Shadow Slave

Sunny and Jet looked like quite the pair. Both were wearing black, which made for a stark contrast with their pale skin and raven hair... granted, Soul Reaper looked more imposing in her fitting black leather armor. Sunny, on the other hand, wore a simple silk tunic and a pair of dainty shoes. He was also unarmed.

...Actually, he was perhaps the more threatening of the two. People were used to seeing Awakened wear suits of impregnable armor and wield powerful weapons. It was the sight of someone who didn't feel the need to do so, even in the deadly reaches of East Antarctica, that was truly frightening.

He made the last jump, landing softly on the ground not too far away from Effie. From here, Sunny could sense hundreds of shadows somewhere nearby. He looked around, noticing mundane soldiers and Awakened hidden here and there along the river shore, all keeping watch on the surrounding area.

The First Irregular Company had numbered forty-two Awakened and seven Masters. The two companies Effie and Kai commanded, however, were different. Unlike the special unit Sunny had belonged to, these were companies meant for general combat.

Each of them consisted of close to a hundred Awakened and ten times that many mundane soldiers, complete with a platoon of mighty MWPs and a robust stable of specialized vehicles that ranged from heavy artillery to support and resupply.

Two of these companies together made for a small army.

Effie walked over, a wide smile on her face. "Sunny! Long time no see!"

She looked... quite impactful. His friend had always been a sight to behold, with her impressively tall stature, athletic build, and generous figure. Now, however, Effie resembled an incarnation of a beautiful war deity much more than she resembled a mere mortal. The main reason for this was her armor.

It was as though Effie had been dipped in liquid steel, which then clung tightly to her body, tracing every toned, graceful line of it. Sunny had once thought that the Undying Chain felt like a second layer of skin... however, in his case, that was simply a metaphor. The armor of the vibrant huntress, on the contrary, could be described the same way quite literally.

There was a piece of white cloth tied around her waist, and another one covering her chest, but other than that, Effie's whole body was exposed and seemed as if it had been cast of lustrous steel. Only her head was uncovered, for now.

had received after slaying one of the

at Effie would make one's blood run hot. But that wasn't all... currently, she had not even activated her Ascended Ability. Once she did, the fire burning in the hearts of the soldiers who saw her

Sunny's face. "...What are you talking about?

come to the island, you and Cassie immediately slink to the basement to spend a few quality hours closely studying the floor.

expression on her face. "Oh, and welcome to you too, Ms. Soul Reaper. Thanks for keeping this doofus

Effie lingered for a moment... and

had not really been exposed to

a little.

me alive, really? That's funny... don't you have a habit

a grin. "Oh, come on... I haven't tried to kill you in

shook his head, then glanced at Effie and smiled. "...It's good to see you

and asked:

us need to be fresh for the battle with the Tyrant, while at least

army revealed itself, with hundreds of soldiers soberly preparing for the upcoming battle. Awakened, mundane soldiers, MWP pilots, operators of combat vehicles... all of them were

with the boss? Are

our boss acting too friendly with that

that

That's Soul Reaper and

way... let me