Shadow Slave

Sunny remained silent for a long time, then leaned back with a sigh. His thoughts were dark and heavy. Deep in his heart, an ember of anger smoldered, divorced from all reason, pushing him to do dangerous and short-decided things. It was almost as if the Sin of Solace was whispering into his ears.

'Kill them all... how hard would it be to simply kill them all?' Probably not much easier than slaying the Winter Beast, and with much more dire consequences.

Shaking his head, he looked at Jet. They had never spoken about it directly, but she definitely knew the real reason why the great clans were coming to Antarctica. After all, Soul Reaper had a much more extensive information network... she was deeply embedded into the hierarchy of the government, and had a personal connection to some of its leaders.

Of course, the government was only a second-rate player in the grand scheme of things. Still, they played an important role, and as such, had access to a lot of secrets. He lingered for a few moments.

"...What do you think will happen now?"

Jet covered her mouth with a hand, yawned, and then smiled. "Right now? Well... let me think. I guess the first thing that will happen is that I am going to receive a message from the old man." Just as she finished the sentence, her communicator lit up, displaying a new notification. Soul Reaper chuckled quietly, then concentrated on the screen of the military-issue device.

"See... it's a curse, to always be right. Give me a minute."

Sunny waited for her to finish reading the important message... and it was important indeed.

The old man Jet had mentioned was none other than Saint Cor, the Wake of Ruin, one of the two government Transcendents. Sunny had met him briefly after coming to East Antarctica, and the man definitely left an impression.

Wake of Ruin was a tall, gaunt man in his late fifties. Although his skin was showing signs of aging, his hair still remained perfectly black, like the feathers of a raven. The Saint had sharp features, a piercing gaze, and a stern demeanor, acting like a person who was used to both wielding power and bearing responsibility.

with that scent - it reminded him of the smell of the battlefield. Or rather, of what remained

Cor... was not a likable person. However, it was hard not

as renowned and awesome as the Saints of the Legacy clans - in fact, for a Saint, he was strangely low-key - but his age alone

when the Spell first descended. However, he was still a member of the First Generation, and as such, had watched -

later than the members of the Second Generation like Anvil and Ki Song, he

between the government and the great clans was exactly, but the mere fact that Wake of Ruin was allowed to be the exclusion from the rule and did not serve any of

to enjoy quite a close relationship with the veteran Saint. She was one of his most trusted agents. So, it wasn't a surprise

'Lucky me.'

echelons of the government, but as Soul Reaper's confidant, he would be privy to the vital information almost as soon as

Nephis and Cassie... and enjoyed the friendship of one of the heirs of the House

I guess I am better connected than

that was without even considering his venerated status in the Evacuation Army. Waiting for Jet to finish

seduce one of Seishan's sisters... just to complete

from the great clan Song - Ki Song's adopted daughters - were all a bit scary,

there's Mordret,

a sly glance,

it

innocent smile on its lips, and sparks of dubious sincerity in its eyes. Sunny gritted