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.'

to find out what was going to happen once he saturated the Shadow Core. It was bound to be beneficial, but at

go into a slumber for several weeks, as Saint had? Or suddenly become incapacitated amidst furious

cost

I can do anything

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

drop of blood rolling off his skin. A moment later, another fell

and swiped it across his upper lip.

bleed? What the

think of it, why did he

confusion, a violent ripple suddenly ran

***

surrounded the island, the remnants of the Dreamer Army were at the precipice of turning the tide

had been drowning in the rising flood of black water and the relentless onslaught of the horde, lost

storm was no more, and the dark sea had retreated. The sun shined brightly in the sky,

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

exhilarating gift of sudden salvation, they steeled their hearts and fought with zeal, fervor, and murderous will.

the storm had dissipated and why the 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

impossible anymore. They could practically taste

her face. Dodging the claws of an attacking abomination, she

for a few short moments, she lowered her

at the

***

her, Kai was still alive…

'What is happening?'

the crushing wind, dodging bolts of lightning and the cursed Spire Messengers, pushing the limits of both his body and mind… the exhaustion was catching up with him now,

Let alone react…

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