Shadow Slave

Sunny and the black steed plummeted down in a cloud of shattered stone. Far below them, the courtyard of the boundary fortress lay, shrouded in darkness. It was growing closer and closer, approaching with terrifying speed.

Neither paid it any attention, however.

The stallion bit down on Sunny's shoulder with all his might, his sharp fangs scraping against the stonelike metal of the Mantle of the Underworld. The fearsome onyx armor was an Ascended Memory of the sixth Tier, a whole Rank above the diabolical Shadow, so the courser was not supposed to be able to damage it.

However, to Sunny's shock and dismay, the metal plates actually groaned and bent, crushing his flesh. He roared with pain and anger, then thrust his four hands forward, ripping the Terror's chest with his claws.

Drops of blood fell down like rain.

Intertwined, the two of them hit the cobblestones of the desolate courtyard. However, instead of being broken by the fall, both simply submerged into the veil of shadows drowning it, as if the ancient stones had turned into a lake of liquid darkness.

For a moment, Sunny found himself floating in the tenebrous embrace of deep, unfathomable shadows. Usually, turning into a ghostly shade would have meant escaping to safety…

But today, his enemy was a similar creature himself.

A vast and terrifying presence lunged at him from the darkness, full of fury and boundless, chilling killing intent. The black steed had pursued him even into the shadows.

However, this time, Sunny was ready.

He had never fought anyone, or anything, as a shadow. But he had been attacked in this form twice, first by the Mirror Beast, and then by its insidious creator… Mordret of Valor, the Prince of Nothing. Both were able to steal his own ability, and use it against him.

What did it mean?

had been able to, he was capable of destroying other shadow creatures, just like they

could assume any shape and any form. It was just a matter

that was the nightmare steed lunged at him, he moved to meet it, turning into a long, narrow blade made of darkness. They clashed, tearing each other's souls apart. Sunny's whole being was instantly drowned by terrible suffering… but he also felt a silent scream of agony escaping from the rippling shadow that

were thrown back into the corporeal world, Sunny rolling away on

kill you,

and rose to his feet, outstretching one hand to summon the Cruel

lower hands grabbed the horns of the infernal stallion, and the Mantle of the Underworld suddenly grew as

didn't slow down the courser

feeling his spine come very close to snapping. If not for Bone Weave, he would

wall of the fortress

crumbled, making the ground tremble as a vast cloud of dust rose into the air and blotted out the stars. The damned Terror carried him through the cloud, emerging from the other side of it a split second later, and then threw Sunny to the ground, trying

was dragged across the emerald grass, tearing the soil apart. One of his hands flashed forward, piercing one

least,

moment, the black horse snapped its head sideways and bit down on the blade of the Moonlight Shard with his fangs, then jerked his neck and sent Sunny flying

'Damnation!'

as the soles of his armored boots tore the ground. A moment later, he grasped

had somehow disappeared and was nowhere in

pupils narrowed, and then Sunny spun, sensing a swift and vast

back into the corporeal form, and instantly came under attack. The tip of the spear bit deep into his shoulder, causing more blood to fall on the