The swamp was eerily quiet, save for the occasional drip of water from the soggy trees that surrounded Jinwoo. The dense fog hung thick in the air, casting everything in a veil of gray as the murky water beneath his boots rippled in the soft, humid breeze. The lizardmen were closing in, their figures emerging like shadows from the mist, stepping on the soggy earth with unnatural grace, weapons raised, their eyes gleaming with the promise of battle.
At their front, the Lizardman King towered above the others, his body exuding a suffocating aura of power. His armor, forged from the remnants of the beasts he'd slain, reflected the faintest glimmers of light as he raised his spear, prepared to crush whatever dared to stand in his path. His every step sent vibrations through the ground, and the very air seemed to hum with anticipation.
Behind him, four mages advanced—wizards of unmatched skill, their robes billowing in the wind. Fire, ice, wind, and lightning swirled around them, a storm of elemental fury ready to be unleashed. And then there was the shaman—an ancient figure whose very presence felt as though it was tearing at the fabric of reality, pulling mana from every direction, twisting the very air around him.
"Let them come," Jinwoo muttered, the faintest smile playing at his lips. "This will be fun."
He raised his hand, and from the depths of the swamp, a deep, echoing voice filled the air.
"Come out," Jinwoo said, his tone indifferent, as though commanding his shadows to rise was no different than making an order at a café.
Instantly, the air around him began to warp. The ground beneath Jinwoo's feet buckled, and shadows stirred, thick and swirling like dark clouds on a stormy night. From the inky depths, Igris emerged—tall, imposing, and deadly. The black knight's armor was a perfect reflection of the abyss itself, a sheen of dark light running along its surface. His sword, still dripping with blood from previous battles, gleamed with anticipation.
The lizardmen hesitated, their feral eyes widening. This wasn't just an ordinary opponent. No—this was a force they had never encountered.
The King growled, his voice low and guttural, signaling his army to charge. Spears were thrust forward, swords raised high, and the war cries of the lizardmen echoed through the swamp, bouncing off the trees.
But before they could even close the gap, it happened.
With the flick of Jinwoo's wrist, the battlefield was filled with the sound of dozens of heads falling at once. A cacophony of sickening cracks, gurgles, and the sounds of bodies hitting the ground in unison.
Igris had moved in a blur, the perfection of his bladework cutting down the frontlines without a single misstep. The lizardmen's heads fell one by one, their bodies collapsing into heaps of twitching, bloodied flesh.
"My liege," Igris said, his voice calm and collected, as if this were all part of a day's work. His blade rested at his side, coated in blood. "Shall I slay the rest?"
Jinwoo's smile didn't waver. "Nah, just a warm-up. Let's see what else they've got."
The lizardmen paused, their bloodied faces painted with shock and disbelief. Their morale was shattered in an instant. But there was no time to regroup, no time to retreat. The battle had begun.
Jinwoo clenched his fist, and the Dark Star gauntlet he wore shimmered, dark energy swirling around it. He grinned, the thrill of battle surging through his veins as he prepared to test his new power.
A mighty lizardman, weapon raised, rushed toward him with ferocity. Jinwoo didn't even flinch. His fist came forward like a hammer, the gauntlet crackling with dark energy. When it made contact, the beast's body exploded into a rain of gore, its limbs torn apart by the sheer force of the blow. Jinwoo grinned widely as the pieces of the lizardman's body splattered across the swamp.
"I think I'm getting the hang of this," he muttered, flexing his fingers as the gauntlet's energy swirled around his hand.
The mages, sensing their opportunity, began to chant in unison, their voices rising in a deadly harmony. Fireballs erupted from their hands, ice javelins formed in the air, and streaks of lightning and wind howled toward Jinwoo. Their combined attacks formed a deadly storm, each strike packed with the power to obliterate lesser beings.
Jinwoo, however, didn't move.
A fireball sailed toward him—yet when it struck, it passed through his body as though he were nothing but smoke. He felt the warmth for just a moment before it faded entirely.
Next, an ice javelin shot forward, its jagged tip aimed directly for his heart. But it too shattered as it made contact with him, the fragments falling to the ground harmlessly.
