**OMNI VERSE – EPISODE 16
"The Face Behind the Shadow"
The shadow that had been watching them silently slipped away from the joyful lights of the Animal Universe. It left no footprints, no trace. Its existence itself felt uncertain, as if it walked along the edge of time. In the next instant, space裂裂, and the shadow stepped into the cold void of the Dark Universe.
The Dark Castle pulsed as always, as if it were breathing. Its walls were alive, whispering endlessly. The shadow passed through without being stopped by a single guard and reached the highest hall. Upon the throne sat Ludos, motionless, like darkness given form.
The shadow knelt.
"The Warriors," it said in a hollow voice. "They are together. They are in the Animal Universe. Growing stronger… but they are not aware yet."
Ludos's lips slowly curved upward. For the first time in a long while, a genuine smile appeared on his face.
"So they are still together…" he whispered. "How delightful."
Then his expression hardened. He stood up from the throne, chains clinking softly.
"I cannot leave yet as myself," he said. "But that… is not a problem."
Ludos departed the Dark Universe in silence. This time, he was not merely a shadow—he was a hunter. He arrived at a small, ordinary village and inhaled the fear within it. He chose the weakest.
When night fell, a man disappeared without a sound. No screams. No struggle. Only darkness… and then silence.
A while later, the same man walked through the village again.
But he was no longer himself.
Ludos now wore his body.
For the Warriors, it was their final day in the Animal Universe. The villagers had invited them to celebrate. To rest. To laugh. No one sensed the approaching darkness.
Luka observed the surroundings carefully. Mariana spoke with children. Jamie stared at the animals with pure admiration. Pugo was quiet—but peaceful. Stardust, meanwhile, had already blended into the crowd.
"SPICY FOOD CONTEST!" someone shouted.
Stardust's eyes lit up.
A large, overweight man stepped forward as his opponent. The peppers laid out on the table were no ordinary spices—some of them were smoking.
The contest began.
The big man devoured pepper after pepper without much reaction. Stardust, however, made an exaggerated face at the very first bite—tongue out, eyes watering.
The village erupted into laughter and cheers. Music played, animals danced alongside humans, and for a brief moment, the universe felt whole. Even Pugo allowed himself a faint smile as he watched the joy around him, silently wishing moments like this could last longer.
With every bite, Stardust's reactions grew even more dramatic. He jumped, spun around, collapsed to the ground—yet he never quit. When the winner was finally announced, the crowd lifted Stardust into the air with cheers.
For that moment, the village was truly happy.
From a distance, away from the crowd, a man was watching.
Ludos.
His gaze was fixed entirely on Pugo.
The power within Pugo… it could no longer be hidden.
Luvo noticed the stare. The man's eyes lingered far too long.
Luvo approached him. "Is there a problem?" he asked.
For a brief instant, the man's expression changed. Then he ran.
Luvo sprinted after the fleeing man, his footsteps echoing through narrow streets. The man moved unnaturally fast, turning corners with impossible precision. Luvo leapt across rooftops, eyes locked on his target, but suddenly the presence vanished—as if swallowed by the air itself.
He stopped, breathing hard.
"This isn't normal," Luvo muttered.
When he returned, the Warriors immediately spread out, searching every corner of the village. Pugo closed his eyes, focusing, sensing disturbances in time itself—but the trail was fragmented, intentionally broken.
"He was here," Pugo said quietly. "But he doesn't want to be found."
The realization sent a chill through the group.
As Pugo walked through a narrow street, he lightly touched someone's shoulder.
"Excuse me," Pugo said. "We're looking for a man—"
The man turned around.
It was Ludos.
But Pugo didn't know.
For a split second, fear flashed across Ludos's eyes. As he looked at Pugo, a single name echoed in his mind:
Walker.
He clenched his fists and forced himself to calm down.
"No," he said. "He didn't come this way."
Pugo thanked him and walked off.
Ludos exhaled slowly.
"Not yet…" he whispered.
Ludos made one final move before leaving the village. He condensed dark energy and constructed a monster from pure shadow. A massive creature with enormous teeth.
The monster attacked the village.
Screams filled the air.
Just as the Warriors prepared to step in, someone moved forward.
Stardust.
"This one's mine," he said.
The monster roared as it charged, its massive teeth grinding together like living blades. Each step shattered the ground beneath it, sending shockwaves through the village. Stardust barely rolled aside as a set of jaws slammed down where he had stood moments earlier, pulverizing stone and wood alike.
"So you're all bite, huh?" Stardust muttered, forcing a grin despite the pain spreading through his arms.
The creature lunged again, faster this time. Its teeth snapped shut inches from Stardust's head, the wind of the impact throwing him backward. He crashed into a wall, coughing, but pushed himself back up before the monster could finish the job.
Around them, villagers screamed and fled. Flames and dust filled the air.
Stardust leapt onto the monster's arm, running upward as it thrashed wildly. The beast shook violently, trying to throw him off, but Stardust held on, studying every movement, every strike.
"Big body… insane power…" he thought. "But you rely too much on those teeth."
The monster opened its mouth wide for a final crushing bite.
That was the moment Stardust needed.
He ripped knives from nearby market stalls and hurled them with perfect precision, embedding them deep into the creature's fangs. The monster screamed, staggering back in agony.
Stardust jumped high into the air, energy gathering around him like a burning constellation.
"Star Technique — Twin Star!"
Twin orbs of stellar light collided into the monster's head, erasing it completely in a blinding explosion. When the light faded, nothing remained.
The village fell silent… then erupted into applause.
That day, Stardust became the village's hero.
The Warriors eventually left the village without finding the man they were searching for. Stardust told them what had happened. Everyone laughed, and the tension faded once more.
But far away…
Ludos returned to the Dark Castle, seething with rage. When his assistant tried to speak, Ludos silenced him with a glare.
"Enough," he said. "But… I found them."
His eyes gleamed.
"When the Sacred Sphere is formed… I will take everything from them."
A dark, cruel laugh echoed through the castle.
END OF EPISODE 16