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?'

into the eerie crystal,

that, the soul of the Black Knight was devoured. The red glow it emanated disappeared, returning

after that, the Stone Saint fell

her. What the hell

at him with a perplexed

just happened? What

twist the truth and deceive anyone.

"I have no idea."

steel that remained after the devil had been destroyed, Sunny moved it around

shards

remained silent for a few moments,

Finally, she said:

Echo is

***

fight and tending to their wounds, Sunny

of motionless shadows standing at the edge of it, Sunny noticed that the Black Knight had joined

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

Sunny grinned.

Make yourself at home. You're not going anywhere

at the motionless form of his sworn enemy, Sunny had to stop himself from kicking the Black Knight with all

been like kicking the air. Plus, Sunny

one laughing now, huh? I won't deny it, you got me good. But I'm still breathing while you're

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 dirt to show

all of them, neither destroyed nor subjugated. He was free, alive, and growing stronger with each

ones cowering in front of him or be destroyed by him. Just

to stand beneath the black sun of his shadow core. Then,

…But nothing happened.

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

fears did not come true. The Stone Saint was

is going on