Shadow the Hedgehog of the Colossus
Chapter 10: Kuromori
While Shadow was slaying Colossai and Tails was getting the word out to Vanilla, Lord Emon and his Echidna warriors were travelling endlessly through their vast forest of giant trees and open plains, hoping to reach the Forbidden Lands before the black hedgehog was successful in killing all the Colossai and resurrecting Dormin.
The fate of the entire world depended on them. Emon was among the few elders who saw for himself what Dormin is capable of and what disasters his return would bring. It took all of their strength, and the sacrifice of their old kingdom, to seal Dormin away and split his power into 16 fragments that gave life to the land around them, turning them into the 16 Colossai.
But as much as he wanted to, he cannot let his warriors and horses overexert themselves. They need rest. They wouldn't be able to stop a horse from escaping if they were all exhausted. So the group set up camp in an open grassy field. They set up a campfire at the top of a hill so that they could get a good layout of the land and keep an eye out for predators or bandits.
The warriors slept soundly while Emon was keeping watch. He was having difficulty sleeping as he couldn't stop dwelling on the past and the horrors his clan have endeared whilst fighting Dormin.
The lifespan of a Mobian is almost twice that of a human. Dormin's imprisonment occurred around 80 years ago. He, and very few other Echidna, were able to survive his wrath and live their lives up to this day. He is now the last of the Echidna who used to live in the Forbidden Lands. It was because of this, and his wisdom, that he was made leader of this generation of the Colossus Clan.
"Hard to believe it's been 80 years since this nightmare ended." He thought to himself. "I was praying the day would never come when someone would undo all our ancestors' work. But this Shadow the Hedgehog is determined to see his mission through to the end…. He refuses to accept that death is a part of life that inevitably comes for us all. Dormin's power to restore life is an unholy perversion of the balance of nature. I will NOT allow it to be unleashed on the world!"
With that said, Emon finally manages to put his mind at ease for tonight and get some sleep.
The following morning, he, and his warriors, set out on horseback again. Every second wasted increases Shadow's chances of completing the forbidden spell.
They only travelled a few miles until one of the Echidna warriors upfront spots something shining in the distance.
"Lord Emon, we've spotted something!"
The group follow the lone warrior until they come across the source of the shining light. They've happened upon the old broken and rusted wagon Shadow initially used to transport Maria until it broke down and was abandoned. The grass it was sitting atop had gone yellow and a few weeds started growing over the broken axil.
Emon and his warriors dismount their horses to get a closer look at the abandoned wagon. Emon lifts his mask to properly inspect the wagon. On closer inspection, Emon discovers a single strand of golden hair.
"This strand of hair must belong to the one the black hedgehog is trying to resurrect." Emon assumed. "We're on the right track. Shadow has been here not too long ago. This wagon is only a day old from whence he left it. We still have a chance of intercepting him before he completes the ritual."
Emon and his group quickly return to their horses and continue the journey to the Forbidden Lands.
"Onwards my warriors!" He declared proudly as he lowers his mask again. "We may still make it in time if we hurry. No matter what happens, we cannot let him finish!"
Emon leads the way as the group's horses race across the open plains, leaving the old wagon behind.
The day after returning from the graveyard, Maria and Ivo were back in the family mansion. Visiting Geraldo and Meredith's graves taught Maria to not take life for granted and must make time for the only two family members she has left.
Maria offered to assist her cousin in his latest project. Ivo wanted to begin testing his genius by creating sentient robots. They both believed that if machines were capable of feeling emotion like living beings do then maybe society would be more generous in having them do all the hard work for them rather than not giving them so much as a sideways glance.
Ivo allowed Maria to do most of the building while he instructed her on how to do it. The result of her first attempt was a small tin robot. It had a white bucket-like body with bolts and red handles on the side instead of arms. Instead of legs, it has a black tire on the bottom of its body, and for a head, it has a cap on top of its body that is slightly wider than the torso. It also had a singular red eye with a slit-like pupil, a see-through eyelid, and a red antenna on its right side.
She presses the red button on its back, activating it. The robot's eye lights up as its systems boot up. It drives across the floor a few inches before turning itself around and getting a good look up at its makers.
"It's working!" Maria stated excitedly.
"Not bad for your first try." Ivo complimented her. "But you've got a long way to go before you can match my genius. And that's coming from someone who's decades behind our grandfather."
The small robot starts zooming around the living room excitedly. It was sending out beeping sounds in a series of rhythms that confused the young girl.
