The air thickened, heavy as tar. Shadows bled from the cracks in the station walls, twisting and knotting together until the entire platform pulsed like a living thing. The Warden's mask glowed faintly through the haze, the fracture down its side oozing black light.
Mukul staggered to his feet, lungs burning. He could feel it—this was no longer the same fight. The Warden wasn't just angry; he was unleashing something darker, older, more dangerous.
"Stay close," Mukul warned, voice low but firm. "He's going all in now."
The Warden lifted his arms, and the shadows answered. They didn't just lash out this time—they took form. From the swirling blackness rose figures shaped like soldiers, eyeless and faceless, carrying jagged weapons. A small army of shadows stood between Mukul's team and their enemy.
Raghav cursed under his breath. "He's spawning minions now? Great."
"They're only extensions of him," Priya said quickly, forcing calm into her voice. "But they'll drain us before we reach him."
"Then we don't waste energy," Mukul snapped. His blade flared with light. "Cut straight through."
The shadow army surged forward. The clash was immediate and brutal.
Ansh met the first wave head-on, his blade flashing. Each strike dispersed a soldier, but for every one he cut down, two more rose from the floor. Kavya fired arrow after arrow, her shots bursting with light and breaking holes in the tide, but even she couldn't thin them fast enough.
Priya's charms burned hot in her hands, throwing up barriers whenever the shadows pressed too close. The effort strained her, each shield cracking quicker than the last. Sweat poured down her temples, her lips pressed tight to keep from screaming.
Raghav fought with the broken pipe, smashing anything that slipped past Ansh and Kavya. His arms trembled, but he didn't stop. "I'm not letting this thing through. Not to her. Not to any of us."
Through the chaos, the Warden advanced slowly, step by deliberate step, his towering form blotting out what little light remained. He wasn't rushing. He wanted them exhausted before he struck again.
Mukul realised it immediately. "He's buying time. He wants us to burn out!"
"So what do we do?" Kavya called out, loosing another arrow that detonated three shadows at once.
"We break him faster," Mukul said. His eyes narrowed. "Forget the soldiers. Focus everything on him."
The order was reckless, but it was their only shot.
"Cover me!" Mukul roared, then charged straight through the swarm. Shadows clawed at him, slashing his arms and legs, but his blade burned brighter, cutting a path toward the Warden.
Ansh broke from the line to follow, hacking away at the shadows that tried to surround Mukul. Kavya shifted her aim, firing volleys that opened gaps in the horde. Raghav and Priya dug in, holding the rear as best they could.
Finally, Mukul broke through. He leapt, blade raised, and brought it down toward the Warden's mask.
The strike landed—sparks exploding on impact. The fracture widened with a sharp crack, a sliver of the mask breaking away.
For a second, Mukul saw something behind it—an eye, human but twisted, glowing with fury.
The Warden's roar shook the entire station. Shadows convulsed, writhing like a storm gone mad.
"You dare!" the Warden thundered. His form ballooned outward, his arms lengthening into jagged claws. The shadows thickened, no longer soldiers but a tidal wave crashing in from every direction.
Mukul was thrown back, slamming into the ground hard enough to rattle his bones. He tasted blood but forced himself up. His team scrambled to regroup, but the sheer force of the Warden's power drove them to their knees.
The station itself seemed to groan under the weight of the shadows. Steel beams buckled, lights burst, and the ground cracked underfoot.
Priya gasped, clutching her chest. "He's… he's fusing with the place itself."
The Warden's mask glowed brighter, his voice echoing like thunder from everywhere at once.
"You thought unity was strength. I will drown you in despair. I will break you, one by one."
Mukul steadied himself, his grip on the blade tightening even as the world seemed to collapse around them. His chest ached, but his eyes burned with fire.
"Then you'll have to break us all together," he said, his voice cutting through the roar.
The Warden raised his claws, shadows surging like a black tsunami.
And the fight entered its deadliest phase yet.