Shadow Slave

Hearing the thunderous cheer, Sunny almost flinched.

The last duel of the tournament was different from all the rest. The courtyard had changed slightly, somehow becoming even more magnificent. The grandstands were extended, with dozens of thousands of spectators crowding the stone seats. Their cheers blended into a deafening, excited roar that rose and fell rhythmically, like the sound of a turbulent sea.

Rose petals were raining from above, covering the arena in a beautiful carpet.

…No matter how cynical Sunny wanted to be about the whole thing, it was hard not to feel his blood boil at this scene.

He turned his head slightly, taking in the sight of the chanting crowd. Then, his sight lingered for a few moments on a tall tribune that loomed above the arena, decorated with the vibrant vermilion banners of the Great Clan Valor. Since this was the final duel, very special people were going to spectate it in person.

Sunny easily recognized the creator of the Dreamscape, who was dressed in ridiculously colorful silken robes and looked like a parrot that had taken a bath in a tub of face powder. He still couldn't believe that this gaudy clown was an actual Saint…

The person near him had to be the representative of Valor, then. Sunny couldn't see much, and just noted that it was a young woman with dark wavy hair and alabaster skin. She wore an intricate suit of lusterless, black armor and a red cape, which was the same color as the banner of her clan. Her sharp and austere appearance was in stark contrast with the Saint of Dreamscape.

The tribune was too far away to see any details, but Sunny wasn't inclined to stare at a Legacy from a Great Clan, anyway. He was already uncomfortable knowing that she would be observing him fight.

On the other hand…

'I better put up a good show. Who knows, maybe if that girl likes it, I'll receive an extra good Memory!'

Throwing these thoughts out of his mind, Sunny finally lowered his gaze and studied his opponent.

had entertained the idea that he might have met the formidable Queen Bee outside of the Dreamscape already. But

lower half of her face was hidden behind an elegant half-mask, he was sure that he had never seen her before. She stood calmly in the center of the arena, as if not affected by the cheering crowd and the esteemed

regal woman spoke of skill, grace, and resolve. She wore a light metal armor and wielded a slender estoc, its blade long and sharp. There was a

This is the same

the same type of clarity that Nephis, and Sunny himself, possessed. But while Changing Star was sharp and inevitable like a striking sword, Queen Bee was not. On the contrary, she seemed deceptively

'What a weird contradiction.'

even purple, and instead seemed to shift from one color to another, as if reflecting her mood. The strangest thing

how to recognize one, because he was a killer

suppressed the desire to scratch the back

Don't tell me that this

of a

duelist — she wouldn't have gotten to

him, combat was not something interesting or engaging. It was not something he did for fun, or even

War was not called the God of Life for nothing. Life was a constant, brutal struggle, and Sunny knew it better than most. That was why he was

duel was going to be easy. Killer or

sigh, he summoned the black odachi, put its blade on his shoulder, and walked

***

the names of the fighters, lunging into a solemn speech afterward. Sunny didn't listen to it and simply

in this