The Shadow Beast’s Oath

Chapter 26 – The Shadow Beast's Oath

The battlefield was eerily silent. The towering shadow creature stood before Kael-X, its massive form still pulsing with the remnants of dark energy. The scars of battle were evident—massive craters littered the ground, the scent of scorched metal filled the air, and Helios stood nearby, catching his breath after the intense struggle.

The creature's glowing red eyes fixated on Kael-X. It growled, a deep, guttural sound that sent chills through the air. But it did not attack. Instead, it slowly lowered its head, its massive body still flickering like a living shadow.

Kael-X narrowed his eyes. His hair, as always, covered them, but he could sense the shift in the beast's demeanor. It was acknowledging him. It had submitted.

"Interesting…" he muttered under his breath.

Helios took a cautious step forward. "You actually tamed it?" His voice carried a mixture of exhaustion and disbelief. "That thing nearly killed us, and now it's acting like a damn pet?"

Kael-X smirked. "Not a pet. A weapon." He stepped forward, extending a hand toward the creature's head. The shadows around its form twisted and flickered as if resisting, but after a few tense seconds, the beast finally bowed fully.

A rush of dark energy surged through the air, and a strange black marking formed on Kael-X's right arm, glowing faintly before disappearing beneath his skin. A contract had been formed.

Helios let out a low whistle. "That's new."

Kael-X ignored him, focusing on the creature. "I don't know what you are… but from now on, you serve me."

The beast let out a rumbling growl of acknowledgment.

But the moment was short-lived.

A distant explosion rocked the ground beneath them, sending dust and debris flying. The air trembled with an ominous presence. Helios snapped his head toward the source of the sound. "Looks like we're not done yet."

Kael-X sighed, his fingers clenching into fists. Whatever was coming… it would be worse than anything they had faced before.

And with his new weapon at his side, he was ready.

Kael-X turned his head slightly, sensing the shift in the atmosphere. The wind carried the scent of something burning—something unnatural. His new shadow beast stirred, its massive form twitching as if it, too, felt the approaching danger.

Helios drew his sword, his body tensed. "You feel that?"

Kael-X didn't respond immediately. Instead, he looked down at his arm, where the strange black marking had appeared. It pulsed slightly, a rhythmic throb like a heartbeat. The connection between him and the shadow beast was now permanent.

Then, another explosion erupted in the distance.

This time, a massive structure collapsed, sending a wave of dust and rubble into the air. The echoes of screams followed, piercing the night. The city was still under attack.

Kael-X clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Tsk… looks like they're still not done."

Helios cursed under his breath. "Damn it. I thought the fight was over."

The shadow beast lifted its head and let out a deep growl, its red eyes flaring. It sensed something unnatural moving in the darkness.

Kael-X grinned. "Looks like we have company."

From the thick smoke, figures began to emerge.

They were not human.

They moved with an eerie stillness, their bodies flickering like shadows against the flames. Their eyes glowed with an unnatural blue light. They were neither alive nor dead—they were something else entirely.

Helios took a step back. "What the hell are those?"

Kael-X's grin widened. "More test subjects."

Without hesitation, the first of the creatures lunged—but before it could even get close, the shadow beast reacted.

With an earth-shaking roar, it swiped its massive claws, tearing through the creature like it was nothing. The being disintegrated instantly, vanishing into the air like smoke.

Kael-X chuckled. "Oh yeah… this thing is going to be fun."

But the others didn't stop.

More of the shadowy figures rushed forward, their forms twisting unnaturally as they charged at full speed. Some climbed walls, others jumped across rooftops, and a few even crawled along the ground like beasts.

Helios tightened his grip on his sword. "You take the left, I'll take the right?"

Kael-X smirked. "Nah. I take them all."

And with that, he vanished.

A sonic boom cracked through the battlefield as Kael-X ripped through the creatures, his speed turning him into a blur of destruction. His fists shattered bodies, his kicks sent them flying, and his shadow beast followed close behind, tearing through anything in its path.

Helios shook his head. "Show-off." But he didn't waste time. He charged in as well.

The battle had just begun.

The battlefield rumbled as Kael-X and Helios tore through the endless wave of shadow creatures. The sky above was a swirling abyss of darkness, the flames from the ruined city casting eerie flickers of light over the carnage.

Kael-X moved like a phantom, his speed rendering him almost invisible. Every punch, every kick, every slash of his blade sent shockwaves through the creatures, obliterating them into wisps of black mist. His shadow beast followed closely, a terrifying force of destruction, its massive claws cleaving through enemy ranks like a reaper's scythe.

