praise."
As if responding to his sarcastic applause, the defeated creatures on the ground, even those that were dismembered, began to stir. Their wounds knitted together with visible, sickening speed, and their snarls filled the air once more as they rose, fully restored.
Claudia watched in shock and horror as the monsters regenerated before her eyes, her fists and jaw clenched in frustration. "They're reviving!"
"The Black Dragon scales have granted them unparalleled vitality. They are completely under my control and will fight relentlessly until their very last breath is extinguished," Shadow explained, his voice a bored monotone.
The Tower Master examined the revived creatures, his expression darkening further. "Regardless of their resilience, we have no choice. We must hold out until reinforcements arrive."
"Let's just hope we're not on the menu before then," Claudia quipped dryly, a sliver of grim humor she'd undoubtedly picked up from her time around Leon.
Their brief exchange was cut short as the reconstituted horde descended upon them again, forcing the pair to fight with renewed, desperate intensity.
The Tower Master clasped his hands together, conjuring two massive, intricate magic arrays—one above the swarm and one below. With a grinding sound of shearing space, the arrays clamped shut like the jaws of a cosmic beast, crushing hundreds of creatures into pulp of black energy and gore.
Claudia, her eyes narrowing in concentration, darted forward and slammed her palm onto the ground, casting a complex, glowing blue array.
From the array emerged a hundred whip-like tentacles formed of pressurized water that snaked through the battlefield with terrifying speed, coiling around the creatures' limbs and torsos and snapping them with brutal efficiency.
The spell—Raging Sea Cage, an S-class water magic—was powerful enough to restrain even Constantine in his berserk state.
Shadow, watching from his throne of air, chuckled, a low, unpleasant sound. "Impressive, Princess of the Sea Dragons. But don't get too pleased with yourselves. The surprises I've prepared are far from over."
As Claudia prepared for the next wave, she noticed a change in the horde's behavior. Several of the larger creatures suddenly stopped their mindless assault and instead turned, approaching the twitching corpses of their fallen comrades.
"What are they doing now?" she murmured, a fresh dread coiling in her stomach.
The Tower Master's brow furrowed in confusion. "They can't be attempting to revive them again... That's impossible, even for magic of this caliber. The energy cost would be astronomical."
Claudia's expression shifted from confusion to revulsion as the horrific truth revealed itself. Her voice was filled with utter disgust. "No... They're devouring their comrades' corpses."
"What?!"
The Tower Master turned, horrified, to witness the gruesome scene. The creatures were indeed feasting on the remains, consuming flesh, bone, and the dissipating black energy with terrifying fervor.
As they fed, their bodies swelled and grew larger, their muscles bulging, their claws lengthening. The aura of chaos around them intensified, becoming a palpable miasma of violence. They became even more ferocious, their blood-soaked maws glistening under the obscured moonlight, their eyes burning with renewed hellish light.
The once vibrant Sky City had fully transformed into a nightmarish abattoir, drenched in virtual blood and carnage.
Even Claudia, a veteran of many battles, felt her stomach churn at the grotesque sight.
Once the feasting ended, the empowered creatures, now larger and faster, launched another assault, their newfound strength making them nearly unstoppable. Their blows landed harder, their spells hit faster, and their sheer presence was overwhelming.
Overwhelmed and battered, the Tower Master and Claudia found themselves forced into a desperate retreat, struggling just to hold their ground and avoid being completely overrun.
Shadow, watching his creations wreak havoc, sneered from above.
"Absolute numerical superiority. Savage, unrelenting attacks. Bodies impervious to pain or fear. And even in death, they serve a purpose, fueling the strength of their brethren…
"This is the feast of slaughter, Tower Master. Claudia. I do hope you enjoy it to your hearts' content."
As he spoke, a large, pelican-like creature with obsidian feathers landed beside him, carrying a woman in pristine white robes.
"Lord Shadow," Elizabeth said, dismounting gracefully and bowing her head. "We've located the core of the seal—it's directly beneath the Tower Master's original position, in the foundations of the Twilight Tower."
"Excellent," Shadow said, turning his gaze toward the ruins. "Guard me while I begin the unsealing. Let no one interfere."
"Understood, my lord. It will be done."
Shadow descended to the rubble-strewn epicenter and began channeling his vast, corrosive power into the ancient seal below.
From across the chaotic battlefield, the Tower Master saw a terrifying pillar of violent, violet light pierce the sky from the ruins. His heart sank like a stone.
"He's found the seal's core... If he breaks it, everything will spiral into absolute chaos. We have to stop him!"
But before he could even attempt to disengage, a thunderous, familiar roar drew his attention to Claudia's position.
A blazing monster, all molten rock and searing flame, emerged from the shadows of a collapsed building, its fiery form advancing menacingly toward a cornered Claudia.
The Tower Master's heart froze in his chest.
"A Flame Demon..."
As if one weren't enough, three more Flame Demons stepped out from behind the first, their heavy, earth-shaking steps echoing ominously through the battlefield. Claudia, already battered, bleeding from a gash on her arm, and breathing heavily, lay half-pinned by rubble, utterly helpless as the four demons raised their fiery fists, prepared to strike as one.
Seeing no escape, she closed her eyes, bracing for the searing end.
Suddenly, the sound of slicing wind, pure and sharp, cut through the cacophony of snarls and roars.
A single, elegant blade spun through the night, a streak of silver and blue, its lightning-charged edge cleaving through the Flame Demons' collective attack, dissipating the fire with a crackle of opposing energy.
The weapon embedded itself in the stone ground directly before Claudia, sparking with familiar, comforting arcs of blue electricity.
Her eyes widened in disbelief and dawning hope. She recognized it instantly.
"The Thundercloud Blade..."
A familiar, wonderfully infuriating voice echoed from above, cutting through the din with effortless calm.
"Sorry, am I late?"
Descending from the skies on the back of his magnificent Six-Winged Dragonhawk, Leon landed amidst the chaos, his presence alone seeming to push back the darkness and ignite a flame of hope in the blood-soaked night.