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.'

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

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

cost him his

I can do anything

of unease, he continued his climb and soon reached the very top of the coral pillar. Standing on it, Sunny looked in

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

Sunny raised his hand and swiped it across his upper lip. It came away wet with

nose bleed? What

it, why did he feel so

stared at his hand in confusion, a violent ripple suddenly ran through his

***

Army were at the precipice of turning the tide of battle

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

shined brightly in the sky, drowning the battlefield in its light. Bathed in it,

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

zeal, fervor, and murderous will. More and more Nightmare Creatures

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

anymore. They could practically

stumbled and slowed her sword dance. A confused, alarmed frown appeared on her face. Dodging the claws of an attacking

the swarming monsters for a few short moments, she lowered her

at the

***

Kai was

'What is happening?'

wind, dodging bolts of lightning and the cursed Spire Messengers, pushing the limits of both his body and mind… the exhaustion was

Let alone react…

whole body ached, and his vision was slowly