As Miro turned around, he saw Shinon standing in the doorway. However, something was wrong with him.

Unlike before, when the shadows seemed to cling to Shinon, they had become one with him, transforming him into a grotesque figure.

Several twisted, dark tentacles extended from his body, seemingly having a mind of their own. Shinon looked more like a fusion between a human and Cthulhu or some other similar creature.

"What are you...?"

A gasp escaped Miro’s lips as he took in the horrifying sight. Each shadowy tentacle held onto a withered guard, their lifeless eyes staring blankly at Miro. The air of dominance Miro had a moment ago evaporated quicker than a puddle of water thrown in a volcano.

"Does it matter?" Shinon replied, his voice sounding distorted and monstrous.

"Fine, have it your way then!"

Without hesitation, Miro raised his weapon and opened fire at the abomination before him. Bullets streaked through the air, but the shadows acted as an impenetrable shield, protecting Shinon. At the same time, the tentacles flung the withered corpses towards Miro like bony javelins with unnatural force.

"Fuck!"

Miro dodged and ducked through the airborne corpses, desperately trying to evade the oncoming onslaught. But despite his best efforts, one of the lifeless bodies collided with him, sending him sprawling to the floor. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

He reached out for his gun, but the shadows pushed it away, leaving him defenceless against the horrors that Shinon brought with him.

Desperation got the best of him, and Miro tried to push past Shinon to safety. Unfortunately, the ever-present shadows blocked his way and pushed him back inside.

While the shadow had barely touched him for a second, Miro could feel its effect. It felt like someone had sucked his stamina out of him as he struggled to stay on his feet.

"You’re a bastard, you know that?" Miro scoffed while he discreetly looked around for anything useful.

"It’s funny, coming from you," Shinon smiled, stepping inside the chamber. "I mean, it takes one to know one, right?"

"It isn’t too late for you to join me," Miro feigned ignorance. "As long as you come to my side, I assure you no one you love will be harmed."

"Your words make me wonder if you’re deluded or plain stupid," Shinon sighed, shaking his head. "Look around. Do you think you have a way out of this mess? Even if you escape from my clutches, someone else will get you. Your life is already over."

"Haha! Is that what you think?" Miro laughed hysterically. "You morons think you can defeat me inside my base of operations? Really?"

Shinon realised there was no point in talking Miro into surrendering. Well, it was good because Shinon planned to kill him either way. With a wave, Shinon grabbed Miro with his shadow and slammed his head on the wall.

Just because Shinon wanted to kill him didn’t mean he would grant Miro a quick death. Since Miro enjoyed toying with people before dooming them to a fate worse than death, Shinon would do something similar to him.

Shinon used his shadows to do the dirty work for him. He broke one of Miro’s wrists as he dangled in the air. Then the other one, before breaking each and every bone in his hands.

Miro’s screams echoed in the empty corridors, only to be deafened by the sounds of the ongoing battle. The shadows split into small veins and crawled onto Miro’s skin like snakes.

It was Shinon’s attempt to intensify Miro’s pain further. Wherever the shadowy veins touched Miro, they ripped his skin apart before moving under his skin, doing the same with his muscles and tearing him from the inside.

It was the most gruesome thing Shinon had ever done, just downright evil. Even then, he didn’t feel a shred of remorse, especially after knowing that Miro had helped Aric ruin countless more lives.

In fact, Shinon believed whatever he was doing wasn’t enough and was about to take the torture to another gear when he heard someone behind him.

The shadows immediately shot towards the soldiers inching closer to the room. But while Shinon dealt with the soldiers, his grip on Miro weakened enough for the latter to struggle and get himself freed.

Before Shinon could catch him again, Miro reached for a stun grenade attached to his side. He activated the grenade and hurled it towards Shinon in a last-ditch effort.

The blinding light filled the room as Miro made a hasty retreat, hoping to escape the clutches of the nightmarish creature that Shinon had turned into.

However, one could run from the light but not the dark. As Miro rushed towards a nearby laboratory, he glanced over his shoulder. Shinon was nowhere to be seen, and just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he found Shinon appeared before him.

Without wasting any time, Shinon seized him by the neck, lifting him effortlessly off the ground. Miro’s face contorted in fear as he struggled against Shinon’s vice-like grip as he could feel his life force being depleted.

"You thought you could escape, Miro," Shinon hissed as the shadows grabbed Miro’s limbs. "Too bad, that’s not gonna happen."

"I... won’t... lose..."

"Of course, you won’t," Shinon chuckled. "After all, this ain’t a war but a massacre."

In a swift and merciless motion, Shinon snapped Miro’s neck, the sickening sound echoing in the now silent room. Miro’s lifeless body hung from Shinon’s grip, the once formidable leader now reduced to a limp ragdoll.

Throwing away his corpse, Shinon contacted the Trader, "It’s done. I held my part of the deal. Now it’s your-"

However, the horror was far from over. To Shinon’s disbelief, Miro’s corpse twitched and convulsed. Miro’s broken neck dangled unnaturally behind him, yet he was inexplicably alive. His eyes were blank, and still, Shinon felt they were searching for him.

"What the fuck?" Shinon, surprised by the unexpected turn of events, attempted to finish the job.

But before he could act, a meaty, veiny, tentacle-like thing burst forth from Miro’s chest, throwing Shinon into the courtyard.

Meanwhile, Miro’s body underwent a grotesque transformation. His skin turned sickly, and his eyes glowed with an eerie light. He rose from the ground, the broken neck swaying unnaturally as his body kept growing.

Miro had turned into an undead creature, unleashing a guttural roar reverberating through the facility. It was time to destroy everything.