Shadow Slave

Monsters did possess some rudimentary intelligence, however, they could not compare to humans. At their core, they were still predators who acted mostly on instinct. Their cunning was beastly in nature and was not that hard to overcome. That gave the three Sleepers a chance to leverage their advantage.

After finalizing the plan, they made some preparations.

While Changing Star was getting ready, Sunny had retrieved the soul shards from the eight dead scavengers. After delivering them to the silver-haired girl, he watched as she brought them to her chest and crushed them in her fist one after another, absorbing the essence of each shard into her soul core. After a few minutes, when the changes caused by the absorption were over, Nephis opened her eyes and slowly inhaled.

To a Sleeper, consuming the shards of eight awakened beasts was equivalent to slaying sixteen dormant creatures. While not tremendous, it was still a significant boost in physical ability. Her body had become stronger, faster, enhanced in every way.

They were going to need every bit of that strength to survive.

Because of how attuned Nephis was to her physicality, getting accustomed to her new limits did not take long. Very soon, she looked at him and asked:

"Are you ready?"

Sunny sighed glanced at his shadow, hoping to get some moral support.

The shadow pretended to not notice and ignored him.

'Disloyal bastard!'

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Nephis nodded and turned to Cassie.

There was nothing really to say. They had already discussed everything there was to discuss, and empty words could not make the blind girl worry any less. Come to think of it, Sunny wouldn't have wanted to trade places with her, even though out of the three of them she was the only one who didn't have to risk her life in combat.

Facing the enemy, no matter how terrifying, was better than waiting powerlessly for the outcome, knowing that there's nothing you can do to change it. From that point of view, he was actually the lucky one.

Cassie tried to put on a brave face. She turned to Nephis and forced a smile:

"Go and kill that thing. Maybe you'll finally get something decent to wear and stop making me feel so guilty."

A corner of Changing Star's lip curled up.

"Okay."

After that, she turned to Sunny and returned to her usual serious self.

"Let's go."

minutes later, he was standing on top of the rocky ridge, looking down at the deadly monster. The shadow was wrapped around his body, enhancing Sunny's physical abilities. Their

he still couldn't get rid of the ominous feeling that this

'I don't like this.'

sigh, Sunny raised his hand and summoned the silver

causing the clear

***

the source of the sudden noise. As

this, because he was already facing the other way. As soon as the bell rang, he turned around

distance to the ground. Sunny hit the rocks hard and rolled, trying to disperse the force of the

moment later, the ridge exploded behind his back. The monster simply crashed into it with its hulking body, breaking through the layers of rocks as though they were paper. Simultaneously, there was a

locked onto retreating Sunny and lunged forward, trying to pierce his body with one of its scythes. Shards of

far enough. Without slowing down, he lowered his body, ran

the monster, who was more than three meters tall, rushing at him like a speeding train was enough to make any person

he was

him, the

unnoticeable in the darkness and the pouring rain, the golden rope was strung between two massive boulders at the height of the creature's leg joints. Earlier, Sunny had lowered his

at full speed. If it was a normal rope, it would, without a doubt, immediately snap.

rocks it was tied to, unfortunately, were quite mundane.

damage was

legs suddenly jerked backward, the scythe slayer lost its balance and crashed into the ground face-first, sliding forward on wet stone and leaving behind a shallow trench.

jerking its massive body to a

allowed to stand up, their fates

Sunny's Echo

jumped on its carapace from behind, pinning the creature down with its weight, and locked

Echo was wounded by the spikes growing from the monster's carapace, it succeeded in immobilizing it, at

A second was enough.

ambush, appeared in front of the monster. Darting between its terrifying scythes, she leaned forward and delivered a devastating thrust with her longsword, putting her whole weight behind

as its lesser relatives, the scavengers, had. However, there was

to be flexible could not

sword plunged into the narrow gap. Then, the sword disappeared into the monster's body, penetrating so deep that its

Sunny thought,

the next second, his expression

Straining its body a little, it suddenly twisted, throwing the Echo off its carapace, and rose to its