The battlefield was silent for a moment, save for the steady hum of tension in the air. The Sinister 7 stood, their minds racing, trying to figure out how to bring down the looming presence of Tel-Nu. Around them, their armies of shades, twisted forms of soldiers and aides, patrolled restlessly, waiting for the next command.
Tel-Nu, standing amidst the chaos, had not yet made his move. The shadows around him twisted and writhed, alive with the dark energy that pulsed through him. His eyes scanned the field, taking in the countless shades that filled Corintopia, each one a grotesque mockery of the people they had once been.
Then, without warning, Tel-Nu raised his hand.
In an instant, a wave of dark energy radiated outward from his form, spreading like wildfire across the battlefield. The air itself seemed to ripple as the wave passed through it, and with it came an overwhelming, crushing silence.
The shades—the twisted soldiers, the aides, the monstrous followers of the Sinister 7—began to dissolve. One by one, their forms faded into nothingness, erased from existence without a single sound. The once bustling streets of Corintopia, filled with the dark forms of these beings, were now empty. There was no trace of them left. No blood. No bodies. Only silence.
Junna, the embodiment of Lust, felt the emptiness immediately. Her shades, her twisted followers, had been her playthings—creatures she controlled, bent to her every whim. And now, they were gone. She stared in disbelief as the streets emptied before her eyes.
"No…" she whispered, her voice filled with shock. "What have you done?"
Tel-Nu's gaze turned toward her, his voice calm and unyielding. "They were never meant to exist. I have corrected that."
Cusi, the embodiment of Greed, let out a growl of frustration as his own followers vanished before him. The wealth and power he had amassed—his shades that brought him treasure after treasure—were gone in an instant. He clenched his fists, his greed boiling over into a seething rage.
"You took everything!" Cusi roared, his voice shaking with fury. "How dare you!"
Tel-Nu's eyes flicked toward him, utterly unbothered by Cusi's rage. "You deserved nothing, Greed. And so, you are left with nothing."
Kira, watching from the shadows, felt her envy flare even hotter as she witnessed the erasure of her own followers. Every shade she had sent to patrol, to hunt for Tel-Nu, was gone. Her eyes burned with anger, and she gritted her teeth in frustration.
"I will take it all back!" she screamed, her voice filled with venom. "You can't take what's mine!"
Tel-Nu did not respond. His focus was not on their petty emotions or their delusions of power. His purpose was far greater than any one of them could comprehend.
Eshe, the embodiment of Wrath, watched as her shades—those she had tormented, twisted, and set loose upon Corintopia—vanished before her eyes. Her flames burned hotter, her anger rising as the reality of what had just happened sank in.
"How dare you erase them!" Eshe snarled, her voice like a crack of thunder. "They were mine to destroy, mine to command!"
Tel-Nu's gaze shifted to Eshe, his voice colder than before. "You are nothing, Wrath. Your fire is hollow."
Cormac, sitting amidst the remains of his gluttonous feast, saw his orcish shades vanish into nothing. His greedy hands, which had once pulled food and drink toward him endlessly, now grasped at empty air. His eyes widened in disbelief, and he let out a roar of anger.
"You will pay for this, Tel-Nu!" Cormac bellowed. "I will devour you whole!"
But Tel-Nu was unmoved. His shadows twisted and coiled around him, the dark energy growing even stronger.
Dmitri, the embodiment of Sloth, had barely reacted as his shades disappeared. He lay lazily on the ground, watching as his minions faded into dust. His eyes narrowed in annoyance, but his body remained relaxed.
"Great," Dmitri muttered. "Now I have to actually do something."
Delson Sr., the embodiment of Pride, stood tall as he watched his own followers—his aides, his soldiers—disappear before him. But unlike the others, Delson did not shout or rage. He stood in silence, his prideful gaze locked on Tel-Nu.
"You think this will defeat us?" Delson Sr. said, his voice quiet but filled with arrogance. "You've only made us stronger."
Tel-Nu did not respond to Delson's taunt. Instead, he raised his hand again, the dark energy around him growing even more powerful. The Sinister 7 watched in silence as Tel-Nu's power surged, filling the battlefield with an oppressive weight.
"All that is false," Tel-Nu said, his voice echoing across the empty streets of Corintopia, "will be erased."
With those words, the final remnants of the Sinister 7's armies, their aides, their twisted followers, were gone. Corintopia was left empty, a hollow shell of its former self, and the Sinister 7 stood alone.
The battle had not yet ended. In fact, it had only just begun.