Chapter 89: Monsters

There are things that live beyond flesh.
Dark shapes that don’t crawl across the ground,
but across the mind.

They have no face, yet they appear in every reflection.
They have no voice, yet they scream from the deepest corners of the soul.

A monster isn’t always the one who destroys…
Sometimes, it’s the one who survives.

The one who has lost everything except the will to keep standing.
The one who, in order to protect what he loves, learns to love the abyss itself.

But there are lines one should never cross.
And there are moments when, once crossed,
it no longer matters who you were…
only what you’ve become.

Because even monsters…
were once human.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The cave rose like the maw of a dead beast—wet, warped,
filled with forgotten machinery, rusted bones,
and a stench so thick the mist seemed to vomit it out.

Edén paused for a moment as he crossed the threshold;
the air weighed heavily on his chest.

It’s terrifying… truly terrifying, he thought as his sight adjusted to the shadow-infested gloom.

Behind him, Shun’s carefree voice sliced through the tension like a poisoned whisper.

—He’s a real monster. He keeps evolving after every fight… He’s far more troublesome than I expected.

A sharp buzzing tore through the air like a blade,
and a lethal blast darted past Edén’s face.
Shun reacted instantly, pushing him aside.

The explosion that followed shook the foundations of the place,
scattering the remains of rusted devices like shrapnel.

—You can come out now, Puppet, —the pink-haired swordsman ordered, raising his blade.

The mist thickened… and Puppet emerged from within it.
His eyes, twisted and sick with emotion, shone with childlike malice.
His body exuded a dense energy that writhed like invisible serpents around him.

—Yes… I wasn’t wrong, —he said with a crooked smile.— I came here for both of you… and for you, Edén Yomi. I’ve prepared a special gift just for you.

—Save the theatrics, —Shun growled.— We don’t have time for your nonsense.

—A shame, truly, —Puppet replied, raising his arms like a conductor before an orchestra.—
But you two… are nothing more than spectators in my grand performance.

At once, hidden lights flared to life throughout the cave,
revealing an abhorrent spectacle:
an immense army of puppets—dying bodies held together by invisible threads.
Some without eyes.
Others without flesh.
All frozen in expressions somewhere between pain… and death.

Shun fell silent—
until a spark lit his smile.

—What the hell is this?

From above, the sight was even more horrific:
thousands of walking corpses, decaying soldiers,
children dragging weapons,
elderly bodies with hollow eyes…
a parade of the unthinkable.

Edén couldn’t process it.
What the hell are these…?
Are they dead?

Puppet cackled uncontrollably as he began tearing the skin from his own face with his nails,
bloody scraps falling to the floor.

—Citizens of Earth… —he spat between laughter.— And of Grek…

Images flashed in Edén’s mind: familiar faces, ruined places.
People who had died before his eyes.

—And of Nork… —Puppet continued as zombified figures in Viking garb appeared.—
Vili… Vé… even Kou Nave…

Edén trembled.
And there, among them, he saw him.

—Takemi… —he whispered, throat tightening with disgust and rage.

His eyes filled with a fury overflowing.
His fists clenched so hard his nails pierced his skin.

—This has to be a joke…

—Control yourself, —Shun warned, his tone grave.— If you lose control, you die.

He knew this place wouldn’t forgive mistakes.

Puppet raised an arm.
With a smile as wide as it was inhuman, he screamed:

—Raise the curtain!

His eyes went flat. Empty.
A dry command left his throat:

—Attack!

The puppets charged like a feral swarm.

Shun reacted instantly, blocking with clean, rapid movement—
but Edén did not.

Among the distorted growls and shrieks,
a voice whispered from a broken puppet’s body:

—Please… help…

That plea froze Edén.
In a blink, he was struck head-on and hurled against a stone wall,
leaving a deep crack where he hit.

—EDÉN! —Shun shouted, desperate,
as his sword carved a lethal arc and sliced through dozens of puppets in one motion.

Puppet laughed with disdain.

—So weak… so human. You disgust me. Do you intend to play heroes? Save rotten dolls?

He spat on the floor. The black liquid sizzled on the stone.

—I despise you.

—Sorry… —Shun muttered,
and with a single slash, cut down all remaining puppets in front of him.

He retreated toward Edén, who still staggered between guilt and horror.

—Are you okay?

—I can’t… I can’t… they don’t deserve this…

—Then what? You’re going to stay there while they suffer? Is that what you would do?

Edén lifted his gaze.
No confusion remained—only burning anger.

—I believe they deserve a better ending, —Shun said, firm.

Edén rose.
But before he could take a step,
the puppets reassembled themselves and surrounded him again.

