Shadow Fight

## Storyline

Shadow was formerly a powerful combatant, but his arrogance led him to defy the rules established by his ancestors, and he opened the Gates of Shadows. Upon doing so, he quickly realized his mistake but it was too late. The Demons who were inside the Gates are freed and Shadow lost his flesh and soul and became a mere silhouette of his former self. Seeking to redeem himself, Shadow must defeat all the demons and reclaim their Demon Seals in order to close the Gates of Shadows and lock away the evil he has unleashed upon the world. Along his journey, Shadow meets different allies who help him in his quest, as well as many adversaries who challenge him to duels for their own reasons. Upon closing the Gates, Shadow unexpectedly gets involved in something much more sinister when one of his friends, May, gets pulled into the Gates. Attempting to rescue May, Shadow reopens the Gates of Shadows once more and he goes through the Gates, which are revealed to be a portal and Shadow is taken to another world. He learns that all of his misfortunes are all caused by Titan, a powerful cyborg alien who had conquered many worlds and is now close to invading Shadow's world. Only Shadow is the one who can stop this cruel invader once and for all.

He is later discovered the Gates when he was searching for a worthy opponent who matched his skills. Defying the rules established by his ancestors, Shadow opened the Gates - and in the process, released the demons contained inside. Shadow also lost his body to the powerful emission of Shadow Energy unleashed from the Gates, turning him into a mere silhouette of his former self. Seeking to retrieve the demon seals and close the Gates of Shadows once again, he sets to correct his mistake and lock away the evil he has unleashed upon the world. After a long journey, Shadow manages to defeat all the demons and obtain their seals. He and his companions then proceed to close the Gates. However, the six demons - Lynx, Hermit, Butcher, Wasp, Widow and Shogun - unite to prevent Shadow from sealing them away. Lynx, Butcher and Wasp attempt to intimidate Shadow, with Butcher even goes to the extent of laying claims on Shadow's corpse. Shadow battles all six demons in a row and proves to be greater than all of them combined. Shogun is once again shocked by their defeat and says that despite being the "most powerful warriors who ever lived", they were somehow still overwhelmed by Shadow. Hermit remarks that Shadow is too powerful and that he does not belong to their world because of his skills. Widow begrudgingly congratulates him on his victory, but warns that this would not be their last encounter.
His path cleared once more, Shadow proceeds to close the Gates of Shadows. As they begin to shut, powerful torrents of dust and debris begin to swirl around them. The characters struggle to maintain their balance, however, at the very last moment, a huge torrent of energy makes its way towards the Gates, sweeping May along with it. Despite his best efforts to reach her, Shadow is unable to help and she is pulled inside the Gates just as they slam shut. In order to save May, Shadow sets out to open the Gates one more time. Sensei tells Shadow that it seems the seals were connected to their demons, so Shadow must defeat all six demons again to break the seals and reopen the gates. After the seals are broken, the Gates open once again. Sensei admits he feels Shadow is ready and has enough experience to face whatever comes next. After Sensei and Sly bid their farewell to Shadow, he proceeds to enter the Gates, which are revealed to be a portal that leads to another dimension called the Shadow World, ruled by the mighty conqueror Titan. After May is rescued and Titan is defeated, the Gates of Shadows are destroyed as well. However, a mysterious shadow is seen slithering after Shadow and May from the ruins of the Gates.

### Prelude

Sarge and Gizmo welcome the player as a new recruit of the Shadow Squad. They then train the player and teach them how to fight and other basic things like the store. After the player completes the training, Sarge concludes that they can be a good fighter.

Sarge informs the player that the Shadow Squad is the only squad in the Legion that is allowed to use Shadow Ability, which is why they are being disliked back home. Their goal is the Legion's victory, and they are going to capture the Dynasty source of shadow power; Shadow Mind. Gizmo then reports to Sarge that a Dynastian girl is spotted in their camp, whom he suspects as a spy. After she is captured, the girl, named June, immediately warns them that their Deng Rao is going to invade the Bamboo Fort to break the truce between Legion and Dynasty. Sarge does not trust what June just said, but decides to check the fort along with the player anyway, taking June as their hostage.

### Deng Rao's Invasion

Sarge and the player arrive at the Fort. However, Deng Rao and his soldiers have already burned it, taking down their Legion army in the process. After they dealt with Deng Rao's soldiers, Sarge remarks that Deng Rao is overly confident in his soldiers. They can use this to their advantage to ambush the self-assured commander, which has escaped to the Falcon's Gorge. As predicted, Deng Rao is shocked when they confront him in the Falcon's Gorge. Sarge proceeds to mock him by saying that he will be beaten by a rookie. After Deng Rao is defeated by the player, Sarge delivers his speech to him. He says that they will kill ten Dynastians for each fallen Legionary and Deng Rao must deliver this message to their Emperor. Seeing the truce is endangered, June desperately tries to convince everyone that the Emperor has nothing to do with this. Sarge, however, does not buy this and they return to the camp.

### Rescuing June

Upon arriving, Sarge interrogates June before she is facing her execution. After hearing everything from her, Sarge sends a squad led by Gizmo to collect the Sphere, and June will be executed as an act of revenge for Dynasty's treachery. June pleaded for everyone to listen to her, saying that the Sphere will enslave common people and turn anyone who touches it into a shadow monster, to no avail. But, she concluded that the player is a good person and hopes that they will listen to her. She requests the player to come to her at night, alone.

That night, June reveals that the invasion was Deng Rao's plan all along. The Dynasty never had the same intention at all. Believing her story, the player helped her escape, knocking out a patrol in the process. On their way, they stumbled into an Emissary, who mistaken the player as an enemy who kidnapped June and attacked them. After the player fended off the emissary's attacks and June explained the situations, the emissary informs them that he spotted Gizmo at the outskirt of Dynasty capital, with heaps of shadow energy in his possession. June guides the player through a shortcut at Falcon's Gorge to reach Gizmo faster. Before going there, June teaches the player to use a crossbow, after stating that Gizmo is a fan of hand-to-hand combat. After the player completes the training by beating June, they finally confront Gizmo.

### Confronting Gizmo

When they find Gizmo, he tells them that he has sold all of his shadow energy and he is rich now, before claiming that he can kill the player with his bare-hands only. Upon hearing this, June remarks that she has overestimated Gizmo, saying that Gizmo is an idiot. Gizmo's bare handed style proved to be extremely proficient, but is still a bit short compared to the player's battle prowess. After Gizmo is defeated, Gizmo reveals that he does not know about the Sphere. Sarge is the one who will go after it, with the brand-new Shadow Squad. He is just here to have fun and bully people, especially the player's. Realizing that Sarge has put them on a false track, June asks the player's help to stop Sarge, regretting that she has told Sarge too much about the Sphere, which he referred to as a mere trophy. However, they are interrupted by Itu invisible Herald]]. The Herald reminds June that they are on a secret mission, and she must not forget it. He then proceeds to fight the player in order to know them better. He is convinced after the player defeats him, and he leaves them, stating that the player is worthy enough and they will know each other better soon.

### Stopping Sarge

Sarge has hired Cuirassiers to guard the camp. June wonders if they really need to fight off the whole Legion, before Sarge proves that it is not necessary by meeting them in person. Sarge then pits the player with the new recruit of the brand-new Shadow Squad to test their new power, stating that one person from the new squad is more than enough to take them down. Even though the new Squad is better than the old one, the player still manages to win. Since the player has betrayed the Legion by helping June, Sarge has been commanded by the Elders to execute the player, and he sends the Executioner to do the job. June warns the player about how dangerous the Executioner is, informing that no one could defeat him and deflect the judgment before, but the player will be entitled to challenge anyone to a duel should they triumph. The player somehow defeats the Executioner, much to Sarge's surprise. He has no choice but to confront the player himself.

