Shadow Slave

Using the short window of opportunity, Sunny jumped back to his feet, dashed forward, and thrust his jade sword into a small crack between two plates of armor that covered the giant's knee joint. The thin blade of the Sin of Solace easily slid into it and bit into the Demon's flesh, drawing a few drops of putrid black blood.

That was all he had time to do before leaping back.

The shallow wound Sunny had delivered was by no means mortal, or even seriously debilitating.

But it didn't need to be.

The plague of the [Sinister Whisper] had already been passed to the Gate Guardian by the swift jade blade.

'Let's see how strong your mind is, bastard.'

Even diminished by the potent mental barrier of the Undying Chain, the eerie whispers of the Sin of Solace were constantly assaulting his own sanity. Of course, it was strange to think of any Nightmare Creature as sane... they were all mad to begin with, after all.

But Sunny had high hopes. A demon was a demon - no matter how wicked, it was still a sentient being. That sentience, which made these creatures so dangerous, could also be destroyed.

The Gate Guardian finally unleashed another attack, this one so fast that Sunny barely had time to react. With no other choice, he gritted his teeth and blocked it with the blade of the

Sin of Solace. Another shockwave exploded outward, and he was thrown back like a cannonball.

'Crap...'

Sunny flew back, smashing into several Nightmare Creatures on his way. Several devastating impacts rattled his entire body, and bits of broken flesh flew into the air. Landing dozens of meters away from the Gate Guardian, he collided against the ground, bounced, and then rolled for a bit, leaving a deep groove in the snow.

smile on his lips, however. That was because he had managed to deliver a cut to the wrist

rose without wasting any

like an eternity, he danced around the Corrupted abomination. Diving through the shadows and using Shadow Manifestation, Sunny was able to just barely stay ahead of the terrifying creature by a split second. Several more shallow wounds

did not seem to be affected at all.

slowed down a

body grew

suddenly struck itself in the head, as if trying to shake

wounds accumulated on the giant's body, the louder the whispers

pose, its arms hanging limp and its neck twisted at a strange angle. It remained motionless for few long,

roar escaped from its maw, making

'What the...'

that guided its perverse sentience collapsed, an endless sea of bloodlust and frenzy seemed to overwhelm the abomination. Letting out a bestial growl, it moved again and lunged at Sunny like a mountain of muscle, bone, and murderous

stared at that frightening sight for a short moment, then calmly stepped through shadows and

seem to affect the Demon much. Maybe the

grabbed the nearest Nightmare Creature,

dove into the surrounding swarm, crushing and tearing bodies to shreds. Just in a few

'D-damn...'

rampaging Gate Guardian, Sunny couldn't help but shudder. Sin of Solace was truly a

whispers of

If he just listened a little bit closer... a little bit

***

the swarm of Scavengers at the front, while the frenzied Demon decimated its center. Many Nightmare

Sunny did not, however.