Clay and Nihara’s eyes widened.
“Did you… say kill your opponent?”
Fear ran through their veins like ice.
Even Bell looked shaken.
Shadow only smiled.
“Opponent?” he repeated calmly.
“For now… just the characters of this world.”
Silence.
Hussen gasped.
“What’s the difference between you and Kal, then?” he asked, eyes sharpening.
Silence again.
Shadow’s gaze turned toward him — intrigued.
He stepped closer.
“You mean that idiot who drowned in his own doubt?” Shadow said softly.
“I am nothing like him.”
His voice lowered.
“He kills for pleasure.”
A pause.
“I kill for strength.”
He tilted his head slightly.
“There is a wall between insanity… and cold reason.”
Hussen’s heartbeat pounded in his ears.
Clay felt something heavy settle in his chest.
Before the tension snapped—
Bell stepped forward.
Her hand trembled, but she forced it steady.
She inhaled slowly.
“I don’t know how you managed to take control of Zaraf’s body,” she said, voice tight, “but I will not allow you to leave scars on his students.”
Shadow’s eyes softened slightly.
“Hm?”
A faint chuckle escaped him.
“His students?”
He looked around at them.
“He doesn’t even recognize himself as their teacher.”
His voice sharpened.
“How can he teach anyone? Teach them what?”
He stepped closer.
“How to run away like he did?”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“How to ignore the pain of others… so he doesn’t get hurt himself?”
Bell’s heart skipped.
Because that—
That was not the Zaraf she knew.
That was a version she had never seen.
And yet…
Something about it felt uncomfortably real.
Silence spread again.
Shadow felt victory creeping in.
But suddenly—
Clay stepped forward.
“I don’t know who you are,” he said firmly, “but you are not the one I chose as my master.”
Shadow’s expression shifted.
Interest.
Then irritation.
“Tch.”
“Why do you want Zaraf?” Shadow asked.
“What has he done for you?”
“He rejected you from the beginning.”
His gaze sharpened.
“Or are you that oblivious?”
Clay clenched his fists.
His knuckles turned white.
Shadow looked at all of them.
“If you want true strength,” he said coldly, “you must let go of unnecessary attachments.”
His voice grew heavier.
“In the end, only one stands at the top.”
Clay felt something twist inside him.
Wrong.
Deeply wrong.
He lifted his head.
“I don’t want strength if there’s no one left to protect,” he said quietly.
He took a breath.
“What is strength worth… if I’m alone in this world?”
For a moment—
Shadow said nothing.
Then his eyes glowed dark blue.
“Do you truly believe that?” he asked.
He stepped forward.
Step.
Silence.
Step.
Each movement heavier than the last.
The air grew cold.
Bell moved instantly, standing in front of Clay and the others.
Her hand lifted, magic gathering at her fingertips.
The atmosphere tightened.
Shadow was about to act—
Then—
The air shifted.
A presence descended.
Shadow felt it first.
He slowly lifted his head.
Above them, in the sky—
Shin.
His eyes glowed golden-orange.
Pure. Burning.
His expression was colder than the wind surrounding him.
The pressure in the air thickened.
Even Shadow paused.
Then—
He smiled.
And the wind began to spiral around him.
Shadow lifted his gaze and locked eyes with Shin.
For a brief moment—
Everything else disappeared.
(So… the time has come.)
(To claim the top.)
High above, Shin remained silent.
His golden-orange eyes studied Shadow carefully.
(Sending Nihara to watch over Zaraf… was the right move.)
(But this… what exactly are you?)
Bell looked up at Shin.
Relief washed over her face.
Her shoulders loosened slightly.
(There was no other choice… Calling Shin was the only way.)
The wind stilled.
Before Shadow could move—
Shin spoke, his voice carrying firmly from the sky.
“What are you?”
Silence.
Shadow’s lips curved slightly.
“The…” he paused, eyes gleaming dark blue,
“…new king.”
The air grew heavier.
Shin’s eyes sharpened just a fraction.
“I see,” he said calmly.
“Then it seems… strict measures are necessary.”
Without warning—
Shadow launched upward.
The force of his jump shattered the ground beneath him.
In less than a second—
He was in front of Shin.
Wind roared violently around his body, spiraling like a storm given form.
His fist cut through the air—
But—
Shin did not move.
Not even an inch.
He simply raised one hand.
Slightly.
Something shifted.
The wind around Shadow vanished.
Instantly.
A suffocating heat replaced it.
Not normal heat.
Not fire.
The temperature soared violently.
Shadow felt the burn through his very soul.
The cold aura around him dissolved under the overwhelming presence.
Without his wind—
He fell.
The ground trembled as he crashed down.
Before he could rise—
The earth beneath him began to glow.
Stone twisted.
Soil hardened.
Chains of condensed earth erupted upward, spiraling around him.
A prison formed in seconds.
Beside it—
Lusy stood calmly, her hand glowing with sealing magic.
Ancient chants echoed across the earth realm.
Symbols burned into the ground.
A seal.
Complete.
Shadow looked up at Shin through the cracks of stone.
Even restrained—
He smiled faintly.
“So this… is why you are feared among the Creators.”
Shin’s expression did not change.
“I hold no such title,” he replied quietly.
“And I do not seek it.”
His eyes darkened slightly.
“What have you done to my brother?”
Shadow leaned back against the prison walls.
Still smiling.
“You should ask him that… when he wakes.”
The seal tightened.
The chants grew louder.
The prison closed completely.
Silence returned.
Shadow’s eyes narrowed as realization struck him.
So this… is the top of the food chain.
The strongest force in the Imagery World.
Even with all his power, Shadow felt the weight of Shin’s presence.
And he understood — this was only the first step.
Shin’s gaze lingered on the sealed earth.
His eyes softened slightly.
As if—
Beneath the kingly authority—
There was sorrow.
