Published at 17th of September 2024 6:20 pm

Chapter 92 The Last Shadow: 15 The Shattering

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

The wind howled through the ruined streets of the Hidden Mist Village, carrying with it the tension of a world on the edge of collapse. Kojiro stood at the village’s highest point, overlooking the eerie emptiness below. His hands gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, the weight of everything they had fought for pressing down on his shoulders.

Behind him, Katsuro and Yui stood silently, their faces grim but determined. They had come so far, but now it all came down to this. The Shattering — the event Ryunosuke had warned about — was no longer just a threat on the horizon. It was here, and if they didn’t act soon, it would tear their world apart.

“We’re running out of time,” Yui said quietly, her eyes scanning the distant storm clouds that loomed over the horizon. “The Order’s final move is about to unfold.”

Kojiro nodded. His heart pounded in his chest, but his mind was sharp. This was the moment they had been preparing for, and he couldn’t afford any doubts. They had to confront the Order, no matter what.

“Their headquarters is beyond the valley,” Katsuro said, pointing to the towering mountain range in the distance. “It’s where they’ve been gathering their strength all this time.”

Kojiro’s gaze followed Katsuro’s outstretched hand, and his jaw tightened. “That’s where we’ll find them — and where we’ll stop the Shattering.”

The three of them moved swiftly through the village, their footsteps silent as they navigated the mist-covered streets. The once bustling village had been reduced to a ghost town, its people either taken by the Order or scattered in fear. But Kojiro didn’t let the sight slow him down. His focus was on one thing: stopping the Order before it was too late.

As they approached the valley, the oppressive atmosphere became even more palpable. Dark energy pulsed in the air, emanating from the mountains ahead. The storm clouds above seemed to twist and churn unnaturally, as though the very sky itself was being torn apart by the Order’s power.

“We’re getting close,” Yui said, her voice tense. “I can feel the chakra of the Order’s leaders. They’re waiting for us.”

Katsuro’s grip on his sword tightened. “Good. Let them wait. We’re ending this tonight.”

Kojiro said nothing, but his resolve burned brighter than ever. They had faced impossible odds before, but this time felt different. This time, the stakes weren’t just their lives — they were fighting for the future of the entire world.

The path led them deeper into the valley, where the air grew colder, and the dark energy intensified. The mountain walls closed in around them, and Kojiro could feel the weight of the Shattering pressing down on them from all sides. But they pressed on, their steps never faltering.

Finally, they reached the entrance to the Order’s headquarters — a massive, ancient temple carved into the side of the mountain. Dark symbols and runes glowed faintly along the walls, pulsing with the same twisted energy they had encountered throughout their journey.

“This is it,” Kojiro said, his voice low but firm. “The heart of the Order.”

Katsuro nodded, his expression hard. “We go in, we take down their leaders, and we stop the Shattering.”

Yui stepped forward, her eyes narrowing as she studied the entrance. “Be ready. They’ll have traps waiting for us.”

Kojiro didn’t need to be told twice. He could feel the dark energy swirling inside the temple, like a vortex waiting to consume them. But he wasn’t afraid. He had come too far to let fear stop him now.

Together, they stepped into the temple, the heavy stone doors closing behind them with a resounding thud. The air inside was thick with dark chakra, making it hard to breathe. But Kojiro pushed through, his senses on high alert as they moved deeper into the temple’s labyrinthine corridors.

The sound of footsteps echoed off the walls as they navigated the maze of passageways, the oppressive atmosphere pressing down on them with every step. But then, without warning, the air shifted, and a figure emerged from the shadows ahead.

Kojiro’s heart clenched as he recognized the man standing before them — Ryunosuke.

His former sensei stood in the center of the corridor, his sword drawn, his face a mask of cold determination. Dark energy swirled around him, and his eyes glowed with the same twisted power that had consumed him before.

“You should have stayed away, Kojiro,” Ryunosuke said, his voice eerily calm. “The Shattering is inevitable. You can’t stop it.”

Kojiro’s grip tightened on his sword, his eyes locking onto Ryunosuke’s. “I won’t let you destroy everything we’ve fought for.”

Ryunosuke’s expression didn’t change. “You still don’t understand, do you? The world we live in is broken. The Shattering will remake it, create a new order — one where only the strong survive.”

Kojiro shook his head. “You’ve lost your way, Ryunosuke. This isn’t strength. It’s destruction.”

Without another word, Ryunosuke raised his sword, dark energy crackling around the blade. “Then you leave me no choice.”

The battle began in an instant. Ryunosuke moved with blinding speed, his strikes filled with the power of the Order’s dark energy. Kojiro barely managed to block the first blow, the force of the strike sending shockwaves through his body.

Katsuro and Yui leapt into the fray, their weapons flashing as they tried to flank Ryunosuke. But the dark energy surrounding him was overwhelming, his movements too fast and unpredictable. Every strike he made was laced with the twisted power of the Shattering, and it took everything Kojiro had just to keep up.

But he couldn’t give up. Not now. Not when they were so close.

“Kojiro!” Yui’s voice cut through the chaos, and Kojiro turned just in time to see her hurl a barrage of kunai at Ryunosuke, forcing him to step back.

Kojiro seized the opportunity, channeling his chakra into his sword. He dashed forward, his blade cutting through the air with a brilliant flash of blue light. Ryunosuke raised his sword to block, but Kojiro’s strike connected with a force that sent his former sensei stumbling backward.

Ryunosuke’s eyes widened in shock as Kojiro’s sword pierced through the dark energy surrounding him. For the first time, the twisted power that had consumed him seemed to falter.

“This ends now!” Kojiro shouted, pouring every ounce of his chakra into the final strike.

Ryunosuke’s sword shattered under the force of the blow, and the dark energy surrounding him dissipated like smoke in the wind. He staggered backward, his eyes wide with disbelief as his body collapsed to the ground.

Kojiro stood over him, his chest heaving with exhaustion. Ryunosuke’s breathing was ragged, his face pale as the last remnants of dark energy faded from his body.

“I was wrong,” Ryunosuke whispered, his voice weak. “I thought… I was making the world stronger…”

Kojiro knelt beside him, his heart heavy with sadness. “You were a great sensei, Ryunosuke. But power without purpose leads only to destruction.”

Ryunosuke’s eyes closed, and with one final breath, he was gone.

The air around them seemed to still, and the oppressive weight of the dark energy began to lift. Kojiro, Katsuro, and Yui stood in silence, the echoes of their battle fading into the distance.

“We did it,” Katsuro said, his voice barely more than a whisper. “The Shattering… it’s over.”

Kojiro sheathed his sword, his heart heavy with the cost of their victory. They had stopped the Order, but it had come at a great price. Ryunosuke, his mentor and friend, was gone, consumed by the very power he had sought to control.

But as Kojiro looked out at the horizon, he knew that they had done the right thing. The world had been saved from the brink of destruction, and though the road ahead would be difficult, there was hope for a future built on something stronger than power — a future built on bonds, trust, and the will to protect.

End of The Last Shadow

Share