Shadow Slave

The dark sea was gone.

And all the horrors that dwelt in its cursed depths were gone with it, too.

The world was bathed in pure sunlight. The surface of the Labyrinth suddenly became vibrant and bright, with stark shadows hiding under the jagged pillars of the crimson coral. The furious white sun burned above the Crimson Spire, as if frozen in the middle of the sky.

Sunny even had to cover his eyes for a few seconds.

Laying on the ground, he allowed himself a few moments of rest. A short laugh escaped from his lips.

'I actually did it?'

Speak about the unlikely events...

Unfortunately, he couldn't really rest yet.

The battle wasn't over. The horde of Nightmare Creatures was not defeated yet.

…And somewhere in the Spire, the Crimson Terror itself was not defeated, either.

With a deep sigh, Sunny collected himself and rose to his feet. They were almost there. They almost escaped. Now, all that was left was to make one final push. Even if it was going to be the hardest one yet...

Looking at the tall mound of coral towering above him, he squinted against the light and began climbing it.

Was it always so bright?

As Sunny climbed, he summoned the runes and glanced at them.

Shadows: [Marble Saint].

'Thank gods.'

He knew that Saint was alright, but still wanted to check. The taciturn demon had been heavily damaged and was bound to spend a long time restoring herself, however, her existence was not in danger.

his eyes

Shadow Fragments: [999/1000].

'...Crap.'

excited and scared to find out what was going to happen

Saint had? Or suddenly become incapacitated amidst furious combat, as Nephis had been

cost him his

do

reached the very top of the coral pillar. Standing on it,

a drop of blood rolling off his skin. A moment later, another fell on the vambrace of the Puppeteer's

Sunny raised his hand and swiped it across

nose bleed?

why did he

his hand in confusion, a violent ripple suddenly ran through

***

that surrounded the island, the remnants of the Dreamer Army

water and the relentless onslaught of the horde, lost in the fury of a cataclysmic

was no more, and the dark sea had retreated. The sun shined brightly in the sky, drowning the battlefield in its light. Bathed in it, the Nightmare Creatures seemed to become

up, however. The monsters continued to attack the humans in a frenzied rage, their claws and fangs reaping one life after another. But the survivors of the Dreamer

fervor, and murderous will. More and more Nightmare Creatures fell to their blades, and the

had retreated, but their faith in Changing Star now burned even brighter. She had promised to guide them out of this hell, and somehow, even the black water had capitulated to

victory was not impossible anymore.

appeared on her face.

swarming monsters for a

at

***

Kai was still alive…

'What is happening?'

dodging bolts of lightning and the cursed Spire Messengers, pushing the limits of both his body and

Let alone react…

feel well. His whole body ached, and his vision was slowly turning blurry. A sickening feeling of