Sarge challenges the player to an old-fashioned duel, where there is no shadow form allowed. The player defeats Sarge without much difficulty. Not wanting the player to win, Sarge screws the rule and goes into permanent shadow form, allowing him to use shadow ability infinitely to prevent the player from winning. He shouts that he will not allow the player to leave the camp alive and the Sphere will be in his hands, and it will turn him into a one-man army. Sarge also uses an ability in which he walks forward with a strengthened armor and once Sarge gets close enough to the player, he smashes the player's stomach and then smacks their head. Despite all of this, the player still defeats him.

Sarge curses the player, telling them that they could have died honorably, but now he has the whole Legion against them. June has escaped and invites the player to escape with her to the Dynasty capital to avoid the Legion's pursuit.

### New Home

June takes the player to the Dynasty capital in order to escape the Legion. She takes them to her master's school. June introduces the player to her master, Galen, saying that they have saved her. Galen welcomes the player and teaches them the fighting style of the Dynasty so they can blend in with the crowd.

Then, June asks for Galen's help to get them to the palace quickly. He suggests that they go see the blacksmith, Ling. When they meet Ling, he agrees to help them by transporting them with a portal made of Shadow Energy, but first, he informs them about the Iron Beaks school, a new Herald school in the capital which demands lots of Shadow resources. If they deal with the school, Ling promises to make the portal and let them know once he finds the school's location. Upon returning to Galen's school, the player is immediately challenged to a duel by Xiang Tzu, Galen's best disciple. He says that whoever loses must leave the school. Galen lets him challenge the player, as he cannot deny him. After Xiang Tzu is defeated, he grudgingly leaves, while stating that he will avenge this in the Hundred School Tournament that is going to start soon.

Ling has found the school and he informs the player and June. There, they are greeted by Kibo, the owner of the school and June's childhood friend. Kibo states that her school is now a part of the Dynasty's military and they would not need the help of the original Heralds. June remarks that whatever Kibo did, it is only for her own profits. Once they are done, the player and June go to the portal and they arrive at the palace.

### The Missing Sphere

At the palace, Itu is enraged at both of them. The Shadow Sphere is missing and he blames the player for it. June tries to defend the player, but Itu does not buy it and attacks the player. The player, however, can defend themselves. When defeated, Itu informs both of them what has happened. Last night, he heard some noise from the throne room. Itu went there and he saw the player with a few men in shadow form and Itu was knocked unconscious. When he woke up, both the Emperor and the Sphere were missing. June is panicked, but they have no clue or idea. So they return to Galen, while Itu continued to gather inquiries.

### Hundred School Tournament

Galen himself is also in trouble because Xiang Tzu took all of his students to the Iron Beaks school and the Hundred School Tournament was going to start. June recommends the player to participate in the Tournament, as he only needs one student, in which Galen agrees.

The Tournament has started. In the first round, the player faces a fighter that can copy all her opponents' styles just by seeing her opponent move. The player wins the first round. Suddenly, Kibo appears and congratulates them, saying that she would love to see them in the Tournament's final. June tells the player that it was a touch of sarcasm and it is basically her way to threaten someone. June thinks that Kibo is participating in the Tournament. The second opponent is a Herald who fights for justice. After the player wins the second round, Ling appears and tells them that there is a man from Legion searching for them.

The man introduces himself as the Ambassador of Legion, who is here to negotiate with the Emperor. He found out about the player and decided to swat them. When he meets them, Ambassador taunts the player with his title and diplomatic immunity, and he will use force if the player declines his request, which is what exactly happened. Ambassador blames the Dynasty for attacking the Legion first, even though June desperately says that it is not them, but Deng Rao's usurpation of power. Ambassador does not care, and he tells them that the Legion has prepared to purify all of their Shadow energy.

Galen is very grateful to the player for participating in the Tournament for him. He informs that the third opponent is a member of Golden Demon, an elite squad that Galen was a part of. Despite its reputation, the player wins and makes it to the final round. June wonders if Kibo has dropped out since she no longer sees her. According to Itu, Kibo never participated. He also has gathered some inquiries. Kibo was seen at the palace at the night when the Emperor and the Shadow Sphere was missing. She is also in account with Deng Rao, who attacked the Legion with the elements of Dynasty, and the Ambassador.

The opponent for the final round is none other than Xiang Tzu, who just becomes a Herald after being trained by Kibo. He says that he will win with his new style. Even though he claimed that he learned fast, Xiang Tzu's fighting style is still not proficient enough, as he constantly trips and falls when he is trying to pull a difficult combo. Nonetheless, he loses again to the player, and the player emerges as the champion. Xiang Tzu remarks that this is not the end and he will study all the styles in the world and find one that the player cannot win against.

### The Beginning of War

Ambassador questions the Emperor's lack of presence, as he thinks that the Emperor should have appeared at least by the final. June tries to cover up his disappearance by telling Ambassador to speak with the heir of the throne instead, which is June herself. However, Ambassador does not believe June's claim that she is the Emperor's daughter. Ambassador refuses to speak with June and he leaves.

Shadow, June, and Itu then find out from Iron Beaks that Kibo was recently urgently summoned to the front line to oppose the Liquidators. Itu says that the Liquidators are the Legion's front liner and he wonders if the Ambassador has started the war already. They decide to find Kibo to get confirmation from her. Kibo is pleased when the player arrives there, but June asks Kibo where the Emperor is and what is up between her and the Ambassador. Kibo reveals that the Ambassador feared her and tried to make the Dynasty close her project before they are interrupted by the Liquidators. They manage to take down the Liquidators, so Kibo leaves them and goes for reinforcements, while the trio heads back to the square. However, the square has been invaded by the Legionaries. One of them is Greta, Gizmo's older sister who wants to get revenge from the player for her brother. After the player fights off Greta, June suggests that they rejoin with Kibo to find out about the Emperor.

After being told by Ling about a blown-up Shadow rig in the nearest village, the trio finds Kibo there, fatally wounded. Not only Kibo is injured, but her mind is also affected by the Shadow contagion and she immediately attacks. The contamination also enhances her ability, allowing her to move very quickly and perform deadly combos. Despite all of that, the player succeeds in stopping her. Itu bombards Kibo with questions, but she is too weak to even talk. Kibo could only mutter and tells the trio to escape to the Dome. June agreed with Kibo, as the war has started and they do not have the Emperor or the Sphere.

Only the Heralds at the Dome can help them now.

### Prologue

The story takes place in a new world created by the Shadow Mind, after having wished to create a world where May is alive. Shadow's Descendant has conquered the world, and a resistance led by May is the only faction opposing it. At the start of the story, Midnight|Twelfth]] is let out of her cell by Lynx.

### Part 1: The Search For Miracle

Meanwhile, Xiang Tzu attempts to beat up Kitsune-1, as he thinks that she works for the Descendant, but she tells him that she does not have any work going on with the Descendant. This goes on like this until Ironclad intervenes and saves her. However, Kitsune says that both of them are of no use to her mistress as they do not wish to submit to the Descendant. It is revealed that in this world, Shadow died instead of May. May is seen mourning over a stone depicting Shadow, when she is approached by her son, Shadow's Descendant. He mocks May for talking to a piece of stone and says that **Shadow** did nothing for her and asks her to lead his troops. May says that he would have to kill her first and the Descendant fights May. The Descendant defeats his mother using his special abilities, but spares her life. May comments that the descendant has no guts to kill her and warns him that the Gates will kill him, but he refuses to heed her words and leaves her. Kitsune arrives to treat May's injuries and informs her that Mnemos is being held in the Accelerator.

