The air around Kuro crackled with dark energy as he strode forward, his katana gleaming from the fires burning across the battlefield.
"If you need any help, just yell," Kisara told him before taking a few steps back.
Kuro nodded as he felt the ground beneath shudder as the monstrous horde advanced.
The horde was vast, but to Kuro, it appeared no more than a sea of targets. His senses sharpened as his intelligence stat surged, and his chakra reserves surged to new heights. His body thrummed with the power he had just unlocked, a terrifying combination of strength, speed, and raw, unbridled rage. The monsters may have been strong, but Kuro had no intention of giving them a chance.
He raised his katana high, the blade shimmering with the raw energy of his chakra, and the air around him seemed to distort as the shadows around his body began to pulse in sync with his heartbeat. His Monarch Domain expanded, causing the battlefield to twist and warp around him. The monsters hesitated for a brief moment, as though sensing the terrifying presence emanating from him.
Kuro grinned, his eyes gleaming with madness. "Time to show you what real power looks like."
With a single thought, his shadows surged forward, as his shadow soldiers rose and swarmed around him.
Kuro pushes his chakra into the katana as it starts to shimmer. With one final breath, he swung down the katana toward the monster army.
The katana cleaved through the air with blinding speed, crackling. As it descended, the sheer force of the strike bent the air around it, distorting everything in its path. Time seemed to slow for a heartbeat as the attack made contact with the horde.
The first row of monsters was wiped away in an instant, torn apart by the sheer intensity of Kuro's strike. The shockwave spread outward, ripping through the very earth beneath them and sending debris flying in every direction. The surrounding monsters were thrown backward, their grotesque bodies snapping in half or disintegrating in the wake.
As if on cue, the shadow soldiers rush toward the horde. The shadow soldiers surged forward with terrifying speed, moving like a dark tidal wave, consuming everything in their path relentlessly. As they collided with the monstrous horde, they tore through the enemies with ferocity, cutting down anything that came too close.
The monsters screamed in agony as the shadows engulfed them. Gluttony attached tiny versions of itself to the shadow soldiers so that as soon as a monster was taken down, it would act as a proxy to use Kuro's shadow devour and consume the monsters.
The battlefield seemed to shift as Kuro's Monarch Domain continued to empower the shadow soldiers. The earth trembled beneath the onslaught, the very fabric of the land bending under the immense pressure of the domain.
Each swing of Kuro's katana sent shockwaves through the enemy lines, ripping apart entire groups of monsters as they tried to regroup. His eyes burned with an almost manic intensity, the overwhelming surge of chakra making him feel as though nothing could stand in his way.
The monsters began to panic, some attempting to flee, others trying to rally together, but it was futile. They got overwhelmed by the relentless shadows.
Kuro can feel his chakra dropping as fallen shadow soldiers revive and continue their hunt. However, there was a constant smile on his face as he continued to grow stronger every second, as stats started coming in from Gluttony.
Even then, there seems to be no end to the monster horde. He stopped his slaughter to look at the carnage that was happening around him, which luckily did not have any bodies, as Gluttony had devoured them all.
Just as he was about to rejoin the assault, he felt danger as he dodged a spear. Looking in the direction from which the spear came, he saw a dragonoid creature flying in the air.
Kuro's senses screamed at him again as he reacted instantly. His katana flashed through the air, deflecting one of the spears, but the sheer number of projectiles left him no time to catch his breath. He twisted his body, dodging and weaving between the deadly spears as they rained down around him.
Moving back from the horde, he was finally able to catch his breath.
Kisara stepped beside Kuro as she looked at the dragonoid figure. "That Bercus."
"Is that him? He caught me by surprise." Kuro wipes the sweat off his forehead as he grins. "Now then. How should I BBQ this lizard?"
"You need my help?" Kisara asked as she saw Kuro running back toward the horde.
"No thanks!" Kuro shouted without looking back.
