Shadow Slave

Sunny and Nephis looked at each other, the air practically crackling with tension at the point where their gazes met.

The white flame seeping from Changing Star's wounds suddenly flashed in a furious outburst, closing some of her wounds and making others seem less severe. After that, however, it grew weak and disappeared, retreating back into the furnace of her soul. As a pained grimace contorted the young woman's face, a dim radiance then slowly shined from beneath her ivory skin.

At the same time, the shadow flowed up and wrapped itself around Sunny's body, making it brim with power and vitality. He inhaled deeply and slightly moved, shifting his weight from one leg to another.

'How… how can it end…'

Before the thought could fully form, Sunny ruthlessly destroyed it and banished it from his mind.

This was the last obstacle on his way back to the real world… and the most deadly. Sunny had fought many terrible creatures in the cursed hell of the Forgotten Shore, but none of them were as fearsome and dangerous as Changing Star. This was going to be his hardest battle yet.

To win it, he had to be absolutely clear, absolutely focused. He couldn't allow himself to feel anything, be distracted by anything.

No doubt, no fear. No regret, no compassion.

Only determination. Only resolve.

Only murderous will to prevail.

As dust particles shined in the beams of white light that fell through the broken roof of the ancient chamber… as stark shadows swelled with dark anticipation… Nephis brought the pommel of her sword to her shoulder.

White flames ignited in her eyes.

And then, suddenly, she lunged forward.

'Fast!'

But not fast enough to not give Sunny enough time to react. Raising the Midnight Shard, he dashed forward to block her furious assault… and shuddered, the force of the impact sending a shock through his entire body.

felt as though his sword

the silver longsword lashed out again, appearing from an unexpected direction….

best efforts, he reeled slightly after each strike. It was as though he was being hit by a hurricane of adamantine sledgehammers, each

how is

so strong? How was she so

It didn't make sense.

core, bringing him to the pinnacle of what a human of his Rank could achieve in terms of physical ability. His power was further doubled by the augmentation of the shadow, making him more akin to one of the Awakened than to a mere Sleeper. No dormant human should have been able to match his power

She was more like a Nightmare Creature than a human; her movements were

have been that powerful. It

yet, somehow,

'Impossible, impossible…'

defense. However, he was met by the ruthless flash of the silver blade instead. The opening was just

very wrong

Neph's skin was stronger than his own physical enhancement. From what he had observed during her battle against Gunlaug, it was roughly the same or only slightly

grown much stronger between

But how?

the annihilating, incandescent light. If it was, the Midnight Shard might have already been if not destroyed, then at least

a second, then closed in again. Changing Star's sword shot forward, missing Sunny's face by a few millimeters… or so he thought before sensing warm drops rolling down his cheek. A thin

a little bit to the right, and he would

deflected the sword away, preventing Nephis from slicing his neck with a reverse cut,

around Sunny and brought her weapon down, forcing

'Curse it!'

Both moved with incredible speed and possessed ferocious strength, both were skilled and experienced,

and shadows, while

combat was happening somewhere else, invisible to the naked eye. This fight was as much about

fighter, one had

made her devastatingly deadly was her own battle genius, her incredible level of understanding of the laws and principles