Her Master

The shadow descended right in front of us, his long coat fluttering in the wind as he drew his Jet-black Blade. He looked so cool it should have been illegal.

"You—!"

"You are—!"

"—Master Shadow!" I squealed, my heart doing backflips.

Master Shadow had crushed every single overpowered enemy that had ever dared to stand in his way. Ever since we were little, weak, and pathetic, he’d been out there on the front lines, fighting for us. I literally grew up watching that magnificent back of his.

He was my everything. My absolute constant.

As long as he was there, I knew the plot wouldn't let us die. Maybe it was just the sheer relief of seeing him after so long, but he looked a good size or two larger than usual. He was radiating "Final Boss" energy.

Unfortunately, not everyone had my refined taste in legends.

"Back off, kid. Even you can't handle this," Juggernaut grunted, looking annoyed.

"Shadow-han, please be careful-nanshi," Yukime added, her voice dripping with worry.

How dare they! I shot them a glare that could kill. Just leave it to Master and shut up already!

While I was busy being offended on his behalf, the tension between Master Shadow and the Queen of Blood reached a breaking point. Master Shadow leveled his Jet-black Blade, and the Queen of Blood unfurled her Red Tentacles.

Then it hit me. The pressure coming off the Queen of Blood was skyrocketing.

"Is there no end to this abomination?" Juggernaut muttered.

"She wasn't even at full power yet...?" Yukime whispered.

They weren't wrong. She was even stronger now than when she was bullying Claire. Her eyes were glowing like cursed rubies, and that Blood Dress of hers was writhing around like it had a mind of its own.

The air snapped, and the fight was on. The Jet-black Blade met the Blood Tentacles in a blur of violence.

It was a total sensory overload. Countless tentacles lashed out, and Master Shadow sliced through them like he was pruning a hedge. Crimson and jet-black trails clashed so fast the sound waves couldn't even keep up. It was peak cinematic action.

But for those two? This was just the warm-up.

Suddenly, the Queen of Blood’s form flickered. She pulled a classic "nothing personal, kid" and reappeared right behind Master Shadow. Her red claws swiped for his head.

But then—flicker—Master Shadow was gone.

She swung at nothing but air, and his Jet-black Blade punched straight through her chest from behind.

Splash.

She burst apart like a water balloon, spraying Blood Arrowheads in every direction. Master Shadow batted them away with his blade like they were annoying flies, and the Queen of Blood reformed exactly where she’d started.

They were back to square one.

"No way..."

"I can't believe he's this good..."

The others were losing their minds over the high-speed combat, and I was basically in the front row of a concert. That’s my Master! I wanted to scream.

But then, I felt it. A weird, nagging sense of incongruity. Before I could put my finger on it, the Queen of Blood made her move. She ripped off two of her own tentacles and shaped them into blood clones.

"This is why Elisabeth-sama is called the Strongest Progenitor," some voice explained (probably someone who read the lore). "She can create clones from her own blood and control them at will."

Now it was three-on-one.

The Jet-black Blade kept deflecting the tentacles. It looked like a replay of the first round, except for one thing: the three Queens were pulling off coordinated surprise attacks. They were blinking in and out of existence, coming at him from his blind spots, the ceiling, the floor—everywhere.

Master Shadow was dodging them all with moves that looked like they belonged in a choreographed dance. It looked like a perfect stalemate.

But that weird feeling in my gut was getting worse.

Wait. Think, Beta. Would the Master I know—the guy who usually ends fights before the opening credits finish—really spend this much time trading blows?

No. Something was off.

This wasn't his usual "perfectly efficient" style. Sudden anxiety hit me like a truck. I narrowed my eyes, analyzing every frame of the fight.

Red Tentacles swarming. Three Queens diving in.

And then it clicked.

Master Shadow was defending perfectly, sure, but he wasn't counterattacking. He was just... stuck. No matter how good your defense is, you can’t win if you don't swing back.

Why wasn't he moving? Why was he letting them dictate the pace?

It was his feet. His feet were planted.

Usually, Master would dodge with the bare minimum of movement and immediately punish the opening. But right now, he was blocking with his blade. Every time he blocked, he was a split second late for a follow-up, which gave the clones enough time to cycle their attacks.

Why aren't you moving, Master?

He was being so stiff. He was standing his ground as if... as if he were guarding something precious.

"—!?"

My heart stopped. I looked behind him.

I was right there.

And behind me were the injured Number 664 and Number 665. And Number 666, who was trying to protect them. And Master’s unconscious sister.

"Ah... aah..."

My voice cracked. He wasn't losing. He was tanking. He was staying in one spot so the shockwaves and the clones wouldn't get to us. He was sacrificing his legendary mobility for our sake.

He was protecting his most precious things... us.

And then, the "tragedy" happened. The balance broke.

The Queen of Blood finally got through. A Red Tentacle slammed into him, and the three clones followed up with a brutal combo that sent Master Shadow flying through a stone wall.

"MA-MASTER SHADOWAAAAAAA-!!"

I didn't care that my body felt like it was made of broken glass. I started crawling toward the rubble like a woman possessed.

"I told you... even he couldn't do it..." Juggernaut sighed.

"So even Shadow-han failed..." Yukime lamented.

Shut up! I wanted to howl. If we weren't here dragging him down, he would have ended this five minutes ago! We’re just dead weight!

"Master Shadow! Master Shadow!!"

I reached the collapsed wall, tears stinging my eyes, when suddenly—

Bluish-purple Magic Power exploded from the ruins.

"What—!?"

"No way—!?"

The sheer pressure made the air vibrate. Rubble started floating in the air like gravity had given up. That beautiful Bluish-purple Magic Power actually dyed the red moonlight a different color.

Then, Master Shadow stepped out from the dust.

"Master Shadow!" I cried out, my soul ascending to heaven.

He was back. And he was... himself. He was covered in that signature Bluish-purple Magic Power, and for some reason, he looked a little smaller—more compact, more "serious mode." He was literally vibrating with power.

He funneled that gorgeous magic into his blade and faced the Queen of Blood again.

"I suppose I'll get a little serious..." he said, his voice sounding like it was echoing from the depths of a dark abyss.

I got goosebumps. The anxiety was gone. This was the Master I lived for.

"Hm?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something shiny. I peeked behind the broken wall.

For some reason, there was a massive pile of Gold Coins just lying there.

I tilted my head. Why would there be a mountain of cash in the middle of a boss fight? ...Well, whatever. Life is full of mysteries.

"GOOOOO MASTER SHADOW! DO YOUR BESTEST!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

And with my cheer to kick things off, the real fight began.