Shadow Slave

The metal of the collars and the cages could not be broken… but it didn't mean that it couldn't be bent. Twisting a band of steel wrapped tightly around your neck would not have been a great idea, however, the iron bars trapping Elyas were another matter entirely.

Sunny just needed good leverage, and that was why he had cut the cage down.

Throwing a nervous look back, in the direction from which the Red Priest usually appeared, he gritted his teeth and thrust one hand through the bars, pushing Elyas back. He needed to soften the metal first, and that was going to be a dire process.

The blade of the Cruel Sight suddenly shone with radiant white light, spreading an almost palpable heat into the cold air of the ghastly dungeon. Sunny didn't linger and pressed the somber sword against the steel bars, letting the divine flame contained within share its immolating incandescence with the enchanted cage.

'Come on… come on…'

There were two possible results for his actions. One was that he would be able to soften the metal and bend it… the other was that he was going to cook Elyas alive inside the gibbet.

There was also the chance that their Ascended jailer would arrive quicker than usual, which would be really, really, really bad...

Sunny counted the seconds and stared at the iron bars, willing them to heat up swifter. Slowly, the cold metal turned slightly red, then bright orange. Finally, at the point where the incandescent blade of the Cruel Sight touched them, a hint of pure white appeared.

Sunny would have preferred to wait longer, but there was no more time.

Dropping the shortsword to the ground and biting down on the Midnight Shard with his fangs, he grabbed the scorching metal with all four of his hands and endured the pain of the furious heat slowly spreading through the gauntlets to his bare skin. Then, Sunny set his foot on another bar, commanded all three shadows to wrap themselves around his body… and pulled.

Now that the cage was on the ground and stable, he could use all the muscles in his demonic body to put pressure on it, not just those in his arms. His core, his shoulders, his back, his powerful thighs and calf muscles, the entirety of his body worked in unison in order to bend the steel bars.

A stifled roar escaped from his mouth, washing over the blade of the austere tachi and echoing in the cold darkness.

Sunny pulled and pushed in opposite directions with all his monstrous strength. Already a demon and augmented by the three shadows, he was terrifyingly powerful. And yet, the incandescent bars refused to budge… for a few seconds, at least.

Then, when his muscles seemed to be on the verge of exploding from the inhuman strain, the metal finally gave in. With a metallic groan, one of the bars started to bend, slightly at first, and then more, and more…

'Yes!'

Elyas, however, did not seem to share Sunny's jubilation. Instead, he paled, a frightened expression appearing on his face. Without saying a word, the youth raised one hand, pointing to somewhere behind his partner's back.

"Th—the… the priest!"

And just then, Sunny felt a mighty shadow flying toward him from the edges of his shadow sense, growing closer and closer with harrowing speed.

'Damnation…'

The Ascended arrived a few seconds earlier than he should have!

Without turning around, Sunny pulled on the incandescent bar one last time, creating enough distance between it and the next one for the youth to squeeze through.

Then, he reached inside the cage, grabbed the young Awakened, and roughly pulled him through the narrow breach.

hear the

'Crap, crap, crap…'

darkness with eyes full of

"Demon! Behi…"

youth away, then swiftly turned around, grabbing the Cruel Sight from the ground and

was already upon him, the terrifying heavy blade cutting through the air with unthinkable

body seemed to have finally betrayed him.

like the tiniest of

was all

luck had

the mighty Ascended slid past Sunny's defenses…

of blood from the other side. Sunny felt terrifying pain spread through his

disbelief still frozen in his lightless eyes. It was as though it was screaming... as though it was trying

there was no

escape except through

a stunned expression contorting his

"D—demon… you…"

legs of the decapitated demon buckled, and his towering body, still clad in bleak steel,

like that, his partner was

partner's nightmare

froze for a moment, then turned to the indifferent murderer, sorrow and wrath mixing in his hollow, tired,

"You… I'll kill…"

young slave. He turned to Elyas

It was all over.

man's abdomen while the tip of

away, Sunny's head observed it all with a terribly pained

dying really,

the most pleasant

to have happened. This was the only method to get rid of the unbreakable slave collar he had managed to come up with. He had even considered chopping his

an Ascended apostle

taciturn Master. The red priest had lowered his guard, thinking that the shadow demon was dead, and received not

been more careful. The dead were

the headless body of the demon raised one hand, hooked a claw beneath the slave collar, and tore

metal rang as it hit the

the [Undying] enchantment of his Transcendent armor. For as long as it was active, he would remain alive, and even in control of

was devouring his essence with an inconceivable speed, and in the next few seconds, when his reserves ran completely dry, Sunny was really going

Before that happened…

took a few unsteady steps forward, nonchalantly picked up its head, and awkwardly placed it on his neck. Then, he approached Elyas and fell

fool! I don't

wasn't currently connected to his lungs, Sunny couldn't even growl to pull the young Awakened out of his

shook it off himself, flinching and throwing his hands into the air to place them on both sides of