The city of Kurogiri was silent at midnight.
Not a single siren, not a single car horn.
But Luna Nakamori didn't need sound.
She felt the shadows.
She sensed them.
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The Puppeteer's Domain
Deep in the abandoned cathedral, the Puppeteer's power surged.
The five former bullies—Lili, Hart, Bren, Steve, and Mira—floated above the ground, eyes glowing red, veins of shadow crawling across their skin.
The Puppeteer's voice echoed through the chamber:
"Luna… your control ends here.
Your past, your silence, your strength… none of it can save you from what comes next."
Luna's grip tightened on her knife.
Her mind analyzed every shadow, every movement.
Every strike she had practiced in nightmares and reality merged into one lethal calculation.
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The First Clash
The shadows lunged.
Twisted versions of the people she had once known.
Luna moved with terrifying precision:
She ducked under Hart's shadow-limbs, slicing the tendrils with her blade.
She vaulted over Lili's extended shadow arms, spinning midair to strike at their roots.
Steve's shadow-limbs came from behind, but Luna's knife cut clean, dispersing the tendrils.
Bren, though still recovering from the last battles, struck alongside her.
"You can do it, Luna!" he yelled, hitting Mira's corrupted shadow form, giving Luna an opening.
The Puppeteer's laughter echoed, shaking the cathedral.
"You cannot win. They are mine… and soon… you will be as well!"
---
Psychological Warfare
The shadows of her former bullies spoke, voices distorted but familiar:
"Why did you leave us?"
"You silenced us!"
"You took everything from us!"
Luna's mind remained clear.
No fear. No hesitation.
Just calculation and deadly precision.
"You are not them anymore," she whispered.
"You are shadows. I control nothing but my own actions.
And I will not let you hurt anyone else."
Her strikes severed the shadowy bonds controlling them, one by one, until the Puppeteer's concentration faltered.
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Turning the Tide
The Puppeteer's shadows weakened.
Luna advanced steadily, knife flashing like moonlight through darkness.
Bren shouted:
"Now, Luna! Go for the source!"
With a sudden, fluid motion, Luna launched herself toward the Puppeteer.
The shadows twisted violently, but Luna's calm, emotionless movements cut through the chaos.
The Puppeteer stumbled, mask cracking further under the force of Luna's strike.
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Cliffhanger
The cathedral trembled violently.
Metal beams cracked, and sparks flew everywhere.
The Puppeteer's voice twisted in rage and disbelief:
"No… this cannot be… I am—"
Before it could finish, Luna struck again, and the shadows erupted around her, engulfing the chamber.
Silence followed.
And somewhere in the shadows, a new, even darker presence began to stir.
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