Inside the Kingdom of Light, within the high towers of the royal castle, King Kuro entered his private chamber to inspect the kingdom's most classified documents. A cold shock hit him as he looked at the empty pedestal—the secret scrolls had vanished.
"What?! How is this possible?" Kuro roared, his voice trembling with disbelief. "Who stole them? Perhaps my assistant moved them to a safer location..."
Kuro's scream echoed through the stone corridors as he summoned his subordinate. "Raiga! Get in here now!"
Raiga rushed into the room, bowing frantically while trembling. "Yes, My Lord!"
"Where are the secret documents?" Kuro demanded, his eyes burning with a murderous rage.
"I... I do not know, Sire," Raiga stammered, his face pale.
"Did you take them?!"
"No! I would never! I didn't touch them!"
Kuro slammed his fist against the oak table. "The secrets of this kingdom have been stolen. How are we supposed to retrieve them now?"
Raiga remained silent, his head bowed in terror, offering no answers.
The Cost of Weakness
Meanwhile, back at the headquarters of the Seven Heads of Light, Zetsu leaned against the wall, casually tossing a gold coin into the air.
"The documents are sold," Zetsu reported to Morgan. "Ninety-five gold pieces."
"Excellent," Morgan replied with a cold smirk. "Store them in the treasury."
After securing the gold, Zetsu stepped out of the headquarters. As he walked through the dim streets, a desperate, guttural cry reached his ears. He turned to see a man named Yami, covered in blood, crawling toward him.
"Please... help me," Yami gasped, reaching out with a trembling hand. "A monster... it killed my wife... my son... help..."
Zetsu looked down at the dying man with eyes as cold as ice. "How pathetic," he whispered. "You are weak."
Without a trace of mercy, Zetsu ended Yami's life on the spot, silencing his pleas forever. He walked a few paces further and found the creature—a massive, grotesque beast standing over the mangled remains of Yami's family.
"So, you're the one," Zetsu muttered.
The beast lunged, but Zetsu was a blur of motion. In a single flash of steel, he appeared behind the creature. The monster's head slid from its shoulders before it could even roar.
"All of you... so incredibly weak," Zetsu sighed, cleaning his blade.
Arise from the Void
Suddenly, a heavy blow struck Zetsu from behind, nearly knocking him off balance. He recovered instantly, spinning around to find himself surrounded. From the shadows of the alleyways, dozens of massive monsters emerged, their eyes glowing with hunger.
Zetsu's own shadow began to ripple and expand like spilled ink across the ground. A dark smile played on his lips.
"Arise!" he commanded.
From the absolute void of the earth, numerous shadow soldiers emerged, their forms flickering like dark flames. They threw themselves at the horde of monsters. Zetsu quickly realized that these beasts were resilient; they wouldn't die unless their heads were completely severed.
"Too slow," Zetsu remarked, watching the chaotic brawl.
He summoned a shadowy bow and began firing arrows with surgical precision, severing the monsters' legs one by one. As the massive beasts collapsed to the ground, his shadow soldiers swarmed over them, finishing them off by tearing through their necks.
Zetsu stood amidst the carnage as his shadows retreated back into his feet. "Monsters... such easy prey."