Shadow Slave

Under the relentless onslaught of rain, blood was being washed off the shattered armor of a beautiful young woman with black hair and vermilion eyes. She swayed, trying to lash out with her cracked sword, but slipped in the mud and fell heavily to one knee.

Her breathing was hoarse, and her lips were painted crimson with blood. Mordret looked much worse than his sister. One of his eyes was gone, turning his face into a grotesque mask. So was one of his hands. His armor was on the verge of collapsing into a whirlwind of sparks, and terrible wounds covered his body, revealing flesh and bone.

And yet, his expression was calm.

'Ah... it hurts... I haven't felt pain like that in a long, long time...'

He was growing weak because of blood loss, his vision turning blurry. But he was so close to his goal... after long, excruciating years, the first true taste of his revenge was so near. So, Mordret took a step forward, and then another. His sword rose. His hand was firm and unshaken.

Morgan looked up at him, and the look in her eyes was sweeter than nectar. Confusion, indignation... and hidden behind them, a hint of fear.

"How... how are you still standing, monster..."

Mordret smiled.

'Barely...'

time. Using one of the enchantments absorbed by her

couldn't replenish her essence, her focus, and her stamina. She

that. His sister gathered what little remained of her strength and dashed forward with a furious growl. Her sword

allowing the sharp edge to cut into his clavicle instead of his neck, endured the blinding flash of pain, and drove his own sword into a crack in her

she could do anything, he swung the bloodied stump of his right hand, hitting her in the temple with the torn edge of the steel vambrace. His sister was thrown back, dazed. Mordret felt a bit lightheaded,

long sigh escaped from his lips.

losing. The titanic worm was battered and mutilated, but three out of the four of his Reflections had already

last one - the one wearing Whispering Blade's face - was not going to last much longer, either. Saint Madoc himself was close to prevailing in his harrowing battle against Beastmaster. Silent Stalker and Summer Knight were still fighting, both stubbornly

failing against one of Nether's

felt the desire to raise an eyebrow, but he was too weak and tired to do that. '...Dire Fang is dead? Sunless and the Dreamspawn killed a Saint?' This was a terrible, disastrous piece of news, but he couldn't

tried to stand up, and he pushed her into the mud again with a cruel strike of his sword.

noble duel between two royal descendants. It was simply a brutal, graceless, vicious brawl... but Mordret liked it more that way. It was much more sincere. Much more honest. Why would murder look pretty when it was so

up. They clashed several more times, and each time, Mordret was on the losing end of the exchange. ...Until he wasn't. At some point, somehow, almost unexplainably, he gained the

he had accumulated, no matter how terribly Morgan hurt him, Mordret was unshaken. His one remaining eye glimmered, reflecting her dwindling confidence. And then, after a while, Morgan fell and failed

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she struck the