The wind blades whizzed past his body with a sharp hiss, and a thunderstrike rumbled from above, but Jinwoo simply stood still, not a single hair out of place.
[System Notification: Logia Cheat Flexing .]
Jinwoo chuckled darkly. "Nice try, but not today."
The mages, stunned by the failed attacks, were too slow to react as Igris moved in. Like a ghost, his sword sliced through the air, cutting down two of the mages in an instant. Their heads fell to the ground with a sickening thud, their bodies crumbling to dust beneath the weight of Igris's power. The third mage didn't even have time to blink before Igris was upon him, his sword effortlessly slicing through the air, decapitating the mage with precision.
The last of the mages had his eyes wide in horror. He opened his mouth to scream, but no words came out. His body crumpled as Igris moved past him, his sword gleaming red.
"Shaman," Jinwoo called out, turning his attention to the lone figure standing by the edge of the battlefield. "I'm getting bored."
The shaman, trembling, raised his staff, his hands shaking as he gathered the last remnants of his power. The air around him thickened with dark magic, but before he could utter the first syllable of his final spell, Igris was already at his side. His sword flicked through the air, and the shaman's body was torn asunder in a single, flawless motion.
Jinwoo sighed, looking at the now-empty battlefield. "Well, that was easy."
The last of the mages fell with a shriek, his form dissolving into a pile of blood and flesh.
Now, only the lizardman king remained.
The massive beast stood at the edge of the battlefield, his eyes filled with rage and disbelief as he gripped his spear with trembling hands. He growled, a deep rumble in his chest, but there was no escape. His forces were decimated, and the only thing left was the inevitable end.
Jinwoo didn't even move.
With a simple flick of his foot, a whirlwind of fire exploded from his leg, forming a massive tornado of flames that consumed the lizardman king. The beast's shrieks of pain echoed across the battlefield as he was engulfed by the flames, his body disintegrating in a furious, fiery storm.
When the tornado finally subsided, nothing remained but ash and smoldering remains.
Igris stood behind Jinwoo, his expression unreadable. He looked at his lord, waiting for orders, but Jinwoo was already moving, hands stuffed casually into his pockets.
-------
The swamp was a scene of absolute carnage, the once peaceful murk now tainted with blood and shredded corpses. Lizardmen—warriors and mages alike—lay scattered across the battlefield, their bodies still twitching as their life forces bled out onto the ground. Their eyes stared blankly at the heavens, their last thoughts lost in the rush of death.
The Lizardman King, the one who had led the charge, was now reduced to a lifeless heap. His massive body, once radiating the power of a top-tier beast, now lay prone in the muck, his great spear snapped in half, discarded like an insignificant branch.
Igris, his eyes glowing with the calm ferocity of a warrior who had just completed his task, stood near the fallen bodies. His sword was clean—eerily so, as if the violence of the battle hadn't touched him at all. The air around him felt impossibly still, as though the bloodshed had never happened, as though the battlefield were merely a figment of the past.
"Igris," Jinwoo said, his voice still calm despite the chaos surrounding him. His gaze moved from the black knight to the dismembered corpses of the lizardmen. "I guess it's over?"
Igris glanced briefly at the bodies, his helmet hiding his expression, but his tone was firm. "It is, my liege. All threats have been eliminated."
Jinwoo turned his attention back to the battlefield, observing the carnage with a sense of cool detachment. The lizardmen had been skilled fighters, but they were no match for him, and their defeat had been inevitable.
His lips curled upward ever so slightly. "Then..."
Without another word, he raised his hand, and the air seemed to grow heavier around him. The shadows at his feet stirred, dark tendrils of energy creeping forward from the wreckage of the battle.
And then, as if summoned by his command, the first shadow began to take shape.
"Arise.."
The black knight stepped back, his eyes narrowing in quiet anticipation as the shadows that once lay still under the fallen bodies of the lizardmen began to stir.
One by one, they rose.
The first to appear were 16 shadowy figures, their bodies taking form from the very essence of the fallen lizardmen knights. They rose with a fluidity that defied logic, their armor seeming to materialize from the shadows themselves. These were no ordinary lizardmen—they were powerful, their forms dripping with an ominous energy that screamed of a force beyond life.