Shun didn’t allow it.
He leapt forward and unleashed a storm of energy-infused slashes,
dismembering the enemies with surgical precision.

From the back, Puppet smiled.

—Can’t take you by surprise, huh?

Shun tensed.
Something was wrong.

How is this possible? He’s used an absurd amount of Zenka…
and his energy isn’t dropping at all.

If this turns into a war of attrition… we lose.

Suddenly, a grotesque sound made him turn—
bones grinding, flesh twisting.

The puppets…
were rebuilding themselves.

Shun’s eyes widened.

—You’ve got to be kidding me.

Shun’s voice cut through the paralysis.

—Edén, you know what has to be done… right?

Edén nodded.
There was no room for doubt.

Shun dashed forward like a pink lightning bolt.
His sword sliced through the air in a precise, devastating dance, erasing puppets with every step.
Only fragments, lifeless bodies, and a rain of ancient stench remained in his wake.

—Now! —he shouted.

Edén grit his teeth, gathering a monstrous amount of energy at the tip of his sword.
His eyes gleamed with blazing determination.

—深淵斬 (Shin’en Zan)… Abyssal Cleave.

The slash was clean, descending, absolute.
A black rift opened in the air—hungry, bottomless—swallowing everything in its path: puppets, bodies, fragments, even the whispers of the place.

Among those being dragged away… Takemi.
His ruined body walked slowly toward the edge.

Edén reached out instinctively—but it was useless.
Just before vanishing, Takemi looked at him.
And smiled.
A small, sincere smile… of relief.

That single gesture shattered Edén’s heart completely.

The rift collapsed in on itself.
Then exploded.

—Edén, this isn’t over yet! —Shun roared.

—Yes! —Edén cried, wiping his tears with rage.

They both charged forward, perfectly synchronized—
two notes in a symphony of death.
One blocked, the other cut.
One shouted, the other whispered vengeance.
The puppets fell one after another.

From above, a crazed figure watched.

—Damn you… damn you all!

Puppet could no longer contain his frustration.

Suddenly, Vili and Ve lunged at Shun.
The cavern lit up with explosions of light, steel, and power.

Axes cut through the air.
The sword replied.
The duel was so fast the sound reached seconds after the impact.

Shun clashed against Vili’s axe, stopping him cold,
and in the same breath, drove a brutal kick into the warrior’s stomach.

He spun with surgical precision, striking Ve’s ankle and sending him crashing to the ground.

He gave no pause.
He decapitated Ve in a single motion.
His golden eyes gleamed… and with a straight thrust to the heart, he impaled Vili.
Then, with a punch, he shattered the man’s entire chest—bone, flesh, pride.

—You may rest now, —he whispered respectfully.

A beam of light descended from the ceiling.
Both bodies dissolved into ashes.
And they smiled.
Finally… peace.

—No… no… —Puppet stammered.— This can’t be. I should be winning! I am strong!

Shun looked down at him from atop the corpses.

—Surrender, Puppet. If you cooperate and give us information, we might show mercy.

But Puppet was no longer there.

—I-I’m strong… stronger than mere humans… This shouldn’t be happening…

Shun swallowed.
He’s gone… completely broken.

—Yes… now I understand, —Puppet murmured with a warped smile.—
If I want to win… I must sacrifice everything. Even myself.

At that moment, all the threads snapped.

The puppets collapsed like rotted dolls.
Some split open as they hit the ground.
Others burst, releasing the stench trapped inside.
Decaying organs, blackened flesh, eyes frozen as if still begging for help.
A grotesque graveyard.

Shun and Edén stood frozen.

—What a shame, —Puppet continued softly.—
That I couldn’t control you at your peak… but experimenting with you has been delightful.

From the fog, a colossal silhouette emerged.
Its body was covered in scars and stitches.
Its musculature was unnatural, and its hair was ash-gray.

Two feline, orange eyes burned in the darkness.

—Arise… Gen Yomi, —Puppet declared solemnly.

Edén’s face twisted.
The world collapsed beneath him.

—No… this can’t be real…

He remembered.
He remembered the voice.
The protection.
The final words.
The moment Kai and Ryu tore him away.

—This… has to be a joke…

—Damn it… —Shun growled, gripping the hilt of his sword.

Gen’s body was mutilated.
His right hand was missing.
Stitches ran across his torso as if he’d been sewn back together after being torn apart.

—Grandpa… —Edén whispered.— I… I’m sorry. I wasn’t strong enough…

He dropped to his knees.

—Because of me… you… If only I had been stronger… if only…

Tears streamed down, heavy and agonizing.

