Shadow Slave

Grasped in the Shadow's fist was a strange, beautiful, and ominous gem. It was utterly black, as though suffused with impenetrable darkness. The glossy black surface seemed to devour light, turning the vast hall of the ruined cathedral even darker than it had been before.

Deep within that black void, crimson flames burned with a menacing red glow. It was pulsating in a slow and bizarre rhythm, drowning everything around in dim red light. Painted by it, the Stone Saint seemed to be drenched in blood. The gem she held looked like a bloody, still-beating heart that she had torn out of someone's chest.

Gazing at it, Sunny felt a strange sense of foreboding.

'What the hell is this thing?'

The gem looked sort of like a soul shard, but… different. He had never seen a black shard, to begin with, or one radiating such an intense glow. It also didn't seem like a piece of a broken core. On the contrary, it appeared… whole?

'Is that what a soul core of a Nightmare Creature looks like?'

No, not a soul core.

A soul?

Stunned, Sunny counted the crimson flames burning in the depths of the black gem. One, two, three… four.

Four flames for the four cores of Fallen Devil.

The thing that his Shadow held in her hand was the Black Knight's soul… or some sort of his essence, at least. By how had it turned into a material form?

Did the Stone Saint do it? If so, how… no, why?

'What is she doing with it?!'

As Sunny and Nephis looked in stunned silence, the Shadow finally moved. Bringing the black gem close to her face, she lingered for a moment. A hint of a dark, macabre emotion appeared in her eyes.

And then, the Stone Saint… swallowed it.

Sunny blinked.

'...What?'

her mouth, bit into the

Black Knight was devoured. The red glow it emanated disappeared, returning the world to

the Stone Saint fell into the shadows

her. What the

him with

What

to twist the truth

"I have no idea."

been destroyed, Sunny moved it around with his foot for a

shards left. It's

silent for a

Finally, she said:

is

***

to their wounds, Sunny walked to a secluded corner and dove into the Soul

silence. Glancing at the rows of motionless shadows standing at the edge of it,

stood among all the other creatures Sunny had slain, just as empty as the rest of them. There was no trace of the menacing and deadly Fallen Devil

Sunny grinned.

you bastard. Make yourself at home. You're not going

his sworn enemy, Sunny had to stop himself from kicking the Black Knight

been like kicking the air. Plus, Sunny wasn't vindictive to that degree. Killing

it, you got me good. But I'm still breathing while you're dead. At the

and more powerful than Sunny.

destroyed nor subjugated. He was

cowering in front of him or be destroyed by

expression, Sunny turned away and walked to stand beneath the black sun of his shadow core. Then, he summoned the

…But nothing happened.

the summon again — to the same effect. Suddenly worried, he willed the runes

The Stone Saint was still

going on with