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.

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.

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

could cost him

do

very top of the coral pillar. Standing on it,

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

and swiped it across

bleed?

think of it, why did he feel so

confusion,

***

the remnants of the Dreamer Army were at the precipice of

of black water and the relentless

sun shined brightly in the sky, drowning the battlefield in its light. Bathed in it, the Nightmare Creatures seemed

were not giving 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

zeal, fervor, and murderous will. More and more Nightmare Creatures fell to their blades, and the horde did not seem

cursed sea 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 her

anymore. They

appeared on her face. Dodging the claws of

for a few short moments,

looked at

***

her, Kai was

'What is happening?'

and the cursed Spire Messengers, pushing the limits

Let alone react…

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