Shadow Slave

Chapter 872: Spreading Nightmares

The initial several weeks of the Antarctica campaign were the most intense... at least for now. The divisions of the First Army steadily moved south, fighting through the swiftly growing swarms of Nightmare Creatures and establishing strategic encampments along the way. These encampments were going to serve as the transit points of the evacuation networks soon.

Moving through them, all the population of the Antarctic Center was going to be relocated to the siege capitals to await eventual salvation. The same thing, only on a much larger scale, was happening in East Antarctica, where most people of the Southern Quadrant lived.

As days went by, the Chain of Nightmares grew more rampant. New Gates manifested with increased frequency, disgorging more and more abominations into the waking world. Luckily, the burden pressing down on the First Army also grew lighter, since more and more divisions reached their destinations and entrenched themselves inside the cities that would become humanity's strongholds in the coming months.

Without the need to brave the enemy-infested wilderness, the lives of the soldiers became less perilous. That was not to say that they were not terribly busy - turning a populous city into a wartime fortress was a laborious task, too.

However, no one was as busy as the First Irregular Company.

Just like Master Jet had promised, the Irregulars almost never rested. While other soldiers had specific tasks that sometimes forced them into battle with the Nightmare Creatures, and sometimes did not, the seven cohorts of Irregulars constantly moved between various flashpoints to douse their flames.

Day after day, battle after battle... soon, the novelty of Antarctica's sobering reality dissipated, and the endless procession of combat engagements blurred into one continuous, bloody ordeal.

were doing

demanded more precision than all-out effort, others simply had to be

were becoming accustomed to the trials of the Chain of Nightmares, as well as each other. Their ability to fight as a single cohesive entity

only one who had managed to enhance his arsenal of Memories, for one. With so

example, had received a beautiful suit of plate armor for killing a Fallen officer of the stone hive. Just like the carapaces of the monstrous insects, it was pure white and incredibly durable. Luster managed to acquire a charm that was supposed to increase his luck, even if no one could really tell whether it actually worked or not. Samara was now wearing a chameleon cape

were using new Memories,

to survive these perilous weeks without suffering any casualties. The swiftly racked up kills and contribution points, as well as

of Mongrel, who was slowly turning into somewhat of

much for him to do. Often, several missions of utmost importance appeared simultaneously, and since he could not be in two places at the same time... he sent Nightmare and Saint to take care of

effective. Armed with the Sin of Solace, which synergized extremely well with both of them, his Shadows had become a real menace on the battlefield. They were also able to traverse the mountainous terrain of the Antarctic Center with

lower spectrum of hardship. A Transcendent weapon or not, Saint and Nightmare could not compare to the power

popped up here and there without any discernible pattern, appearing from nowhere and disappearing without a trace after dealing devastating damage to the Nightmare Creatures

and file of the First Army grew explosively. The Guardian Angel of Antarctica... that title, coined by a random

called Devil now..... or, infuriatingly, Little Devil! The latter one, however, was only used by the other captains of the Irregulars. No one else dared to speak it to his face - or behind his back, really, considering that the rumor