"I guess I forgot to give him a speech function, hehe."
"Your robot is fine. Its circuitry is just so simple he can only communicate through morse code." Ivo reassured her.
Shadow couldn't help but smile a little over seeing 3-year-old Maria run around the living room, chasing her first robot. She eventually catches it, picks it up, and hugs it tightly. The robot lets out some more morse code as it closes its singular eye, expressing that it is happy.
"She looks so happy back then. She's the same back then as she was when I first met her." Shadow commented to himself.
"I'm gonna call him Zippie," Maria announced.
"Unusual name. Why?" He asked.
"Because he likes zipping along the floor. Do you like that, little robot?" Maria asked her and Ivo's first creation.
The robot responded with a series of morse codes. Ivo translates that he approves of the name and loves his master very much. That put a massive smile on Maria's face as she embraces Zippie again.
"Why would you name your robot?" Ivo curiously asked.
"Why don't you?" She responded with her own question.
"I- I don't know. I suppose I didn't think it mattered."
"If you really wanna make robots with feelings, wouldn't giving them names make them feel more like a people than a machine?"
"Hmm, you've got a point there. Perhaps I will name any future robots I build."
The two of them decide to take a break from inventing and watch Zippie drive across the floor. Shadow was looking around the house, wondering where Professor Gerald was. He was nowhere to be seen within the mansion. He must've gone out to work, he assumed.
As he looked around, he spots a picture frame hanging on the mantle above the fireplace. It was a picture of a younger Gerald Robotnik in a black tuxedo and bowtie. His moustache was brown and shorter compared to how it is now, and he had a full head of brown hair styled to look like the human musician, Elvis Presley. He was holding hands with a woman with long red hair wearing a wedding dress. Standing in front of them were their two children, one was a young boy with round glasses and blonde hair who Shadow guessed was Geraldo. The other was a slightly shorter girl with braces, messy-looking red curly hair and square glasses.
Shadow knew who these people were. The woman was Jennifer Vasquez, Gerald's wife who was killed in a car crash. And the young girl was Bertha Robotnik, Eggman's mother.
"The Professor mentioned his family to me once, but this is the first time I've got to see their faces… That girl's Eggman's mother alright. Now I see where he got that smile from." He thought to himself as continued to gaze at the picture.
His ears twitch in response to the sudden sounds of discomfort coming from Maria, who was coughing uncontrollably again. It was just like back at the graveyard, only it sounded a lot worse, and more of her blood was coughed up from her mouth, staining the carpet.
Maria suddenly loses all the strength in her legs and collapses on the floor. Ivo quickly rushed to her aid and held her head up. Zippie rushed over to her side as well and let loose a series of worried beeps.
"Maria?! What's wrong?! I thought you said you were over this cold."
"It's not a cold."
Both Shadow and Ivo turn their heads to the right and see Gerald standing in the front doorway. Clutched in his left hand was a metallic briefcase that had the G.U.N logo in the centre of it.
Before his grandson could clarify what he meant, Gerald rushed over and takes Maria in his arms. He places the back of his hand on her forehead like before and checks her temperature. Her fever was even hotter than last time, which forced a worried expression on his face under his glasses.
"What is going on, Grandpa? What do you mean it's not a cold? What is it then?" Ivo demanded of him, sick and tired of being kept in the dark about what was going on.
Gerald lets out a sigh. He'll have to tell him the truth now. It's not like he was keeping secrets from him, it's only now he confirmed that what Maria has is no ordinary illness. One he feared would never show itself in his family again.
"Neuro-immuno Deficiency Syndrome," Gerald answered slowly, still slightly in denial about it. He looks down at Maria as he continues his explanation.
"Also known as N.I.D.S. It is a rare, and highly fatal disease. Its symptoms involve coughing up blood. Bright light flashes when you close your eyes. Weak muscles. And weakening of the immune system… When we visited your parents' graves and saw you coughing, I told myself it was just a common cold. I didn't wanna accept that you've inherited your mother's sickness."
"Inherited?" Maria hesitantly replied, hoping she heard wrong.
"Something I never told you about your mother is that her family all had this disease. It's genetic. It was what killed her, not you." Gerald embraces Maria as he noticed tears starting to build up in her eyes. "I've tried everything I could to cure her, but nothing worked. In the end, she used the last of her strength to bring you into this world."
"Geraldo must've known about his wife's illness and how it wound up killing her." Shadow thought to himself.
