Shadow Slave

Sunny was silent for a while, then sighed:

"Do you remember how Effie told us that he might as well be considered immortal? Well, she wasn't wrong. Apart from the fact that Gunlaug has probably absorbed more Soul Essence and has more experience fighting both Nightmare Creature and Awakened than anyone else on the Forgotten Shore… there's more to him than that."

Nephis frowned.

"Is his Aspect Ability uniquely powerful?"

Sunny shook his head.

"His Aspect Ability is that he is able to breathe and move with incredible speed underwater. But it is connected to what I am about to tell you."

He hesitated.

"You see, Gunlaug came to the Dark City around eight years ago. Since his Ability was of no use in the ruins, he quickly became an outcast. From what I was able to learn, things were even darker in the Castle back then. Strength decided everything, and anyone without strength wasn't even considered to be human."

Sunny shuddered. He could imagine it vividly.

This was, by far, the most cruel and bloody time in the history of the Bright Castle. Right after the last member of the original cohort to conquer the ancient stronghold had perished and before Gunlaug took control, things balanced at the edge of madness for a while.

Say what you want about the bastard, but at least he kept the humans here from turning into animals… completely.

Sunny continued:

"But Gunlaug, he turned out to be mad even by those standards. Because he actually began to hunt in the dark sea."

Changing Star blinked.

"What?"

He nodded.

soul shards from the monsters of the Labyrinth that were crushed by the flood, racing against the approaching horrors of the depths. And at dawn, he would dive into the retreating sea to scavenge meat from the remains of creatures

him. They had met the abominable existences that hid beneath the black surface of the cursed sea twice, and each of these harrowing meetings had left scars on their souls and minds. To do so twice a day,

also somewhat of a mad

a

into the Bright Lord. One day, Gunlaug was pulled away by a current and, once the sea disappeared, stumbled onto a mortally wounded, dying leviathan. The creature was still alive, but just barely. Knowing that the carrion eaters of

then said in a strangely

exact moment. And since Gunlaug's blade was the last thing to cut it, the Spell happened to attribute the kill to him. And that kill… that kill happened to give him

two carapace centurions retrieve two Transcendent souls shards from the carcass of one of them. Which meant that Gunlaug's armor-type Memory was at least three ranks above the soul cores of

weapon-type Memory they possessed was either of Dormant or Awakened rank. Even if someone managed to kill a Fallen creature and acquire an Ascended weapon from it, the weapon would most likely still be ineffective against the Transcendent armor.

Basically, Gunlaug was invincible.

Sunny sighed.

that armor, he returned to the Dark City, gathered a few supporters, killed everyone who stood in his way, and took control of the Castle. No one was able to threaten his reign ever since. And all those who tried… well. Their skulls are out there for everyone to see, swinging

for a long time, staring at the floor. She

traits does the armor

He shrugged.

had the opportunity to learn that lived to tell the tale. The only thing widely known about the golden armor is that it is made out of some strange liquid metal and that it emanates a field of crushing psychic pressure. But even

girl raised an eyebrow, only now learning that everyone except for her always felt incredibly oppressed in Gunlaug's presence. For once, her terrible Flaw gave her

learn a valuable secret. But

close. He had to convince Changing Star to abandon any idea of going

her and asked in

do

was quiet for a