Helios, though slower, was no less deadly. His sword, infused with a blazing energy, carved through the creatures as if slicing through air. Each swing burned with an unnatural golden flame, a light that the shadow beings recoiled from.

"They just keep coming!" Helios growled, cutting down another monstrous form that lunged at him.

Kael-X grinned, his fist smashing into the ground and sending a shockwave that blasted away an entire squad of the creatures. "Then that just means more fun!"

Suddenly, the shadow beast froze.

It lifted its head, sniffing the air, then let out a deep, guttural growl.

Kael-X narrowed his eyes. He had felt it too.

Something bigger was coming.

From the depths of the destruction, a new presence emerged—one that made the very air grow heavy.

A monstrous figure began to take shape from the darkness, towering over the battlefield. Unlike the other shadow creatures, this one had a fully formed body—humanoid, but twisted beyond recognition. It had four arms, each one ending in claws sharper than steel. Its face was obscured, hidden beneath a swirling void of shadows, with only two piercing white eyes visible.

It let out a sound that wasn't quite a roar—it was a whisper that echoed in their minds, a thousand voices speaking at once.

"You… are not worthy…"

Kael-X's grin widened. "Oh? Then come prove it."

The shadow monstrosity lunged, moving with impossible speed for its size. Its arms stretched unnaturally, striking like whips.

Kael-X dodged the first attack, but before he could counter, another arm came from his blind spot.

BOOM!

The hit connected. Kael-X was sent flying, crashing through a building with the force of a meteor.

Helios barely had time to react before the creature turned to him, its glowing eyes locking onto his soul.

A deep coldness settled in his bones. This was not an ordinary enemy.

Helios exhaled, gripping his sword. "Alright then, let's see how tough you are."

As the battle raged on, Kael-X emerged from the rubble, grinning despite the blood dripping from his mouth.

This fight had just gotten interesting.

Kael-X wiped the blood from his lips, grinning like a madman. The pain was nothing. If anything, it only made him more excited.

The shadow monstrosity loomed over Helios, its eerie white eyes locked onto him like a predator cornering its prey.

"You… are not worthy… to exist…" the creature's voice whispered in their minds again, a chorus of tortured souls speaking as one.

Helios steadied himself, gripping his sword with both hands. "Yeah? Well, neither are you."

The battle erupted again.

The shadow creature's four arms moved like living whips, slashing, grabbing, and smashing everything in their path. Helios barely managed to dodge, rolling under a massive claw that shattered the ground behind him.

Kael-X vanished.

A blur of movement—then suddenly, he was behind the creature.

BOOM!

Kael-X slammed his fist into the creature's back with all his strength. The shockwave rippled through its body, making it stumble forward.

But instead of falling, the shadow monster twisted unnaturally, one of its arms elongating and slamming Kael-X into the earth.

CRACK!

The ground beneath him split open, creating a massive crater.

Kael-X laughed, gritting his teeth. "You hit hard… I like that."

He grabbed the shadowy arm still pinning him down and tore it off.

The monster howled, but its severed limb melted into darkness and regenerated instantly.

Helios didn't waste the opening.

SLASH!

His flaming sword carved through one of the creature's arms, the divine fire burning through its form like acid. The shadow beast screeched, its body recoiling from the attack.

Kael-X took advantage. He shot forward, faster than light, his fist coated in raw Compound-X energy.

"Let's see if you regenerate after this."

BOOOOOM!!!

Kael-X's punch connected directly with the creature's core, sending a shockwave so powerful that the entire battlefield erupted into chaos. The monster was blasted backward, smashing through several buildings before finally crashing into the ruined cityscape.

For a moment, there was silence.

The dust settled.

Then the shadow beast began to rise.

Helios exhaled. "You've got to be kidding me."

But something was different.

The shadow monster wasn't attacking.

Instead, its form shrank, its arms retracting. The once massive and terrifying being was now kneeling in the rubble, its piercing white eyes staring up at Kael-X.

Then, it did something no one expected.

It bowed.

The creature lowered its head to the ground in submission.

Kael-X blinked. "What?"

The creature's voice echoed again, but this time, it was different.

"You… are my master now…"

Helios stared in shock. "You… tamed it?"

Kael-X tilted his head. "Huh… I guess I did."

The shadow beast had submitted.

Kael-X had won.