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!'

warmly... even

representatives of Clan Valor, Clan Song, and the government without making any distinction. But then again, Kai

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 were too different - it was certain that they knew each other much better than

to several of her Handmaidens, so it was not unusual to see her treat him

moment,

of survivors... are

was obvious that

turned a little

He shook his head.

exists - without him, most of us would have perished in the sands. He was also the one who found a reliable shelter for us to survive the nights. However, after ensuring our basic safety, he took as

Kai sighed.

battlefield, as

of their glimmer. She nodded silently

meanwhile, looked away

you...

abandon the survivors and return to where he could save the most lives gladdened or disappointed her. The two shared a close relationship, so it

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

pressing questions to

you encountered the

Kai frowned in confusion.

have encountered many creatures. Which one are you talking

Nephis exchanged a

desert. It can possess dead bodies, and it is also smart enough to perfectly imitate human