Gerald gently places Maria down so that he could free up his hands to open up his briefcase. Inside were documents, files, a laptop, and a flash drive, which was what he was searching for. He holds it up high for his grandkids to get a proper look at.
"This drive contains all the research I've invested in trying to cure Meredith's condition. Everything I've gathered on N.I.D.S." He places his hands on Maria's shoulders. "My sweet granddaughter, I swear to you, in your parents' honour, that I will do everything in my power to succeed where I failed with your mother. I will NOT let you succumb to the same fate as her."
Maria smiles and hugs her grandfather, hoping he'll be able to keep his promise this time. But Ivo wasn't so sure if it was possible. He'd offer to help in a heartbeat, but his speciality lies in the field of robotics. He's not a genetics scientist like Gerald was.
Another issue he had was how will Gerald be able to find a laboratory to continue his research on the N.I.D.S virus. His lab at the United Federation isn't large enough for the equipment needed to indirectly study a rare, and unknown, disease. He'll also need a whole team of researchers working under him if he is to increase his chances of finding a cure at a faster rate compared to doing it alone with Meredith.
"But, Grandpa, something this vital will require a lot of workspaces, personal, and expensive lab equipment. Where will you even set up a lab for this goal?"
"I have come to that same conclusion, Ivo, and I have already thought of a solution." Gerald reaches into his briefcase and pulls out a document. He hands it to Ivo whose eyes widen with shock.
"Y- You can't be serious! They actually agreed to this proposition?!
"They have indeed," Gerald answered proudly. "I have been promoted to head scientist aboard humanity's first space colony station, the ARK. There is where I will continue my research to find a cure for Maria."
Shadow stirs in his sleep as he's nearing the end of the current flashback. There were now seven Shades standing over him. One for each of the Chaos Emeralds.
The statue of Hydrus shattered moments later, which is what ended up waking him. As he rubbed his eyes and observed his surroundings, he noticed that something was different compared to the other times he'd been brought back here. It was nighttime.
He remembers seeing the sun going down as he was battling Hydrus. It might've been too long ago when he passed out in the lake. Realising that, he was thankful he didn't drown when the black tendrils possessed his body.
He gets back up on his feet and awaits Dormin's next instructions. But nothing happened. The shrine was dead quiet. Not a single voice could be heard.
"Dormin! Where are you?!" He called out to them.
"We are here, mortal hedgehog. As we always are." The demonic entity replied with its many voices.
"Aren't you gonna tell me who my next foe is?"
"Look around, black hedgehog. Night had befallen the Forbidden Lands. Without the sun's light, thou cannot use the ancient sword to guide thee to the next Colossai… Thou must rest and recover thy strength. Tomorrow thou may continue thy journey."
"I don't have time to rest! The sooner I kill the rest of the Colossai, the sooner I can be with Maria again. The Chaos Emerald won't preserve her body forever." Shadow raised his voice at them.
"We understand thou's desire to revive this maiden. But she is not guaranteed salvation if thou art dead before the ritual is complete… Thou must reserve what strength thou have left before it disappears."
"That reminds me. Why is it that my powers are fading, and my body is weakening with every Colossus I defeat?" Shadow asked before he forgets again.
"It is the price for performing the Forbidden Spell. To save a life, a life must be taken. It is the balance of the world. As thou's body grows weaker, thy maiden's body grows stronger." They explained thoroughly.
"So… you're saying that once Maria comes back to life… I will die?" Shadow clarified.
"Thou art correct," Dormin replied slowly in a sorrowful tone.
Shadow lowers his head as he takes his time to process this information. He closes his eyes as he starts to think about what possible consequences will occur once he completes the ritual and sacrifices himself. He would be leaving everything he fought hard for behind. All the friends he's made since his awakening will keep on living wondering why he chose to abandon them.
Most of the people he'd met throughout his life on Earth he didn't care much about. But there were a select few he did like, even though he never admitted it to their faces. Among them were Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, Omega, Silver, Blaze, and Espio. He even had a soft spot for Cream and enjoyed spending some time with her, even if it mostly involved trying on flower crowns.
His death will devastate them, he knew that for a fact. Though it wouldn't be the first time they all thought he was dead when he "sacrificed" himself to stop the ARK from falling to Earth.
Shadow approaches the altar where Maria's hedgehog body lay. He holds her left hand as he strokes her golden hair with his other hand.
