Solo Leveling : 10 Shadow Technique

Finn was still in his new outfit, standing at the doorway of a hovering helicopter, the wind whipping against him.

"Chimera, we're close to the corruption. You can jump now," the pilot said.

Without hesitation, Finn leaped from the aircraft, his coat billowing as he glided through the air. His sharp gaze locked onto the corrupted lake below.

Time to get serious… and that's definitely a corrupted lake.

Adjusting his gravity mid-air, Finn flipped, accelerating his descent. As he neared the water, his shadow extended, summoning a jellyfish-like creature—Aqua Bell, a D-Rank Shikigami. It attached to his back, forming a connection that allowed him to breathe underwater while generating a faint healing mist.

Diving in, his vision remained crystal clear, thanks to Aqua Bell's ability. A thin tendril from the Shikigami wrapped gently around his nose and mouth, supplying him with oxygen.

That must be it…

Ahead, a massive gate loomed, leaking corrosive venom into the water. Strange creatures slithered out of it—humanoid abominations with multiple twisted limbs, like something out of a horror movie, accompanied by swarms of serpentine beings, all attempting to escape.

Finn propelled himself forward with a powerful blast of water, closing the distance in an instant. His coat shifted as a shadow spot formed on its fabric, and from it, tentacles shot out, capturing every escaping entity. Without missing a beat, he dove straight into the gate, the trapped creatures vanishing into his Shadow Garden.

As he entered, Finn found himself inside a vast dungeon. The chamber was enormous, with one massive door standing ominously before him. The creatures he had captured earlier stirred within his Shadow Garden, but something was wrong. Two of his newly acquired Shikigami refused his command.

This is a first… Must be a strong boss in this dungeon.

Rather than worry, Finn smirked. His right hand flexed, and venom seeped from his fingertips, pooling into a caustic acid that could erode anything. With a flick, he unleashed a wave of destruction upon the towering door, dissolving it in moments.

Beyond the entrance was a massive corrupted forest.

"Damn… this place is huge," Finn muttered, stepping forward.

As he walked, he noticed eleven towering pillars, each adorned with intricate carvings. A thick, poisonous liquid trickled down their surfaces, flowing faster from one in particular. He approached, inspecting the base of the pillar, where the carving of a stag was etched into the stone.

The moment the venom reached the bottom, a deep growl echoed through the air.

Finn turned, eyes narrowing.

A massive, wolf-like creature emerged from the darkness, its green fur pulsing with corruption. Saliva dripped from its fangs, sizzling against the ground as it corroded everything it touched. Then, behind Finn, the earth rumbled.

He reacted instantly, melting into the shadows. A heartbeat later, he reappeared perched on a tree branch within the corrupted forest. Below him, the pillar crumbled to dust, and in its place stood the entity it once sealed—

A stag.

It had an ethereal, divine appearance, but the aura surrounding it was malevolent. With every step, the ground beneath it withered, the soil turning black. The corrupted hounds that dared to approach aged in an instant, their bodies crumbling into dust before they even reached the creature.

Finn's eyes sharpened.

"Something that drains vitality, huh…"

Sinking back into the shadows, he formulated a plan.

//--\

Sythrax, the Stag of Ruin, strode through the decayed forest, its mere presence accelerating the rot of the already dead trees.

A few miles ahead, hidden within the darkness, Finn crouched, loading his flintlock pistol. In his other hand, he gripped a musket, both weapons infused with his shadows.

Without hesitation, he emerged, firing the first shot.

The shadow bullet corroded mid-air, disintegrating before it could even reach the stag.

"Tch," Finn clicked his tongue.

The stag reacted immediately, dashing toward him with terrifying speed. The moment it made contact, Finn's body disintegrated into dust—

Or so it seemed.

A second later, another Finn stepped out of the shadows behind the stag, musket raised. He fired, this time adjusting the shot, but the bullet merely splattered uselessly against the ground.

The stag lunged again.

This time, as the attack connected, Finn's body turned to dust once more.

Then came the sound of laughter.

A cruel, eerie cackle echoed through the corrupted forest, sending a chill through the air.

"Kihihihihihi~!"

The stag's ears twitched. Suddenly, from every direction, multiple Finns emerged from the darkness, each armed and ready. They fired simultaneously, but again, the bullets dissolved before impact. However, their shots weren't meant to hit—

The ground was now littered with shadow splatters.

One of the clones transformed into a bat, hovering motionless above a particularly large shadow pool. The stag, sensing an easy target, lunged. The moment it struck, the clone disintegrated—

But now, the stag was standing directly over a shadow trap.

A massive, swallowing darkness surged beneath it, attempting to drag the beast into Finn's Shadow Garden. However, the stag resisted, its very presence corroding the shadow itself.

Just as I thought—it corrodes anything.

"Good thing I prepared for this."

Finn smirked.

"Maximum Technique…"

"Shadow Ever-Garden—"

Before he could complete the attack, a new presence emerged.

A skeletal-winged roc descended from above, riding atop a cloud of dark rain. Corrupted water dripped from its form, staining the ground. Following behind it, the multi-limbed humanoid creatures slithered forward.

The moment the tainted rain touched the spectral hounds guarding Finn, they twisted and mutated, transforming into corrupted beasts.

"Tch," Finn clicked his tongue, retreating as the battlefield shifted.

The stag—Sythrax—stood with the last of Finn's clones in its mouth, crushing it into dust. Meanwhile, the two Abyssal Hounds retreated back into Finn's shadow, their forms flickering.

"Flip this—double-teaming me now?" Finn muttered, irritation creeping into his voice.

He prepared to summon stronger reinforcements, but something blocked his connection. The two corrupted creatures he had absorbed earlier interfered, disrupting his link with several of his Shikigami.

The only ones he could summon weren't ideal for this fight.

Can this room even fit it…?

Before he could summon, another wave of enemies appeared—massive, bipedal behemoths. With each step, the ground beneath them cracked, venom bubbling from the earth.

"Ahh, flip me," Finn cursed.

The stag charged.

Finn twisted mid-air, flipping over its attack—but then a droplet of black rain struck his right leg.

Immediately, the corruption spread, mutating his flesh.

Finn frowned, flexing his fingers. His connection to the Celestial Stag's abilities failed.

Without hesitation, he ripped off his own leg, allowing venom to form a new limb in its place.

Launching himself upward, he barely avoided the incoming Plagueborn Behemoths. They crashed forward, only to be met with the corruptive aura of Sythrax, withering into dust. The rest diverted, but on the left side, the Plague Harbinger Roc hovered, its dark rain claiming even more of them, twisting them into monstrous Abyssal Crawlers.

Finn narrowed his eyes.

His right arm tingled—drained of vitality just from being near Sythrax. Clicking his tongue, he severed it, replacing it with a venomous limb once more.

Damn it. I need Celestial Stag and Tempest Roc… They'd be perfect for this fight.

Testing his summoning ability again, he called upon Phantom Hare—the evolved form of Rabbit Escape.

A grin stretched across Finn's face.

"Finally… Let's get serious."

With a toxic blade in one hand and Phantom Hare multiplying around him, Finn vanished into the darkness.