The Shadow Knight
Their existence edited from the world's story.
One bandit, quicker than his fellows, managed to land a blow. His cudgel shattered against armoured skin that had forgotten how to yield. The Shadow Knight caught the man's wrist, squeezed slightly. Bones liquefied. The bandit's screams provided pleasant counterpoint to the symphony of violence.
Some tried to flee. Distance meant nothing now. The Shadow Knight stepped between heartbeats, appearing before runners like a nightmare made manifest. Shadow-tendrils erupted from his form, piercing hearts, crushing windpipes, painting the clearing in patterns of artistic death.