Shadow Slave

The war party had stopped and made camp. Sunny's APC was parked within the defensive perimeter, and he was calmly preparing supper. It seemed strange to be doing something so mundane on the verge of an event that had the potential to alter the course of history, but... He was hungry. Hunger was much more powerful than the forces that shaped history.

'Ah. I miss the Rhino...' The armored vehicle that the Fire Keepers had used was by no means cheap, but its amenities were rather bare-bones. There was not even an integrated kitchen, just a few devices for food storage and preparation. Still, he was good at improvising.

As Sunny cooked, he mentally went over what he had gained since coming to Antarctica, and what he could use if the worst happened and the two great clans clashed in a bloody battle.

Sunny had been a Master for many months before the Chain of Nightmares, but he felt that he only came into his Ascended powers here. His mastery of Shadow Manifestation had improved tremendously, both in terms of impact and versatility. He also developed Shadow Shell and Shadow Incarnation, as well as their combination - both of these abilities were extremely powerful.

His practical knowledge of sorcery had grown as well. He was now able to copy more complex enchantments, and do it faster. He could even modify them to a degree. Even though the realities of the Antarctica campaign had prevented Sunny from spending a lot of time on weaving, his repertoire was much broader than before.

There were new powerful Memories in his arsenal, including Transcendent ones. The Sin of Solace, the Shroud of Graceless Dusk, and others... there was the Mirror of Truth, too. Chances were, he would have to use it soon.

In terms of raw power, Sunny was now a Tyrant. He had five cores and five shadows, which increased both his physical prowess and essence capacity. Strangely enough, even his essence control had undergone a noticeable improvement - unable to rely on the Soul Serpent in the dire conditions of the Southern Quadrant, Sunny had been forced to elevate this aspect of his power to an almost flawless efficiency.

Then there were his Shadows. He had gained a new one, the Ravenous Fiend. Now that Imp had feasted on the remains of the Sun Prince, the scrawny goblin was strong enough to be sent into battle. Nightmare was close to both Ascension and unlocking his Terror Ability. Saint had risen both in Class and Rank, becoming a Transcendent Devil.

That alone was an incredible leap for him, but the sublimation of the Mantle of the Underworld was perhaps no less important. His new Attribute, the Marble Shell, improved his resilience and combat performance to a remarkable degree. Honestly, having it was almost like possessing a secondary Aspect.

Considering all that, it was hard to deny that the present Sunny was incomparably more powerful than his past self from before Antarctica. The comparison was not even funny. That past Sunny was nothing more than a feeble brat.

strength, and although he stopped caring about that goal a

he felt that there were much more valuable things he had

the skills he had honed, the lessons he had learned - those were what truly separated him from his past self. Those were what

and the desperation of the Antarctic Center to the cold expanse of East Antarctica and its many dangers, Sunny

been harrowing

taught him as

people, Sunny looked into the distance

time when he was not

really feel

of Ruin would laugh at these words, but Sunny truly felt that way. He had never really gotten a chance to be a child, and now, he was not a youth anymore,

'Am I... old, then?'

came in, soon followed by Cassie. The two had been spending the last few days in endless strategy meetings,

relax. Noticing the distant expression on

are you thinking about

flinched, then shook his head and

just thinking... that

him with a

older than you,

meaning was clear... Are