The forest was silent under the dark sky. The cold air stung like a blade, wrapping the night in an unsettling calm. For six days, Elric and the remaining contestants had fought, bled, and survived against countless shadows. Some fell, some barely made it. But tonight—this was the seventh night. The last test. The night that would decide who would walk out alive… and who wouldn't.
Elric walked slowly through the dense woods, the leaves crunching softly under his boots. His clothes were torn, his body bruised, but his eyes burned with determination. He didn't know what awaited him this night. All he knew was that this was the end of the test. Either he would defeat whatever came his way—or die trying.
The moon hung high in the sky, pale and cold. Elric scanned his surroundings carefully. "Everything's too quiet," he thought. "It doesn't feel like the other nights. Something… something is different."
And then he heard it.
A loud clash. Metal against flesh. A desperate scream. Elric's body moved before his mind could think. He rushed toward the sound, sword in hand. Branches whipped against his face as he sprinted through the darkness.
And then he saw it.
A massive shadow loomed ahead—easily twice the size of the others he had faced before. Its body was grotesque and twisted, black veins crawling across its monstrous skin. A single contestant was fighting desperately against it, swinging his sword like a cornered animal. But the shadow was too fast, too strong.
The shadow roared and raised its massive arm, claws ready to tear the boy apart.
"NO!" Elric shouted, bursting into the clearing.
In one swift motion, Elric slashed his sword upward, cutting the creature's arm clean off before it could strike. The monster screamed, a deep and guttural sound that made the ground tremble. But before Elric could even catch his breath, the arm began to grow back. Black flesh twisted and reformed like flowing ink.
Elric's eyes widened. "What the hell…? How is this possible? How can it grow back so fast?!"
His hands trembled slightly, but he steadied his breathing. This must be the one. The shadow that killed so many Slayers before him. The one they whispered about.
"This is it," Elric muttered under his breath. "The real fight."
The terrified contestant beside him looked at the monster once—and then ran. He didn't even look back. Fear consumed him. He left Elric alone to face the monster.
The shadow laughed, its deep voice echoing like thunder through the forest."Little boy… do you really think you can stop me?"
Elric took a step forward, raising his sword. "I'm not here to stop you," he said firmly. "I'm here to avenge every Slayer and every villager you've devoured. You won't leave this forest alive."
The shadow's many arms unfurled like a nest of serpents, stretching unnaturally long. Each hand could strike from a distance, covering nearly every angle. Elric's chest tightened. This was unlike anything he had faced before.
"Water Breathing… First Form!"
He dashed forward, his blade slicing through the air like a wave. With lightning speed, Elric cut off every single hand that reached for him. One after another—SHING, SHING, SHING—the sound of steel echoed through the forest. The shadow roared, stumbling back.
But then—The hands grew back. Instantly.
Elric froze. "This… this isn't working."
The monster grinned, a row of jagged black teeth flashing in the moonlight. "Now it's my turn, little boy. I'll eat you alive… just like I ate the others. Oh yes—especially that one… what was his name… ah, Sunny."
Elric's heart stopped. "Sunny…?"
The monster laughed again, louder. "Yes. He was delicious. He fought well, but in the end… I crushed him and devoured his flesh."
Elric's eyes widened in shock. He remembered Sunny—the Slayer who trained him in rock cutting, who encouraged him to believe in his own strength. His chest burned with rage.
While Elric was still processing, the monster's hands shot forward like black chains. They wrapped around his body, crushing him like a vice.
"Got you," the shadow hissed.
Elric struggled to breathe. Pain shot through every inch of his body. The shadow dragged him closer to its gaping mouth filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth. It was going to devour him whole.
"NO!" Elric roared.
"Water Breathing… Third Form!"
With a surge of power, he swung his sword, slicing through the hands that bound him. Blood dripped from his lips as he landed on the ground, panting. His body screamed in pain, but his resolve burned hotter than ever.
"He's too strong. If I don't cut his neck in one move… I'll die here. He'll regenerate again and again."
Elric raised his sword, his breath steadying as he thought through the plan. "I'll need to cut through all his hands and his neck at the same time. The only way to do that… is to use it."
His eyes narrowed."Water Breathing… Fourth Form."
He had never used this form before. It demanded more stamina, more power than his body had ever handled. But he had no choice. If he failed now, everything would end.
The shadow lunged again. Dozens of hands came crashing toward him. Elric swung with explosive force, the Fourth Form unleashing a storm of blades and water. The ground cracked beneath him. The sound of rushing water filled the air as his strikes shattered through the night.
But the monster was still faster.
One arm broke through his defense, hitting Elric like a hammer. His body flew through the air and slammed into a tree. Pain exploded across his chest as blood spilled from his mouth. He collapsed to the ground, barely able to breathe.
His vision blurred. His heartbeat slowed.
"Is this it?" he thought. "Am I going to die here?"
He clenched his fist weakly. "No… not yet…"
Through the fog in his mind, he saw their faces—his family. His mother smiling. His father's proud voice. The villagers cheering for him. "Get up, Elric," they seemed to say. "You have to live. For us."
Tears welled up in his eyes. His breath became steady again, slower, deeper. Rage mixed with determination.
He pushed himself off the ground. His legs trembled, his arms shook, but his spirit blazed like fire.
He looked up at the shadow and shouted, "COME ON! LET'S FINISH THIS!"
The monster roared and charged forward.
"Water Breathing… Fourth Form — Extra Power Slash!!!"
Elric burst forward with everything he had left. His speed surpassed the wind, his sword trailing behind him like a dragon made of water. The shadow's hands came at him again—but this time, his blade moved faster. One strike after another, he cut through all of them, pushing closer and closer.
"YOU WON'T REGENERATE THIS TIME!" he shouted.
With a final leap, Elric spun through the air and brought his blade down across the shadow's neck. A clean, perfect slash.
The creature froze. Its head separated from its body. Black blood sprayed into the air like ink. For a moment, everything was silent.
Then came the voice. Weak. Regretful."I… became a monster because of my sins… but… it was my choices that doomed me."
Elric slowly walked toward the collapsing body. "Your own actions made you what you are. Goodbye," he said softly.
The massive shadow dissolved into ash, carried away by the cold night wind. Elric fell to his knees, his chest heaving, his sword still tightly gripped in his hand.
The forest was quiet again. For the first time in seven days, no shadow stirred. The last of them was gone.
Elric lay back on the cool ground, exhausted. His breath was ragged, but there was a small smile on his face. "It's over," he whispered. "I did it."
He drifted into sleep under the silent moon, surrounded by the forest that had tested every ounce of his strength.
Tomorrow, he would wake up not just as a survivor—but as a Slayer.