The sand disappeared in the air, leaving only Eithan and Lindon still standing.

[Yerin! Mercy!] Dross floated up to the ceiling, going in circles.

“What was that!” Lindon turned to Eithan. When Mercy and Yerin had vanished, he had called his Burning Cloak. When he spoke to Eithan, it came out as a growl.

Eithan looked away from the ceiling to turn behind him. He held up his hand to calm Lindon down.

“We have company.”

The air behind him turned with a dark portal.

Out of it stepped a man who looked in his 30’s to 40’s, wearing loose black sacred artist’s robes. It was only one layer, his bare chest showing underneath. His hair was like living shadow, long and black, waving like seaweed. His eyes were bright red, not the traditional purple common among the lineage of Akura Malice.

He was a Herald, son of Malice from before she had become a Monarch, and the father of the Sage of the Silver Heart, Akura Charity. Because he was the only direct descendant of Malice to make it to Herald, he was her favored child.

The man was known for waging war singlehandedly, his techniques able to topple cites and blight forests. According to legends, he had killed a dragon Herald, had a bounty placed on him by the Eight-Man Empire, and some cultures included him in their mythology as an omen war. He was considered in third place just behind the Northstrider and the Beast King as the greatest enemy of dragon-kind.

He was the sharp sword of Malice, a legendary one-man force of devastation.

Akura Fury slurped a blueberry smoothie, a moustache of blue dripping from his top lip.

“Where’s Mercy?” He asked brightly.

***

As soon as Yerin’s sand clone had appeared, a wall of sand had begun to fall from the ceiling, wide enough to reach across both ends of the sand platform.

Mercy raised her bow, breathing heavily as she waited. Sweat poured down her face, her Archlord lens fogging up from her breathing. She feared what was about to come next.

Out of the waterfall, Yerin’s sand clone stepped out, her sandy hair longer than Yerin normally kept it. The sand fell to the ground like a small waterfall, always falling but never shortening. Mercy looked up to see the Blood Shadow sand clone crawling along the ceiling, its sword-arms stabbing into the ceiling as it crawled on its knees.

Page Two: Shadow’s Edge. Page Four: Dream of Darkness.

Mercy pulled sword and dream madra from her Book of Eternal Night as she mixed it with her own shadow madra, the arrow thrumming in her bow. Smoky dream purple madra wafted away from it. The arrowhead fit into Suu’s jaws, its amethyst eyes glaring.

It’s not actually Yerin, Mercy reminded herself. It’s okay. You’re not actually hurting anyone.

Yerin’s sand clone stood for a moment as she watched Mercy, shifting her weight. She looked like she was about to jump to the right.

Soulfire erupted from the clone, pushing against the wind and sand aura behind. Yerin shot to the right in a sonic boom, the sandy waterfall behind exploding away like a firework, lines of sand soaring and falling into the abyss below.

Mercy’s arrow followed the clone’s path, trailing a line of purple dream madra.

Yerin reached Mercy’s right side and stopped suddenly, causing a wave of sand to engulf Mercy. It burned and hissed against her armor; she summoned her helmet before it could reach her face, releasing her arrow.

Yerin clasped Mercy’s wrist at the last second, moving her bow to the side as the arrow flew past Yerin’s cheek. The sandy wave finished falling over them, Yerin’s clone looking up to smile in Mercy’s face.

The three sword-arms on her left side smashed into Mercy’s right ribs, scooping her up like pinchers and lifting her off her feet. The pressure made Mercy’s ribcage creak under her armor, and Yerin threw Mercy to the side. Before Mercy flew too far, Yerin’s other side of three sword-arms caught Mercy’s left ribs.

Mercy gritted her teeth, grabbing Yerin’s face. The clone ducked her head, but Mercy grabbed at thin air anyways, holding onto what looked like nothing. Then a rope of shadow madra materialized, having been hidden by dream aura. It was from the arrow Mercy had shot.

The rope pulled Mercy up as she held on, Yerin clutching onto her. Above her the Blood Shadow laughed as got up on its feet and ran to Mercy’s rope attached to the ceiling.

Suu’s dragon face changed as Mercy used Dream of Darkness, the bow turning into a small black dragon. It snarled at Yerin’s face as it opened its jaws to bite the head off. Its teeth were knocked back from the Endless Sword, its body flailing.

Mercy activated Suu, and it resonated with her madra. This technique would take a lot of madra, so she banished her crystal armor, revealing her bloody black-and-purple robes clinging to her body.

Strings of Shadow exploded from Suu like webs. The thick robes expanded out and connected to every inch of the room in thick cords of shadow madra. It became a maze of drooping black strings, looking like black jungle vines draping inside an ancient forbidden temple. The Strings of Shadow began to disconnect from Suu, the ropes melding into each other.

The webs caught Yerin, stabbing into her sand body and holding her in place.

