Shadow Slave

Sunny froze for a moment, captivated by the all-encompassing expanse of the cyclopean spire that towered above the entire world.

Almost at the same moment, the darkness behind him was suddenly annihilated by a blinding explosion of light. The noise of the battle changed, somehow growing even more intense. The howling of the nightmare horde grew louder, but also became slightly muffled, almost… anxious.

Changing Star had finally joined the fight.

A moment later, hundreds of human voices rose in a deafening battle cry, their spirit lifted, their crumbling resolve restored. With Nephis arriving on the battlefield, the balance of the whole battle shifted. The Nightmare Creatures surged to destroy the radiant figure, only to be obliterated by it. They almost seem to melt under the furious assault of the incandescent blade, turning into cinder and ash.

Neph's arrival brought a moment of relief to the exhausted warriors of the Dreamer Army. Instead of using it to catch their breaths and regroup, however, they chose to use this opportunity to launch into a ferocious attack, making the horde shudder and recoil.

…Sunny was not paying any attention to what was happening behind his back, though. His eyes were locked on the bridge of crimson coral that stretched across the vast whirlpool of black water, creating a path to the island on which the cursed Spire stood.

On it were countless abominations, each of them pushing, howling, fighting for their turn to taste soft human flesh.

However, the harrowing mass of them wasn't endless anymore. He could actually see the tail of the nightmare horde, with the distant half of the bridge being almost empty.

Not that it was going to make things easy for him. As soon as Sunny escaped from beneath the iron net, he became illuminated by the bright sunlight, with nowhere else to hide. Completely exposed.

The eyes of numerous monsters were already on him, bloodlust and hunger igniting in their depths. If he wanted to use the bridge, he was going to have to cut his way through the undulating mass of Nightmare Creatures.

'Saint.'

visor of the onyx helmet. The taciturn knight stood silently on the shore of the rushing

and glanced at the

'Here goes nothing…'

forward, he crossed the distance to the Saint… and

raised her shield, allowing him to step on it, and then pushed away with all her incredible strength. Simultaneously, Sunny launched

whistled in his

all the horrors that hid in its depths, he flew toward the Crimson Spire with terrible speed. The Dark Wing turned into a blur behind his back, making Sunny

enough to

dark whirlpool. But then, his momentum slowed, and soon, Sunny started to fall. Thanks to the transparent cloak, he didn't plunge straight down, instead gliding through the

never going to make

then, he was never

bridge. As soon as the heavy kunai bit into it, he forcefully pulled on the invisible string,

and jumped to his feet. Behind him, the tail end of the nightmare horde was still

of him was a clear path to the Crimson

Wing and summoning Shadow Saint back into his core, Sunny ran forward without wasting even a moment to

***

Crimson Spire eclipsed the whole sky. It seemed as though the world suddenly made a ninety-degree turn, the ground itself becoming vertical instead of horizontal. Even

was like a box, and he had reached one

head, Sunny rushed toward

severed heads…