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?'

mouth, bit into

The red glow

moment after that, the Stone Saint

didn't dismiss her.

looked at him with a

happened? What did she

twist the truth and deceive anyone. Opening his mouth,

"I have no idea."

the pile of rusty steel that remained after the devil had been

shards left. It's

remained silent for a few

Finally, she said:

Echo is very

***

recovering from the fight and tending to their wounds, Sunny walked to a

tranquil expanse of still water met him with familiar silence. Glancing at the rows of motionless shadows standing at the edge of it, Sunny noticed that the

the rest of them. There was no trace of the menacing and deadly Fallen Devil left. Now, he was just one of the

Sunny grinned.

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

deep, dark satisfaction grasped his heart. Staring at the motionless form of his sworn enemy, Sunny had to stop himself from kicking the Black Knight with all

was just a shadow now, after all. Kicking him would have been like kicking the air. Plus, Sunny

But I'm still breathing while you're dead.

real one were full of creatures that were bigger, stronger, and more powerful than Sunny. Many of them had either threatened his existence or felt compelled to treat him like

here despite all of them, neither destroyed nor subjugated. He was free, alive, and growing

in front of him or be destroyed by him. Just like the Black Knight had

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

…But nothing happened.

same effect. Suddenly worried, he willed

his worst fears did not come true. The Stone Saint

is going on with