Suu suddenly reversed course, flying away from Yerin. Mercy stood on the dragon, leaving Yerin behind entangled in the shadow madra, the Endless Sword ripping the shadow around her. The Blood Shadow and Yerin ripped the webs to shreds, but they kept reforming faster than both their combined Ruler techniques could destroy them.

As Mercy stood on her staff-dragon, it began to circle around the room. More Strings of Shadow began to stab out of its body, attaching to the walls and ceiling. In seconds, Mercy had a wave of strings behind her, glinting like metal. The room began to groan under the weight of the strings, the walls cracking as the strings pulled on them, attached to the flying dragon-staff.

Mercy was about to rip the whole room apart.

Yerin and her Blood Shadow detonated the Endless Sword, cutting the strings behind Mercy to pieces. The Akura Underlady jumped off her staff and ran down the webs of madra, leaving Suu to circle the room alone.

Yerin was scuttling up the webs, jumping and cutting shadow string out of her way. Her Blood Shadow grabbed a cord and hurled itself up, reaching Mercy.

Mercy jumped over the Blood Shadow, its red blade sliding past her boots. Its sword-arms shot up under her, crackling with the Flowing Sword in glitters of red-silver madra.

The webs around the Blood Shadow sprang shut, smashing its sword-arms together above its head. Its entire body was wrapped like a black mummy, quivering as the Blood Shadow struggled to break free from the cocoon.

Mercy landed on another cord of shadow as she ran, Yerin jumping up under her, her blade pointed up as she shot like a torpedo. Mercy jumped off her cord, grabbing onto it as she fell. At the same time Yerin split it in half into two pieces. As Yerin jumped upwards, Mercy fell, their faces inches from each other.

Then Mercy was pulled away by the cut cord, hanging onto it like a rope as she swung away.

Strings of Shadow reached for the sand clone, but Yerin’s Endless Sword cut the webs around her, Forging sword madra under her feet as it ran forward. One of her sword-arms flicked behind to send out a Striker technique, cutting a gash into the cocoon holding the Blood Shadow. That opening allowed one of the Blood Shadow’s red sword-arms to emerge, the rest crawling out of the opening like caterpillars and tearing the cocoon away.

Mercy was running to Suu, the dragon still hoisting a mound of strings behind it as it sought the pull the walls out. The ceiling began to tremble, the waterfalls of sand shaking against the webs. The webs sagged wherever the sand waterfalls fell.

As Yerin and the Blood Shadow released Striker techniques, Mercy’s body spun around until she was running upside-down, still running alongside the same String of Shadow. The Striker techniques passed under her feet, the shadow cord vibrating from the close call.

Suu turned to Mercy, the dragon giving a cry as it dove down to her master, Strings of Shadow creaking behind it as the whole room began to crack.

Yerin and the Blood Shadow closed their eyes, reaching for the Sword Icon.

Mercy felt the change in atmosphere. It made her stomach tighten with worry. She was going to have to get serious if she wanted to survive.

Mercy was still running upside down when she felt Yerin land on the string on top of her. They both ran like mirror images of each other, running on the same shadow line.

Mercy brought her hands up, Forging an arrow from her hands. It wasn’t as effective without Suu, but it was better than nothing. Yerin dropped down from the string, hanging in front of Mercy with one hand. The Blood Shadow hung behind Mercy. Yerin kicked Mercy’s feet out from under her, her sword stabbing forward.

The blade tip stuck her chest; a chestplate of violet crystal materialized for the moment it took to block, and Mercy shot back from Yerin’s sword to the Blood Shadow. Rippling Swords smashed into her from both sides, blocked by her armor.

Their strength was overpowering, Mercy’s bones shaking as her armor materialized to hold off their strikes. They felt strong enough to shatter steel, her skin bruising.

The Blood Shadow kicked Mercy into one of the sand waterfalls; as Mercy tumbled down, Yerin jumped on top of Mercy and rode down the waterfall on her as if Mercy were a snowboard, sliding through the sand.

When they reached the end, Yerin kicked Mercy off the edge of the waterfall, below her webs of shadow.

The ground under her was replaced by the dark abyss, where the waterfalls of sand fell. In midair, Mercy turned and shot the ceiling with an arrow. It elongated in a rope that she used to pull herself up.

Yerin’s Blood Shadow slashed it away with a Rippling Sword, dropping Mercy down. Yerin jumped under Mercy and Forged a blade of sword madra. Yerin used the Forged madra as a foothold, jumping up for Mercy.

But the arrow had done its job, pulling Mercy close enough the shadow webs. She grabbed ahold, twisting her body as she acrobatically dodged Yerin. Mercy twisted and turned, reaching for the next line of shadow as if they were monkey bars, rocking sideways to avoid the Striker techniques.

