Kael reacted almost purely on instinct.
His body moved.
His mind didn’t.
The voices tearing through his consciousness had fractured his focus, making every movement feel sluggish by the slightest margin.
That tiny delay was all the shadow needed.
Kael raised his left forearm to intercept the incoming punch.
Too slow.
The shadow’s fist crashed into his guard with explosive force, driving his own arm backward until it slammed into his throat.
THUD!
Kael gagged violently.
The impact crushed against his windpipe, forcing the air from his lungs as he stumbled several steps backward through the ankle-deep sea of blood.
Before he could even regain his footing the voices returned.
They surged through his mind like a tidal wave.
"WEAK. YOU ARE WEAK. YOU NEED THE KILLING. YOU NEED THE BLOOD."
"KILL."
"KILL."
"KILL THEM ALL. YOU NEED SALVATION. ONLY BLOOD CLEANSES."
"KILL."
"KILL."
"SALVATION THROUGH VIOLENCE. YOU ARE THE BLADE."
"KILL."
"KILL."
Kael’s entire head throbbed.
The pain was unlike anything physical.
It felt as though something was clawing at the inside of his skull, trying to rip his thoughts apart one by one.
"Damn it..."
He cursed beneath his breath, grinding his teeth so hard they almost cracked.
He couldn’t afford to lose focus.
Not now.
The shadow had no intention of giving him even a single moment to recover.
It stepped forward.
Its hips twisted smoothly.
Its shoulder rolled.
Its fist drew backward before exploding toward Kael’s temple in a vicious hook.
Kael’s eyes sharpened.
He ducked.
The crimson fist whistled over his head, missing him by barely an inch.
Using the opening, Kael pivoted on his heel.
His elbow rocketed toward the creature’s ribs with enough force to shatter bone.
Or at least...
That had been the plan.
The shadow shifted its weight effortlessly.
Its upper body leaned backward with uncanny precision.
Kael’s elbow sliced through empty air.
Nothing.
He had missed.
The instant his attack failed, the shadow retaliated.
Its leg swept low across the blood-covered surface, aiming directly for Kael’s ankle.
Kael reacted instantly.
He leapt.
The sweeping kick passed harmlessly beneath his feet.
He landed in a crouch, blood splashing around him.
But then, the voices struck again.
A fresh wave of invisible force hammered into his consciousness.
"YOU’RE WEAK. YOU ARE NOT FAST ENOUGH."
"KILL."
"KILL."
"KILL."
"BOW TO US. ACCEPT SALVATION."
Pain exploded behind his eyes.
His vision blurred for the briefest moment.
Kael clenched his jaw until blood seeped between his teeth.
"No..."
He refused to let the voices dictate his movements.
Ignoring the agony clawing through his skull, he lunged forward.
His left fist snapped toward the shadow’s jaw.
A perfect jab.
The shadow merely tilted its head.
Barely an inch.
The punch skimmed past its cheek.
Kael didn’t stop.
His right hand immediately followed.
A cross.
Miss.
A left hook.
Miss.
Another cross.
Miss again.
Each strike carried enough force to crush steel.
Each punch was sharp.
Fast.
Accurate.
Yet none of them landed.
The shadow flowed around every attack like water slipping through open fingers.
A slight lean.
A subtle sidestep.
A smooth duck beneath the final cross.
It wasn’t struggling.
It wasn’t pressured.
It looked comfortable.
Kael’s frustration slowly began rising.
"What the hell..."
This wasn’t normal.
It felt impossible.
It wasn’t simply dodging.
It was as though it already knew exactly what attack he would throw before he even made it.
Like it could see the future.
Then realization struck him.
His pupils contracted.
"No..."
"It isn’t predicting me..."
"It is me."
The shadow wasn’t merely something that resembled him.
It moved like him.
Thought like him.
Reacted like him.
Every habit.
Every instinct.
Every opening.
Every attack.
It knew all of them.
Because it was born from him.
A manifestation of his own bloodlust.
The instant that realization formem the voices screamed louder than ever before.
"KNEEL. KNEEL BEFORE US. KNEEL... AND ACCEPT SALVATION."
"DEATH IS THE ONLY TRUE SALVATION."
"KILL."
"KILL."
"KILL."
Kael’s head threatened to split apart.
His knees nearly buckled.
Yet, he no longer paid the voices any attention.
There was no point fighting them.
Ignoring them was easier.
The shadow moved again.
While Kael was still recovering from his missed cross, it exploded upward from its lowered stance.
Its fist shot into Kael’s solar plexus.
BOOM!
The punch buried itself deep into his abdomen.
Every bit of air inside his lungs vanished instantly.
Kael folded over.
His eyes widened.
Pain erupted throughout his core as though something inside him had ruptured.
Blood splashed violently around his knees while he staggered backward, desperately trying to draw another breath.
He couldn’t.
His lungs refused to obey.
Even so...
He forced himself upright.
Only to discover the shadow already standing before him.
Another attack.
Its knee rocketed upward.
CRACK!
The strike slammed into Kael’s stomach before he could even brace himself.
His body lifted slightly from the ground.
Immediately afterward...
An elbow crashed across his cheek.
BANG!
Kael’s head snapped violently to the side.
His neck let out a sharp crack that echoed through the endless crimson world.
Copper flooded his mouth.
Blood.
His own blood.
The shadow showed no intention of stopping.
Both of its hands seized Kael by the collar.
With terrifying strength, it yanked him forward.
Then its forehead smashed into his face.
CRUNCH!
Kael felt the bridge of his nose collapse.
White exploded across his vision.
His grip loosened.
His legs gave way.
He crashed backward into the sea of blood with a loud splash.
The warm crimson liquid soaked his clothes as he lay staring into the endless darkness overhead.
His breathing was ragged.
His entire face burned.
Every muscle in his body screamed in pain.
Then, the voices returned once more.
This time...
They sounded excited.
"KILL."
"KILL."
"KILL."
"DEATH IS THE ONLY SALVATION. ACCEPT SALVATION."
Across the sea of blood...
The shadow remained standing exactly where it was.
It silently watched Kael lying there.
The crimson slits that served as its eyes gleamed with something disturbingly close to satisfaction.
Its blood-red smile stretched even wider.
Then it spoke.
"Get up."