Raka wasted no time. With his wounds still bleeding, he slipped out of Luthar City before dawn broke. He had to reach the Twilight Temple before the Darklings came after him again.
The night felt colder than usual. The air around the forest he passed through felt heavy, as if something was lurking behind the trees. But he didn't care. Every step brought him closer to the answers he had been searching for.
After a full day of travel, he finally arrived before a long-abandoned temple. The Twilight Temple.
The building was made of black stone, decorated with ancient carvings that had begun to erode with time. The pillars towered high, and in the center of the temple was a large altar shrouded in a dim red light.
As Raka stepped closer, whispering voices began to sound in his head.
"You've finally come…"
He paused, straining his ears. There was no one around, but the voices felt real. Slowly, he pulled the Fragment of Darkness from his pouch. The stone pulsed more strongly than before, as if reacting to something inside the temple.
As he placed the stone on the altar, the ground beneath him began to shake.
Brakkk!
Suddenly, a gap opened in the center of the altar, revealing a stone staircase leading down. The air inside felt much colder and more oppressive. Without hesitation, Raka lit a torch and stepped inside.
Underground Corridors and Ancient Paintings:
The passage he entered was filled with faintly glowing ancient symbols. Raka noticed the carvings on the walls—pictures that told stories that the world had long forgotten. He saw the image of a man with a sword standing in front of a giant shadow. Beside it, there was a symbol he recognized from ancient books—the Darkness Locking Symbol.
"So, someone has faced the Darkness before…" he thought.
But before he could investigate further, he sensed something lurking in the hallway.
Click. Click. Click.
The sound of footsteps echoed in the narrow hallway. Raka quickly put down his torch and drew his sword.
Suddenly, from the darkness, a man in a black hood appeared with red flashing eyes. His voice was low and echoing, as if coming from two different worlds.
"You shouldn't have come here, Artifact Hunter…" Raka was undeterred.
He raised his sword, ready to fight. "Who are you?" he asked sharply.
The man didn't answer. He simply raised his hand, and from the darkness, four shadowy creatures appeared and immediately attacked!
Fight in the Dark Corridor:
Raka immediately jumped back, avoiding the claws of the first creature. He deftly slashed the creature with his sword, but like before, they could not be killed with normal attacks. Without thinking, he kicked one of the torches on the wall, causing the fire to spread towards the creatures.
"Aaaarrghhh!"
Their screams filled the air as their bodies burned and disappeared into dust. But the black hooded man just smiled. "You're smart, but not strong enough..." he said before taking off at incredible speed!
Bruakkk!
Raka was thrown against the wall, blood flowing from his lips. He gritted his teeth. His opponent this time was not just any shadow creature. But he would not give up. With the last of his strength, he rose, gripping his sword tighter. If this was a test, then he would face it to the end.
---
Raka didn't have time to think. The black-hooded man attacked again, this time with sharp black claws like daggers!
Swiish!
Raka ducked just before the claws tore through the air, nearly hitting his head. He immediately turned his body, swinging his sword at his opponent, but the man disappeared in a flash, appearing behind him.
Bruakk!
A heavy blow hit Raka's back, sending him flying and crashing into the stone wall. Blood spurted from his mouth, his body shaking in pain.
"Hurry, my brain needs to work faster!" he thought.
The black-hooded figure walked closer, his voice echoing in the hallway. "You cannot win against the Darkness. Only destruction awaits you."
Raka wiped the blood from his lips and snorted. "I have lived in destruction for a long time."
Suddenly, he reached for a small pouch on his belt and threw gold powder into the air. Orichalcum Powder.
Fwoosh!
As soon as the powder hit him, the black-hooded man staggered backward. His eyes flashed with anger.
"What...?!" Raka didn't waste the opportunity. With incredible speed, he jumped and slashed the man's right arm!
Sraaatt! Black blood spurted into the air!
The man screamed in pain, while his black arm melted like burning mist. Raka knew he had found the creature's weakness, they could be destroyed by holy metal. But the fight is not over yet. The hooded man growled, his body shaking violently before suddenly splitting into three identical figures!
"Unlucky!" The three shadows attacked at the same time.
The first claw aimed at Raka's face! He blocked it with his sword, but the second claw came from the side, clawing his thigh!