Yerin’s Blood Shadow shot down to Mercy, its sword raised and cutting a line straight through the Strings of Shadow. As the webs broke above Mercy, she closed her eyes.

I’m not going to hurt them for real. Its okay to go all out. I don’t want to fight them, but mother is counting on me. I must fight.

Mercy tucked her foot into a web as she let go, hanging down with one foot only. She had grabbed ahold of the webs above her as she fell. When the Blood Shadow reached her, Mercy threw the loop of shadows up, wrapping the Blood Shadow’s neck.

She shot an arrow for the platform, pulling her to solid ground along with Yerin’s Blood Shadow.

Mercy’s String of Shadow tightened around the Blood Shadow’s neck, forming a rope of madra that encircled the neck and squeezed. With a pop, the Blood Shadow’s head rolled off… and was caught by the Blood Shadow’s hands. It flipped backwards on its feet, fitting its head on backwards before turning it to face the front. Its face wore a smirk as it stretched its mouth, cracking its neck.

Mercy turned away, disturbed by seeing the head of her friend head roll off. She turned to see Yerin’s blade coming for her neck.

Mercy grabbed onto a cord of shadow, flipping over Yerin. She twisted her body until it was parallel with the ground, Yerin’s blade passing under her, sliding across the webs to kick Yerin away. When she landed, she shot an arrow that wrapped around Yerin’s sword-arms. Mercy pulled Yerin in front of her, blocking the Blood Shadow’s Striker techniques as they instead hit Yerin.

Yerin flexed her sword-arms and broke apart the shadow, turning around to see Mercy’s palm hitting her face.

Sword-arms closed on Mercy as Yerin was covered in a wrap of shadow from head to toe. The sword-arms were inches from Mercy’s body, straining, Strings of Shadow holding them back. They shone with crackling lights, and the Striker techniques shot for Mercy’s face.

Mercy backflipped away and rose over her webs, watching as the webs undulated below like black sea waves, ripping apart above Yerin. Mercy landed on a cord of webs, running up the webs, jumping and climbing as she ran for Suu.

Under her, the Blood Shadow jumped. Its sword-arms stabbing forward, causing Mercy to slide backwards on her string as the sand clone landed in front of her.

The Blood Shadow ran forward, its sword and sword-arms stabbing forward. Mercy moving her head side to side, dodging everything. With her Puppeteer Iron Body, she was able to control her movements. She still struggled to keep up with the Sword Icon as a sliver of sword madra cut a gash into her chin.

Mercy knew she wouldn’t be able to keep this up forever. The Blood Shadow kicked Mercy in the face, and the Akura flew backwards. Her back arched in the air as she flipped, her hair swinging behind her. She landed on two strings, facing two Yerin’s jumping in front of her.

Yerin and the Blood Shadow teamed up on her as she landed on another string. It became a whirlwind of twelve sword-arms, two swords, and bouncing arrows.

During the fight Mercy shot her arrows from her hands and rebounded them against the webs, forcing the two Yerin’s to dodge them as they fought. Mercy would summon her Akura armor wherever she needed it to block, flipping over pairs of sword-arms as they scraped against her armor in sparks. Every so often the webs would spring up in traps, trying to wrap around both Yerin’s.

Slashes appeared all over Mercy’s body, both Yerin’s guided by the Sword Icon. They began to move faster than her armor could form, ensnaring her in cages of Endless Sword that she was forced to jump out of.

Mercy backed away, keeping a hand on the string above her as she used it to jump over Yerin’s sword, only to let go to avoid the Blood Shadow’s Striker technique. She released an arrow behind Yerin. As soon as the arrow hit the webs it rushed up like liquid smoke. It reached out like hands as it grabbed Yerin’s back and pulled her down, allowing Mercy to jump over her to avoid the Blood Shadow’s Endless Sword coming from above.

Suddenly, a section of the wall began to fall in an avalanche. Mercy turned to see the sand roaring as Suu pulled that chunk of the wall away.

The Blood Shadow turned to Suu, and it changed its goal. It kicked Mercy away and leapt off.

The Blood Shadow was headed towards Suu, reaching the top of the webs as it jumped up. Suu flew high above, unable to be reached.

Underneath, Yerin unleashed the Endless Sword. The sword aura reached the Blood Shadow, providing aura for the Blood Shadow to push against with soulfire. It shot the Blood Shadow forward like a missile, tearing through the webs as it reached Suu.

Strings of Shadow split away from Suu’s body, the Blood Shadow slashing down with its sword and sword-arms. Suu let out a cry as the bloody swords cut into its body, shooting down like a spear, morphing back into a normal staff as it fell into the abyss.

Mercy’s eyes widened underneath her helmet.

