The title of Kuro Clan Head felt rather ostentatious, a mouthful to address someone by. Nevertheless, Kazuo doubted that people even knew his real name by how often they called him that.

He never truly saw himself as the villain of his own story. When had he become a man that even his own children seemed to despise?

With a sigh, he gazed down at the shadowy platform supporting him. A multitude of thoughts raced through his mind, many centered around how he had ended up in this situation.

"I only did what needed to be done to survive. How is that evil? What was I supposed to do? Just lay down and die?" He muttered his thoughts out loud.

In his earlier years, he had, indeed, murdered his siblings to secure his place as the prime contender for the clan's leadership. Despite not harboring any animosity towards them, he had terminated the lives of his two brothers. In reality, he even liked his now-dead siblings to a degree.

However, an ability as potent as the Shadow Tower bore significant importance for all parties involved, a fact they all had known. A time might have come when they'd stumble upon a formidable high-ranking demon and die a dog’s death. Yet, with the Shadow Tower's protection, such a grim fate would remain at bay.

No, Kazuo bore no remorse for the demise of his siblings. After all, they had harbored intentions of assassinating him, given his status as the youngest and weakest.

Why would someone just roll over and die? The very essence of human nature entailed a struggle against mortality, even when faced with the treachery of a loved one aiming to end your life.

His gaze shifted to the water enveloping him, positioned on a raft woven from shadows. For the first time, the Kuro Clan Head found himself ruminating: how had his life transmuted into its current state?

However, his musings were abbreviated as he spotted, in the distance, a humanoid elephant with six gorilla arms, each molded into distinct Buddhist hand gestures. This peculiar being soared upon what resembled a translucent, golden surfboard.

Suspended on a cloud, the entity descended gracefully towards them.

Observing the advancing Dream Lord, Kazuo's lips curved into a smile. Despite being encircled by water, he wasn’t panicking. Extensive preparation had been invested to confront a specific exorcist on water, should circumstances ever necessitate it. Thus, he faced no disadvantage here, particularly considering the presumption that his opponent lacked an ability like water manipulation.

However, despite the incoming powerful enemy, Kazuo didn't feel fear or hesitation. Instead he felt something he hadn't in decades, and that was—regret.

Gem's words had cut him more deeply than anything else ever could. He had striven to do everything within his power for his children, ensuring each of them had their needs met. Even though some were born under less than ideal circumstances, he had embraced them into his family.

Even if he were to perish in this very moment, his existence itself would fade into obscurity. The realization was stark, a truth that loomed in his thoughts. Despite his efforts, he yearned for his family's support during these trying times. In a sense, he envied the solidarity of the Dark Sword Clan; those two brothers, deemed evil, at least had each other.

With every passing moment, the colossal elephant-like creature drew closer, its presence enveloping Kazuo's senses with undeniable intensity. He winced, sensing the glaring gap in power; these adversaries felt nearly as formidable as Shuten Doji himself!

'Hopefully, their physical strength doesn't rival that of Shuten Doji, or I'm finished. Before him, I had believed my Shadow Tower was unbreakable, but he proved that I must exercise caution, or I could end up destroying the Kuro Clan's legacy,' Kazuo pondered, a bead of cold sweat tracing his cheek.

"To hell with it, I will survive and make amends with my children!" Kazuo proclaimed, infusing his determination into his Ord, amplifying its potency.

However, unlike his past wartime contributions, this time Kazuo was prepared to unleash his full might.

He interlocked his palms, conjuring a colossal shadow giant in less than a second. Kazuo stood atop the golem's shoulder, his gaze focused and unwavering, straining to discern the elephantine creature amid the spectacle.

Yet, he eschewed visual senses, opting to intuitively perceive his adversary's location. With finesse, he manipulated the shadow golem to execute a punch, mid-swing manifesting the tower above the golem's head. In an instant, the seemingly weightless blow from the shadow golem morphed into an immensely potent strike, bolstered by imaginary mass.

Kazuo wasn't leaving anything to chance.

A resonating bell-like chime reverberated as the strike connected, but Kazuo's brows furrowed as he sensed the attack had halted. Instead, his foe had thwarted the blow using a translucent golden barrier.

Nonetheless, the attack hadn't been in vain, as cracks spiderwebbed across the barrier's surface.

Abruptly, the spatial fabric surrounding the six-armed elephanto-like entity warped, and a golden robe settled around his shoulders. Then, with further spatial distortions and an accompanying crackling sound, the creature vanished.

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Teleportation abilities were notoriously treacherous and hard to counter.

However, this wasn't Kazuo's first encounter with such a special ability; he had faced a similar situation while fighting with Shuten Doji's son. Thus, he possessed invaluable experience in handling teleportation.

The six-armed elephant creature reappeared adjacent to him, its voice an eerie whisper. "I am one of the Dream Lords, and newcomers are forbidden to leave the island."

Kazuo's response was a knowing smile. "Are you absolutely certain about that?"

In an instant, the shadow giant disintegrated, leaving only the shadow tower suspended like an artistic masterpiece painted in reality itself.

