Fallen Lightbringers' Return

Chapter 68: I Acknowledge you.

The shadow watched its children died. It sighed in lamentation. Jin and Young were part of it, yet they were also separate entities, with their own thoughts. The shadow chose these two, as it felt, within the myriad of souls he had copied, these two had the greatest urge to live one more time.

"So this is what true death feels like." The thing clenched its fist. The thoughts of Jin and Young returned, assimilating with it once more, their thoughts gentle. "What I have lost in size, I gained in strength."

Hassan fell to the ground, laying right next to Ji-ah. The pain in his eyes made him unable to faint, yet, he only saw darkness. He heard Ji-ah cough right next to him, and a dry chuckle escaped him.

This was no time to fall yet. He wiped the blood out of his face. His eyes slowly adjusted again. He lifted his head, and slowly, pushing himself off the ground, he stood up. Ji-ah followed suit, her face incredibly pale. Yet, they stood straight, facing the shadow as victors.

Suddenly, Lee Dojin appeared in front of them. They hadn't seen him for a while, and the sight of him shocked them. His hair looked disheveled, and his clothes haggard. They were ripped on all sides, with burn marks on them. He had several open wounds on his body, bleeding red, or charred black. Still, his carefree smile remained. "You two did well," the boy said.

"You don't look well," Ji-ah said in a joking manner. 

"I can say the same thing about you two." Lee Dojin brushed his hair aside. "I suppose this was a lot more than we bargained for."

"You tell me." Hassan sighed. He kept ripping his glabella hoping to lessen his aching head. "So what do we do now?"

"Well, first," he paused, "First, you two leave."

"What?"

"Leave. Thankfully, we have arrived on the ground." Lee Dojin looked around. They were now at Lotte Tower again, the place they had phased up from. "Guessing by the message that popped up, we only have around 5 minutes left until the Spaceworm potion runs out and we are vulnerable to the shadows again. Even then, you two don't really seem in the state to fight."

Hassan looked at his body. "Are you saying we lost?" 

Lee Dojin chuckled. He took a piece of cloth and wrapped it around his mouth and nose. "Lost," he repeated. "Don't be stupid. Don't you know who I am? Listen well, Hassan, I am Lee Dojin. The Inheritor of this universe." The boy paused. "I don't lose."

"You are joking, right? Will you fight by yourself?" Hassan placed his hand on Lee Dojin's shoulder.

"You're a good guy," Dojin said. He grabbed Hassan's wrist. "I can tell that. But we've only met for one day, so you don't know much about me. Tell you what, Ji-ah, you trust me, right?"

The woman didn't answer immediately. Instead, she took a breath and asked, "Will you die?"

"No. Promise."

She smiled. "Then I do."

"You two, go now. You've done well." Though he had wrapped his ripped shirt around his chin, hiding his mouth, one could still see his grin. "I told you. I will not let you die." He warped away, appearing next to the shadow. One last time, he glanced over his shoulder. Hassan and Ji-ah looked as small as his palm now. He urged them to leave, and so they did. From this distance, it was hard to tell whether they were reluctant or not.

"Welcome back," the shadow said.

"Sorry for the wait."

"I understand, it is quite stressful being a leader," it joked.

Lee Dojin shook his head. "No, I'm not a leader. I tried being one, and I thought I was quite good at it, but humans, I believe they don't need guidance. Even without anybody, they will find themselves." Lee Dojin crossed his arms. "You, too, as a human, should understand that."

The shadow stopped moving. Its eyes opened widely. "What are you trying to say? No, that can't be.. ."

"You're correct. I acknowledge you. I have seen your ways and felt your emotions while fighting. This sensation is unmistakable," he tilted his head, his hair fluttering in the wind. "I, Lee Dojin, deem you human."

"I see," the shadow muttered. "I see. I see." Tears rolled down his eyes. He looked at the deep universe. "I weep, for my creator has beseeched with his grace. I am thrilled." He wiped his face and closed his eyes. He crossed his arms into an X. "Yet, I am also devastated, for I have to take the very person's life. Such is the irony of fate." The shadows' countenance grew serious. "If only we met under different circumstances. We could have been friends."

Lee Dojin laughed. "We already are."

"Really, and you say you don't have leadership qualities." The shadow chuckled. He crossed his fingers, forming another X. The darkness, as expected, turned incredibly hot. "If you were my leader, I'd follow you to death."

