Shadow Slave

About a month had passed since the day Sunny was assigned to act as a government envoy for the forces of Valor. In that time, they had reached a distant port fortress, met up with the main contingent of the great clan - including Cassie, the Fire Keepers, and the valiant Saint Summer Knight - and traveled to the region that was supposed to be their zone of responsibility.

However, almost as soon as they settled in one of the siege capitals there, Wake of Ruin requested the emissaries of both great clans to join forces against a tremendous horde of Nightmare Creatures that had formed around several Titans.

The emissaries had promised to join forces if the situation required it, after all - and it certainly did. If the horde was not stopped, their plans were bound to suffer, as well. So, they reluctantly answered Saint Cor's summons and ventured into the wilderness to form a united army.

Valor and Song were hellbent on destroying each other, but that did not mean that they couldn't cooperate. Once faced with a common enemy, the champions of the two warring Domains at least had the decency to not strike their opponents in the back... or at least they hadn't yet.

Mordret was suspiciously absent from the battlefield, though. Who knew what "Ascended Bast" was doing right now?

Actually, Sunny knew exactly what he was doing. Jet was doing him a favor by keeping an eye on the bleak man, so Sunny was well-informed on Master Bast's movements. He was currently in a siege capital far to the west, establishing a supply chain for Song's expedition forces, which prowled the wilderness in search of suitable Nightmare Gates.

Ascended Bast was also in charge of an industrial production facility. In that facility, he... was making mirrors. Thousands of them, for unknown reasons.

Or at least he had been a few days ago. Currently, Jet was right here by Sunny's side, watching the battlefield with a hungry expression. For all they knew, the bleak man might have slaughtered the entire siege capital by now.

Jet suddenly raised her head.

"There! Look!"

except for

were swirling like a black maelstrom, and in the middle

bird of prey with white feathers and talons forged out of lustrous steel, her wings wreathed in lightning and thunderclouds. The other was a scaled beast with three

of crows assaulting it, but it did not seem bothered by their merciless attacks. Instead, a miasma of rot and corruption flowed from the numerous torn holes on its body, trailing

away from the winged horror. A split second later, it

its chest, and her beak closed on one of its necks, ripping it to shreds. Sky Tide jerked her head violently, and severed the neck of the

the head of the creature plummeted down and crashed into the ground, obliterating several

fists, then looked away from

happening on

the battlefield, a mountain of malformed flesh was crawling across the plain, absorbing everything in its path into itself. Those Nightmare Creatures that were unfortunate enough to approach it were

reached the defense line of the human army, the same fate awaited the

ranks of Awakened, a lone figure stepped forward from between them, and then...

next moment, something both spectacular and

as though a wide, bloody path was carved through the horde of Nightmare Creatures by an invisible force. No one could see what was delivering the cuts, but countless abominations were

of unseen blades. A wave

and soon reached the crawling mountain of flesh. Countless tentacles wreathed, trying to catch whoever was attacking the titan - however, all they caught was air. Meanwhile, bloody lacerations

and sent flying away... only to crawl back like fleshy snakes. Despite suffering dire wounds, the titan was not succumbing to the assault of invisible blades, yet. But it had stopped

to cut through a sea of grey vines that grew from the ground with terrifying speed. The brooks, rivers, and lakes around him seemed to have turned into weapons, as well. Streams of water rose from them and flew through the air like whips, cleanly slicing through the vines and

composed as he faced the wrath of the unseen titan. He welcomed its attention -

completely consumed by the grey vines, a creature that resembled a towering, monstrous mix between a human and a wolf was clawing at the ground, digging into it with