Shadow Slave

Pretty soon, the distant horizon turned hazy with a myriad of flying horrors. The scene was eerily familiar — the only difference from their last attempt to destroy the Devouring Cloud was that, today, the landscape was illuminated by pale moonlight.

And that there were a few less Irregulars standing watch on the wall.

Sunny silently observed Winter, who was preparing to unleash hell. Once again, she was surrounded by several mysterious Memories, and once again, a cohort of Awakened used their Aspects to augment her powers.

He stood several distance away in the company of Master Jet and Dale. None of the three were going to participate in the ranged barrage, conserving their potency for the sortie to hunt down and kill the Tyrant. The atmosphere was tense, but not as oppressive as the first battle against the harrowing swarm.

On the alloy battlement in front of them, a man in leather armor was sitting with his eyes closed, meditating. The falling snowflakes swirled in strange ways around him, as if following invisible paths.

He was one of Dale's Awakened, and someone of whom Sunny knew — the man possessed the Ability to open stable spatial rifts, and had been one of the candidates he had considered when assembling the cohort. Since no one knew where the Tyrant was going to fall after having its wings cut by Roan, the strike team would need to get around the perimeter of the wall fast.

…If Roan succeeded.

"Gods…"

Hearing Dale's quiet whisper, Sunny observed south and saw arcs of thunderbolt dancing deep within the distant swarm. His face paled a little.

"They're... inside it?"

It seemed that Roan and the Awakened of the White Feather clan were leading the Devouring Cloud to the city with the smell of their own blood.

Suddenly, the task of slaying the Tyrant of the swarm seemed even heavier than before.

'So what? Nothing changed…'

contingencies, at least. Saint and Nightmare were currently guarding one of the breaches in the wall. Should the three

'Who cares?'

swiftly drew closer to Falcon Scott. Soon, the city defense systems opened fire once again, and so

as desperate to escape from it as humans would be. Caught between the Devouring Cloud and the wall of Falcon Scott, they launched themselves at the alloy barrier, dying in scores under

today's battle felt more frenzied, more dire. Shrieks and howls of abominations fused

appeared on Soul Reaper's face. Gripping her

Wait for the

depended on Roan and his Awakened. They had to lure the Tyrant forward and bring it to the ground, so that the three elite Ascended of the

passed, then minutes, but the

a breaking point when a swift shadow suddenly fell from the sky. It was not a brood beast, however — instead, it was a young Awakened woman wearing the white colors of her clan, her armor decorated with beautiful etchings of

her several times in the Sanctuary, back

balance. Then, she observed around, took a step toward Master Jet, and

Soul Reaper frowned.

sending us a signal?

her teeth, and then said hoarsely, her voice full

two

cursed and observed at the dark mass of

Tyrants? How does it make

twitched. She stared at the young woman for a

"So where are they?"

turned slightly to face the

"The… signal…"

the killing field. The other, unexpectedly, was even further away, but in a

woman from the White Feather let out a sign and slumped, losing consciousness. Dale barked something, and one of his men