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.

a well-oiled, perfectly synergized combat machine. They all knew what their comrades were good at, what quirks their Aspects and Memories

not quite know all those things, exactly. He was more or less familiar with what the members of Cassie's former personal cohort were capable of, as well as a few other people with whom he had

that to Nephis today. His role was quite simple - to wreak as much

in particular - to witness how much of a fierce force he was on the battlefield. Having some respect from the representatives of the great clans would be convenient in the coming

or another... great fighters were very 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.

would become for people who didn't

different

hard to remain under the radar, hiding his power to appear weak and insignificant. That ship, sadly, had long sailed - 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,

was the day he would

at me... look at the Devil of Antarctica. Am I not strong? Am I not fearsome? Am I not

from the Shadow Lantern around his body, manifesting them into the shape of a towering, four-armed fiend. He wielded the Sin of Solace in one hand, the Cruel Sight in another - the other two remained free, to be

Shell. A fearsome armor of black onyx suddenly

today... no, what he was going for was maximum carnage, maximum barbarity.

knew he had some pent-up anger

the Nightsingers fighting ahead, stubbornly refusing to give ground to the onslaught of abomination.

of Nightmare

'Damn.'