Eclipse, Ancient Bow of the Soulseeker, had been a gift from her mother. It had been Malice’s weapon as she had progressed from Lowgold to Archlord, made from the Remnant of a Sage shadow dragon. With the bow, Akura Malice had sealed the living volcano of Shara Kahn. She had destroyed the Sunlight rebellion, binding together the thirteen islands into one.

Mercy just called it Suu.

The Akura Underlady flinched as Yerin grabbed her shoulder, getting a good hold of her black and purple robes, blood and flesh blowing away from the sharp touch. Mercy grabbed her robes and ripped them off, the billowing robe covering Yerin’s face as Mercy jumped off the webs in a dive.

Now that she no longer wore her robes, she was revealed to be wearing purple pants and a skintight vest made entirely of black silver chains, crisscrossing into a fine armor mesh. Her arms were bare, bleeding from multiple slashes, running down her black-tar fingers. Her skin gained new scratches as waves of Rippling Swords slashing into her.

As she dived to Suu, a line of shadow connected to her back like a bungee rope. It unfurled behind her like a snake as she dashed through the webs, weaving, and slipping between the cracks, avoiding Yerin and the Blood Shadow as she zigzagged through the maze of shadow. She banished any traces of her armor, allowing her Puppeteer Iron body to gracefully avoid the Striker techniques. She was prioritizing speed above all else.

As she reached the end, her fingertips broke through the bottom of the webs.

Finally, Mercy emerged into to freedom, leaving behind the nest of twisting shadow. In front of her the abyss yawned open, her staff blending into the darkness. Its eyes twinkled purple, staring back at her desperately.

Yerin’s Blood Shadow was right behind Mercy, holding onto her bungee rope with one hand and sliding down it as if it were a pole; the friction caused flecks of shadow madra to jump away from the Blood Shadow’s grip, leaving behind a cloud of shadow as the Blood Shadow fell. The rope dangerously thinned.

Mercy’s rope suddenly grew taut, its length tightening as it stopped Mercy’s fall. She had reached the end of her rope. Her body sank a few more inches, the rope stretching like rubber….. and stopping at the right distance for Mercy’s fingers to barely clasp around her staff. Suu gave a victory roar.

Good girl, Suu.

Mercy looked up, her hair hanging behind her, the dragon head snarling as Suu transformed into a bow. The Blood Shadow was on top of her, its blade stabbing down for her face.

The Akura princess shot the arrow. It met the point of the Blood Shadow’s sword and split like water, forming hundreds of tiny arrows that pierced its face like quills. The tiny arrows poked through its head, elongating into long ropes that flailed in the air behind it.

The rope holding onto Mercy’s back was tight with tension, and it shot back up, pulling Mercy back to the webs of shadow…. and to Yerin.

Yerin dove down, her sword-arms pointing straight for Mercy and shining with the Flowing Sword technique.

Mercy reached out and grabbed the flailing ropes that connected to the back of the Blood Shadow’s face. Her muscles flexed under her skin as Mercy heaved and pulled Yerin’s Blood Shadow up. The Blood Shadow smashed into Yerin’s side, changing her trajectory, and allowing Mercy to shoot by her. Yerin’s Goldsigns missed her, passing harmless through her flowing hair.

The Akura princess was not done yet as she turned around in the air, holding out one hand in a claw, her purple eyes glowing and letting off purple smoke. It was dream aura, starting to leak from her body.

She elongated the shadowy ropes attached to the Blood Shadow’s head, and they shot up like arrows. One of the flying ropes wrapped around Mercy’s hand, the others stabbing into the sand platform in the room. The ropes pierced into the sand like anchors, and immediately shortened. The Blood Shadow and Mercy were pulled down, the Blood Shadow’s body skidding into the sand.

Mercy landed next to the Blood Shadow with a crouch, her purple eyes looking upwards and letting out purple steam.

“You’re not getting my mother.” She wasn’t just talking to Sophara. She spoke to Xorrus, and to the Dragon Monarch.

The sand clones were weaker than their original sacred artists, but they would still destroy most Underlords.

Akura Mercy was not most Underlords.

As an Underlord, she would save her Monarch mother from being killed by Penance, even if it meant having to sacrifice her peace. Even if it meant having to fight seriously among her friends.

Mercy focused her madra into the webs above. The webs of shadow above retracted, coalescing into one long glinting arrow, a finger-thin spike of shadow madra that materialized from the ceiling to the platform, stabbing down into the Blood Shadow’s mouth.

It grabbed the arrow in its mouth, its Goldsigns flashing out. Mercy brushed them aside with Suu in a clash of sparks, her hair barely moving as she grabbed the finger-thin arrow. Filling it with her madra, it thickened from finger size to giant size.

The arrow demolished Blood Shadow’s head like a sandcastle blowing away, the headless corpse body going limp as its sword-arms clattered to the ground.

Suddenly, its body began to twitch. The body rolled away, its head reforming as sand pooled together into the shape of a head.

