NOVEL NEXT Chapter 103: 102. Aftermath of the Shadows
Anon and his team stood in the clearing, the air still thick with the remnants of the dark energy that had once dominated the space. The rift had collapsed, the dark tendrils of shadow energy dissipating into nothingness, but the weight of the convergence still hung over them like a storm cloud.
Rin, still catching her breath from the battle, looked at the spot where the figure had once stood. "That thing… it was connected to the Nexus, wasn't it?"
Anon nodded, his eyes fixed on the horizon where the Nexus pulsed faintly in the distance. "It was just one of many. There are more like it, guarding the convergence. Each one we defeat weakens the Nexus, but it won't be enough to stop it entirely."
Takeshi wiped the blood from his blade, his face grim. "Then we keep going. We've come too far to back down now."
Kazumi, still silent, nodded in agreement. Her hands flexed slightly, her mind already running through the next steps, the next illusions she would need to create. The battle with the shadowy figure had been intense, but it had also been a lesson—a glimpse of the kind of power they were up against.
Anon remained calm, though he, too, felt the weight of the situation. As the team gathered themselves and prepared to move, he couldn't shake the feeling that the worst was yet to come. The Nexus was not just a portal or a gateway—it was a living entity, pulling power from the Void and other realms, warping reality in ways they couldn't fully understand. The forces they had faced so far were just the beginning, and the closer they got to the core of the convergence, the more dangerous things would become.
"We need to move quickly," Anon said, his voice low and urgent. "The longer we stay in one place, the more likely it is that the Nexus will send more forces our way. We need to regroup with the other teams."
Rin, Takeshi, and Kazumi nodded, falling into step behind their leader as they began to make their way through the dense forest. As they moved, the shadows seemed to cling to them, almost as if they were being watched. Anon could sense it—a presence lurking just beyond their perception, always just out of reach.
"Something's not right," Takeshi muttered, his eyes scanning the treeline. "I feel like we're being followed."
Anon didn't respond immediately, but he felt it too. The presence wasn't human, but it was familiar—a ripple in the Void, a distortion in the fabric of space itself. He had felt it before, in other battles, but this time it was stronger, more defined. Whatever it was, it was watching them, waiting for the right moment to strike.
"Stay sharp," Anon finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. "We're not alone."
Kazumi's eyes flickered as she activated her genjutsu, casting a subtle veil of illusion over the group to mask their presence. The shadows around them deepened, and for a moment, it felt as if they had merged with the very fabric of the forest. But even with the illusion in place, the presence didn't fade. It was still there, lurking, watching.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them shifted. The air around them grew thick, and the shadows seemed to swell, enveloping the entire area in darkness. The presence that had been following them materialized, coalescing into a humanoid form at the edge of the clearing.
The figure was different from the one they had fought before. It was taller, its body a twisting mass of darkness and void, its eyes glowing a deep crimson. It moved with a fluid grace, as though it wasn't bound by the same rules of reality as the shinobi.
"You've come far," the figure said, its voice echoing with a strange resonance. "But this is where your journey ends. The Nexus cannot be stopped. It is the beginning and the end of all things. You are merely shadows in its wake."
Anon's eyes narrowed. "Another one. But this one is different," he said, stepping forward. "It's stronger. More attuned to the Void."
Rin, Takeshi, and Kazumi tensed, readying themselves for the fight. The figure in front of them radiated a power that was far beyond the previous enemies they had faced. This wasn't just a guardian of the Nexus—it was something more.
"This thing is feeding off the Nexus directly," Takeshi muttered, his grip tightening on his weapon. "It's drawing energy from the convergence itself."
Anon nodded. "We have to sever its connection to the Nexus before we can take it down. If we don't, it will just keep getting stronger."
The figure didn't wait for them to make the first move. In an instant, it lashed out, sending tendrils of Void energy snaking toward the team. Anon moved first, his body dissolving into shadows as he evaded the attack, reappearing behind the figure. He summoned a wave of Void energy and launched it toward the enemy's core.
But the figure was faster than expected. It shifted, its body phasing through Anon's attack as if it were made of smoke. The tendrils twisted and lashed out again, this time targeting Rin and Takeshi. Rin used her Void Phase to flicker out of reach, while Takeshi deflected the tendrils with a burst of energy, but it was clear that they were outmatched in speed and power.
Kazumi, realizing the danger, quickly formed the seals for her genjutsu. She cast an illusion over the battlefield, distorting the figure's perception of reality and creating multiple false versions of her teammates. The figure hesitated, its attacks slowing as it tried to track the real shinobi among the illusions.
"Now!" Anon shouted. "While it's distracted!"
Rin and Takeshi moved in sync, their attacks coordinated as they struck at the figure's core. Rin's blade gleamed as she aimed for the weak point Anon had pointed out, while Takeshi unleashed a torrent of Void-enhanced kunai, each one infused with a concentrated burst of energy.
The figure let out a low growl, its body warping and twisting as it tried to dodge the attacks. But this time, the team was faster. Rin's blade struck true, piercing through the core of the figure's body. Takeshi's kunai followed, embedding themselves in the darkness that made up the figure's form.
For a moment, the figure seemed to falter, its form flickering as if it were losing its grip on reality. But then, with a surge of power, it regenerated, its wounds sealing as the connection to the Nexus fed it more energy.
Anon's eyes narrowed. "It's pulling too much power from the Nexus. We have to sever the link, or we'll never be able to kill it."
Kazumi nodded, already preparing another genjutsu. This time, she focused her energy on the rift itself, casting an illusion over the Nexus to disrupt the flow of power. The figure hesitated again, its connection to the Nexus wavering as it tried to reestablish the link.
Anon seized the opportunity. With a surge of Void energy, he moved toward the rift, focusing on the tendrils of power that connected the figure to the Nexus. His hands moved quickly, weaving the Void energy into a precise pattern as he began to cut through the connection.
The figure let out a roar, its body convulsing as the flow of energy was severed. It lashed out wildly, its attacks growing more erratic as it struggled to maintain its form. But Anon was relentless. He cut through the remaining tendrils, his Void energy slicing through the darkness with surgical precision.
Finally, the connection was severed completely. The figure staggered, its body flickering as it lost its link to the Nexus. Without the flow of energy to sustain it, the figure began to unravel, its form collapsing into a formless mass of shadows.
Anon didn't hesitate. He gathered the last of his Void energy and launched it at the figure's core, delivering a final, devastating blow. The figure let out a final scream before disintegrating into nothingness, the darkness around it fading into the air.
The battlefield fell silent.
Rin, Takeshi, and Kazumi stood together, breathing heavily but victorious. The fight had been brutal, but they had succeeded in severing the figure's connection to the Nexus. The threat was gone, for now.
Anon, still standing near the rift, watched as the shadows around them began to recede. The energy of the Nexus was still present, but it had weakened. They had bought themselves some time.
"Is it over?" Rin asked, her voice filled with exhaustion.
Anon shook his head, his eyes still fixed on the faint glow of the Nexus in the distance. "Not yet. We've weakened it, but the Nexus is still out there. We'll need to regroup with the others and prepare for the final battle."
Takeshi nodded, his face set with determination. "Then let's not waste any more time. We've got a world to save."