-=Darkness’s prescence is made known=-

Two armies stood against eachother. Poised for combat, each one waited for the other to make a move. Ninjas and rogues on one side, one-eyed creatures on the other.

Despite the cave being far in the back of the village, Yuka could still see everything that was going on with a pair of binoculars she had prior to heading for the cave. Alongside the other villagers, she waited and watched. She was happy to see the war had gone well so far, but this new situation was making her worried. What worried her most was the prescence of a dark figure and Shadow shouting angrily at it. *Shadow, please be careful,* she thought. *I can’t bear to lose any other friends…*

The dark figure, the evil Dark Lord, standing amidst the monsters broke out into an evil laugh. “You are correct, young whelp!” He proclaimed. “That buy, Ryu, was nothing compared to me. He may have been the strongest of your village, but I am stronger still. Much stronger.”

Shadow quickly became confused. “How…how do you know he was our best rogue?” he asked. “How did you even find our village?” Despite his anger, he felt this would be his chance at getting some answers.

Dark Lord laughed again before continuing. “Why, I’m a ninja, of course! Like all good ninja, I have ears and eyes placed all over Maple World. Some of these ears and eyes can also peer into other dimensions. As for getting there, well, there is a famous phrase for that: ‘It’s for me to know and you to find out.'”

Shadow became greatly frustrated. It was clear he wouldn’t be getting answers from this dark cretin. Trying to think harder, his mind raced for more questions, but he couldn’t come up with any. All he could get were visions, visions of seeing Ryu dead at the village, of him reading Ryu’s letter in front of the town, even a vague vision of the dark figure before him landing a killing blow on Ryu.

The visions persisted until Shadow could no longer bear them. Rage grew inside him. Vengeance became paramount in his brain. Unsheathing his twin daggers, he called out to his foe. “You killed our champion…you attacked our village twice…and you act as though it were nothing! I’ve had enough. I challenge you!”

The ninja and rouges beind Shadow immediately grew worried at this challenge. Lord Scorpion grabbed Shadow by his arm. “You fool!” he yelled. “You can’t be serious! That is Dark Lord’s evil half, and hie is just as powerful as the original! He has power beyond any of us! There’s no doubt in my mind he could kill you in no time flat!”

Shadow freed his arm from Scorpion’s grasp and began walking towards Dark Lord. Scorpion’s words were convincing, but Shadow was still willing to try. As the best rogue in the village next to Ryu, he felt he had a chance at defeating this dark enemy. It was a small chance, but a chance nonetheless.

Dark Lord followed suit and walked towards Shadow. The two met in the middle of a large mass of ground that the two armies let hang between them. “So,” Dark Lord said amusingly. “You really wish to challenge me, the greatest of ninja. Alright, I accept your challenge. I just hope you make the most of it, since it won’t be very long!”

Thinking quickly, Shadow rebuked, “You’ll never be the greatest ninja, not while the real Dark Lord exists. Also, before the challenge, you must agree to one thing. Whether who wins or loses, by accepting this challenge, you agree to spare our village. Understood?”

Dark Lord looked around the village before answering. “Agreed,” he said. “Now, let’s begin.” With that, he drew two kunai, one in each hand.

Scorpion, thinking only of Shadow’s well being, took a moment to call out, “Shadow! Please be careful!”

Shadow looked back at Scorpion, nodded, then returned to the challenge in a fighting pose.

Meanwhile, as Yuka spied from the caves, she could see what was about to happen. Fear suddenly overtook her, fear of losing Shadow. “Oh, Shadow, please don’t die…” she whispered.

-=The power of darkness=-

Shadow and Dark Lord circled their makeshift arena, keeping their eyes on eachother, waiting for the fight to truly begin. It was more than a physical battle; it was a battle of wits.

Eventually, Shadow made the first move, flying in, daggers pointed at his enemy. Dark Lord responed by ducking Shadow’s charge and kicking him in the back. Shadow fell from his charge, hitting the ground hard, but was quickly on his feet just in time to see two kunia racing toward him. He blocked them with his daggers.

Dark Lord chuckeld. “Impressive.”

