The battlefield was shrouded in an oppressive, unreal atmosphere.
The sky, painted in dark and crimson tones like the very end of days, seemed to fold in on itself, as if the world stood on the brink of collapse.
At the center rose the Tree of Life — a living colossus, with roots that slithered through the earth like slumbering dragons and branches that stretched high enough to touch clouds that no longer existed.
From each leaf, a greenish glow drifted downward, falling like a rain of light — yet every particle was an invisible blade, draining away life force.
Beneath its canopy, Kaguya hovered, her white robe flowing like a shroud of death, and her eyes — the Byakugan and the central Rinne Sharingan — gleamed with such absolute coldness that even death itself would not dare approach without her permission.
Before her stood Sung Jin Woo.
The Shadow Monarch did not move, yet the entire world seemed to orbit him. His aura didn't just weigh on the air — it warped it. Shadows writhed around him, taking human, bestial, and demonic forms, all awaiting a single command.
His gaze, black as an endless abyss, was locked on Kaguya with the icy focus of a predator that had already measured every breath of its prey.
The shadow army spread across the field, covering kilometers — legendary figures and beasts that had fallen in countless battles, now serving a single king. Legendary ninjas clad in black armor, his shadow paths, spectral warriors… all stood still, awaiting the signal.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[Class ∅ entity detected.
Threat potential: High.
Evaluation functions limited due to dimensional interference.]
The message vanished as quickly as it appeared.
Jin Woo did not take his eyes off her.
"She's unlike any enemy I've faced before. The chakra I feel isn't just energy… it's part of the very structure of this world. She's not fighting just to win — she's shaping the battlefield to her will."
Kaguya tilted her head slightly, as if studying the man before her. Her voice echoed in his mind like a thousand whispers.
— You do not belong to this world… and yet you dare raise an army against me?
Jin Woo replied without changing his tone:
— I didn't raise an army against you. They were already your enemies before I arrived. I'm just… speeding up the inevitable.
The ground cracked beneath Kaguya's feet as she lunged forward, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Jin Woo raised his hand, and ten shadows surged ahead, forming a living wall of steel.
The impact was brutal — a shockwave that shattered the ground like glass.
But Kaguya did not stop.
From her third eye, a black sphere formed, compressing matter and energy into a deadly singularity.
She unleashed the technique without hesitation. Jin Woo felt the crushing pressure but moved only a single finger. Beru, the general of the shadows, shot forward like lightning, swallowing the sphere into his own dark mass before it could reach his master.
"Absurd speed. Unknown technique. That eye… it's not just for seeing."
The System flashed again:
[PARTIAL ANALYSIS]
Skill identified: True Killing Ash Bone — contact results in instantaneous cellular disintegration.
Recommendation: Avoid direct physical contact.
He gave a faint smile.
— I see. I'm still just warming up.
His words came with action. Jin Woo clenched his hand in the air, and dozens of his shadow soldiers emerged around him, firing forward like a black rain toward Kaguya. But she moved as if she could see every trajectory in advance, weaving through the assault, her white robe blurring between flashes of light and shadow. In an instant, she vanished and reappeared behind Jin Woo.
Her hand almost touched his back…
But shadows rose from the ground, seizing her arm. They weren't soldiers — they were the darkness itself responding to his will.
Kaguya strained, and the shadows cracked like glass.
Jin Woo spun the Demon King's Dagger in his grip, violet energy racing along its edge.
He struck.
The collision between them was more than physical — it was as if two concepts had collided.
Shockwaves tore down entire lines of trees kilometers away, the ground caved in, and the roots of the Tree of Life writhed as if in pain.
"She's draining chakra… but not just chakra. She's taking something deeper, something holding this world together."
The System confirmed his suspicion:
[ALERT]
[The Tree of Life is acting as a dimensional anchor core.
Risk: Summoning of Monarch-level or higher entities into this dimension.]
His expression hardened.
"So it's not just about her. There's someone… or something… above her."
Kaguya seemed to sense his thoughts and smiled faintly.
— Even if you defeat me, others will come. You cannot fight the inevitable.
Jin Woo advanced, each step echoing like thunder. His presence swelled, and even the Tree's draining paused for an instant, as if reality itself acknowledged his supremacy.
— I'm not the one who should fear the inevitable.
At his signal, the entire army moved. Thousands of shadows hurled themselves at Kaguya — a sea of darkness against a single white light burning like the sun.
And still… she did not retreat.