Now his mind was flooding with various possible futures involving Maria. He pictured her meeting and being accepted as one of the gang. If what Eggman told him was true, Maria would become the new Ultimate Lifeform. He's had a good run, but he believes maybe now the time has come for him to pass the mantle onto her once he slays the last Colossus and completes the spell.
"Maria once gave up her life to ensure the government couldn't capture me. I chose to protect this world she loved so much to honour her memory and our friendship… She deserves a second chance to enjoy this world, and its people, to the fullest."
He directs his attention back to the hole in the ceiling. "If giving up my life entitles Maria to live hers, then so be it."
"Very noble of thou, Shadow the Hedgehog… Thou possesses a great heart it thou wish to sacrifice thyself… But thou cannot complete thy ritual if thou art exhausted… Sleep now."
Shadow responded with a single nod before sitting down against the altar. He wanted to be as close to Maria as possible. If he is going to die after slaying the final Colossus, he will live every moment of his final days with his first true friend.
The next morning, Agro arrived back at the shrine with what appeared to be clumps of rosemary and blue orchids in her mouth. She most likely picked these while her partner was sleeping. These were two of the ingredients needed for the strength-boosting elixir that was written in the dead Echidna's journal that was still sitting in the satchel around Shadow's neck.
The black steed gently nudges her snout against Shadow's cheek, trying to wake him up. But all he did was stir in his sleep and mumble to himself.
"Hm… Rouge, leave me alone. I don't want a kiss from you." He mummers in his sleep.
Nudging wasn't working. Time to change tactics. After placing the ingredients down beside the altar, Agro stood up on her hind legs and let loose a loud neigh.
Shadow's eyes immediately burst open as he jumps to his feet and takes up a fighting stance. He relaxes once he sees that it was only Agro giving him a rude awakening.
"You shouldn't startle me like that. I could've broken your nose in a single punch!" He raised his voice at her.
Agro lowers her head in sadness and regret. She didn't mean to upset her new master/friend. She intended to ensure he was up and ready to set out again or the next Colossus.
Shadow inevitably spots the ingredients she'd brought back and picks them up. He then reaches into his satchel and pulls out the piece of paper containing the list of ingredients needed to brew the elixir. All that was missing was fresh water and the silver tail of a salamander.
He places the ingredients and the note in the satchel and approaches Agro. "Listen, it is a reckless act to sneak up on the Ultimate Lifeform while he's sleeping. Keep that in mind next time you have to wake me up, ok?"
Agro nods. She makes a mental note in her mind to not be so careless around him from now on.
Once that little debate was settled, Dormin speaks to them and gives them their next target.
"Thy next foe is… A tail trapped within a pail deep within the forest… A shadow that crawls on the walls."
The next statue identified the Colossus as Kuromori. This one had more of a reptilian design to it compared to the others. Shadow was curious to see what kind of feats it will display in their battle.
Agro turns herself around and encourages Shadow to climb atop her back. Not like he needed permission to ride her the past couple of times anyway.
As they were heading out, Shadow decides to take a little detour first before following the sword's light. To their left was a small pond of crystal-clear water. Another ingredient is needed for the elixir.
Beside it was a small shrine. Along his travels, Shadow had spotted a lot of these identical shrines spread out across the whole Forbidden Lands. Back then he thought nothing of them, but the Echidna's journal states that these shrines are home to the silver-tailed salamanders and the only place they can be found. Why this is, he has no idea. Maybe there's something about the shrines themselves that makes them the perfect homes for the strange little lizards.
If he could get the last two ingredients now, he'll finally be able to brew the potion that would prove useful against some of the bigger and stronger Colossai.
He uses the empty flasks to scoop up the water, seals them up with the corks, and places them back in his satchel. Next up was the salamander. But catching one won't be easy, as they are known to be slippery little critters. Even if you grab one by the tail it would just disconnect from it and grow a new one in its place. But in this case that would be a good thing, since its tail was what he was after.
It didn't take long for Shadow to find one. It was hanging on the wall on the right side of the shrine a few inches from where he was standing.
Shadow held his nerve as he prepared his right arm to lash out and snatch it. The first two attempts were a failure. Without his ability to move and act fast, his reaction time was gravely slowed. He didn't wanna waste any more time chasing lizards, so he decided "Screw it" and drew his sword.
With one quick swing of the blade, Shadow manages to slice off the salamander's tail. The terrified lizard races up the shrine to safety. But Shadow paid it no mind. He'd already got what he came for. He picks up and inspects the severed tail. As the name suggested, the tail was completely silver compared to the rest of the salamander, which was shiny black.