Shadow had no room in his mind for humor. “You’ll pay for what you’ve done!” he cried out, running at Dark Lord. He threw one of his daggers at him as he got closer. Dark Lord quickly countered the dagger with two kunai. As he watched the weapons clatter to the ground, he caught another dagger coming at him out of the corner of his eye.
He caught it just in time by clapping his hands on the blade. Then he caught sight of Shadow in a mid-air kick, the sole of his foot mere inches from Dark Lord’s head.

*I’ve got you now,* Shadow thought. His foot soon made contact….with empty air. Caught off guard, Shadow couldn’t position himself for a landing in time, instead landing hard on his side. Dark Lord burst into laughter behind him. As Shadow forced himself up, Dark Lord quickly explained, “Dark Sight. Renders me physically untouchable. Not bad, eh?” Then he threw Shadow’s other dagger on the ground.

Shadow moved quickly, snatching both daggers and resetting himself in front of Dark Lord. Sweat began to pour from his head. *I can’t believe this,* he thought. *This guy is reacting to my every move effortlessly!*

Dark Lord then began an offensive, launching kunai at Shadow. The barrage was seemingly endless, with Dark Lord pitching kunai at breakneck speed. Shadow moved quickly around the arena, his daggers blocking every knife that came at him. Unfortunately, the kunai offensive was lasting long past what Shadow thought, as fatigue began setting upon him. With his arms aching, Shaodw quickly jumped away from the knives. As he jumped, one knife caught him in his side. He landed on the ground in pain.

“Shadow!” Scorpion cried out.

Yuka caught sight of Shadow reeling. “Oh no, Shadow!” she cried. The fear of losing him grew ever so stronger in her. She almost wanted to go out and help, but stopped herself as best as she could. She wanted to help in some way, but she knew the dangers of going out there.

Shadow stood up, defying every ounce of pain that pulsed within him. He managed a crooked grin. “Come on, you freak,” he taunted. “Is this the best you’ve got?!”

Dark Lord drew out two kunai, one in each hand. “You want my best?” he chortled. “If you want to die that badly, very well.”

Shadow ran forward, daggers in hand. Dark Lord threw the kunai at him. Shadow threw his daggers far forward, countering the kunai in midair. Increasing speed, Shadow retrieved his daggers in midair, right before Dark Lord sent out two more kunai in a vertical formation.

Shadow quickly realized the familiarity of the situation, compared to his parctice with Scorpion. *Heh, the predictable fool,* he mused.

Shadow dove in between the daggers and landed in a roll, and making a final rush at Dark Lord, daggers poised to strike. But as Shadow reached his destination, he noticed Dark Lord was no longer there.

“Shadow! Behind you!” Scorpion yelled. The warning came too late. As Shadow turned, three kunai caught him in the back. Shadow’s body seared with intense pain, so much that he began losing control of himself. Dizziness swam in his head as he collapsed to the ground.

“SHADOW!” Yuka screamed. The fear intensified to a point where Yuka no longer thought of her own safety. More than anything, she wanted her friend to live. She bolted out the cave entrance as fast as she could.”

Dark Lord looked down at his prey as he laughed in triumph. “A good effort, but not your best,” he siad. “However, it wasn’t my best either. But THIS is!” With that, a giant shuriken formed in his hand. He brought it up into throwing position.

Shadow staggered to his feet, looking be hind him as the shuriken was about to fly. *I…I failed…* he thought. *I’m…I’m really going to die…*

Dark Lord then proclaimed, “Farewell, young Shadow! May your home village become mine one day!” Then he threw the shuriken.

As it flew forward, Yuka suddenly burst in the scene. With no regrets in her heart, she willingly placed herself in front of the shuriken.

The entire village was pierced by the sound of her scream.

———————————————————————-

Part 5 and 6 finished! What a selfless ending! Yes, this was my first big fight scene, hope you enjoyed it. I know I can do better, but hey, it’s my first time. As you can see, I put two parts together. I knew his revelation and his fight were two different subjects, so I built it this way. Basically, I got a lot of ideas over the week, and I decided not to let any of them go to waste. Hope you enjoyed it! *Leaves behind a semi-truck full of Mountain Dew*