Chapter 20: The Shadow's Wrath

The cavern felt like it was collapsing under the weight of the Shadow Sovereign's presence. Every breath Seo-Jin took was a battle against the oppressive force surrounding them. The air buzzed with energy, and the shadows that had once seemed like mere darkness now moved with a life of their own.

Hae-Rin stood beside Seo-Jin, her expression grim but unwavering. Tae-Hoon, despite his injuries, forced himself upright, determined to fight. Jin-Soo worked furiously on his tablet, trying to decipher any weaknesses in the Sovereign's pattern. But it was clear to everyone: they were facing an overwhelming enemy.

"Your defiance is amusing," the Shadow Sovereign rumbled, its voice echoing through the cavern. "But futile. You are mere mortals, trying to stand against something far beyond your understanding."

Seo-Jin's jaw clenched. His body was weak after severing the connection between Jae-Min and the Sovereign, but his spirit burned hotter than ever. The system interface flickered in his mind, alerting him to new options, new powers he could unlock—but at great risk.

"Do we have a plan, or are we just going to punch shadows until we drop?" Tae-Hoon grumbled, wiping blood from his mouth but keeping his fists raised.

"We need to hold it off," Seo-Jin said, his mind racing. "Jin-Soo, find any weakness we can exploit. Tae-Hoon, keep its focus on us. Hae-Rin, stay sharp. This thing will try to exploit our every mistake."

The team nodded, falling into position.

The Shadow Sovereign moved, its dark form shifting like a storm. Tendrils of shadow lashed out toward them with blinding speed. Tae-Hoon roared and met the attack head-on, smashing through the shadows with raw power, but the Sovereign's strikes were relentless. For every blow he blocked, another seemed to strike him from the side.

Hae-Rin moved with deadly precision, slicing through the shadows, but even she was pushed to her limits. The Sovereign's attacks were like waves, unending and merciless.

Seo-Jin watched the battle unfold, his mind calculating, analyzing every movement of the Sovereign. He had to find a way to turn the tide, and fast. His eyes flickered to the system interface, which offered him a desperate choice: unlock a forbidden power that would grant him temporary invincibility but at the cost of his humanity. The risk was enormous.

His fingers hovered over the interface.

"Seo-Jin, we can't hold this much longer!" Hae-Rin shouted as she narrowly dodged another tendril.

"I know!" Seo-Jin's eyes darted back to Jin-Soo. "Anything?"

Jin-Soo's fingers flew across his tablet, his face pale. "There's something… an energy pulse coming from the Sovereign. It's like a core, but I can't pinpoint it exactly. If we hit it, it might weaken the entire entity."

A core. Seo-Jin's mind latched onto the idea. He had to find it, but with the Sovereign's immense power, approaching it was a death sentence.

"I'll handle it," Seo-Jin said, his voice steady despite the chaos. He activated the Shadow Merge once again, feeling his body flicker as he merged with the surrounding darkness. The familiar sensation of being one with the shadows returned, but this time it was more volatile. His energy was already low, and the risk of losing control was higher than ever.

Still, there was no choice.

As he moved through the shadows, slipping between the Sovereign's tendrils, Seo-Jin's senses sharpened. He could feel the pulse of energy Jin-Soo had mentioned. It was faint, buried deep within the Sovereign's form, but it was there.

He drew closer, but the Sovereign sensed him. A tendril of shadow whipped toward him, faster than he could react. It slammed into his side, sending him crashing against the cavern wall. Pain exploded through his body, but he forced himself to his feet. The system flashed warnings in his mind—his life force was critically low.

"Seo-Jin!" Hae-Rin's voice cut through the chaos, filled with panic.

"I'm fine!" he lied, his voice tight with pain. He had to be fine. For them.

The Sovereign loomed above him now, its massive form blotting out what little light remained. "You're persistent," it said, almost amused. "But I grow tired of this."

Seo-Jin's eyes locked onto the faint glow deep within the Sovereign's body—the core. He had to strike it, but he didn't have the strength to do it alone.

"Tae-Hoon!" Seo-Jin shouted, struggling to stand. "Get ready! I need you to hit it with everything you've got when I say!"

Tae-Hoon, battered but unbroken, nodded grimly. "Got it."

Seo-Jin gathered the last of his strength, forcing his body to move despite the pain. He lunged toward the Sovereign, weaving through its shadowy strikes. Each step felt like a thousand, but he pressed on, drawing closer to the core.

And then, he saw his opening.

"Now!" Seo-Jin shouted, his voice ringing out across the battlefield.

Tae-Hoon let out a battle cry and leaped into the air, his fist glowing with raw energy. He brought it crashing down toward the Sovereign's core with all his might.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Tae-Hoon's fist connected with the core, and a blinding light erupted from within the Sovereign. The entity let out a deafening roar as the light consumed it, the shadows writhing and dissolving in the wake of the attack.

The Sovereign's form began to break apart, piece by piece, until nothing remained but a faint echo of its once-terrifying presence.

The cavern fell silent.

Seo-Jin collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. His body felt like it had been torn apart, but he was alive. They had won—for now.

But as the dust settled, Seo-Jin couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't over. The Sovereign had been defeated, but the darkness still lingered, and with it, a new threat he couldn't yet understand.

He glanced at his team—bruised, battered, but still standing. They had survived this battle, but the war was far from over.

To be continued...