Mercy still held onto the arrow, placing her palm against the trunk-sized shaft. Yerin was sliding down the arrow with her sword-arms stabbing into it, building up Striker techniques. Mercy looked up at Yerin as she brushed her fingers up.

As her fingers slide away from the cool surface, the arrow split above her hand into a web of shadow madra; it was a ceiling over Mercy’s head, cords of madra extending from the walls, some of the ropes stabbing into the floor like slanted pillars.

Yerin stabbed through the web, landing next to her, sword-arms punching forward in furry combo attack.

As Mercy evaded Yerin’s attacks, lines of blood embedded themselves into the young heir. She used her armor-clad elbows and hands to throw the sword-arms up, ducking to avoid a slash that bit into her vest armor. Mercy flipped between Yerin’s sword-arms, scraping against her armor, as her palm hit Yerin.

The Blood Shadow rejoined the fight, slashing the Akura across the back.

Mercy felt her bones breaking as the two tore into her. She felt her legs kicked out under her as Yerin punching her through the sand, the Blood Shadow grabbing her hair and throwing her back to Yerin. Her Akura armor was too slow as twelve sword-arms stabbed into her toro.

Mercy stood in between the two Yerin’s, blood leaking from her mouth. Her armor faded away, her eyes wide in pain. She made a cat noise, struggling to breathe. Both Yerin’s smiled at her through the purple fog coming from Mercy’s eyes.

Mercy was no match for the Sword Icon, not as she was now. It was time to reveal her trump card.

The Akura heir looked up, the purple fog coming from her eyes expanding.

Both Yerin’s jumped away, their spirts warning them as the air around Mercy exploded in Shadow’s Edge blades. Her staff flew out of her hands, floating above her.

The air filled with the Shadow’s Edge, both Yerin’s throwing sword madra as they made their way to Mercy.

Mercy went on all fours, her black hair floating above her, swirling as dream aura floated from her eyes. Her hair seemed to turn purple with how thick the dream madra was, sparkling as if was a shard of crystal. As the smoke twisted and spat, her hair was revealed to be a dark purple.

Her Archlord purple lens changed as well, elongating until it formed a long visor, looking like a pane of glass hovering over both her eyes. They lit up with symbols, reflecting off her eyes, calculating the angles she would need for her arrows.

The black madra gloves on her arms began to squirm. Suu floated above her, the Book of Eternal Night appearing over the staff. The dragon-staff looked up, dream madra transforming it into a shadow dragon.

It coiled in the air, its entire body growing to a massive size as the light in the room seemed to darken. In seconds, it was pitch black, the only light coming from Mercy’s eyes and the dream aura swirling around her, as well as the dragon’s eyes and the Book of Eternal Night.

The dragon’s eyes glowed purple, giving it a corona of light as it looked up at the darker than black book. It opened its jaws, swallowing the book whole as it closed its eyes. The ridges of its scales glowed purple, and the dragon blew away in black smoke.

It settled over Mercy, covering her skin in shadow. It linked with her Goldsigns, her entire skin morphing into a shiny oily black. Her black-tar Goldsigns began to shift, moving from her elbows up into her shoulders like living shadow. Waves of shadow flickered from her body, shadowy ripples poking out of her skin, small tendrils sticking out and waving in the air.

As Mercy finished her transformation, she looked up at Yerin, dream aura hissing out of corners of her closed lips. From her ears, crystal earring glinted.

Page Five: Icon of Night

Yerin and her Blood Shadow raced forward.

The dream aura pouring from her eyes intensified, covering her face in a cloud of violet mist. Her dark purple hair lit up with bright light as it expanded out, no longer dark but glowing a luminescent violet that floated in the air behind her like smoke.

Yerin and the Blood Shadow ignited with the Endless Sword. Mercy moved to the side, dream aura trailing from her eyes in lines.

The Night Icon Enforced her body with shadow, sword, venom, and dream madra. Dream madra in her eyes allowed her to predict the movements, gaining the same abilities as Eithan. Even though she wasn’t an Overlady yet, she had been able to touch the Night Icon after her Sage training with Akura Charity.

There, in the night, Mercy and Yerin danced to the same tune.

Mercy brought a forearm up, Shadow’s Edge and Strings of Shadow shoving the Blood Shadow away in a shield. The Blood Shadow unleashed a wave of bloody sword aura, washing over Mercy.

Mercy grabbed a fistful of the shield and it elongated into a long whip she churned around, sword aura swirling around her and matching the Endless Sword technique. The sword aura’s clashed with each other, the bell gongs sounding eerie.

Wherever Mercy moved, she left behind steaming purple fog as it rushed out of her eyes and mouth, her violet hair floating in the air behind her in waves. Her chain vest sparkled with the light as she ducked under the Blood Shadow’s fist, bracing herself to the floor with Strings of Shadow, holding her in place as Yerin punched her. The strength of the punch blew back sand, but the shadow madra kept Mercy in place.

