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.'

teeth. He was simultaneously excited and scared to find out what was going to happen once he saturated the Shadow Core. It was bound to be beneficial, but

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

cost him

like I can do anything about it

top of the coral pillar. Standing on it,

fell on his hand. Looking down, he saw a drop of blood rolling

across his upper lip. It came away wet

nose bleed?

of it, why did

at his hand in confusion, a

***

of the Dreamer Army were at

flood of black water and the relentless onslaught of the horde, lost in the fury of a cataclysmic storm. But now, things

sea had retreated. The sun shined brightly in the sky, drowning the

giving up, however. The monsters continued to attack the humans in a frenzied rage, their claws and

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

had retreated, but their faith in Changing Star now burned even brighter. She had promised to

not impossible anymore. They could practically taste

on her face. Dodging the claws of an attacking abomination, she thrust her sword into its maw, then jumped

for a few short moments, she

at

***

Kai was still

'What is happening?'

had spent so long flying at a terrible speed, struggling against the crushing wind, dodging bolts of lightning and the cursed Spire Messengers, pushing the limits

Let alone react…

really didn't feel well. His whole body ached, and his vision was