Shadow Slave

'Here we go…'

Sunny faced the stairwell and stood motionless, looking at the black rot through his trembling shadow. Sensing something, Saint turned around, too. The tip of her sword hesitantly rose into the air.

The next few moments were going to decide whether he was going to live or die... or maybe be condemned to a fate much worse than death.

One level lower, the harrowing corruption that had been spreading from the severed arm of a deity was moving. The black ulcerous flesh was rising and falling, as if in the throes of… death? Or transformation?

Sunny gritted his teeth, waited for a second…

And then breathed out with immeasurable relief.

'Dying… it's dying.'

It felt as though he had been sentenced to execution, only for a pardon to arrive at the last possible moment, when the rope was already pressing on his neck.

Indeed, the terrifying rot was withering. As thousands of years that passed since it was locked in the Obsidian Tower caught up with it, the devouring corruption appeared to be dying of starvation. The stone surface assimilated into it convulsed and wriggled, as if consumed by pain. The silver brazier was melting.

The growths of the bulbous black flesh were slowly receding, their color turning ashen. The process was slow, but at the edges of the patch of corruption, the rot was already turning into… into wisps of darkness, which then disappeared without a trace.

As tension left Sunny's body, he couldn't help but sway a little.

'Good… something has gone my way, at last.'

Before, he had been considering his options and finding no possible way to escape from the rot if it was to start spreading.

do would work, considering that even the original owner of the seven-fingered hand resorted to severing their limb

using the Cruel Sight, which was now infused with divine flame. But something told Sunny that the massive brazier where the rot had taken root had once been full of it, too…

of years of burning in annihilating divine flame couldn't destroy

been able to damage the

'Thank gods…'

inhaled deeply and

of it slowly disappearing, bit after bit. All that was left behind were the damaged stone and the

He grimaced.

also, damn the gods! Why would they allow for

face, then turned

picked up the long, sharp needle and stared at it

it, the cold metal had assumed a feint golden shine. Sunny looked at it for a long time, trying to understand if this

the end, he had to admit that he had no

into a Memory like Weaver's Mask had. He didn't see any spellweave inside of it, either. However, the needle

the Covetous Coffer and carefully placed the needle inside. The skeins of diamond string also went in,

have time to study

Sunny hesitated for a bit, then reluctantly headed back toward the second level of

to watch the harrowing rot die, and then try

***

step of the stairs leading to the

left of

the hunger of thousands of years could not destroy it so

to spread outward, clearly sensing the presence of a living being nearby and lusting

had long ago become a part of the horrid corruption, melted and fell apart, then disappeared