Srekkk! Blood flowed profusely, but Raka didn't stop. He spun around, slashing one of the shadows with a brutal move!
"HAAAH!"
His sword ripped through the shadow's body from head to stomach, causing it to explode into black mist. The other two figures retreated, but the original man, who had lost his arm, opened his mouth, letting out a bloodcurdling scream that made the walls of the hallway tremble.
"You will die here, Artifact Hunter!" Suddenly, the shadow on the floor began to move. Raka was trapped.
His hands were pulled by a living shadow, his feet were sinking into darkness. He could feel his body being pulled into the void. But he would not give up. With all his might, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the Fragment of Darkness.
"If I die, then you go with me!" He slammed the stone onto the floor!
BOOM!!!
A burst of black light exploded throughout the room! The shadows screamed in agony, their bodies melting like wax under the sun. When the smoke cleared, only one figure remained. The black hooded man fell to his knees, his body half destroyed. Black blood flowed from his mouth. He looked at Raka with a look full of hatred.
"You… will… regret… having awakened… true Darkness…"
Then, his body turned to dust. Raka gasped for breath. The wounds on his body felt like they were burning, but he was still alive. He looked around. The explosion had destroyed part of the hallway, but behind the rubble, something was shining. He approached.
There, hidden among the dust and broken stone, was an ancient scroll, still intact. His hands trembled as he took it. He opened it slightly, and his eyes widened. The scroll contained a map to the true source of Darkness. And now, he knew where to go next.
---
Blood was still dripping from Raka's wounds, but his adrenaline was pumping wildly. The ancient scroll he had just found contained clues about the "Gate of Darkness," the place where the evil force first appeared and swallowed the Shadowless Land. Without further ado, he left the ruins of the Twilight Temple and headed for the place mentioned in the scroll, the Valley of the Roots of Hell. However, just a few steps out of the temple, the air suddenly changed.
Whoosh!
The wind howled loudly, and from the shadows, a giant humanoid monster emerged, but its body was like a mass of black smoke that continued to move.
"GRUAAAAAGHHH!!!"
The creature shot towards Raka at a terrifying speed! Raka only had a split second to react. He immediately jumped to the side, almost being hit by a giant claw that destroyed the ground where he was standing!
BOOMMM!
Dust and rocks flew. Raka staggered, but his eyes remained focused.
"You are not just an ordinary shadow..." he muttered as he drew his sword.
The creature did not answer, it only screamed, and its body began to change. From its black mist, several human faces formed screaming in pain, as if the creature was made of souls trapped inside.
"HELP US...!!!"
Raka gritted his teeth. "I will end your suffering!"
BATTLE AGAINST THE DARK JIN:
The creature swung its hand again, creating a wave of black energy that shot towards Raka!
"Damn!"
Raka jumped into the air, spun around, then used his sword as a foothold in the air to increase his jumping power.
He swung his sword brutally towards the monster's head!
SRAAAATTT!!!
His sword slashed the creature's face, causing a thunderous scream that shook the sky. But the creature was not destroyed, instead, it went even crazier!
"GRAAAAGGHHH!!!"
The giant hand moved quickly, catching Raka in midair before he could dodge!
CRAAAKKK!
Raka's chest was crushed by the incredible force, making him vomit blood! The creature began to press his body harder, making his bones crack.
"AAAAARRRGGHHH!!!"
However, in the midst of the pain, Raka's eyes lit up with burning passion.
"I won't die here."
With the last of his strength, he pulled out the orichalcum dagger hidden in his belt and stabbed it straight into the shadow's heart!
SLAM!!!
The creature froze. Its eyes widened, and its body began to twitch wildly.
"NOOOOO…!!!"
A wave of golden light exploded from the wound, sweeping across the giant shadow's body!
BOOOOMMM!!!
The creature groaned in pain before its body exploded into thousands of light shards that instantly disappeared into the air. Raka fell to the ground, gasping for breath. His hands were shaking. His bones still felt like they had been hit by a giant hammer.
But he did. He lifted his head and looked towards the horizon. In the distance, he could see the mountain peak where the Hell Root Valley was located. He knew one thing for sure, the fight was only the beginning. Ahead, beyond the eerie valley, something far more terrifying awaited him. And he would destroy it.
"Wait for me, Darkness."
--- To be continued...