He places the tail in the satchel with the rest of the ingredients and climbed back atop Agro's back. He wasn't done yet. He only has three flasks of water, three pieces of rosemary, three blue orchids, and only one salamander tail. He'll need to collect three more before he could brew the potions. Making all three at once seemed more logical to him than wasting time making one at a time. There could come a time when he may need more than one to sustain him if his strength becomes too drained.
To find more salamanders he'll have to find more shrines like the one he was just at. He makes a mental note to look out for them as he travels to his next destination.
Shadow and Agro travelled northwest of the shrine. While Agro was dead set on following the sword's light, Shadow was keeping an eye out for more shrines in the hope of finding more silver-tailed salamanders.
Up ahead was a cave that the light was pointing inside of. The next Colossus was hidden somewhere inside the mountain. Beside the cave entrance was another shrine. Shadow already spotted the salamander sitting atop the tallest point.
He decides to take it out on the go by standing atop Agro's back and pulling his right arm back, readying a Chaos Spear.
"Chaos Spear!"
But when he thrusts his arm forwards again, nothing happened. Shadow grunts in annoyance. He should've anticipated this. After losing his Chaos Blast in the previous battle, it made sense his signature Chaos Spear would be next.
And to add insult to injury, Agro races down the cave entrance, closing the brief window of opportunity he needed to collect another silver tail. He would've ordered her to turn around but going back for one salamander would've been a wasted effort. There were many more shrines hidden out there. He'll just wait for the next one.
The dark cave eventually led them out into what appeared to be the inside of the mountain. There was a waterfall at the opposite end of the mountain from where they just emerged. Standing between them was a huge bottomless gorge so deep that it was impossible to see the bottom. The path leading to Kuromori was along an edge of a narrow pathway that led to the other end of the gorge.
Agro trekked carefully across the pathway, watching her step as she went as to avoid falling over the edge. One wrong hoof will mean certain death for the duo.
"Agro." Shadow gently spoke up to avoid spooking the horse into dropping him. "I never thanked you for collecting the ingredients for the elixir."
Agro waits until they safely reached the other end before looking back at her rider and responding with a light-hearted neigh. Shadow slowly raises his hand to pet her head. Though he didn't show it with a smile, he was grateful to have met her. Had she not been too stubborn to join him on this adventure, he would've had to walk to every Colossus, wasting his time and increasing the chances of outside forces trying to stop him.
He didn't pay it much thought at first, but deep down he knows his action couldn't have gone unnoticed. His friends already know what he's doing, and some of them did warn him that it is dangerous. But he didn't care. He'd already bid his life for Maria's, and nothing is gonna get in the way of his goal.
They soon reach yet another abandoned structure built by the Colossus Clan. It wasn't as big as the others he'd seen on the outside, but he was willing to bet it was gigantic on the inside.
"I'll go alone from here. Get back to the shrine and keep watch over Maria." He ordered Agro as he glanced back at her.
Agro nodded before turning herself around and trotting back the way they came. But she was stopped again by Shadow who still had more to say.
"And Agro, I'm sorry for yelling at you back at the shrine… I am grateful to have you around, as annoying as you can be sometimes."
With that said Shadow disappears into the temple. Agro lightly neighs as her way of saying "thank you" even though her new master wasn't present to tell her "You're welcome".
This temple ended up being more spacious than Shadow was expecting. The further down he went, the more of it he got to see. It was somewhat similar to the structure he fought Barba in, only it wasn't as vast.
At the very bottom of the stairs was a huge circular chamber with a gaping hole in the centre. Shadow peered through the bars, that prevented any unfortunate souls from falling in, to see what was lying at the bottom of the pit.
Just as he expected, it was Kuromori, the eighth Colossus. This one looked like a giant salamander. Its back was covered in armoured plates with light shining through the cracks, its legs and underside were the only parts of its body that were left exposed. It was relatively smaller than the other Colossai he fought, but that didn't give him reason to believe it'll be easier to beat, especially now that he's lost all his chaos powers.
The growls Kuromori was making sounded familiar to the hissing sounds alligators make when threatening potential enemies.
Shadow had to think hard about how to engage this enemy. Without his Chaos Spears, he has no way of attacking him from a distance. He'll have to get closer. He takes the stairs leading down to his left a few feet until he was close enough to the bottom.
