The Shadow Army

[Bloodedge]

Shadows are a race of undead entities brought into existence by the Shadow Monarchs, through the usage of the Shadow Extraction ability from deceased creatures and humans.

A shadow’s level of personality depends on its grade. Normal to Elite Grade shadows have little to no personality at all, while Knight and Elite Knight Grade shadows are able to express simple emotions like anxiety and joy. In comparison, General and Marshal Grade shadows have very developed personalities. Despite their varying degrees of personality, all shadows are fiercely loyal to the Shadow Monarchs and maintain their allegiance even if they were adversaries in their past lives. This loyalty extends to the point that they can even override the Shadow Monarchs' orders to them in special circumstances. They are also capable of sensing their masters' emotions, even when they are thousands of miles away from each other.

While some shadow soldiers have abilities unique to themselves, they all share the same set of basic powers.

• Regeneration: Shadow soldiers passive and most notable ability is that they possess incredible regenerative capabilities and cannot be killed by normal entities, as they can completely regenerate even if their bodies are torn to shreds or reduced to nothing. However, this does not necessarily apply against some of the Monarchs, as Antares was able to permanently destroy them with his breath attack.
• Conversation: Shadow soldiers who are at least General Grade are able to talk. However, they are only able to communicate in monster tongue, meaning that most humans can't understand them. However Beru was able to bypass it thanks to his Gluttony skill, as he devoured many humans to gain their abilities which includes their languages.
• Growth: Shadow soldiers are able to steadily grow in power by killing monsters in battle, allowing them to surpass their former selves.
• Shadow Infiltration: At the Shadow Monarch's discretion, shadow soldiers are able to hide within the shadows of other humans. While doing so, they are able to watch and observe everything happening around the person that they are anchored to. They are also able to send signals to the Shadow Monarch in case the humans they are planted on are attacked, regardless of how large the distance is between them.
• Transformation: A unique feature accessible to a master of the Authority over Death, shadow soldiers can be transformed into a weapon or any item to their master's whims.
• Stats: The strength of shadow soldiers varies depending on their master. This is due to the difference in Shadow Authority, intelligence stats, and level, which directly affect the strength of the summoned shadows.
• Infinite Stamina: Due to being the undead, they lack any physical organs or life expectancy as such they possessed stamina that didn’t know the meaning of fatigue and are not burdened with the weakness of ordinary soldiers─don't need food, never grow tired, not break and the capability to regenerate almost endlessly.
• Immortality: Shadow Soldiers are unbound by conventional life or death, and thus cannot be traditionally killed as their Immortality comes from their advanced regeneration can simply regenerate from wounds that would normally be lethal, making only higher beings like Monarchs able to erase Shadow Soldiers with their attacks.

Shadows are classified into distinct grades that reflect their strength. While they can grow stronger over time by defeating opponents in battle, advancing to a higher grade requires direct authorization from the Shadow Monarch. Additionally, shadows created from exceptionally powerful beings may begin at a higher grade immediately upon their extraction.

• Normal Grade : The lowest tier, these shadows are the weakest in the shadow army, serving as foot soldiers, can be as strong as E, D and C-Rank Hunters.
• Elite Grade : Shadows of this grade are the most common in the shadow army and are about as strong as B-Rank Hunters.
• Knight Grade : Shadows of this grade are about as strong as A-Rank Hunters and can be given names by the Shadow Monarch.
• Elite Knight Grade : Shadows of this grade are about as strong as basic S-Rank Hunters.
• General Grade : Shadows of this grade possess immense power, capable of contending with—and even overpowering—advanced S-Rank Hunters. They also demonstrate the ability to speak.
• Commander Grade : This grade represents the highest level a shadow can evolve to, making those who reach it the most powerful soldiers in the Shadow Army.
• Grand Marshal Grade : As the ultimate rank, this grade is reserved for the strongest shadow in the entire Shadow Army. A shadow of this grade also serves as the lieutenant to the Shadow Monarchs themselves.

