Shadow Slave

As the caravan approached the spilling horde of Nightmare Creatures, Sunny readied himself for battle and feverishly tried to come up with a way - any way - to save the lives of as many people as he could.

However, no matter how much he thought about it, there was just no solution. Many souls were going to be lost today, and the best he could accomplish was to make sure that those who were dying were the soldiers, and not the refugees.

He knew that the caravan would be able to break through the horde of abominations eventually, but he also knew that at least several vehicles, as well as scores of his soldiers, would perish in the process. Hundreds, if not thousands of humans were going to die today.

His gamble did not pay off.

Sunny felt a bit resentful about that.

With a sigh, he summoned the helmet of the Mantle of the Underworld and raised Morgan's Warbow...

It was at that moment that eerie crimson lights flashed through the haze of the blizzard, followed by a scattering of small sparks. He froze and looked to his left, at the dark expanse of the ocean that was obscured by the veil of snow.

Out there, something inconceivably gargantuan was hiding, its enormous shape only revealed by the hazy flashes of crimson light.

'What...'

In the next moment, a deafening roar assaulted his ears, and then, something that he had never expected happened.

Ahead of the convoy, the mass of Nightmare Creatures were suddenly torn apart by a series of earth-shattering explosions. Bits of concrete, flesh, and bone flew into the air, creating a cloud of red fog. A moment later, flowers of angry red flame bloomed on the slope of the mountain, obliterating even more abominations.

The whole world trembled.

Sunny's eyes widened as he swiftly looked back at the ocean. The wall of the blizzard had been unmade, as well. And although the breach in the snowstorm was already closing, he still managed to catch a glimpse of the source of all that carnage.

on the waves... was a massive, battered

thought he even recognized the lines of its

lower than the other one, the deck railings almost touching the water. Its hull was marred by terrible scars and breached in many places, with some of the holes being large enough for the Rhino to drive through - and was just what remained above the surface. The bow of the ship

a mystery how the

it was still capable of firing its armaments. The crimson lights Sunny had seen were the batteries of starboard cannons unleashing hell, and the scattering of sparks

explosive rounds at the horde of Nightmare Creatures, this time aiming entirely

He blinked.

...I'll be damned.

they really

where the wrecked vessel had come from, but he was not going to waste this

highway, and the second one overshot it by a good degree, slamming into the mountain slope and

off those who still remained on the road from the rest of the horde, for now,

That was his chance!

to come to their rescue, Sunny drew his bow and sent the Strike of Thunder flying forward. A moment later, it hit the

"All forward units, attack!"

simultaneously

was not important when massive Gatling guns were involved. Streams of heavy rounds whipped across the surviving Nightmare Creatures,

the turrets of the assault vehicles soon following. The front of the caravan had once again formed into a wedge to

there were many more vehicles, Awakened, and

highway were all but erased from existence by their onslaught. A moment later, the Rhino

he saw the APC clear the stretch of the road obstructed by the horde, he stepped through the shadows and appeared in the

from the mangled battleship, many were still getting through. The cacophony of bestial howls, thunderous

had to