[System Comment: 16 Shadow Lizardman Knights have been summoned! Class: Knight. Rank: B.]
[System Information: The Lizardman Knights were once fearsome warriors, now bound to your will. Their armor is tougher than steel, and their fighting prowess is unparalleled among B-ranked foes. They're bound to obey you without question.]
Jinwoo smirked, eyeing the newly-formed shadows with satisfaction. "I like them."
Then, the shadows that had once been mages began to take shape. Four figures, their robes dark and tattered, emerged from the corpses of the lizardmen mages. The magic that had been absorbed from their last moments of life still crackled in the air, but now it was under Jinwoo's control. The very energy that had once been their power now swirled around them, feeding into the new shadows that rose.
[System Comment: 4 Shadow Lizardman Mages have been summoned! Class: Mage. Rank: B.]
[System Information: These mages wield elemental magic in its purest form, each capable of casting Fireballs, Ice Javelins, and Wind Blades. They're now at your disposal, with their full power unlocked for your use, my liege.]
Jinwoo glanced over at the shadow mages, a slight nod of approval on his face. "Useful. Firepower on demand."
And finally, the shaman.
The elite mage who had once bent the very elements to his will—now resurrected as a shadowy figure, his once-feeble body now twisted into something more sinister. A rank. But something in Jinwoo's eyes said it wasn't just any A-rank.
These shadows weren't just dead. They were his now.
[System Comment: Shadow Lizardman Shaman has been summoned! Class:Elite Mage. Rank: A.]
[System Information: The Lizardman Shaman was once a master of elemental magic, able to control fire, water, earth, and air. His abilities now grant him control over the battlefield, making him a valuable asset in any combat scenario.]
Jinwoo's gaze turned toward the final figure, the shadow of the Lizardman King himself. The towering form of the king rose from the corpse, his eyes burning with an unholy crimson light. This wasn't just any resurrected creature—it was a nightmare.
[System Comment: Shadow Lizardman King has been summoned! Class: Elite Knight. Rank: A.]
[System Information: Once the ruler of the Lizardmen, the King is now bound to your will. His immense physical power and mastery of combat make him a formidable foe. His spear is capable of piercing even the toughest defenses, and his massive size ensures he can dominate the battlefield.]
Jinwoo examined the shadow King closely. "I'll call you Croco."
Igris raised an eyebrow. "Croco, my liege? Is that not... a bit too... cute for such a fearsome creature?"
Jinwoo chuckled lightly, his eyes glinting with amusement. "He looks like one, doesn't he?"
Igris glanced at the massive Lizard, then shrugged. "If you say so, my liege."
[System Comment: Croco? Really? I expected something more... intimidating. But, hey, whatever floats your boat. At least you're consistent with the theme, I guess.]
Jinwoo smirked at the system's banter. "Shut up, System. It's fitting."
[System Comment: Sure, sure, whatever you say, my liege.]
The Lizardmen King —Croco—stared at Jinwoo with those crimson eyes, but his obedience was clear. He was no longer the mighty Lizardman King; he was just another soldier in Jinwoo's ever-growing army.
Jinwoo glanced back at Igris, his voice cool and commanding. "What do you think, Igris? Ready to test them?"
Igris unsheathed his sword, the blade catching the dim light of the swamp. "Always, my liege."
"Then let's move out."
The shadows—now his—moved in unison. The knights, with their armor shimmering in the gloom, lined up behind him, while the mages and shaman took their positions. Croco, the shadow King, remained silent but ever-watchful, a colossal figure towering over the battlefield.
The swamp was silent for a moment, as if the world itself held its breath.
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Author's Note:
And just like that, the swamp falls silent once more... but not without leaving behind a new army of shadows. Jinwoo's power continues to grow at a terrifying pace, and with it, his dominion over life and death. I had a blast writing this chapter—especially flexing the Dark Star gauntlet and the Logia cheat a little! Hope you enjoyed the massacre! The story is just getting bloodier, darker, and a whole lot more fun. Let me know what you think! Stay tuned for what's next...