—I wanted to stay by your side longer… Grandpa… I’m sorry…

Shun clenched his teeth.

He won’t be able to fight like this… It will destroy him.

—Edén, leave.

—W-what?

—You can’t fight him. Not like this. Get out before—

A flash.

In less than a blink,
Gen appeared before Edén and delivered a brutal kick.

The crack was monstrous.
Shattered ribs.
Ruptured organs.
Edén’s body flew like a ragdoll, crashing violently into a stone pillar.

—EDÉN!! —Shun roared, but it was too late.

He hadn’t seen him move.
He hadn’t felt it.
It just… happened.

Gen stood there.
Silent.
Motionless.

In his hand, he held Edén’s white sword—
the one that until now had remained dormant.

He examined it for a moment.
Then raised his gaze.

Shun felt the clawing strike before it even landed.
Not physically…
but in his soul.

It was the gaze of a lion.
A pure beast, unchained.

And then—
Gen attacked.

Shun barely raised his sword in time.

The impact was so brutal the ground split open.
A shockwave tore through everything around them,
hurling fragments of stone, blood, silence…
and despair.

The roar of battle echoed like an ancient war cry.
Shun and Gen clashed at a speed that carved cracks into the air.
Every strike was an explosion, every clash of blades a symphony of destruction.

Their blades didn’t merely touch—
they collided like worlds.

And then—silence.

Both retreated, barely breathing, staring at each other like beasts recognizing a rival in the same pack.

In a corner, Edén lay broken.
His body was a wreck: fractured bones, torn skin, dry and fresh blood mixing into a single canvas of defeat.

—Yes… —he thought, eyes fixed on the ground—. All of this is my fault…

Darkness slid into his mind like a sweet poison.
It wasn’t just physical pain.
It went deeper.
It was the conviction that his very existence ruined everything he touched.

—It will never change… I’ll always make everyone suffer… I’m cursed…

The smell of death wrapped around him.
With it came memories.

Warm images, old ones…
Japan.
His family.
His friends.
Soccer under the sun.
Laughter.
Confessions.
Birthday cakes crooked and messy, hugged with sincerity.

All of that… was gone.

—Yes… it won’t come back…

Something cracked inside him.
Not a bone.
Not a muscle.

His will.

A thick, living energy rose from his body—black as despair.

—From now on… —he thought, and the darkness answered.

The ground trembled.
Shun and Gen halted immediately, feeling the brutal pressure being born.

—I will build…

Black lightning burst from Edén’s skin like silent thunderbolts.
Puppet felt it.
Shun recognized it.
Gen… smelled it.

—…my own destiny.

A pillar of dark light fell from the cavernous sky, engulfing him.
His wounds vanished in an instant.

What emerged from the explosion was no longer the Edén of before.

His body was clad in armor forged from dark energy, pulsing with purple glimmers and golden engravings.
A helmet covered his entire face—except for the eyes.
They now burned a fierce, blazing crimson.

A voice, ancient and unknown, whispered from the void:

—tnecrep evif-ytnewt.

The air thickened.
His presence… overwhelming.

Shun took a step back, startled.

—Edén…

—Take care of him, —Edén said, unfaltering.— Leave this one to me.

Shun hesitated for a heartbeat.
Then he saw the eyes.

The eyes of a man who had decided.

—You never cease to surprise me, Edén Yomi, —Shun said with a faint smile.

Above them, Puppet watched intently.

It won’t be enough… he thought. My best puppet won’t be enough… I’ll have to use that.

But he had no time.

Shun appeared before him like a death sentence, grabbed him by the head, and hurled him so violently that his body became a shooting star, crashing through the cavern until it struck the earth kilometers away.

Silence.

Only the distant thunder of impact.
Only the crackling of unleashed power.

Edén and Gen faced each other.

No words.

None were needed.

—Grandpa… —Edén whispered—. I’ll pull you out of that hell.

Both raised their swords.

Both roared.

And the collision began.

In another corner of that world, Puppet smashed into a mountain, leaving a trail of blood and shattered rock.

He was in pieces.

—What the hell was that…? —he thought, his body barely holding together.— I couldn’t even react…

In front of him, Shun crouched, watching with disdain.

—Was that all? I expected more from you.

Puppet spat blood.

—Come on, I know you’ve still got tricks left. If you need some time to heal… —Shun stretched his arms, turning his back to him— take all the time you need.

The gesture bewildered him.

—What is happening here…? —Puppet thought.— A moment ago I had them both cornered. How did everything flip so fast?

He denied it in his mind.

No… no way…

—Was he… holding back?