[Bloodedge]

Name: Igris
Type: Humanoid
Appearance: Igris is a large knight with a light purple glow, jet-black armor covering him from head to toe, a tattered black cape, and a long red hair-like ornament extending out of the back of his helmet. His left eye still bares the scar from a new Shadow Monarch during their battle in every reality, though it sometimes appears in his right eye instead.
Personality: Igris is loyal, respectful, and chivalrous, to the point that he tends to kneel to his master every time he finishes a battle for him. A running gag with his character is that he always brings the head of his kills back to his master, which ultimately becomes a problem in some realities when others (i.e. Iron) starts to copy him. Igris also does not approve of dumb antics presented by comrades by Iron and typically gets irritated whenever Iron goes overboard in battle. He is also capable of being nervous and anxious that he's acting a bit too arrogant and thinks that he would seem disrespectful sitting on the throne before his liege. In addition, despite his love for battle, Igris believes in the importance of education.
Rank: Knight (Igris is the first Knight-class Shadow in every iteration) | Elite Knight (temporary) | Marshal (most realities) | Grand Marshal (some realities)
Origin: Blood-Red Commander Igris

Abilities:

• Master Swordsman: Igris is extremely proficient at swordsmanship and has eons of experience at wielding blades in battle, making him the most skilled swordsman in the shadow army.
• High Intelligence: It was revealed that Igris possess an intellectual mind that makes him not only a tutor towards his lieges, but towards other shadows as an academic teacher, which implies Igris' tactical and strategic mindset gave him an edge in his combat skills.
• Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Igris is highly proficient in hand-to-hand combat, displaying remarkable fighting prowess when unarmed.
• Immense Strength: Igris possesses immense physical strength, as shown by how he was able to hold off the Frost Monarch on his own long enough for the Shadow Monarchs to return to the battlefield.
• Immense Speed and Agility: Igris displays extremely fast movements, along with his acrobatic style in evading his enemies in one spot, and blitzed them with his unparalleled speed.
• Dominator's Touch: Igris is able to move and control objects without physically touching them.
• Communication: As a Marshal Grade ranked shadow, Igris is capable of communicating with others.
• Regeneration: Igris can constantly regenerate from damage until his masters' mana is completely depleted.

Weapons:

The Demon King's Longsword: The Demon King's Longsword is a long light-colored sword with a thick black line running through the center of the blade and an arched blade guard that curves downward. When Baran used it, the sword's blade was light blue, its guard was yellow, and its hilt was gray. When the Shadow Monarch uses it, both the sword's guard and hilt became black and upon receiving the Black Heart of the Shadow Monarch, the sword's blade changes in color from light blue to light purple.

• Item Class: S-rank
• Type: Sword
• Effects:
• Attack +350
• Storm of White Flames ─ Summons a miniature lightning storm within a certain area and activates automatically whenever the sword is swung.

[Bloodedge]

Name: Bellion
Type: Angel
Appearance: Bellion is a large and muscular shadow warrior with two pairs of black wings on his back, jagged black armor, blank white eyes, and glowing purple skin with a single horned helmet atop his head. He also carries a massive blade that looks like a centipede, which he wields both like a whip and a sword.
Personality: Bellion comes off as composed and does not show much emotion. However, he is deeply loyal to the Shadow Monarch, both past and present, and has never once doubted their decisions. As a lifelong warrior, Bellion believes that combat ability is the most important skill to have. As the Grand Marshal of the shadow army, Bellion takes his position very seriously.
Rank: Grand-Marshal Grade
Origin: Bellion was born eons ago from the fruit of the World Tree of Venus, a mystical tree so large that it could blanket the entire sky with its branches alone. Following this, he became Ashrael's lieutenant, a position that he retained after his death, and was the first shadow soldier to ever be created from Ashrael's power.

Abilities:

As the Grand-Marshal Grade shadow, Bellion is an immensely powerful individual and the strongest shadow under the Shadow Monarchs' command.