A few days later after May's injuries has been healed, May arrives at the Accelerator, which Lynx appears to be in charge of. May reminds him about the old days when Shadow Act I: Hero Reborn, to which Lynx says that Shadow cannot save her as he is gone now, and that she should beg for his mercy. However, May soundly defeats Lynx using her ability to summon weapons with shadow energy. Lynx mocks her for trading the power of Demon for a mortal, to which May tells him to tell Descendant about this for losing a toy. The resistance captures the Accelerator and Mnemos is set free. The Descendant had sent shadow stormtroopers to recapture the Accelerator. However, they are eliminated by the new resistance members brought by Kitsune-1: Azuma, Xiang Tzu, and Ironclad.

Suddenly, June is attacked and held hostage by Twelfth. She threatens that the resistance should not move, or else June would be killed. Itu recognizes that she is a suicide agent working for the Descendant, and fights her personally. With the knowledge of Twelfth's body, Itu managed to neutralize the contaminated shadow energy inside her body without causing it to explode, which amazes the now-freed suicidal agent. Itu tells Twelfth that the Descendant is lying to her, and that he can help her, but she says Itu is lying as well. Itu furiously orders her to leave and to never cross paths again, but slowly Twelfth gives in to trust them more. At last, she reveals her real name is Midnight. Itu then asks Azuma to take care of Midnight's wounds, and that they should get to May in order to save Mnemos. After saving Mnemos, he discloses that there is a hero who is capable of defeating Shadow's Descendant, although he is forgotten in this world. However, he also says that the Hero can be summoned using the memories of the Hero's friends, in other dimensions by collecting their shards.

*From this point, the player is given six choices of storylines of six characters and the six character storylines can be played in any sequence the player wishes. After completing one character storyline, the player is again given the choices of their remaining storylines and the player has to again select a storyline to play until all the choices are finished completely.*

### Part 2: Miracle In Our Memories

Mnemos tells Itu that he has met the needed Hero in other worlds and that he was friends with them, to which Itu says that he was told by May about them but he does not remember anything like that. Mnemos allows Itu to take his time to remember the Hero and tells him that he may have seen them in his dreams or maybe in fever dreams as it happens sometimes. Itu questions as to whether he has really seen them in a dream and tells Mnemos that he has lately been dreaming about his past and about Ling. Suddenly, Ling told him to chill as only one human can defeat Shadow's Descendant, not him. Itu tells Mnemos that he came to Ling to ask for help as he always knew some secrets which no one else did, including Bolo. But Ling laughed at him and made him mad. Then a fight takes places between Itu and Ling in which he beats Ling. After being defeated, Ling says that it is easy to beat an old man but not the Hero, no matter how hard he tries. Itu regrets what he did and that Ling must have had reasons for what he said and he does know what came over him. Mnemos tells him that Itu's reason was jealousy and he remembered what it was like to feel second to none.

The duo then proceed to the Temple of the Sphere when Itu gets shocked to know that he has really been there. Mnemos reminds him that the worlds are countless and in some of them, even the shadow power of the Descendant belonged to him, though not for long. Itu thinks that rather it is him who belonged to Descendant's shadow power. Mnemos asks him if he remembers that, to which he replies that he, along with his other Herald company, had figured out the location of the Sphere in other and he came to the place, but its woods made him feel dizzy and something was preparing to enslave him. Itu then fights the shadow counterpart of June, Marcus and himself in which he defeats them. After the fight, Mnemos tells him that before Shadow's Descendant was born, there was no Gates or shadow energy in his world. Itu appreciates his words and tells him that he would just be a scientist at the present, watching the water flow and peace and eternity would be all he is studying. Itu reveals that the shadow energy has taken a lot of lives. It killed some, drove other people mad or brought them to the battlefield or done all of these at once. Mnemos is surprised by what Itu says and thinks if he is really talking to a Herald. He tells him that the shadow energy had numerous advantages too as it saved many lives and gave many people food, shelter and protection.

Suddenly, Jet appears and scolds Itu for sleeping through his dinner. His tea is getting cold and he will not get it until he finishes training her. Then a training fight ensues between Itu and Jet, in which she is defeated. After fight, Mnemos is surprised to know Jet had tea, despite living like all nomads, starving. Itu tells him that it is the Shadow tea which nomads brewed from special plants in the wasteland which gave them refreshment, hope and drove away their pain of injury. Mnemos then proves to him that shadow energy was not evil, it was humans who are and they failed to use her gift properly, which the latter questions. Mnemos tells him a secret that before meeting Shadow, May was a demon who came from the shadow world and she was all that remained of it. Only demons and the Descendant knew about this. Shadow's Descendant considers himself Titan's successor and hates Shadow for destroying his homeworld. He wants to open the Gates to revive his homeland in this world. Itu questions who he is. Mnemos replied that the hero was a child May carried in her womb but the Shadow World took over the child's mind even before they were born, hence terming them as "Shadow World". The Hero was confirmed to be Shadow and May's child and the Descendant... Stranger, as he was called, is mere shadow of the Hero. It was Shadow's guilt, May's mystery and a sin that had not been atoned.

Then Itu sees his real counterpart, to which he questions if the Shadow's Descendant is just a copy like him, to which Mnemos responds that the Void does not know the word "copy" at all. Itu tells him that he is not sure either but remembers the hero very well now and how much they believed in him. Then a fight takes place between him and his counterpart, in which Itu wins. After winning the fight, Mnemos asks him the name of the shard of the Hero in his soul which has changed its shape forever. Itu guesses many names including Comrade, Apprentice, Mentor and Self-improvement but states that it is just one word: Humility. At last, he was always appreciated and that he felt bored and desperate as if nothing in this world could surprise him. He tells about how he used to be defeated by the hero and accepted him as his teacher, the one he never had before. A shard of the Hero is collected.

June says that the Descendant has enslaved her father and all people of the Dynasty and has taken everything she loves and she would definitely do anything to stop him. Mnemos then shows June a device which would collect her memories from all times and from all worlds. Further, he reminds her when she knew about the Hero and called them her friend. June asks him if he can send her to other worlds and calls him a powerful magician. She questions him who he is. Mnemos declines her statement and tells her that she is the real magician as her soul holds a shard of the Hero and she can revive them. Mnemos asks June to look into the Synchronizer. June is astonished to see a luxurious city full of happiness but she still feels very sad. Mnemos tells her that it is the capital of Dynasty and there are countless worlds where Dynasty capital has that appearance, but in the world of Shadow's Descendant, it is plundered and serves his desires. Suddenly, Deng Rao shows up who was surprised to see June alive as he did not expect to find her there. The captain of guards is looking at her so politely and that Mnemos doubts his politeness. June says that Deng Rao wants to kill her. A fight takes place between June and Deng Rao in which she defeats him. After winning, Mnemos asks her what Deng Rao wanted from her, calling him "reeks of lies". June reveals that Deng Rao wanted to blame the Legion military for her death and when she tried to stop him, he broke the truce and a war broke out.

June remembers about how she managed to get out of the Shadow Squad camp. The duo then proceed to an island, which Mnemos feels is important to her. Mnemos questions why, to which June responds that she has never been there but she feels like she knows its every corner. There, she was hidden from danger. She is shocked to see when Tarlan appeared there, although he was dead and she went to his funeral as a girl. She asks Mnemos how he is still alive, to which he answers that June is now recalling the only world where Tarlan was alive, where a shadowy catastrophe prevented his death. June tells him that she wanted to leave the island so many times, maybe to die with honor, But as a princess of her people, not as a prisoner on distant islands. Tarlan speaks up and says that this is impossible as he swore to his father that the Immortals would not know of her existence and comments about June for being inexperienced to make such decisions. He will not let her go. June then fights Tarlan, defeating him. She is upset that nobody ever seemed to take her seriously and was treated as a chess piece in other's hands and a trinket. It was only the Hero who treated her differently. Mnemos asks her if she remembers the Hero, to which June responds yes, but only as a dream. She also remembers the time Hero saved her while she was in the Legion camp, waiting to be executed. They trusted her, though she was a stranger. June asks if they were even there as she might have wished she had a friend like that, when she was a kid.