No. Impossible.

But his body trembled.
And he was sweating.

Shun didn’t even look at him.
He simply rolled his neck as if warming up before a game.

—What is this feeling…? —Puppet wondered.—
Fear…? Of what…?

He decided to attack.
Silent.
Lethal.

But when he prepared to move, Shun’s golden eyes locked onto him.

A gaze that tore.
A gaze that paralyzed.

—Are you ready? —Shun asked, expressionless.

—Y-yes…

Puppet’s broken bones rejoined.
His skin sealed.
His body recovered.

But his legs still trembled.

—Let’s play, —he said with a fake smile as his body expelled a filthy, viscous aura that reeked of death.

Shun clicked his tongue.

—Well, well… looks like you still want to play.

The air became unbreathable.
Every remaining piece of vegetation… withered in seconds.
Animals hidden in the shadows collapsed instantly, as if life itself had been drained from their souls.

The stench was unbearable.
Rot. Death. Madness.

Puppet lifted his face, inhaling that pestilence with pleasure.

—This time… —he murmured, voice broken, unhinged—. I’ll be the one having fun.

Suddenly, hundreds of crimson threads burst from the void, piercing through his entire body.
Not as weapons…
but as torture.

The threads burrowed through flesh, nerves, bones, eyes.
Every centimeter was violated by agony.

Puppet screamed.

But it wasn’t a human scream.
It was a warped echo that vibrated as if the air itself were crying.

Blood gushed uncontrollably.
His eyes flooded red.
His nose snapped.
His ears bled.

And still…

He laughed.

As if suffering were the sweetest caress.

—This time… there will be no limitations! —he howled, drenched in blood—. This time… I’ll destroy you!

The threads stabbed through his eyeballs.
A hot burst of blood spilled onto the ground.

The sight was grotesque.
A dying body that refused to stop smiling.

Shun stepped back, speechless.
What the hell… had just happened?

Then—he exploded.

From deep within Puppet’s mangled corpse, a new form emerged.
Burned to the bone.
Long. Skeletal.
Impossibly tall.

A living puppet.
A nightmare given flesh.

And it was smiling.
A white smile.
Sharp.
Drenched in blood.

Shun barely had time to blink—

Before hundreds of threads shot through his body.

—Agh! —he cried as blood burst from his back.

He cut the threads immediately, turning with precise reflexes.
But a purple liquid began pouring from the wounds.

Poison…? When…? How…?

He staggered. Spat blood.
His muscles burned from the inside.
His lungs… began to collapse.

I don’t know how much time I have… but I need to hurry.

With a trembling breath, he stood.
Gripped his sword.

And charged.

A clean strike.
Puppet’s chest opened like paper.

—Got you!

But then… Puppet hugged him.

Two massive scythes burst from his back and impaled Shun from side to side.

—Grrhh! —a dry scream ripped from his throat as blood gushed out in torrents.

Puppet squeezed tighter.
As if trying to tear him apart.

Bones cracked.
Organs collapsed.
And Shun’s screams echoed through the entire underground kingdom.

It’s over, Puppet thought, his victim hanging like a rag doll.

Shun’s arms fell limp.
A river of blood soaked the floor.

Everything stopped.
Silence.
A sickly peace.
Victory.

—I… am… the winner…

But then—

A voice.

—I think we’ve had enough fun for today.

Puppet’s eyes widened like plates.

Shun’s face… was smiling.

A blast of energy erupted from his body.
Puppet’s arms were pulverized.
The scythes shattered.
The ground trembled.

—W-what the hell…?! —Puppet couldn’t even think—. How is he still alive…? How…?

Steam rose from Shun’s body.
His wounds sealed themselves, one by one, as if death itself had forgiven him.

—What a shame, —he said calmly—. I liked this outfit. But it’s ruined now.

He raised his gaze and, with savage confidence, murmured:

—Let’s go, bitch.

And he charged.

Slashes, thrusts, bursts, shockwaves—
a dance impossible to follow.

But Puppet… dodged everything.
His body moved as if he already knew every strike.
As if he had no limits.
As if he were no longer human.

—Well now, —Shun whispered, stepping back for a moment.

He kept attacking, but nothing landed.
Everything was useless.

—You’ve become a real monster.
There’s no humanity left in you.

It’s pointless, he thought. This guy is untouchable. His body reacts before I even think of the next strike.
Because I’m following logic… a pattern.

He closed his eyes.
Breathed.
And smiled.

—Then… I’ll fight without logic.

In his right hand—
a new sword materialized.

Red.
Vibrant.
Almost alive.

Puppet stared at it and stepped back.