• Immense Strength: Bellion possesses immense physical strength. As a testament to this, he was able to effortlessly swat aside Beru's attacks and smash him into the ground with enough force to make him cough up blood.
• Immense Speed: Bellion can move at immense speeds, as displayed by how he was able to easily keep up with Beru's movements and easily counter his strikes during their sparring match.
• Sword Mastery: Bellion has been shown to possess a high degree of skill in swordsmanship, though it has been noted that Igris is the better swordsman.
• Whip Mastery: Bellion possesses great proficiency in wielding whips, as shown by how he was easily able to ensnare multiple high-level mobile targets with his weapon simultaneously.
• Flight: Bellion can use his wings to fly at high speeds.
• Conversation: As a Grand-Marshal Grade shadow, Bellion is capable of talking to others.
• Regeneration: Like all shadows, Bellion can completely regenerate his body as long as his master still has mana

Weapons:

Nexara: Bellion's sword is a colossal, segmented blade forged from the essence of eternal night, its dark metal segmented like the armored body of a monstrous centipede—each overlapping plate etched with faint, pulsing veins of shadow that writhe subtly as if alive. In its default form, it appears as a massive, straight-edged greatsword, heavy and unyielding, capable of cleaving through armies with a single, thunderous swing. Yet its true terror lies in its fluidity: with a mere thought from Bellion, the blade fractures and elongates into a whipping chain of razor-sharp links, lashing out like a living serpent to ensnare, slice, or strike from impossible distances.

• Item Class: S-rank
• Type: Sword
• Effects:
• Attack +620
• Devouring Void ─ Strikes ignore 40% of enemy defense and apply "Shadow Bind" (reduces target movement speed by 60% for 10 seconds) by absorbing the lifeforce of the wielder's foes.

[Bloodedge]

Name: Beru
Type: Insect
Appearance: Beru is a huge humanoid shadow ant with a light purple glow, neon eyes, sharp claws, and smoky wings.
Personality: Due to having been born to kill, Beru revels in his power and has an obvious bloodlust for battle. As such, he is extremely brutal towards his opponents, rarely holding back unless ordered to, and goes straight for his enemy's weak spots. He is also somewhat condescending towards his fellow shadow soldiers. Outside of battle, however, Beru is fiercely loyal to his masters and has a lighter side of his personality, even complimenting them in the middle of a fight. A running gag to his character is his strange hobby of watching period dramas (typically developed when guarding Aiba Yumi), which caused him to develop an amusingly historic way of speech.
Rank: Marshal Grade
Origin: Ant King

Abilities:

As a Marshal-Grade ranked shadow and the shadow of the Ant King, Beru is an immensely powerful individual and is the strategic weapon in the shadow army able to adapt to any situation. He is also one of the strongest shadows in the Shadow Army

• Immense Strength: Beru possesses immense physical strength. As a testament to this, he was able to effortlessly crush an S-rank sword in his bare hand, one-shot an Arch Lich, break out of the Frost Monarch's ice prison, and slash off a Monarch's fingers. Over time his strength increased allowing him to fight against Nidhogg.
• Immense Speed: Beru can move at immense speeds. He was able to effortlessly dodge Akechi/Iino Rikuya's attacks at point-blank range without moving his feet, plunge his hand into an Arch Lich's chest before it could even react, and fly from Jeju Island in a matter of minutes.
• Immense Durability: Beru possesses immense durability. He was able to tank Hayami Saori's attacks during their sparring session without much trouble and get back up after getting pulverized by Bellion.
• Conversation: As a Marshal Grade ranked shadow, Beru is capable of talking to others.
• Regeneration: Like all shadows, Beru can completely regenerate his body as long as his master still has mana.
• Gluttony: Beru is able to absorb the skills and knowledge of those he consumes.
• Healing Magic: Beru is a master healer and was able to not only heal Rikuya back to full health from the brink of death, but also heal himself after his sparring match with Hayami Saori.
• Flight: Beru can use his wings to fly at high speeds.
• Size Manipulation: Beru is able to increase his strength at the cost of his agility and speed by growing in size, and vice versa by compressing his body.
• Paralysis Poison: Beru can spit an extremely concentrated poison from his mouth using his bladed tentacle-esque tongue. Due its magical nature, this poison is exponentially more toxic than its original version and kills a target in seconds.
• Harsh Orders: Beru can increase another individual's stats by 50% at the cost of their sanity for a brief period of time.
• True Slaughter: Is a skill that targets the opponents vital points increasing both power and speed.

Weapons: