Shadow Slave

Kai looked a bit tired and dehydrated, but other than that, he seemed fine. His Transcendent armor had originated from a fire-breathing dragon, after all - out of all them, he was probably capable of dealing with the lethal heat of the Nightmare Desert best.

Looking at his friend, Sunny felt profound relief.

He knew, of course, that the government force had been caught between the three Gates as well. They had not participated in the battle, and were protected by a Saint - so, their chances of escaping into the Dream Realm unscathed had been high.

However, knowing and seeing were two different things. Now that Sunny saw Kai, a huge burden had been lifted from his heart.

It was a bit bizarre, of course, to be happy about a friend becoming trapped in a Death Zone with very little hope of ever returning to the waking world... but considering the situation, one had to count their blessings.

Sunny exhaled slowly.

"Kai... you really know how to make an entrance, don't you? Where's Effie?"

The archer smiled.

"She's fine. We are with a sizable group of survivors... many people have entered the desert near each other and naturally bonded together. My farsight and flight Abilities make me the best person to search for survivors, so I've been scouring the desert. It's really fortunate that I stumbled on you first thing in the morning! Nephis, Seishan, Colonel Jet. It's good to see you all safe and sound."

'...Makes sense.'

Kai's Ability to see things from a ridiculous distance, and even peer straight through solid matter, made him uniquely suited for search and rescue missions... not to mention that he could traverse great distances swiftly with his extremely fast flight Ability.

Still, the archer must have fought more than one flying abomination and risked his life on several occasions to make sure that as many humans as possible survived.

'How very... Kai of him!'

greeted the handsome young man warmly... even Seishan, who was usually reserved, spared

someone interact with representatives of Clan Valor, Clan Song, and the government without making any distinction. But then again, Kai had no part in

even though Sunny kept forgetting it, the archer was the only member of Neph's cohort who had spent a considerable amount of time living in the Bright Castle under Gunlaug's rule. While it was doubtful that Kai and Seishan had interacted a lot - their stations

was also close to several of her Handmaidens, so it was not unusual to see

moment, Seishan

survivors... are

she tried to keep her voice emotionless, it was obvious that she wanted to know

turned

He shook his head.

found a reliable shelter for us to survive the nights. However, after ensuring our basic safety, he took as many Ascended as he could

Kai sighed.

perished on the battlefield, as for the other four... they have to be somewhere near, unless

of their glimmer.

looked away

you... he

lives gladdened or disappointed her. The two shared a close relationship, so it was not impossible to imagine that Soul Reaper had hoped to

solve her problems. Perhaps she was simply happy to know that Wake

had more pressing

encountered

Kai frowned in confusion.

have encountered many creatures. Which

and Nephis exchanged

possess dead bodies, and it is also smart enough