Shinari was a super capable of manipulating shadows with her will. She had various abilities such as teleporting into the shadow, summoning weapons with shadow, and so much more. She wasn't the first shadow manipulator however, she had seniors that taught her in the academy who also had control over shadow.
They had abilities that she had yet to master, and one of them was creating shadow clones. They said that creating a clone was the most difficult skill one could learn. It wasn't just creating and forming shadow in the shape of oneself, but one had to put the very essence of one's soul as well otherwise the clones would just be a moving objects without its own will.
With that hurdle, it was very hard to even create one clone, but Aldred effortlessly create three clones at once!
Shinari still could not believe her eyes as she processed the information. Aldred just did something she could only dream of doing, and that bring her self-esteem down a little.
Salamander was shocked as well, but he shook his head and put his mind back to the current situation. "That's good. Tell your clones to create chaos and distractions while we will destroy those steel crosses.
The two Aldreds exchanged knowing glances, their minds working in perfect unison. With a silent nod, they dispersed in different directions, each taking a unique path into the underground city of darkness.
Aldred stepped forward.
The group looked at him with a slight apprehension.
"Don't look at me like that. I am not a clone. I am the real Aldred. Besides, my clone is no different than me. They have my mind and soul."
"So you are the real Aldred?" Cleome approached and looked at his face left and right before poking his cheek. "How can I tell?
"That's the thing. You cannot differentiate me and my clones." Aldred laughed.
However, Shinari was not laughing. Creating a clone that was hard to differentiate from the real person was terribly hard. A clone could actually be said to be a lesser version, an imitation of the real thing per say.
Clones only contain a handful amount of soul essence, power, and intellect compared to the real person, therefore they were usually much weaker.
Shinari couldn't believe what Aldred said and thought that he was only joking.
"Let's go," Shinari said. "We have no time to waste. Aldred's clones might not last for long."
Suddenly, the west section of the massive lair exploded. Smoke billowed into the air, but because they were underground, the smoke had nowhere to go, so they got stuck in the lair and spread to every direction.
Screams of demons and alarms rang, Salamander detected more demons began to move to the west side of the lair.
"Let's go!" Salamander said before the sprinted towards the east side of the lair and avoided the detection of the demons as they were going to the west.
"Aldred, is your clones okay?" Salamander asked.
"Nice of you to ask," Aldred said as he sprinted as well. "They are fine. Don't worry. We will have enough time to destroy all the steel crosses."
The first or the real Aldred, accompanied by Salamander, Shinari and Cleome, headed toward the nearest dark-steel cross where a ritual was taking place. As they approached, the demons surrounding the cross turned their attention to the intruders. With a confident grin, Aldred charged forward, his crimson-dark sword cutting through the air with deadly precision.
Salamander's mechanical arms unleashed a barrage of high-powered energy blasts, creating chaos among the demon ranks. Cleome, with her lightning powers, targeted the thorn-whip-wielding succubus demons, incapacitating them with bolts of electricity.
The demons, taken by surprise, scrambled to defend their dark-steel cross. They howled in agony as the cross began to tremble, its dark energy disrupted by the group's onslaught.
Aldred charged forward. The demons enraged and attacked him, but they were cut into pieces by his sword.
The demons noticed this but there was nothing they could do as the other humans were also attacking them with terrifying forces.
With a final swing of his sword, Aldred shattered the cross into pieces, releasing the tormented humans from their nightmarish imprisonment.
However, Aldred found out that the humans were already devoid of life. Their eyes were deep white as if their souls were already sucked out. They were nothing but flesh, and although they were still breathing, their mind could no longer work.
"Too bad."
But the victory was short-lived, as the demons in the vicinity rallied for a counterattack. The battle raged on, and Aldred, Salamander, and Cleome fought valiantly to protect the newly-freed humans and maintain their advantage.
"Damn! There's too many of them!" Salamander shouted as he used his shotgun blasters to kill dozens of demons at once.
Meanwhile, the second Aldred had infiltrated the heart of the underground city. His goal was to locate the source of the dark energy that fueled the demons and eliminate it. He moved stealthily through the twisted streets and shadowy alleyways, his every step guided by an unerring sense of purpose.
Aldred did not want his clones to be a mere distractions. He knew these demons were not as stupid as they look. It was impossible for them not to notice that they were being distracted.
So, while the clones pretended to distract the demons, they were actually looking for something important.
He soon came upon a towering obsidian obelisk, its surface etched with runes of power. The obelisk pulsed with malevolent energy, and second Aldred could sense that it was a focal point for the dark magic that fueled the demons.
Aldred raised his crimson-dark sword and struck the obelisk with all his might. The impact sent shockwaves through the surrounding area, and the obelisk began to crack and crumble.
But as it shattered, a deafening roar echoed through the underground city, and Aldred knew that he had drawn the attention of the demon forces. He had to fight his way out of the area while demons closed in from all sides.
The third Aldred had a different mission. He sought to create chaos and confusion among the demon ranks. One clone was enough to create enough chaos for the demons to be distracted enough because his power had increased yet again.
With a single swing of his sword, the demons exploded into mist of blood while the structures shattered and collapsed.
As the blade made contact with the grotesque bodies of the demons, they erupted into a gruesome mist of blood and ichor. The air was filled with the sickening sound of flesh being rent apart, accompanied by the wails of the defeated creatures.
The surrounding structures, dark and foreboding, quaked under the force of Aldred's strike. Cracks spiderwebbed through their stone foundations, and the eerie runes etched into their surfaces shattered like fragile glass. With a deafening crash, the structures collapsed, sending plumes of dust and debris billowing into the air.
The demons were shocked by his show of power, but they were not terrified. Instead, they became even more crazed to throw themselves at him.
As the battles raged on in different parts of the underground city, the group fought with unwavering determination. The odds were stacked against them, but they knew that the fate of their planet depended on their success.
But what they didn't know was that their actions had not gone unnoticed. Deep within the shadows, a pair of malevolent eyes watched their every move, and a sinister presence began to stir.