Mnemos asks her if she had friends, to which June counterquestions him by asking if sisters count as friends. She tells that she and Kibo grew up as sisters. Kibo's parents were killed by some shadow disease, according to what she was told. She praises Kibo for being better at everything. She jumped higher, counted faster, aimed more accurately and escaped from the palace regularly. She disappeared for two months and returned with a new katana style of Heralds. June loved her new technique and it was almost impossible to beat her back then. June then fights Kibo in her imagination at the beginning of which Kibo flaunts her new style. Nevertheless, she is miserably defeated. June then compared the Hero to Kibo, calling them clumsy, like a child learning to walk. The Hero was a Legionary after all. She also says that she tried very hard not to laugh when they were training. She reveals to Mnemos that she taught the Hero to use a crossbow and she got happy when they got good at it. She never felt so grown-up and wise.

Mnemos questions June if that was all despite who her father was, to which June answers in positive, he demanded care, from a certain point. Mnemos allows her not to say what she does not want. Nonetheless, she responds no. She feels like she has been wanting to talk to someone about this for ages. She reveals that she has seen her father change, because of the Sphere for a long time. June fights her father, who has lost his senses completely due to the Sphere, saying nonsense at the beginning of the battle. She fights her father twice in his shadow beast form and third time in human form but still under Sphere's control. Despite this, she bests her father. After winning the fight, Mnemos asks her the name of the shard of the Hero in her soul which has changed its shape forever. June answered Courage. The Hero looked at her as an equal as they knew she could do it and so did she. She could be brave when accompanied by the Hero. A shard of the Hero is collected.

Marcus is willing to do anything if the Hero can bring back sanity to the mad generals of his homeland. He asks Mnemos what he must do. The latter apologizes to Marcus as his commanders will not come back as their souls belong to the Descendant. But the Hero can defeat the Descendant as they are a great warrior. He proceeds to tell Marcus that he and his commanders were comrades in other worlds and in one of them, the Hero led the Crimson Army instead of him. Marcus does not remember anything like that, but tells him that Itu once told him about the other worlds. Mnemos tells him that there are many Marcuses but only one soul of him, just as the moon appears to them in many guises. His soul holds the memory of the Hero and asks him to take a look. Marcus does not have any idea about what this artifact and energy is as he does not recognize it. Mnemos tells him that this is the energy of the Void and all worlds came from it including Marcus's world, shadow world destroyed by **Shadow** and many others. He corrects him as it is one of ancient Void technologies which allows them to look into human memories and control them. He advises him not to be afraid as he is not going to take his memories away. He only wants to find something important in them which is the connection between him and the Hero. Marcus gets irritated as to why Mnemos keeps taking Hero's name as he never met them. Mnemos then asks him another way, to which he asks Marcus if he remembered why he ended up in the time loop. Marcus then sees an image of Bolo, which tells him to call off his dogs as he is not a fan of threats but it would be better for everyone. At second glance, he attacked Marcus. A fight takes place between Marcus and Bolo in which Bolo is defeated. Bolo then tells Marcus that he does not understand in a good way. However, he wishes him a nice stay. Marcus tells Mnemos that it has been years or centuries since he lost track of time as he was thrown back time after time which was an endless assault on the Dome that never began.

This went on for ages till then, he saw him with a June and a Itu who were their friends. Marcus was talking about the Hero as he foolishly attacked them, overestimating their stamina and was defeated. His days as captive were over the minute he woke up in the woods. He slept like a dead man beside a brook he found and dreamt of a monster, which was as if Scourge had eaten all humans. The monster said something that is stuck in Marcus' head. This monster was none other than Lieutenant Seigfried. Marcus then fights him and defeats him. After that, it is revealed that these were the words of Seigfried he said those all: *No-o-o-o-o Le-le-legion!!! At alllll*. Marcus says that he woke up and went looking for his people and the Sphere. But the monster's words continued to ring in his ears. Marcus went through a lot of trials along with the Hero who was there when he returned to his homeland. His heart was broken when he saw that the shadows had already put their roots down there. The Hero suddenly disappeared and they had not seen them in years. Shadow returned instead and brought glory and death with him. He did not recognize himself and was not excited over victories as he did not want them. He then agreed with the monster he previously encountered that he told the truth: There was no Legion. Not only then. Never.

Marcus's story continues. He tells that he was ordered to stop Queen Iolanda, who ran away to the Heralds. A fight ensues between Marcus and Iolanda in which she is defeated. After defeat, Iolanda tells Marcus that he does not know anything about them kings, they never did and tells Marcus that he is a fool to think she is a monster. To justify her statement, she ordered Marcus to go to the crypt and to the tomb of the king and say the warrior's oath of allegiance. Marcus was doing all this just to know the truth. He clung to his last hope but it was melting away.

Mnemos asks him what he expected to see in the crypt. The latter did not know but was shocked with what he actually saw. The ground trembled beneath his feet as soon as he said the oath and then, the king appeared. The King of the Legion orders him to bow down as his call was heard. He then orders to die, rise again and serve the Shadow Master. Then a battle takes place between Marcus and King of the Legion. He proves to be victorious. After seeing King's pale face, Marcus reveals that he was an outsider, not a human at all. Mnemos reveals that the King was one of them Void children. He fled from Titan's to his world and found a home among them. He also fell in love with a human woman. Mnemos understands Marcus's disappointment, but the King was loyal to his people as long as he could be until Shadow's Descendant took him. Mnemos asks him the name of the shard of the Hero in his soul which has changed its shape forever. Marcus says that he was not so good words but he hanged out with everybody. He was taught that the foreigners should be chased away and that their speeches were disgusting. But the Hero helped everyone he could including Legionaries, Dynasts, Heralds, Shamans, Nomads, Northerners etc. He also tells that the Hero answered the call and was taught in return. They shared everything with them and this is how Hero defeated Shadow. A shard of the Hero is collected.

May has already told Kitsune about the working of Synchronizer, so Mnemos connects her to the Synchronizer and tries to find a part of the Proximus/Proxima's matrix in her memories. He does not force her to do it however and allows her to reject it as it is her right. Kitsune does not mind, but feels unfair that May and she are the only ones who remember the Proximus/Proxima. Kitsune loves Proximus/Proxima very much that she would do anything to see them again. For that, she tells Mnemos that only he can do it because a miracle can happen only in his hands. She pleads with Mnemos to try this best. Seeing her missing Proximus/Proxima so much and that she cannot travel through time anymore, Mnemos tells her that only Void Wardens are able to leave this sealed world and he himself is a prisoner there. Kitsune considers herself to be just like a girl she remembers. Kitsune then fights Moira in both her physical and shadow form and defeats her. It was her first assignment that the Creator wanted to test how her obedience function would work. They are not allowed to hurt people, unless ordered to. Kitsune calls it a pointless experiment. Moira did not threaten anyone but they were afraid of her anyway, so she was forced to kill her. Mnemos asks her if she blames herself. Nobody needs her guilt as it will not bring her back. She would not have done it if she had the freedom to choose.

Kitsune then proceeds to tell Mnemos that Nanami, her sister had tried to set her will free as she had a fixed idea. A fight happened between her and Nanami as Kitsune does not want her software altered. Kitsune prevails over her. Kitsune then tells Mnemos that Proxy was not her partner in reality. She found what they are seeing in the Synchronizer hard to believe. She just chose the program as a joke to see what happens next. She did not know what she was hoping for, like was it some kind of message from Nanami in which she would say she loves her. She never did and she just cannot.