Mercy turned with the punch, turning to the side, and stepping in to Yerin. It left her in range of the sword-arms, which stabbed at Mercy before suddenly stopping.

Shadow madra had sprung up and pulled the sword-arms down, allowing Mercy to hit Yerin under the chin with the base of her palm. As Yerin’s head recoiled back, the Blood Shadow jumped on top of Mercy, its sword-arms beginning to touch her head.

Mercy grabbed a hold of Yerin’s robes as she crouched, pulling Yerin off her feet and holding her above her head to block the Blood Shadow’s sword-arms. Two sets of silver and red sword-arms clashed against each other, sword aura exploding away. Yerin’s sword-arms immediately disengaged from the Blood Shadow and closed down on Mercy like jaws.

Sticky shadow madra flowed from Mercy’s pores, making a gooey wall that prevented the sword-arms from penetrating further, the tips barely touching her skin. Yerin’s Striker techniques blew it apart, but Mercy was already gone, her purple hair vanishing in the corner of Yerin’s eyes.

Yerin turned around, and Mercy was pointing her finger at Yerin’s cheek. Yerin jumped back, unsure of what Mercy was doing. Her Blood Shadow came in behind Mercy, swinging its sword. Mercy stood still as the blade never touched her, stopping an inch from her neck, the wind rustling her hair in violet whirls.

Dream madra blew away from the air, revealing the hidden Strings of Shadow holding the Blood Shadow’s blade back.

The Blood Shadow strained, but the webs of shadow groaned as they tightened with tension, holding the sand clone back; the Strings of Shadow bounced back, flinging the Blood Shadow away. It released the Endless Sword, but Mercy blocked with a shield of shadow, wind rustling around her.

Mercy’s hair blew sideways, her eyes shining under the Archlord purple visor, staring at Yerin.

That was when Yerin realized the hidden Strings of Shadow stretching from Mercy’s finger to Yerin’s cheek.

Mercy dragged Yerin off her feet, pulling her inwards to a punch. Yerin blocked with her sword-arms, swinging her sword down. Mercy’s hair crystalized, raising up to block the sword, the force causing sand to fly up in a wave.

Mercy bent backwards, her crystal hair stabbing into the ground to steady herself as she kicked Yerin. The sand clone grunted as the kick blasted her forward, rolling on the sand. She dug her sword-arms into the platform just as she reached the end, hanging on by the tips. Sand fell below her feet into the abyss.

Yerin jumped up only to find a rush of violet crystal dragon heads rushing at her, each the size of a thumbnail. Their eyes glowed and their mouths opened, making hissing noises. The crystal heads shattered, releasing Nightworm Venom gas.

Yerin jumped back, her sword-arms catching the gas and starting to melt. Yerin landed on the ceiling, absorbing the sand to heal her sword-arms.

Mercy grabbed another Nightworm Venom bomb from her uncrystallized hair, the crystal dragon heads popping up in her flowing hair like amethyst jewels.

The Blood Shadow had returned, punching at Mercy’s back. Strings of Shadow hidden by Dream of Darkness materialized from the ground, wrapping around the Blood Shadow’s fist. It slowed its punch down, allowing Mercy to push it up and thrust her bomb into its face. She squeezed the bomb, and released the Nightworm Venom gas. She was immune to it, but the Blood Shadow screamed, grasping its melting face.

Yerin jumped off from the ceiling, cracks forming, as the sand clone slammed down onto Mercy. Her eyes widened as she stopped above Mercy, a hidden String of Shadow grabbing her leg and pulling her back to the ceiling.

Mercy’s dream aura helped her predict what Yerin would do, allowing her to place Strings of Shadow accordingly and hide them with Dream of Darkness.

Yerin cut the string and fell back down as her Blood Shadow healed its face, pulling sand up from the platform, reforming its face. Both Yerin’s raised their blades and began to Forge their Final Sword technique.

Silver aura whipped up around their blades, glowing like metallic suns as they appeared like heavenly sword replicas. With their improvement in the Sword Icon, their Final Sword formed faster than they had in her fight with Lindon.

As the two Final Sword closed on Mercy, she stood perfectly still, Forging a hidden String of Shadow.

Xorrus must have really tried to make the sand clone as accurate as possible, including the Archlord binding in her sword, thought Mercy.

Yerin revealed her feint, dispersing her Final Sword as she triggered the Archlord binding in her sword.

The Blood Shadow was still running, its Final Sword closing fast.

Mercy’s eyes followed it up as the Blood Shadow was suddenly yanked up, pulled by the retracting String of Shadow connecting it to Yerin’s blade. As the icy Archlord madra washed out, it hit the Blood Shadow’s Final Sword.