Due to their lack of a foothold, both the Dream Lord and Kazuo found themselves plummeting. The Dream Lord's once-golden robe disintegrated, transforming into a translucent, golden slab resembling a barrier, offering him a platform to stand on.

However, Kazuo had no concern with falling. He concentrated and condensed his shadows onto his palm.

This was his most formidable single-target attack, one he reserved for dire situations—an ace up his sleeve that had given him the reassurance to traverse the sea with someone who seemingly sought his demise.

{Shadows Art: Paperclip}

A shadow extended from Kazuo's palm, akin to an elongated needle. Visually unimposing, the attack's potency was far from apparent...

Yet, its appearance was not important, as a resounding, eardrum-shattering boom ensued, shattering the sound barrier. The six-armed elephant reacted swiftly, encasing himself in a protective golden shield before the attack could connect.

What astonishing reflexes, Kazuo marveled.

Yet, these reflexes were useless, for when the shadow nail struck the barrier at a small single pinpoint, it pierced through effortlessly, as if the barrier had never existed.

Kazuo had planned to use this maneuver as a countermeasure against water barriers, employing a minuscule, finger-width nail—a seemingly innocuous size. However, when combined with incredible speed, even a pebble hurled faster than the speed of sound could do devastating damage.

The shadow nail punctured the creature's shoulder, and the resulting shockwave triggered an explosion that obliterated the left side of its torso. Three of its arms, along with the golden platform it had been employing for flight, disintegrated. WIth that, the creature began descending alongside Kazuo.

"Ah, so your power relied on those hand seals?" Kazuo asked, aware that no response would come. While he couldn't decipher the creature's expression behind its elephantine visage, he sought to unsettle his opponent nonetheless.

Exposing someone's unique ability often led to panic. After all, it was merely a matter of time until weaknesses were exploited or countermeasures constructed.

The creature bellowed through its trunk, releasing a palpable and monstrous energy. It was evident that it had not exerted its full might against Kazuo.

Realization dawned on Kazuo, and a chuckle escaped him. "Don't tell me you didn't go all out from the beginning? Did you underestimate me? Well, that was a stupid decision."

"Foolish humans!" the creature roared, its anger now irrefutable. "You know naught about the island's machinations—"

Kazuo paid no mind to the creature's impending words, encasing himself in a cocoon of shadows—a wise choice. He felt peculiar, slicing attacks battering his cocoon, causing hairline fractures. Yet, they failed to breach his defenses. Perhaps with all its arms intact, the outcome might have differed, but that was not the reality at hand.

Kazuo plunged into the water, dispelling the cocoon of shadows. While facing someone like Kon on water would put him at a clear disadvantage, this wasn't the case with others. In fact, there was no better source of power for a Kuro Clan member than the depths of the sea itself!

He patiently awaited the arrival of the humanoid elephant creature beneath the waves. Whether or not this entity was truly a demon didn't concern Kazuo; he was determined to eliminate it. If that proved impossible, his contingency plan was to escape.

Drawing a talisman, Kazuo tore it open, creating an air bubble around his head. His preparations for underwater combat had been extensive, something that proved valuable.

Descending deeper and deeper, the encompassing darkness prompted him to anticipate the creature's approach. Despite the lack of visual cues, his Blaster abilities allowed him to sense Ord, including that of Ord belonging to Ord. However, he was aware that hiding Ord was possible, akin to the techniques employed by certain Masters.

Kazuo had predicted this scenario and therefore activated another talisman. Instantly, his eyes gleamed with enhanced vision, rendering darkness as bright as day.

Night Vision Talismans were incredibly rare and the last person who could create something like this was The Magician. Obtaining one wasn't easy, but as the Kuro Clan Head, Kazuo had his means of acquiring such things.

"Everything is ready. Now, I shall eliminate an Ultimate Class creature in one-on-one combat," Kazuo affirmed to himself.

Surveying his surroundings, his gaze caught the distant bottom of Avalon Island. Yet, as his eyes fell upon it, an involuntary shiver coursed through him, a visceral reaction to an inexplicable terror.

The island itself was peculiar; rather than being anchored to the sea floor, it floated ominously. Rocks don’t float, much less an island!

However, even more unnerving was the colossal eye embedded within the island's core, a grotesque sentinel radiating unspeakable malevolence.

Kazuo's unease transcended mere physical discomfort; it was an existential tremor that shook his core. The eye, an abyssal orb, exuded an aura that clawed at his sanity, each glance into its abyssal depths dragging him further into a pit of dread.

The eye stirred as if inhaling his fear, tendrils of flesh squelching and writhing, propelling the eye to pivot, its gaze now fixated upon Kazuo. Time wavered, his heartbeat an erratic drumbeat, as the colossal eye, brimming with hunger and otherworldly malice, honed in on his quivering form.

In that unsettling moment, Kazuo's revelation struck like a bolt: Avalon Island wasn't an island at all—it was a living creature!

His body responded to the terror, blood streaming from his orifices, and his head throbbing with agony. He strained to manipulate the shadows around him, a futile effort as invisible tendrils wrapped around him, their relentless force crushing him inch by inch.