Kitsune tells further that Proxy does not seem like a part of simulation as it looked. It was really them in fact, so she started teaching them again. She then spars with her new partner, Proxy in which she bests them. It turns out to Mnemos that this was just another way of Nanami to hack her to make her bend to her will. Kitsune does not believe him as her free will design remains intact, but now, she has a partner, who is more to her than the Creator or the Committee. And even if not them, the fact they are a same team still remains somewhat. Mnemos assumes that Nanami found a way to make Kitsune pursue her own interests. Her relationship with Proximus/Proxima overrides other algorithms. Because of that, she always remembers Proxy. She knew they had to be there and here, but Shadow's Descendant somehow got rid of Proxy.

She went to the Creator and demanded Proxy, before Shadow's Descendant took the Creator. She fights the Creator whose mind has been manipulated by Shadow's Descendant and defeats him. The Creator could not bring Proximus/Proxima back as he did not know how and that is why she came to mistress May. Mnemos then tells her that her memory holds something important about her partner and asks who are they to her. Kitsune was too shy to talk about it and pleads with Mnemos to let it go. Mnemos tells her that this is the only way to bring Proxy back, otherwise they will not. Neither he is a telepath, nor he can extract it with the Synchronizer as he can see her memories and even alter them but her thinking and feelings were a mystery to him. Kitsune then tells him in his ear, provided that he will not tell it to Proximus/Proxima at all. A shard of the Hero is collected.

Ironclad begins by saying that there are many other warriors other than the Hero who can surpass the Descendant but he has gone to the Gates himself and it is too hard. The shadows whisper weird things. So he asks Mnemos to let the Hero get to the Descendant and he will help him along the way. Ironclad asks Mnemos about his role, to which he shows him the Synchronizer which will show his past and memories in other worlds. Ironclad sarcastically questions Mnemos if he works for the guards by any chance which he scraps immediately. Ironclad says that he has an impeccable reputation and that they will see and tell him to look into the Synchronizer. Ironclad calls his Synchronizer a funny thing, which he wants as well, but Mnemos tells him that all is in his hands. There is a deal first in which he has to look into his memories.

Ironclad finds it weird as he does not want some old man sitting in his head. Mnemos rejects his statement and tells him that he is not old as he thinks of his age to be eleven thousand years. Ironclad tells to get started quickly as he does not want to miss all the fun outside the tower. A fight takes place between Ironclad and Sarge. Before fight, Ironclad greets Sarge, but the latter cannot hear him as this is his memory. Ironclad finds it rude not to listen to people and decides to remind Sarge of good manners. The two fight and Sarge is defeated. After the fight, Mnemos finds his memory to be corrupted and the Synchronizer is behaving strangely. Ironclad mocks his Synchronizer by calling it "Sympathizer" and "junk". He tells that Sarge had been demoted and because of that, he was drinking alcohol in the pub. Once they started playing whist, they played till morning. He lost everything he had, including his pants, but he did not pay. So the next day, he caught him and had a good fight. Sarge and his new squad of losers departed to the Dynasty the next day and he never got his money out of him.

Mnemos interrupts him from continuing his story as it is irrelevant to the Hero. After Mnemos looks for another memory, Ironclad asks Mnemos what they are looking for. Mnemos answers that they are looking for a Hero he went through thick and thin. Ironclad then remembers Sven and fights him, thinking he is the Hero they are looking for and defeats him. Mnemos tells Ironclad that he saw the wrong person and he is not the Hero. Ironclad does not believe him as Sven and he had been in more trouble than he could ever imagine. Mnemos then tells him that it is not possible to choose him as he is not the one they are looking for. The Hero had many names and everyone called him different names, so it is impossible to know a single name. Ironclad does not know anything and gets confused as to how he is supposed to understand him. This made Ironclad angry at him for repeated complaints as he did not accept Sven as the Hero.

Ironclad begins to think that Mnemos really does work for the guards or what they are called, Watchers, returning to his last sarcasm and tells Mnemos that he is wasting his time. He again tells him about his impeccable reputation. He tells further that he once himself defeated Ursus the Immortal when he came to the North and that as an Elder of the Elders. The judge accepted this because otherwise, that Immortal would have burned down the whole Legion. A hard fight takes place between Ironclad and Ursus the Immortal, in which the latter is defeated. Mnemos tells him that there is one person other than him who has defeated Ursus before, but he did not remember them. Ironclad gets confused.

He starts to remember someone again who is jailor Sarge or jailor Heim. Sarge says that he heard Ironclad became the new Champion of the Pit and decides to pay him back, helping him to escape from the prison if he beats Sarge. Ironclad fights Sarge and defeats him. After winning, Ironclad asked Sarge how he got into such a lousy job, to which he told him about the Hero. Ironclad has met them before many times and praises them as they have been together in some troubles too. He is a fan of troubles. The Hero ruined Sarge's whole career according to him and thinks his roof is too leaky for a success story. Mnemos then asks Ironclad the name of the shard of the Hero in his soul which has changed its shape forever. Ironclad answers that his soul has never changed but he does keep a shard for sure as he collects a lot of things. Mnemos is surprised but understands him. Ironclad respects the Hero's love for fighting and that the Hero would always be ready for one and he calls himself and the Hero the champions. A shard of the Hero is collected.

Xiang Tzu begins by asking who the Hero is and is irritated by people taking their name everywhere. Xiang Tzu also asks about their fight and victory experiences. Mnemos tells Xiang Tzu that the Hero defeated him three times in one world, which made the latter surprised. Mnemos then shows him the town he grew up in. The war there did not stop but became less violent for a while. Legionaires showed up on the streets during quiet times. Xiang Tzu says that he does not know how but he remembers those Legionaires. He did not like Gizmo, so he indulged himself and made it prettier. Xiang Tzu then fights him and prevails over him. Xiang Tzu tells Mnemos the reason for fighting as he was in bad mood that day because of the other Shadow's Descendant. June brought a vagrant to their dojo the same day, the Hero. The master immediately declared them his best student, although he saw them for the first time in his life, and he even lost to them.

He remembers Kibo who says that he is always messing with their business and it is time to put an end to it. June suggests her that it would be better to complain about him to the master instead so that Xiang Tzu will have to sweep the yard all day. He was always insulted by his teacher, giving him the dirtiest job in the dojo, which made everyone laugh, especially the girls. He tells further that he followed one of the girls, Kibo and spotted her illegal dojo, though he loved it. He threatened Kibo that he would disclose her illegal dojo to Galen if she did not teach him all the Herald stuff. Kibo, under pressure and fear, gave in to his demands. Xiang Tzu then fights Azuma at Kibo's dojo with a glaive Kibo gave him. Before fight, Azuma tells that he has an order to cleanse the building of shadow pollution from the mayor, but he instead ordered the feldsher to leave, otherwise he will not spare him if he even squeaks to his superiors about their dojo. The two then fight and Xiang Tzu was not so good at new Heralds fighting style as he constantly trips and falls off while executing the combo. Despite that, he beats the feldsher. Xiang Tzu tells Mnemos that Kibo threw him out of the dojo instead of appreciating his efforts. She was always a traitor and he was wrong to believe that he and Kibo were friends as she was friends with June and that stranger.

After that, the Tournament of a Hundred Schools began and he lost to them again. Mnemos finds it strange that the Hero defeated him one time after the other. But the latter does not remember those fights and does not find anything strange about it. When he gets angry, he does not remember anything at all, like a red haze in his head. The Hero had a talent of making him furious and they were always silent. The Hero even ruined his life, got into all kinds of trouble which ended up in the Legionary jail. He then started fighting in the Pit as there was a Pit fighter who made him angry too. He remembers him to be Ironclad and beats him up too. After this fight, Millenium Wolf shows up to Xiang Tzu and tells him that he is a stranger in these lands but he has shown an intransigence worthy of the North and so, he blesses him with the gift of Fire. Mnemos asks him whether it was one of northern patriarchs. Xiang Tzu does not know as he was just some guy with burning hands. He believes himself to be the only one who saw him.

