Ryuk’s arm snapped back, and in the next instant, a relentless storm of punches crashed down on Achylles, each blow striking with blinding speed, forcing him deeper into the ground.
’Fast.’
’It is too fast to dodge.’
"Forbi...dden Dea...th Te...chniq...ue..."
"S...had...ow of... Death!"
Achylles managed to force the words out through the unending barrage, and suddenly, Ryuk’s fist landed on nothing as Achylles fully became a shadow that sank into the ground.
Rising upright, a WHIIIR sound came from Ryuk’s eyes as his neck rapidly turned to the side.
A cold line of data appeared, and in the next moment,
WHIIIIIRRR!
WHIIIIIIIIR!
WHIIIIIIIR!
He chased after the invisible shadow that burst out of the ground.
Achyless turned, only to find Ryuk’s punch right before his face.
It blasted straight through, yet there was no sound of clashing.
SHRIIIIIIIIIIIING!
The sound of iron clashing against iron resounded as Ryuk dropped down from the air, landing on his feet.
His creased eyebrows turned down to his chest, and he found a diagonal mark crossing over it, revealing ever-changing layers of nano-material beneath.
In the next moment, they quickly assembled, and the wound was immediately closed.
Turning behind him, he found Achylles, but he was substantially different.
For one, he possessed no physical form, having become a full shadow.
The Shadow didn’t immediately race to attack Ryuk.
Instead, he paused, his hands gripping his own jaw tightly, forcing it to the side and then to the left, as if to it, it was real.
Only then did he turn to look at Ryuk.
"We have underestimated you," Achylles admitted.
Though all the Knulls knew Theth’Vorgath had birthed a son, with rumors of him even being alive, the truly powerful Knulls in command didn’t really care about it.
He was just a kid who had only managed to escape with his heart and lungs.
How far can a person with just a heart and lungs go?
Of course, it was nowhere.
They had only started focusing on him after hearing of the death of Zar’kul, but Zar’kul himself was a weakling among the Calamities.
The weakest of them.
He garnered attention, but wasn’t a threat to focus on.
Yet now, he was back, with two Calamities having fallen by his hands.
They had underestimated him, grossly so.
"Still, we Knulls prevailed even back then, when Theth’Vorgath turned his blood scythe against us."
"Compared to him, you’re nothing," Achylles said, only to watch as Ryuk raised his hands, his palms rumbling with destructive energy.
"As much as I hate to praise Theth’Vorgath, I’m pretty sure when you Knulls tried to take him down, a Knull like you was probably quivering in fear behind a rock."
He said, watching as Achylles’ shadow visibly rippled.
The resulting reaction made him smile.
"So, I’m right, huh?"
"You—"
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!
Space was scorched into nothingness as a powerful wave of destructive energy erupted forth from Ryuk’s palm, smashing into Achylles.
A pillar was blasted through his shadowy stomach, but a glint flashed in Ryuk’s eyes as he watched shadows cover the hole.
’Even energy can’t get to him. This might be troublesome.’
In the next moment, Achylles moved, and Ryuk took a step backward.
The sword slashing by his chest missed by an inch, unable to meet their target, and Ryuk reacted instantly, his legs slamming through Achylles’ head, but met with nothing.
BAAAAAAAANG!
A thunderous explosion resounded as Ryuk was blasted far away, flying for almost twenty kilometers before coming to a stop.
Looking at his chest, there was a diagonal cut upon it, radiating thick amounts of corrosion.
His nano-material rapidly pieced together, but this time, its regeneration speed was more than halved.
Turning forward, he found Achylles hovering toward him.
"Before you mock me for cowardice, remember, your father was the biggest failure we Knulls ever had."
He spat out, his shadow spreading out from him all over the place, and soon enough, everything was reduced to pitch black.
A pitch black so terrifying that when Ryuk raised his own hands to his face, he couldn’t see anything at all.
Even feeling was seemingly deprived of him in that moment, as he felt his control over his body slipping away, almost as if his senses over them were darkening.
"Interesting," he muttered, his voice ringing loud and clear through the space.
"Unlike your father, you’re weaker, and you will die."
The voice said, and in the next moment,
SCRRRRRRIIIINGGGGGG!
Feeling returned to Ryuk.
The feeling of his arm, and in the next moment, he turned to where it ought to be, only to hear the sound of something dropping to the ground.
’My arm... It’s been cleaved off.’
He took a step, flashing away from where he was.
SCRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGGGGGG!
The sound of another cleave rang out, followed by the thump of it hitting the ground.
"The darkness you see is unlike anything you have ever seen, for the darker your soul, the clearer you can see within it." The voice echoed out from everywhere, making Achylles’ position hard to narrow down.
"Unlike your father, you have not been exposed to enough darkness."
"You have light in your soul... and that will be the death of you."
SCCCCRIIIIIIIIIIINGGGGG!
Another sound of slicing rang out, and Ryuk wobbled on his feet—but only for a moment, before his other leg was cleaved off and he fell on his butt.
With no arms and no legs, the battle seemed to be over.
He raised his head upward.
He saw nothing, yet he felt something, something within the darkness, seemingly calling to me.
"You fought well for one who started with only a heart and a lung."
"Hence, I’ll give you the honour of leaving your last words."
The words rang out as Achylles watched Ryuk’s head hang low, as if in thought.
Then his head raised up, his lips moving.
"You’re Pathetic!"
He said in mockery.
CLEAVVVEEEEEE!
The shadow sword instantly cleaved down straight towards Ryuk, intending to cleave him into two.
In response, all Ryuk did was darkly chuckle.
Just as the sword was an inch from his brows, a pitch-dark vortex suddenly tore open in its path, and the blade vanished into it.
BAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!
The sound of a heavy collision rang out as Achylles felt something smash straight into the back of his neck, sending him flying forward.
His eyes widened when he found himself being sent flying toward the sitting Ryuk.
Both their eyes locked, and this time, Ryuk’s eyes looked directly into his, something that should have been impossible in the blindness.
"So... pathetic."
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP