Shadow Slave

Led by Nephis, Sunny, and Jet, the Fire Keepers surged forward. They were aiming for the section of the joint army's formation where the flood of Nightmare Creatures had broken through the dam of human bodies, threatening to consume them all.

Somewhere out there, far ahead, Effie and Kai were already trying to stall the fatal advance of the frenzied abominations as they waited for reinforcements to arrive. Their soldiers were fighting fiercely, without a doubt - and yet, the horde had already gained momentum, so the Wolves and the Nightsingers had no hope of stopping it on their own.

They were just two hundred men and women who had volunteered to join the Second Army, after all - no matter how elite of a status the two companies earned because of their strength, valor, and the fame of their commanders, they were still ordinary Awakened.

The Fire Keepers were different.

Even though there were just about fifty of them, each of the people following Changing Star was a seasoned veteran of the Dark City - they were the best and the brightest of what humanity had to offer, simply for the fact that nothing less would have allowed one to survive the cruel crucible of the Forgotten Shore.

They had only grown stronger and more experienced under Cassie's guidance after escaping that starless abyss, too, and especially now that the mighty - and opulent - clan Valor stood behind the personal troops of its adopted daughter. The Fire Keepers had undergone a comprehensive upgrade of their soul arsenals, with those who needed it receiving enough shards to finish fully saturating their cores.

There were seven cohorts of them, each more than comparable to the most elite household troops of the great clans in terms of power. So, despite their modest numbers, the Fire Keepers were a force to be reckoned with.

...And that was without even mentioning the three masters who were leading them into battle.

Due to their superior physical prowess, Sunny, Nephis, and Jet naturally ended up at the head of the rushing force. There was no clever plan to their advance - the situation prohibited careful maneuvering and strategic placement of the Awakened according to their specializations. But there was no real need to waste time on it, either.

what they were doing. The remains of the Dreamer Army had long become a well-oiled, perfectly synergized combat machine. They all knew what their comrades were good at, what

familiar with what the members of Cassie's former personal cohort were capable of, as well as a few other people with whom he

to wreak as much havoc and destruction

be in a battle had a different purpose, as well. Sunny wanted the others - Morgan and Seishan in particular - to witness how much of a fierce force he was on the battlefield. Having some respect from the representatives

rarely amazing utility specialists, and people specializing in subterfuge were usually less capable in direct combat. Of course, there were always freaks like Sunny, who could do anything, from swinging a sharp sword to weaving Memories. But they were

become for people who didn't know him to assume that he also

was a different

- after coming to Antarctica, he was forced to reveal enough of his strength so that no sane person would ever think of him as a weakling. So, now, he needed a

the day he would

strong? Am I not fearsome? Am I not a frenzied beast, just like what a lofty Legacy would expect an uneducated brute from the

He wielded the Sin of Solace in one hand, the Cruel Sight in another - the other two remained free, to be used

the [Mantle] trait of the Marble Shell. A fearsome armor of black onyx suddenly

going to use finesse and cunning tricks today... no, what he was going for was maximum carnage, maximum barbarity. The

knew he had some pent-up

flashed through the ranks of the retreating soldiers that belonged to the crushed companies. He could already see the Wolves and the Nightsingers fighting ahead, stubbornly refusing to give ground to the onslaught of abomination. A glimpse of Effie's lustrous steel figure ignited his

really, really a lot of Nightmare Creatures in front

'Damn.'