Through a big open hole in the wall, Shadow was able to get a better look at the pit. From the looks of it, this used to be a dungeon. There were also several skeletal remains of Echidna warriors. Many of which are still clinging to their weapons. The bones, and the spot they died in, were charred black, which confused the Ultimate Lifeform at first. Until he saw the flaming energy emitting out of the gaps between Kuromori's plated back. This Colossus has some kind of flame attack.
Maybe criminals of the clan were thrown into this pit and forced to battle Kuromori for the higher-ups' entertainment until they were inevitably incinerated by the Colossus's flame breath. If that was the case, he should proceed with caution.
Suddenly, Shadow was unexpectedly attacked by an incoming fireball that impacted the wall a mere inch from where he was standing. Kuromori had already spotted him, as indicated by his orange eyes, and is now in attack mode. Smoke was seeping out of the square hole in its face where his mouth would be if it had one.
The energy on its back began to transfer itself into its head as its mouth glows, ready to launch another energy blast. Shadow quickly backs away from the edge and races back up the stairs as the blast was unleashed. Kuromori started climbing up the walls, looking for him.
Shadow climbed all the up back to the top before running out of breath. He stays hidden in the stairway to recover his stamina.
"Curse this mortal stamina! How do humans cope?!" He thought to himself.
He peeks out from behind the top of the stairs to get a look at Kuromori. He was not scanning all the openings in the walls, trying to locate the intruder.
"This one's more powerful than the others. That energy attack looks weirdly similar to my own Chaos Spear… Could it be possible that some of the Colossai can wield chaos energy?" He wondered as he pulled his head back and stayed out of sight.
"Maybe it's not just Maria that gets stronger as I get weaker. What if the Colossai are growing stronger too? No. This isn't a video game where levels get harder as you go along!"
The temple started to shake as Kuromori started ascending the walls again, still searching for Shadow. The black hedgehog quickly made his way back down the stairs again, for he just came up with an idea.
When he reached the bottom, where he was before, he looked up at Kuromori and noticed he was directly above him. He deduces that his weak spot is located on his underside. But to get to it he'll have to force it onto its back. Had he not lost his Chaos Spear ability, he would've used them to take out his legs and force him to fall onto his back.
But Shadow still had another method of knocking this Colossus on its ass. He can curl up into a spiked ball and become the projectile himself with his spin dash.
He closes his eyes before commencing with the spinning. He sighs in relief that he's still able to do his, and Sonic's, signature move. He had a feeling this will be the next ability he loses after defeating Kuromori. Best to make the most of it while he still can.
With one leap, Shadow curls up into a spiked red and black ball and spin dashes up the wall. He smashes straight into the glowing weak points in Kuromori's legs, causing him to let go and fall right onto his back.
The salamander Colossus screeches and writhes around, desperately trying to get back up on its feet again. But Shadow stops him from doing so by spin dashing into his face, knocking its head back into the ground.
While he was dazed, Shadow exits ball mode and readies the sword. It reveals two symbols on its belly. One above and one below. Shadow stabs the bottom symbol with minimum effort and wastes no time getting to the other one.
In a last-ditch effort to destroy him, Kuromori thrusts its head up and fires another energy blast at him. The blast impacts Shadow as he managed to get only a few inches of the blade into its body. The black hedgehog gets sent flying backwards into a wall. Gravity then takes hold as he ends up falling onto the bones of a random Echidna.
Shadow gets back up and shakes it off like it was nothing. He looks down at the dead Echidna whose body is now in pieces thanks to him. Sitting by his feet were the Echidna's bow and quiver full of arrows. The weapons he fought with before his imminent death.
He picks up the bow and arrows and attaches them to his back alongside the sheath of the sword. With his Chaos Spear ability gone, these will have to act as a substitute for a projectile weapon.
Kuromori was starting to get back up on its feet again. Shadow cannot allow that. He curls himself up and launches himself for another spin-dash attack. This time he was aiming for the ancient sword still partially embedded in its chest.
He manages to push the sword deeper into its body just as Kuromori was about to get back up. The Colossus roars in agonising pain as it starts uselessly squirming before the lights in its eyes and energy emitting from its back go out, followed by its legs going limp.
Shadow recovers from the attack and sheathes his sword. He then sits down atop the Colossus's body, patiently waiting for the black smokey tendrils to emerge and possess him. He's already learned that running or hiding from them would be pointless as they would always find him, so why bother?
And right on cue, as Kuromori's body darkens, the tendrils inhabit his body and put him under yet again. Only this time when he wakes up back at the temple, he'll have a new weapon to add to his arsenal.
To Be Continued