Since then, he loses control over himself in battles. He has unbearable heat around him until he wins. He changed quite a lot during these times and he will be ready when he sees them again. Xiang Tzu was talking about the Hero who now remembers how important that was. He could not sleep half of the nights. He hated the Legion and made them all pay, even Gizmo, whom he met five or seven years later again. He was all covered in shade. He used to bring his erasers to their hideouts and kill everybody but Xiang Tzu managed to get to him one day. Xiang Tzu fights the overpowered Gizmo once again and once again proves to be victorious against him. After the fight, Mnemos asks Xiang Tzu the name of the shard of the Hero in his soul which has changed its shape forever. Xiang Tzu answers Xander as the Legionaries could not pronounce his name properly and called him Xander. He proved himself to be better than the Legion, but not better than the Hero. He vows to be even better than them and master every style in the world. He needs a proper opponent, so he tells Mnemos to bring them back. A shard of the Hero is collected.

### Part 3: A Miracle Beyond Time and Space

The Hero is ready to be summoned after all the shards are collected.]]
As all the shards of the Hero are finally collected, the Hero is now ready to be summoned. May applauds Mnemos on his success in collecting all Hero's shards and cannot wait to see the Hero in person. Mnemos said he will need time to summon the hero using those shards, but he does not know how long it will precisely take. Kibo shows up to report that the descendant's generals are approaching the tower in an attempt to stop Mnemos from performing the ritual. May, however, is determined to tell him that they are ready to defend the ancient even if it would cost their lives. The Void Speaker's triplets is keeping them from entering the door but the sisters are outnumbered. May orders Void Speaker (or Ishtar as she calls her) to activate the defenses in the communications center and get her people out and also orders Jet to help her. Kibo then informs that Azuma is severely injured, and is now resting in the infirmary with Shibata taking care of him. However, she can barely stand up herself, so May has her take shelter herself and treat her injuries first. Finally, she orders the rest of the hero's friends to defend Mnemos and not to retreat at all, even if they would die as a result. All the Hero's friends team up and form a formidable force to fight off the Descendant's generals and buy Mnemos precious time to summon the Hero and they are successful. June recovered from her headache and asks Mnemos where the Hero is.

The Hero is finally summoned, much to May, Ironclad and Kitsune's surprise. Mnemos then teleports May and Hero to the roof of the Accelerator, much to her surprise. Mnemos is clearing the perimeter again but he called the May and Hero at the Accelerator for a reason. He asks them to listen as there is not much time. Mnemos explains that Kitsune calls the Hero Proximus/Proxima for a reason: It comes from the Void. It is the name of those who approached the state of Ancients. The Hero was not born as an Ancient, but they will become one. They can inherit the Ancient power only partially like Moira, but those who have overcome themselves can one day enter the Realm of Infinity. To prove that he is right, the Hero must defeat Mnemos. Mnemos provides the Hero Moira's Amulet to assist them in their battle with himself and Shadow's Descendant. At first round, they fight at the roof of Accelerator. The Hero defeats him without much difficulty. After this, he teleports them and himself to the Void. He fights the Hero using his Battle of Laws (Composite Sword) and can even charge himself and jump and swing the sword over the Hero, dealing massive amount of damage. Despite this, the Hero still prevails over him.

Mnemos then tells them that the world is heading for its end and no one and nothing can stop it. The world will die and so will all of its reflections as its time has come and everything has its time. He furthers tells that all attempts to save the world are futile and advises them to say goodbye to the old world and welcome the new one as it will be different. Suddenly, Void Speaker interrupts Mnemos' sentence and informs them that the armorwalker is fully powered up to maximum. Mnemos completes his sentence by saying that do not let evil prevail, in this world or anywhere.

The Hero gets into the armorwalker. May asks Void Speaker about the armorwalker. Marcus feels strange and recalls Shadow using that armorwalker. The Hero is using the armorwalker to fight the Descendant as the Gates' radiation is almost lethal due to which they have never been able to attack directly. Ironclad loves the armorwalker and wants to use it as well but cannot, unfortunately, as the armorwalker synchronizes with its pilot on a biology level, so no one save Shadow or Shadow's offspring can use the armorwalker. May consoles Ironclad and tells him not to worry as the Hero will do just fine. The Hero is then tested with Shadow's armorwalker on the enslaved Void Wardens in the forest, or simply shadow bots and the test is successful. The team feels happy as they are now ready to go to the Gates. Mnemos now remembers how joy looks like and that he too is mourning for this world and tells them to save the best of it.

The party proceeds to the Gates where Shadow's Descendant was waiting for them. He was surprised to see the Hero and could not believe that it violates the laws of nature, but May says that miracles do not obey the laws of nature. Nonetheless, Shadow's Descendant changes the subject and tells them that they are late anyway as the Gates are about to open. The final battle begins between our Hero and Shadow's Descendant. The Hero initially fights the Descendant while he is flying in air, using the armorwalker. Shadow's Descendant attacks from air using shadow bots, beam and meteors. Shadow's Descendant is beaten down and he comes to the ground. He asks the Hero and May to leave while they still can but the Hero rejects. Shadow Mind tries to escape but is captured by the Descendant and is transformed into a katana. The rest of the fight is as usual. He has a special ability in which he charges himself and dashes toward the Hero at a very high speed, dealing massive amount of damage. He also teleports himself and the Hero to the Bridge-Between by slicing through the fabrics of reality using his katana in which he copies Shadow Mind's abilities and uses them on the Hero. After some damage, he releases Shadow Mind and the Shadow Mind attacks both the Hero and the Descendant. After the fight there, Shadow Mind then opens a portal and teleports the Hero and Shadow's Descendant back to the main world in front of the Gates. The fight continues as usual but the Descendant is now barehanded but still has special shadow beam ability. Near to defeat, the Descendant disarms the Hero as well and the Hero too gets barehanded and hits the Descendant many times.

After a long, hard and exhausting battle, the Shadow's Descendant is finally defeated and falls to the ground, with the mask broken rendering half of his face shown. Even the top conical part of his mask is broken. Furious, the Descendant slams his fists on the ground and absorbs the full energy of the Gates, embodying himself in pure shadow energy and shattering the Gates in the process. However, unable to endure such energy, his body starts to disintegrate. The Hero wants to fully suppress him, but May stops them and confronts the Descendant herself, showing that she still has feelings for her son and touches him. The Descendant pushes her away and charges his fist and tries to finish her off right there, but ultimately could not bring himself to do so to his own mother. He removes his broken mask, fully gives in and May catches him collapsing on the ground. As the Descendant is being erased from existence, they give each other one last compassionate hug. May briefly mourns for her lost son there before the Hero rushes in and guides her to run away together from the unstable Gates. At last, the Gates of Shadows completely shatter and explode and the world is once again obliterated and falls to dust to be born anew. Once again, it needs heroes. Mnemos then appears and says the Hero that they are now one of the Ancients and the worlds and times are open to them. Furthermore, he tells them that their journey is just beginning as infinity awaits. At last, he says they will meet again and bids them farewell.

### Epilogue

Shadow Mind regains its consciousness, it is wondering where is the Descendant as they are the reason for its existence and it cannot lose them. Suddenly, a Bolo speaks to it, telling it that they are dead, just like the whole world. Shadow Mind is in the Accelerator Core now, and it has the absolute power to create a new world and be the ruler in it, the Descendant should be its least concern now. Shadow Mind replies by saying it does not need such a world, where the Descendant does not exist. It is incomplete without them and it will suffer once more, just like when it was in the Sphere. Shadow Mind plans to use its power to turn back time. Having learned from his past experiences, Stranger informs Shadow Mind that it will only yield the same outcome regardless. But, there is a way to change fate. Stranger reminds it that the Descendant had performed three time travels to the past, which created three alternate worlds as a result. Each one of these three planes has its own Descendant copy. Not an exact one, as they will not remember Shadow Mind. Descendant never realized how important their companions were for the world's fate. Shadow Mind will help the Descendant to understand and learn a lot of things. Once they obtain their companions' power, the Descendant will be able to change fate. This means Shadow Mind will be trapped in the Sphere again, but the Descendant will surely find it sooner or later. And because these are alternate planes, these copies are much weaker than the original, and the path **will not be easy**. Shadow Mind then fades and enters the portal to the first plane.