The explosion destroyed the platform, roaring and breaking down the walls to reveal other rooms. Yerin and her Blood Shadow were falling, their sandy forms dripping down and unable to heal. But as the falling sand hit them, it was enough to reform their bodies and they pushed up against wind aura with their soulfire. They shot to the ceiling, plunging their sword-arms to the ceiling to anchor themselves. They pulled sand from the ceiling, further healing their wounds.

Mercy was already standing there behind them on the ceiling, her feet anchored by Strings of Shadow. Her hair continued to float against gravity like a purple mountain range.

She raised he hands as if she held a bow, and strands of her violet hair modeled into the shape of a bow. A tendril of her hair fitted into the bow like an arrow, spinning. The hair arrow crystallized into the same material her Akura armor was made.

Both Yerin’s lashed out with Rippling Swords, the Endless Sword, and Forged another pair of Final Swords.

Mercy’s hair arrow shot out, her hair elongating as the crystal arrow shot through the air, wind twisting around it as it connected into the flat of the Blood Shadow’s Final Sword. It pierced through, stabbing through the technique, and taking the Blood Shadow’s head off.

Yerin had made it past, reaching Mercy with her Final Sword. A robe of shadow enveloped Mercy, flickering with Shadow’s Edge as Mercy raised her arms, her sleeves turning into black blades that held off the Final Sword.

The hair arrow looped around, coming for Yerin’s back. The sand clone tried to cut it away with Endless Shadow, but the sword aura bounced off the crystallized hair. It pierced her toro and blew the top half of her body off. Her hair arrow uncrystallized and joined back with her mass of hair.

Yerin’s Final Sword was still active for a moment as the Blood Shadow surged up from the sand next to Mercy, its mended face snarling. And then screaming in pain as Mercy Forged Strings of Shadow connecting Yerin’s heavenly sword to the Blood Shadow’s face, pulling the Blood Shadow into the Final Sword.

Yerin’s top half reformed in a second, her arms already grasping her sword.

Mercy jumped back as Yerin cut off the Final Sword and released the Archlord binding again, her robes helping her melt into the shadows and evade the Archlord attack.

As the icy madra vanished, it left swirling icy razor blades in the air like snowflakes, radiating sword aura. The air felt cold, making cycling feel more sluggish.

Yerin and her Blood Shadow were back to back on the ceiling, their sword-arms and swords glowing with a desperate silver and red light, holding off the night itself. Their sand hair pointed above their head, following gravity, sand flowing down like miniature waterfalls into the abyss below.

Mercy’s purple eyes opened next to Yerin, and both Yerin’s turned. Mercy caught the Blood Shadow’s kick, Forging a String of Shadow connecting the Blood Shadow’s face to its own leg.

As the Blood Shadow hopped on one leg, Mercy placed a palm in its chest. She Forged a Nightworm Venom arrow that blasted into its chest, sending the clone tumbling away. Its melting body drew in sand, reforming.

Yerin slashed out with her left side, the three sword-arms coming for Mercy’s ribs. Mercy stepped back, only for Blood Shadow to kick at her from the back. Mercy caught the Blood Shadow’s kick, Forging a String of Shadow connecting the Blood Shadow’s leg to Yerin’s face. The rope retracted, and the Blood Shadow ended up kicking Yerin.

Yerin and her Blood Shadow recovered, not giving Mercy a second to breathe.

When Yerin would come to punch Mercy, Forged Strings of Shadows would connect from Yerin’s fist to her Blood Shadow, slowing her down. Mercy would entangle their sword-arms together, flipping over them. She would go back and forth with them, Strings of Shadow catching each other’s strikes, putting their attacks in the way of each other.

When both Yerin’s stabbed at Mercy, she bent backwards, grabbing both of their wrists, sticking them together. She turned back as they kicked, catching both of their ankles, and wrapping them up together. Mercy rolled away as their sword-arms erupted, her purple hair catching the brunt of it and spewing strands of hair.

Both Yerin’s detangled themselves, having had enough. They lifted their swords above their heads, sword aura making their hair and robes twist and turn. The divine replica swords appeared again over their heads.

Before they had a chance to use it, the ceiling under them cracked open as black arrows shot upwards, piercing Yerin in the chest and carrying her down towards the abyss.

The Blood Shadow threw her Final Sword, the blade spinning through the air. With her Archlord visor guiding her, Mercy raised a hand, and caught the hilt of the Final Sword. It exploded with the Endless Sword, but Mercy’s hair protected her as she stabbed the sword into the ceiling.

Its power demolished the ceiling, and both Mercy and the Blood Shadow fell through the night, following after Yerin.

Yerin’s Blood Shadow prepared to hurl Striker techniques when suddenly its entire body was covered in black bristles, not an inch of its red skin showing. It tore them out with the Endless Sword, but more black arrows rushed through the night, blistering with Nightworm Venom.

