Chapter 33: Unforseen Darkness (3)

Enryu and the other main characters joined the gang of students witnessing the grim spectacle, their eyes wide with shock and fear.

Ijax was a blur of movement, ducking, weaving and counterattacking with wild desperation. Every lightning-fast punch, every devastating kick, was met with a cruel smile and an even more brutal counterstrike from Shadow.

This was no ordinary fight; it was a deadly dance of hate and vengeance between two old enemies. Every clash of their blows echoed like thunder, sending waves of terror rippling through the watching crowd.

All around them, the student body was in turmoil. Some students stood frozen, their eyes glued to the horrifying spectacle. Others fled in panic, their screams slicing through the air.

"Is...is that Shadow?" one student stammered, his voice shaky.

"I thought he was dead!" another whimpered, clutching her friend's arm for comfort.

"No...no, we're not going to die here," a third student muttered, trying to convince himself as much as anyone else.

Meanwhile, Shadow reveled in the chaos, his insane laughter echoing over the noise of the crowd. He twirled his blade, carelessly cutting through the scattering students like a reaper harvesting souls. Each scream, each falling body, seemed to fuel his mania. His mask hid his face, but his twisted pleasure was palpable, adding another layer of terror to the chilling scene.

The battle had reached a fever pitch, and the frenetic energy in the air was palpable. Enryu's intervention had added a new layer of complexity to the fight. His experience as a regresser had prepared him for battles such as this, but Shadow's unpredictable insanity was an element no one could truly prepare for.

Seizing the moment, Enryu, the regresser who had gone toe-to-toe with Shadow in hand-to-hand combat in his past moved quickly. He conjured two ice clones that reached out to grab Shadow. With a frenzied scream, Shadow released fiery grey hell flames, instantly destroying the ice clones.

Enryu closed in and landed a solid punch on Shadow's face, then locked into Shadow's arm.

"You recognize Sands of Time Martial Arts? Do I know you?" Shadow spat, anger and confusion mixing in his voice.

David saw his chance. Concentrating his electromagnetism, he aimed to disarm the madman. But Shadow's preternatural senses warned him of the danger, and in an instant, he was beside David, surrounding him with a hellish ring of fire.

The flames danced and roared, casting a sickly light on David's face. The very air seemed to be suffused with the agony and torment of the damned. David knew that even a brief touch of those flames could bring unbearable pain. He was trapped, and the twisted gleam in Shadow's eyes told him that his enemy was savoring the moment.

David's desperate cry resonated with a raw power that sent shockwaves pulsing through the air, allowing him to break free from the hellish ring of fire. He took off into the sky, effortlessly using his magnetism to confiscate Shadow's sword. The twisted look of rage on Shadow's face turned to disbelief as he watched David fly away, leaving him disarmed and frustrated.

"Hey, give me back my sword! Hey you @&$?&!" Shadow screamed, his voice filled with madness and confusion. His curses were lost in the wind as David continued to soar above, leaving Shadow to face the combined might of the remaining heroes without his prized weapon.

Even Enryu looked surprised, watching David soar into the sky. Jupiter, David's father, was known for traveling like a lightning bolt, but flight wasn't something associated with the Jupiters. David's sudden ascension added a new dimension to the battle and left Shadow cursing and screaming in madness and confusion as he was left without his prized weapon.

The teachers' arrival added a new dimension to the fight, with Supra's lightning-fast combination and Zoya's time-weaving powers disrupting Shadow's movements and danger sense. The situation seemed to have finally turned in their favor.

Supra, the famed speedster, wasted no time, moving with such velocity that the eye could hardly follow. His fists landed on Shadow with devastating precision, a 24-hit combination that sent shockwaves through the air. Each strike was a blur, but the force behind them was unmistakable, causing Shadow to stagger and grunt with each connection.

Zoya arrived on the scene, her eyes wide with fury at the sight of fallen students. The deaths had enraged her, and her powers seemed to respond in kind. Her control over time twisted Shadow's perception, his danger sense confused and unable to adapt to the unnatural slowing of time around him. The situation seemed to have finally turned in their favor, and the heroes pressed their advantage, determined to bring Shadow to justice.

Enryu took the opportunity to encase Shadow in a crystal case of ice, his eyes cold and unyielding. With a focused throw, he sent an ice drill spiraling towards Shadow's chest. Despite Shadow's unbreakable skeleton, the ice drill tore into him, mangling his chest in a gruesome display of power.

David and Enryu both understood the complexity of dealing with Shadow, especially with his ability to utilize spatial powers. Without a forcefield killing him and containing him was nigh impossible.

Enryu's face was set in a grim expression as he continued to drill into Shadow with his ice attack. The relentless assault was not just an act of aggression; it was a calculated effort to hit a vital spot and finally put an end to Shadow's madness. The tension continued to build, with both David and Enryu aware that one wrong move could shift the battle in Shadow's favor. They had to act swiftly and decisively, leaving no room for error.

Then Mavis intervened, pushing Enryu away, saying, "We're heroes, not killers; what good are we to kill Shadow, Enryu?" His words were cut short as his head was severed by Shadow in a single chop of his hand.

The sudden and shocking death of Mavis sent shockwaves through everyone present. Enryu's face twisted in horror and disbelief as he saw Mavis's lifeless body crumple to the ground. Shadow, taking advantage of the momentary distraction, broke free from the icy confinement, his deranged laugh echoing through the chaos.

"We're heroes, not killers?" Shadow mocked, his voice dripping with insanity. "That line gets blurrier every day, doesn't it?"

With a deranged laugh, he continued, "All of you are naive! You think you can play this game with rules? With honor? Welcome to the real world, where the good guys don't always win, and the lines between right and wrong are ever so thin."

His words echoed through the air, leaving a chilling silence in their wake. Shadow's madness was no longer just a threat; it was a terrifying reality that had already claimed one life.