Shadow Slave

The Corrupted Tyrant and Sky Tide were of the same Rank, but there was an abyss of four entire Classes separating them. Nevertheless, Saint Tyris had been confident in her ability of defeating the perverse creature.

... As long as it was bound to the ground. That was what she had told them.

Watching the giant insect spread its four translucent wings and soar into the somber sky, both grotesque and eerily beautiful at the same time. Sunny froze for a moment. Then, he looked back down.

Nothing ever went according to plan. That was just the reality of things, and the Irregulars had been prepared to face unforeseen circumstances from the very start. Saint Tyris was going to have to manage, somehow, on her own... the rest of them had their own trial to face.

He couldn't spare attention to the titanic battle happening above.

Hundreds of Nightmare Creatures were bearing down upon the three cohorts of Irregulars like an avalanche. Contracted into balls of white chitin, the soldiers of the stone hive were rolling down the mountain slope with tremendous speed, all their vulnerable spots safely protected. Their advance could be easily seen in the light of Winter's radiant arrow.

Among them were Awakened, Fallen, and even Corrupted abominations. Beasts, Monsters, Demons, and even Devils. The air this close to the summit of the mountain was cold and thin, and unlike the previous battle, humans held an unfavorable position below the enemy.

Worse still, Sunny had yet to recover from yesterday's exertion. He had barely half of his essence left. Saint and Nightmare were mending themselves in the dark flames of his soul after the clash with the powerful Gate Guardian. Things... weren't looking good.

'Whatever. More fragments for me...!'

As he thought that, Winter sent a second arrow into the sky. It disappeared into the darkness and then seemed to explode into a thousand brilliant shards.

a strange one. From what Sunny knew, it combined some sort of powerful combat augmentation with an affinity to revelation. Winter was

just a frightening and bizarre fact. She had literally

not matter what weapon Winter used, be it a bow, a sling, a throwing dagger, or simply a rock. They always struck true. Of course, simply being able to hit the target did

was an extensive arsenal of enchanted arrows

Winter was basically a walking artillery

a small silver arrow. They bit into the mass of rolling abominations, shredding their carapaces and finding

already nocked on the string of Winter's bow, with several more already manifesting themselves from a whirlwind of sparks. Each appeared exactly as the previous

was unique, but

and lethal movements of the

that's what a professional looks

if he hoped to

ranged fighters among the Irregulars joined the fray. Almost all members of Winter's own cohort were sharpshooters of some kind, so it easily outshone the rest in this phase of the battle, reaping dozens of

blue runes ignited on the silver limbs of her

kills the

he heard a familiar electric whine and saw a powerful explosion bloom among the abominations, ripping a

to the deadly onslaught

this battle, he needed to conserve his essence

tide of abominations