Chapter 11

The End

The blazing sun bore down on the desert, where Vance Malcolm and Shadow Knight stood ready for their final confrontation. Tension crackled between them as the heat waves distorted the air. With a swift lunge, their brutal hand-to-hand combat began, fists connecting with raw force.

The clash raged until a sudden sandstorm swept across the battlefield, obscuring their vision. Vance struggled to see through the swirling chaos, but Shadow Knight used the storm to his advantage. Each punch from the shadows sent Vance stumbling, his face bloodied.

"Stop hiding... cowa—" Vance's taunt was cut short by another blow. As the storm settled, Vance’s fury boiled over. He unleashed a flurry of punches, culminating in a powerful kick that sent Shadow Knight hurtling into the distance. Breathing heavily, Vance smirked. "Bye-bye!"

But Shadow Knight was far from defeated. As Vance turned to relish his triumph, the whispered words "Welcome to the Mirage" echoed in his ears. Shadow Knight emerged from the haze, shoving Vance into a passing caravan of camels.

Disoriented, Vance stumbled, and in an instant, the desert dissolved into the grim walls of the prison cell. Still recovering from the drugged haze, Vance tried to rise, but Shadow Knight seized him, slamming his head into the wall repeatedly.

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Vance collapsed, staring at the ceiling as Shadow Knight straddled him, raining down punches with relentless fury.

"THIS IS FOR ALL YOUR CRIMES!" Shadow roared, his fists crashing down.

"THIS IS FOR MY CHILD!" Another punch, harder than before.

"THIS IS FOR MY WIFE!" Each blow was a hammer, splattering blood across the cell.

Finally, Shadow Knight raised his bloodied hand and delivered a devastating punch. "And this... this is for Thomas Alfred!" The sickening crack of bone echoed throughout the prison.

Suddenly, the sound of gunfire erupted, reverberating through the halls. Explosions shook the prison as a group attacked from the outside. The blast shattered the wall of their cell, and Shadow Knight glimpsed Forg escaping amidst the chaos.

Emerging from the rubble, Shadow Knight spotted Joseph Marathan with the remnants of Vance Malcolm’s gang. Hope flickered in Shadow's eyes as he assumed they had come to help him. "We… we won!" he stammered. "We wo—"

Joseph interrupted coldly, "We?"

The realization hit Shadow Knight like a thunderbolt—Joseph had orchestrated it all. The mastermind stood before him, unwavering.

One of the gang members shouted, "He... he killed our leader!"

Joseph picked up a shotgun, his gaze like ice. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger. Shadow Knight staggered, grievously wounded.

"What do we do now? Our leader is dead!" another member wailed.

Joseph stepped forward, his voice booming with authority. "I will continue the legacy of Mr. Vance Malcolm. I am Joseph Marathan! Who’s with me?"

The gang erupted in a chorus of allegiance. "ME! ME! ME!"

Shadow Knight’s eyes widened in horror as the truth dawned—he had slain a devil, only to create a new Satan in his place.

Joseph leveled his gaze at Shadow, a devilish grin on his face. "Bye-bye, little friend."

He fired the shotgun repeatedly—BAM! BAM! BAM!—each shot driving Shadow Knight closer to oblivion.

The final blow is not the one that kills but the one that destroys the will to live.

The End

~BlackBlueKnight