Solo Leveling : 10 Shadow Technique

Finn was engulfed in a storm of white-furred Hares, their small forms scurrying beneath the battlefield, digging into the earth. But when the cursed rain of Zephyros touched them, their soft fur darkened, and they twisted into something grotesque—Abyssal Crawlers.

Seeing the corruption spreading, Finn quickly willed the Hares to fade into his Shadows, following suit himself. The Celestial Stag, its ethereal form glowing with divine radiance, charged forward, its hooves crushing the thin shadow-layer Finn had left behind. But the moment it touched the darkness, the Stag's form disintegrated.

Finn emerged elsewhere—still gripping his sword—and with a single clean stroke, severed one of the Stag's horns. It howled in rage and lunged again, but Finn vanished, his form dissolving into dust.

The real Finn reappeared in the trees, sprinting along the branches. His mind raced.

I need to purge these things from my Shadow Garden.

Up ahead, he spotted the Phantom Hare clawing at the earth, burrowing into his Shadow. He stopped abruptly, concealed himself within the foliage, and sank into his own darkness—diving into the Shadow Garden itself.

What he saw made his blood run cold.

The realm was nearly engulfed in a sickly red corruption, poison seeping through every corner like a spreading infection. His Shikigami—his army—were tainted, crimson markings radiating from their bodies. Even his strongest creatures trembled under its influence.

Then, without warning, a blur of black scales lunged at him.

Jaws.

The prehistoric crocodile snapped its massive maw at Finn, forcing him to twist mid-air to evade. More of his Shikigami turned their attention to him—corrupted, hostile. But then, in the distance, he saw them.

The original ten.

The first Shikigami he had ever tamed stood apart, untouched by the corruption. Finn smirked.

"The OGs never hold me back."

As they closed in, Finn manipulated the space around them, pulling them out of the Shadow Garden and back into the battlefield.

A deafening roar shook the land.

He turned in time to see the Abyssal Hounds charging toward him. But before they could strike, the colossal trunk of Max Elephant crashed down, sending them flying with a tidal wave of pressurized water.

Now standing atop the mighty elephant's back, Finn grinned.

"Alright, things are turning around."

Then, the third pillar collapsed.

Finn's expression darkened as a molten, blackened draconic titan emerged, its body exuding plague-laced lava. The sheer presence of the creature made his skin crawl.

Great. Just what I needed.

Above him, Zephyros shrieked and dove straight for him. Finn didn't hesitate—he summoned Mahoraga.

The eight-armed Divine General landed with a crash, its halo spinning, sword blazing. It lunged at the Roc, but Zephyros dodged with unnatural speed.

Then, another figure rushed in—Sythrax.

The Abyssal Behemoth collided with Mahoraga, its presence alone corroding reality itself. For a moment, it seemed as though the Divine General would be disintegrated—until its wheel spun.

Mahoraga adapted instantly. With a brutal slash, it severed the other horn from the Celestial Stag.

Meanwhile, Finn's condition was worsening. The venom seeping from the middle pillar was draining his strength. His vision blurred.

I need a counter to this toxin.

A blast of plague lava surged toward him, but before it could strike, the Phantom Hares multiplied and formed a barrier alongside the spectral wolves.

Some were instantly melted. Others, infected. And yet, the diseased ones self-destructed, detonating before the corruption could spread.

Finn wasted no time—he ordered the Phantom Hares to swarm the draconic titan.

Then—the fourth pillar collapsed.

Another monstrosity emerged. This time, a Chimera.

Finn narrowed his eyes as the creature's form dissolved into a swarm of insects, attacking in all directions before reforming into a beast again.

The Abyssal Hounds leaped into action.

Meanwhile, Finn reached out, touching the Celestial Stag. Instantly, divine energy coursed through him, restoring his strength. He leaped atop Max Elephant, pointing at Sythrax. The elephant obeyed—unleashing a tidal wave so powerful it didn't disintegrate on contact.

Finn grinned.

Now we're getting somewhere.

He infused the wave with Miasma.

The result? A corrupted tsunami—one that actually harmed Sythrax.

Then, a shadow crashed into the battlefield. Ebon—his Reaper—was flung aside, flipping in mid-air before landing. Finn turned to the source and scowled.

The Chimera again.

Every time it was attacked, it dissolved into insects—only to reform elsewhere. It was unkillable.

The fifth pillar collapsed.

A Hydra slithered forth, its multicolored scales pulsating with unnatural energy. Just looking at it made Finn's mind feel disoriented.

Then—out of nowhere—a black humanoid mass lunged at him.

Infernal Eclipse—Tiger Funeral's evolution—teleported beside it, swiping at it with a fiery claw. But the creature turned into gas, then instantly re-solidified, striking with a blade-formed arm.

Eclipse barely dodged.

Finn gritted his teeth.

"It can shift between solid, liquid, and gas… great."

At that moment, he felt something shift—his Shikigami.

They were recovering.

And above, Mahoraga finally bested Zephyros.

"What a goat."

But then—something dragged Finn down.

A tentacle.

The Behemoth.

It had been corrupted.

Finn struggled as the smaller Shikigami—those already infected—latched onto it, amplifying its power. His body screamed in pain, his vision blurred. He tried to shift into Plague God Form—but he was too weak.

He could only use it at 50% condition or higher. And this venom had drained him below that threshold.

Blood dripped from his lips as he gasped, "I'm sorry."

Then—the Shikigami fused.

All ten of his original Shikigami melded into something far stronger.

//--\

Finn was moments away from being crushed. But then—

A blade severed the tentacle.

A new presence arrived.

It soared toward Finn, embedding two of its weapons into its chest, storing them within its abyssal frame. Then, with a touch—it healed Finn.

And when they emerged from the Shadows—Finn stood with his greatest creation yet.

Mahoraga: The Abyssal Devourer.

It was a towering, eight-armed demon, its spinning halo now composed of blades woven from darkened reality. The sigils on its abyssal black body shifted constantly, rewriting existence itself. Its glowing, pupil-less eyes pierced through all illusions.

And as Finn took his first step forward, he saw it.

The second to last pillar had fallen,