What…? Where did that come from?
Wait… what is that aura…?

And for the first time—

He trembled.

A dark aura wrapped around Shun’s crimson sword, as if the metal itself were breathing rage.
And then, it was unleashed.

His body vanished in a blink, reappearing before Puppet like a living flash of vengeance.

—Agh! —Puppet barely managed to lift his arms, but the slashes landed anyway.
One after another.
Like lightning.
Like divine verdicts.

Shun danced with both swords, carving the distance between them every second.

Puppet tried to evade, but his reflexes began failing him.

This can’t be! He’s getting… closer and closer!

He screamed inwardly, then unleashed a flood of crimson threads, desperate to halt the living storm approaching him.

But Shun twisted in the air, spinning in a spiral, cutting each thread one by one, creating a symphony of steel and sparks.

The last sword flew into the sky like a lethal promise.

Puppet stumbled back.

—Stay away! —he roared, voice distorted.

But Shun didn’t stop.

He advanced unarmed, fists clenched.

Puppet grinned.

Now you’re mine…

His arms opened to seize him.

But Shun’s fist arrived first.

The impact was so powerful it sent Puppet flying several meters back.

And at that exact moment, the falling sword returned from the sky.

Shun caught it mid-air.

His gaze—frozen cold.
His judgment—unshakeable.

—You… now belong to me.

The slash split Puppet’s chest.
The shockwave launched him across the ground, smashing him into the earth and carving an immense crater.

But Shun didn’t wait.

He appeared above him.
And drove him deeper.

Explosion.
Roar.
Silence.

This… can’t… Puppet thought, his body splintered.

Shun appeared again in front of him, both swords in hand, staring with profound contempt.

—…be happening.

The blades descended.
Slash after slash.
A merciless choreography.

Puppet’s flesh was torn apart without pause.
His screams no longer sounded human.

Pain had become his only language.

—I… CAN’T… LOSE!

A burst of power erupted from his core, hurling Shun back violently.

Puppet rose.

Every wound began closing with wet, grotesque snaps.
His limbs regained their shape.
His aura became a storm of pure madness.

—DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE!

He spread an endless web of threads, lifting every corpse around him.

And thus… created an army of corpse-marionettes.

—I’ll rip off your skin, shatter your soul, and use you again and again until nothing remains of you, Shun… I’ll damn you!

Shun didn’t move.
He simply looked at him.

—I’m sorry… Experiment 009…

Puppet froze for a second.
That number…

—Both you and the others… were victims of something you never asked for.
I can’t imagine your pain.
I can’t justify what they did to you.

Shun’s voice was serene.
Almost… compassionate.

—But you made one mistake.
You went after people I love.
And that… is unforgivable.

His body began to shine.
A white light.
Golden particles.

The sky opened.
Trumpets. Choirs.
The ground trembled.

—I’ll show you… why they call me this.

His eyes ignited with pure gold.
Two white wings burst from his back, covered in golden threads.
A halo lit above his head.
The white sword overflowed with light.

And the entire battlefield was drenched in his power.

Far away…

Soldiers fainted.
Yogen fell to his knees, shaking.

—Y-you’ve… got to be kidding me…

—Boss, we need to leave NOW! —shouted Willoc.

But Yogen didn’t respond.

He could only think:

What the hell is this guy…? Was he always like this?

Afrodita, stunned.

—This can’t be real… this level… isn’t human.

Tiresias, watching from above, closed his eyes.

It’s almost over…

Eschatos smiled.

—Looks like the demon finally dropped the mask.

In the skies, the king’s escort angel lowered his gaze with respect.

Edén, exhausted, staggered back from his fight with Gen.

From the very first day, I knew you weren’t normal, he thought. But even so… you’re more human than you think, pink-hair.

Shun raised his sword.

And a pillar of light descended like divine judgment.

—Goodbye.
Rest in peace.

—I WON’T GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN! —Puppet screamed.

His voice trembled through memories.
A capsule…
Golden liquid…
Scientists observing…

—NEVER AGAIN!

He launched his final attack.
A roar of tortured souls.

Shun cut through it with a single word:

—Eternal Rest.

And the beam of light fell.

Everything was consumed.

The trapped souls screamed, bursting out of Puppet’s body.
Hundreds of distorted faces—innocent faces—finally freed.

Light covered everything.

And then…

Silence.

When the dust settled, only a devastated plain remained.

Among the ruin…

Shun stood tall.

He closed his eyes, raising his face to the sky.

—From here on… everything is in your hands, Edén.

And then…

A narcissus bloomed.
White. Pure.
Rising from the ashes.