Kuro activated 'Dash' as he rushed toward the figure with Sanji and Barbarian flanking him, cleaving through the monster horde like a hot knife through butter.
Once he was close, he reached out his hand in a clawing motion.
"Ruler Authority!"
Bercus was about to throw more spears toward Kuro when he felt like something grabbed him. Before he could figure out what happened, he slammed face-first into the ground.
Bercus let out a roar of fury as he shot out toward Kuro.
"Damn insect!"
Kuro grinned as Bercus charged toward him, his form blurring with speed as he dodged the dragonoid's incoming assault. With a sharp motion, he swung his katana toward the oncoming creature, sending a pulse of chakra into the blade.
The attack collided with Bercus mid-flight, but the dragonoid was quick to recover. With a fierce flap of his massive wings, Bercus veered to the side, narrowly avoiding Kuro's strike. The momentum of the blow sent a shockwave through the air, but Bercus was already preparing his next move.
"You're stronger than I thought, little human," Bercus growled, his voice like gravel grinding together. "But it won't be enough."
Before Kuro could react, Bercus thrust out his arm, summoning a barrage of spears made of crackling energy. The projectiles tore through the air, each one aimed with deadly precision at Kuro's heart.
Kuro's senses flared as his eyes narrowed. He raised his katana in a swift motion, the blade humming with energy as he deflected the first wave. The sound of metal scraping against energy rang through the battlefield, but Kuro didn't stop. He danced around the next set of spears, using his speed and reflexes to dodge them.
His muscles burned with the exertion, but adrenaline fueled his every movement. As the last spear whizzed past him, Kuro leaped forward, closing the gap between him and Bercus in a single bound. The dragonoid's eyes widened in surprise as Kuro, using his 'Dash' skill, appeared before him almost instantly.
With a swift motion, Kuro slashed his katana downward, aiming for Bercus's wing joint.
Sensing the danger, Bercus dodged, but the katana still grazed his shoulder.
Bercus howled in pain, his massive form twisting in midair with a bloody gash across his shoulder.
"You're quick," Bercus grunted, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He bared his fangs in a snarl, his eyes blazing with fury. "But you'll have to do better than that."
The dragonoid's wings flapped fiercely, sending a gust of wind that sent dust and debris scattering in every direction. His muscles tensed, preparing for another assault. But Kuro was already on him, relentless as ever.
Before Bercus could even react, Kuro slashed horizontally, aiming for the dragonoid's midsection. The katana glowed as it cut through the air with blinding speed. Bercus barely managed to twist his body, but the blade still caught the edge of his chest, cutting through his tough hide.
"Argggghhh! You force me to use this boy!" Bercus's body trembled with the intensity of the dark, galactic-like energy radiating from him. The very air around him seemed to distort, warping as the energy grew, swirling into a pulsating orb of raw power in his outstretched hand.
Kuro's senses flared. He could feel the weight of the power building in Bercus's palm, the crackling energy reverberating through his chakra. This was no ordinary attack; if it hit, it would level the battlefield.
"Die, insect!" Bercus roared, his voice filled with fury as he launched the energy ball toward Kuro with terrifying speed.
The energy sphere shot through the air like a comet, its power so concentrated that it left a trail of warped space behind it.
'It's now or never.' Kuro thought as he gathered shadow energy around his palm. Similar to Bercus, he threw the ball toward the incoming attack.
Additionally, he started gathering white lightning in front of his mouth before shooting it toward the galaxy-like energy ball.
"Burst Stream of Destruction!" Kuro shouted in his mind, feeling giddy as he could recreate an iconic attack from his memories.
Kuro's shadow ball collided with the galaxy-like energy ball, and it was pushed back a little. Then, the Burst Stream of Destruction augmented the shadow ball and pushed back the galaxy-like energy ball.
Boom!
Both attacks exploded, carving a giant empty area devoid of monsters or shadow soldiers.