Below them, Yerin had already freed herself, screaming as she jumped up.

As they all fell in the air, Mercy closed her eyes.

Icon of Night: The Spider’s Bite

The night blew out, light shining once again as the room lit up.

Mercy landed on a Forged a platform of web, looking like a spider’s web.

Inches above her, the night was now wrapped around both Yerin’s.

They hung in the air in a nest of webs as Mercy landed in front of them, her purple hair settling down on the webs under her. She looked up at Yerin and the Blood Shadow from under her Archlord visor, staring at the twelve sword-arms straining inches from her face.

This was the power of the Akura family genius.

Their Goldsigns struggled to reach Mercy’s face, held back by the shadows. All twelve of them reflected her eyes as she looked at them. The two sand clones labored to break free, but their bodies were already melting from the Nightworm Venom in these webs.

As they melted, they were unable to heal themselves as they could no longer touch the sand, suspended in midair. Yerin tried to lift her sword, but her limbs were unable to move. She looked down, watching her sand body hissing around the webs. The dark webs dripped with Nightworm Venom, sinking into her body.

Mercy had been pouring Nightworm Venom into every inch of these webs, hiding it with Dream of Darkness and undercover of the darkness.

The sand clone’s bodies shook, Nightworm Venom pouring from their eyes, ears, and mouth. Their shrieks began to gurgle as their throats melted away.

The Akura stood up slowly, looking sad.

“I’m sorry.”

She walked up to the Blood Shadow, raising a glowing purple hand. Placing it on the Blood Shadow’s head, Mercy activated her next technique.

Icon of Night: The Screaming Horror

The Blood Shadow stopped struggling, the remains of its eyes going wide as it stared into space. Its bottom jaw was dripping off its face, its eyes turning purple as it began to see its worst nightmares, seeing things that were not there.

When the Nightworm Venom webs tore the Blood Shadow limb from limb, it dispersed into red sand like a bloody mist, never making a sound.

The Akura heir turned to Yerin, lifting her purple hand.

Suddenly, Mercy fell to her knees, coughing up blood.

Her hair returned to their normal color, the shadow from her skin floating away and forming back into Suu. Her Book of Eternal Night returned to her soulspace. Her Goldsigns slithered down back into gloves. Her Archlord visor shrank down, returning to the normal lens hanging over her left eye.

The Night Icon had run out and it was taking a toll on her body.

Yerin did not waste any time. She used soulfire to grasp the remaining sword aura in the air, layering it onto her Endless Sword. With a ripple of invisible blades, Yerin cut her way out of the Nightworm Venom webs.

The webs hissed as they snapped open, Yerin falling onto her stomach; her entire bottom half had melted off. She crawled over on the shadowy web, making her way over to a waterfall of falling sand.

As she bathed in it, her body began to heal. The putrid sand infested with Nightworm Venom washed away, replaced with healthier golden sand. When she had finished healing, she walked out.

Mercy was still laying on the ground clutching her stomach, her moans sounding like cat noises. She lay on her side, her hair sticking to her bloody arms. Tears fell from her eyes.

Yerin lifted her sword as she walked over, readying the Final Sword. It was a pitiful display, the clone thought to herself. The Akura girl must be crying from the pain. The stupid girl couldn’t even handle her own power. Mercy was weak. She would not live another day.

When she was about thirty feet away from Mercy, Yerin raised a replica of a heavenly blade, about to –

Yerin dropped her sword, her body freezing up.

Mercy had covered the distance in a flash, her hand spearing through Yerin’s chest. Mercy’s hair flew back, settling down. Her eyes trailed purple madra, leaving two stripes of purple behind her that faded away, traces of the Night Icon.

The Final Sword fell through the webs, lighting up the abyss as it fell before finally going dark.

Yerin’s face rested on Mercy’s shoulder, her eyes wide.

Mercy’s tears ran down her face. They were not from the physical pain. They were from the pain of what she was doing to her friends. She did not hold hate in her heart, but for the first time, Mercy felt hate for the gold dragons.

Page Three: Nightworm Venom

“Sleep.”

Mercy pushed forward with her arm, and Yerin’s sand clone body blasted backwards.

Her arms and legs blackened as her body shot back, her entire body covered in black Nightworm Venom. The Nightworm Venom technique ate into the sand, corrupting it, stripping it of its power.

A hole had appeared in her chest where Mercy had pierced her, black venom dripping and spreading to every corner of her body. Yerin’s screaming face began to flake off. Her entire torso turned to dust. Then her arms and legs followed.

Only her head was left, its screaming mouth gushing Nightworm venom, her horrified eyes pleading with Mercy as even those flaked away into shadow.

Then nothing remained.

END OF PART 2