"Come on, you're making me blush." Lee Dojin continued laughing. The shadow followed suit. Two lone monsters (or humans) floating in the sky, their bellowing voices shaking the universe itself.

Lee Dojin felt the heat slowly encroach him. He realized there, even though he was getting weaker, the shadow had gotten stronger. The thing knew of no rest, only slowly accumulating the experiences of humanity. To put it quite simply, Lee Dojin was in incredible danger. 

Still, all he could do was smile.

This was it. This was what life to him was about. Freedom to choose what battles to fight and where to die. Ever since he transmigrated, the people around him knew him as a quiet man. One that remained calm and composed, like a rock in a turbulent river.

But truthfully speaking, Lee Dojin was no such man. He was a beast, finding pleasure in simple things. And a beast, when cornered, will always strike back.

The bloodlust around him magnified, causing the air around him to distort and wobble. His eyes were full of concentration. Heat left his body, burning him. Blood slowly dripped down his face, onto the earth. He scrutinized the shadow and smiled. "If I stay the way I am now, I will die."

The shadow tilted his head. "You got that right."

"No choice then." Lee Dojin closed his eyes. He let his hands fall down. The warmth around him dissipated, turning into nothing. Now, only the blazes of the shadow enveloped him.

"Have you given up?" The shadow could not help be disappointed. Then again, he understood. 

Lee Dojin opened his eyes again, his hands spread out. If one were to look at the boy, they'd realize his whole body formed a cross. And the shadow did look, for he did not dare underestimate him. And the thing saw, within Lee Dojin's eyes, there was no sign of forfeiture. But it was too late. The boy opened his mouth. "Day of Judgement, Second Trumpet: Sunken World."

Immediately, the heat subsided, turning into cold. The whole place felt as if it had been dipped into an ice bath. The shadow felt the chills, something he had never experienced before. He looked around, and realized the whole place seemed to cave in, crumbling underneath its own weight. The shadow too, fell to the ground, as if gravity was pulling it down. It then realized, he felt his breath gone, something that was impossible for him to experience. He lifted his head. His eyebrows shot up. To him, the world had turned dark-blue, as if he had sunken into the deepest pit of the ocean.

He tried to speak. "Wh. . at the hell.. . is this?"

"You're strong, but you have a lot to learn," Lee Dojin said. "God foretold humanity, upon its end, there would be seven warnings. Would it not be obvious that this art had seven moves too?"

"I unde.. . sta. .. it was. .. my mistake." The shadow tried propping himself up, but could not do so under the crushing gravity. "I.. . lost."

Lee Dojin phased in front of the shadow. His hand formed a fist. On his back, there were now two pairs of wings, glowing faintly, but beautifully. He left his fist fall. The shadow lifted its head. It felt like the whole world was falling on him. And his eyes glimmered. "This is what the end feels like." He could not help appreciate the boy that had given him this many new experiences.

Out of the blue, as Lee Dojin was finishing the move, blood spurted out his mouth. It quickly followed, with red leaving his eyes, ears, and nose, all spraying profusely. "You've got to be kidding me." His limbs bulged, several deep cuts appearing on his body. He fell to his knees. "Shit. I guess it was still too much for this body." His fist gently floated down, missing the shadow. he could not finish his attack.

Yet, even though it did not hit, the shadow had chills running down his back. He had never felt this scared in all his lives before. His sight followed Lee Dojin's hands, and witnessed the giant crater left behind his punch. It had destroyed an incredible portion of the shadows, reaching even beneath the darkness, burying to Seoul, and destroying several buildings. This was worse than a meteor. He could not imagine the damage if the attack had been completed.

Still, it was for naught.

Lee Dojin coughed violently. He rubbed his throat, as if something was stuck in it. His eyes fell on the shadow, who looked solemn. The shadow crossed his fingers, his arms spread apart. "I thank thee for your legacy." Soon enough, two wings appeared on his back, the whole sky turning heavy. "I, too, wield the same power now."

"Looks like you are in a pickle," a sudden voice appeared from below. Lee Dojin turned his head, and there he saw a familiar, yet unexpected figure wrapped in bandages. "Since it is on the ground, I managed to come too. Figures it had something to do with you."

"Do Jiwoon," Lee Dojin muttered.

The white-haired boy knelt down, staring at the person that had given him such grievous wounds. He asked calmly, "If you die, will this giant shadow disappear?"