## June: Know Your Enemy

The Legionary Bandits continued robbing the borderline inhabitants. June starts to lose patience. June is furious about the Legionaries attacking innocent people in the borderline, saying it is the third attack this month. The Ambassador keeps filling her father's ears with excuses. Kibo explains June how dangerous Legionaries are and the only way to deal with him is violence. The Emperor is wasting his time negotiating with them. June agrees with her as she cannot idly stand by anymore. June decides that they should talk to Deng Rao as he respects her, unlike other sycophants in the palace. Deng Rao had offered her to participate in the raid before so she is sure he will help them. June and Kibo head to the palace to see Emperor and Deng Rao conversing. Deng Rao informs Emperor that their village is saved but the bandits have escaped and they did not go after them as per his orders, while June pleads with her father to do something to protect their people as the situation is getting out of hand. Emperor understands his daughter's resentment but warns her that they will lose a lot of their people if they take even one careless step. Their truce with the Legion has already cost them dearly. Deng Rao comes up with an idea. He requests Emperor to allow him to take a small squad and conduct reconnaissance so that they at least understand what they are dealing with. Emperor accepts his request as a small squad is not too harmful but does not allow June to be a part of it and orders her to stay in the palace. Deng Rao explains to him that June's combat skills of the same level as those of a Guardian Dragon and he can prove it. He spars with June to show the Emperor her combat skills. The two fight and Deng Rao is defeated. Deng Rao commends her fighting skills and offers the Emperor a compromise. Deng Rao tells him that the princess, June will go with them but will not participate in the raid mission itself. Instead, she will visit the affected villages to comfort the people there. Emperor is now convinced that June is capable of such a task and lets her go but threatens Deng Rao that he will kill him if he even lets a hair fall from June's head. June and Kibo then go to the outskirts of the Dynasty's capital, where Deng Rao is yet to present his plan. Emissary Wei comes to report just then. The Legion has gathered a new Shadow Squad whose soldiers learn to use shadow abilities. Their camp is really close to the border. June asks him if they are connected with their bandits. Emissary Wei has no evidence yet regarding that, but he tracked down a spy who was covertly investigating around Dynastian border patrols. Kibo thinks that person is connected to their gang, to which June replies that they will find that out when they capture him and suggests that they get to it. Emissary is worried about what June's father will say to him and wants to handle this situation himself but June disagrees with him and tells him audaciously that they are going there immediately. June then sees the spy and fights hims and takes him down. Deng Rao commends her victory. They capture him and Deng Rao says that his people will quick get the information they need from this traitor and takes him to his people. Later, Deng Rao returns and informs June and Kibo that they have extracted the location of their camp from the captured spy but they must be quick, otherwise they will lose them. Kibo is glad that they have finally done something without convincing June's father. Deng Rao then asks if he can trust June with distracting the bandits while his people get close to the camp. Kibo responds first and says that Legionaries cannot hearing anything other than themselves yelling and they can move with almost no sound. June pleads with Kibo to not argue with an experienced officer. She asks Deng Rao to forget about her father's nonsense threats and tells him that she can take care of herself. Kibo still fears the Emperor. Kibo then says to June that she is the only person in the whole Dynasty who can consider Emperor's threats nonsense. She asks Deng Rao not to worry, as she will keep their princess safe. Deng Rao then presents his plan. June and Kibo will infiltrate the camp and cause a commotion, while his squad will quickly attack them from behind. June and Kibo proceed to the camp to carry out Deng Rao's orders. When they reach the place, Kibo teases June as she as a princess, did not get lost on their way to the camp. June replies in negative and says that if she ever suddenly decides to disappear, she will definitely warn her best friend first and tells Kibo to do the same next time. Kibo then scraps this conversation, saying they might sort these things later. Right now, bandits are everywhere and Kibo hopes Deng Rao is safe. June comforts her by saying that a bunch of ragged Legionaries is not a threat to an elite Dynast squad. Kibo sees a trio which seems to be in charge of the rest of the bandits and goes to deal with them. Kibo fights the trio and prevails over them. Kibo then flaunts her fighting style to June as they were a bit harder than unarmed opponents. June wonders where Deng Rao is with his squad. She suddenly hears the sounds of battle from the other side of the camp. Kibo is ready to put an end to this crime. Soon enough, Kibo spots the bandit ringleader. She allows June to deal with him and promises to protect her. June then battles the bandit leader to teach him a lesson with her own style and does so successfully, though she is surprised to see the fire magic the bandit leader uses. June asks Kibo if she is fine. Kibo replies in positive and says that Legionaries belong in the dirt. June is still worried about Deng Rao and his people as she did not see them yet until she suddenly sees someone. It was some soldier who was hanging around the bandit camp and did not look scared at all. He was none other than Ironclad. June angrily asks him where Deng Rao is and what he did to him. He refuses to answer as he does not like it when people are rude to him and says that if their friends were here, he would kill them and throw into the pile of bodies he points at. Kibo mocks him by calling him a pig. June, enraged, attacks him. Although Ironclad is much stronger with his strong and bulky metallic armor and June's mind bending ability does not work on him, June still manages to take him down. After being defeated, Ironclad admits that June is not just all talk but can also back up her words with her physical prowess. He asks them if they found their Deng Rao. He also tells them that the bandits were trying to steal fire bombs from his collection. June is surprised to know that all those bandits are Dynasts, including the leader and she wonders why they are wearing Legionary gear. She assumes that they were just regular bandits, although Legionary gear is easy to obtain. Kibo speaks up, telling June that the fire bombs their leader threw at her during the fight are no ordinary weapon and also tells where this camp is - in the Legion territory. She agrees but she believes Legion patrols do not come here and she also remembers something Ling told her about fire bombs. She suggests asking Ling about them. She also asks Ironclad to come with them, as a witness. Ironclad agrees if as a witness, he gets fire bombs, as he does not have any in his collection. They all head to Ling's shadow forge to inquire about the fire bombs. They reach there, only to find Ling and Ambassador quarrelling with each other. The Ambassador orders Ling to give him the fire bombs which Ling refuses. The Ambassador is one of the bandits, as Ironclad recognizes. The Ambassador, enraged over Ling not giving him the fire bombs, orders his guards to attack him. June steps in to protect Ling from the guards and fight them off. After June beats all the Ambassador's guards, Ambassador tells her that he will have his revenge, before leaving the shadow forge. Ling thanks the trio for saving him. Ironclad is so desperate to get his fire bombs and asks Ling for them. June reminds Ling that he told her about the fire bombs recently which are Legion's new weapon. She tells Ling that they were attacked by some bandits armed with them and they want to track the source of them, to Ling responds that a woman named Solo sells such foreign stuff. He also tells that she can usually be found at the port, before informing them that they need to have a huge amount of money ready. The trio then heads to the port to find the weapons smuggler, Solo, to find out how fire bombs got into Dynasty. Upon reaching there, Kibo points at some crates which, according to Ling's description, contain Solo's goods. She also points at a seal. June suggests to let the guards handle the merchandise as she probably knows one of the customers. Kibo sees some guys at a distance who she feels they know something, so they go to meet them. They, however, feel that they are intruders, so they start a fight with them. They have no choice but to fight them to get answers out of them. Kibo deals with them and bests them all. After Kibo defeats the guys, they run away and June now remembers where she had seen one of the customers - he is one of minister Mang's servants. Kibo is frustrated as the guys she fought and wanted to get answers out of ran away. Moreover, she suspects the woman she fought among those guys to be Solo. June orders the team to go after her as they cannot let her get away. Solo is not up for a conversation and needs violence to be used against her. Ironclad comments that Solo looks tough and decides to deal with her. June asks him to wait as she wants to find out herself whether Solo has a trading permit or not, so she deals with Solo herself. Solo, despite being strong and immune to June's mind bending technique, is defeated and falls to June's knees. After the battle, Kibo informs the team that if even ministers get arms from the Legion, it means that this taint has spread to the very heart of the Dynasty. Ironclad, however, found something important. He points at some crates which have bombs drawn on them and suggests to go and check them out. Kibo is surprised to see the size of the crates and tells the team to hurry and get help. Furthermore, she knows some real patriots. Ironclad opens some of the crates and is shocked to see them empty. He suspects the servant has taken them to the Dynastian minister in the palace and orders the team to get there. June agrees. She allows Kibo to meet her friends and June and Ironclad head to the palace to bring the traitor to justice. Ironclad, however, wants to get the bombs first. As soon as they reach the palace, June talks to her father and asks him to tell immediately where minister Mang is. Emperor is happy to see his daughter alive as he has not heard from her for a long time. He then is shocked to see someone with June and asks her who this guy in bulky iron armor is. June lies to her father, telling him that this is a shadow bot, a new model, whom Itu asked her to test. Ironclad pretends to be that bot. Emperor does not understand anything. He tells June that the minister is coming to him with a report and asks June what she needs him for. Just then, minister Mang arrives and June fights him to capture him. Emperor is shocked to see what is happening. After June takes the minister down, Emperor questions June what happened and asks where Deng Rao is. June promises to explain her father everything later and informs him this minister is a traitor and requests him to put him in dungeon. June promises her father that she will be back soon, giving him her love. They then leave the palace to meet Kibo. Upon leaving the palace, Ironclad shows June a note the minister dropped and asks June to read it as he is not very educated. The note states that *"Deng Rao failed the mission! The princess survived. But we got all the explosives we needed. Our men in the slums are ready. The people will support us. Glory to the Dynasty! Death to the Legion!"*. June now realizes that Deng Rao was just using June as a sacrifice for his plot. She is frustrated with everyone trying to manipulate her. Ironclad agrees and says that they should go deal with him. They then head to the Dynasty capital. As they reach there, June says that this must be the place they need to be. June sees a lot of bandits there. She feels Kibo's friends would be really helpful right now. Ironclad disagrees and says that the two of them will do fine. He spots three bandits at a distance who he thinks have pompous faces and he goes to deal with them. He fights them all and takes them down one by one. After taking them down, Ironclad tells June that it seems to him that those Dynasts were going to blow something up. He thinks this is the reason why they rushed here so fast. June replies in positive and asks Ironclad asks if he is alright as she sees him staring somewhere. Ironclad thinks he sees their ringleader. Ironclad shows June that the ringleader dropped his swords as if he is bored with the masquerade. He asks June to interrogate him, while he will deal with others himself. June thanks him. She asks him his name before going. Ironclad tells him that he is Ironclad, but she can call him handsome. June then goes to deal with the ringleader who is none other than Shen Mang, the son of minister Mang. During the fight, June tells him that they have captured his father. Shen Mang is captured after being defeated. Ironclad arrives and informs June that he found the fire bombs and points at a building where there are lots of them and offers June to take them. Moreover, he tells her that her friend is also in that building. June is shocked to hear that Kibo has sided with the terrorists. Ironclad, however, wants to show off his fire bombs and calls out to people to see them, while June heads to the building to see Kibo. Upon entering, June questions Kibo what she is doing. Kibo explains to June that their beliefs about the people who attacked their borderline citizens were wrong. These men are neither bandits nor traitors that sided with the Legion, but true patriots of the Dynasty. June disagrees with this because try patriots of the Dynasty would never try to blow up Dynasty's capital. Kibo tries to justify this by telling that this explosion will put an end to all the nonsense about peaceful coexistence with the Legion. Kibo then says that if she wants to stop this, she will have to go through her first. June now has no choice but to fight her sister. During the fight, June asks Kibo to stop her madness and come to her senses. She defeats her successfully. After defeating Kibo, June asks her for the bombs and tries to explain Kibo that the people she sided with are madmen and murderers and they wanted them both to die during the attack on the camp. She then asks her if her friends are planning any more attacks. Kibo feels sorry and tells her that she did not know if it was a trap for them. Kibo now understands why Deng Rao left them at the camp. He had already departed to the Bamboo forest and is going to attack a Legion outpost. It was supposed to look like a retaliation for explosion and June's death as she understands. Furthermore, she tells her that they will still strike, with or without formal justification. There will be a war and they will have to choose a side in it. June says that they will consider it. She knew that unusual Legionaries made a camp near the border. She turned to shadow squad to find help in stopping Deng Rao. But she found something more than that: A new friend.

## Behold The Future: Shadow Returns

In the year 2021, "Shadow" had enveloped the planet, plunging humanity into darkness and terror. This shadowy force seemed to have a mind of its own, manipulating the very fabric of reality to bend to its will.

As the world struggled to cope with this new reality, a small group of heroes emerged, determined to fight back against the darkness. They were the Shadow Fighters, a group of powerful warriors who had dedicated their lives to protecting humanity from the evil forces that threatened to consume it.

Led by the enigmatic and fearless leader, Angel, the Shadow Fighters were a diverse group of individuals with unique abilities and strengths. There was Jake, a skilled martial artist and weapons expert; Sarah, a brilliant scientist who had created a suit that allowed her to harness the power of the shadows; and Marcus, a former soldier who had been transformed by the Great Shadow into a powerful half-human, half-shadow being.

Together, the Shadow Fighters had managed to push back the darkness and restore some semblance of order to the world. But the Great Shadow was far from defeated, and it continued to plot its revenge against humanity.

As the days passed, the Shadow Fighters became legends, their names whispered in awe and reverence by those who had survived the Great Shadow's wrath. But as the years went by, the legend of the Shadow Fighters began to fade, and the world was once again plunged into darkness.

The Great Shadow had returned, stronger and more powerful than ever before. This time, it had brought with it an army of twisted, shadowy creatures that roamed the land, destroying everything in their path. The world was on the brink of destruction, and humanity was on the verge of extinction.

But then, a glimmer of hope emerged. A young man named Max had stumbled upon an ancient text that spoke of the Shadow Fighters and their ultimate weapon: the Shadow Sword. This sword was said to have the power to defeat the Great Shadow once and for all, but it was hidden in a place that only the most skilled and bravest warriors could reach.

Max knew that he had to find the Shadow Sword and wield its power if he wanted to save humanity from the Great Shadow's grasp. And so, he set out on a perilous journey to find the sword and restore the Shadow Fighters to their rightful place as the protectors of the world.

As Max journeyed across the land, he encountered many dangers and obstacles, but he also met other brave warriors who were determined to fight against the Great Shadow. Together, they formed a new generation of Shadow Fighters, each one with their own unique abilities and strengths.

With the power of the Shadow Sword on their side, the Shadow Fighters embarked on a final showdown with the Great Shadow. The battle was fierce and epic, with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance. But in the end, the Shadow Fighters emerged victorious, banishing the Great Shadow back to the depths of the underworld and restoring peace to the world once again.

And so, the legend of the Shadow Fighters lived on, inspiring generations to come to fight against the forces of darkness and protect the light of hope that shone in the hearts of all humanity.

## Retired

In February 13, 2022 The Hero, Shadow Fight is retired as an Shadow Warrior