Shadow Slave

'Crap, crap, crap...'

Sunny did not know what the creature pursuing them was, exactly. He had hoped that the possessed corpses were not the vessels of a single being, but instead separate abominations, akin to minions of a tyrant... but even if they were, there was obviously a way for them to share information.

He knew it because his hopes were being crushed right in front of his eyes.

If there was no way for the puppets of the Gate Guardian to share knowledge, then he could have pretended to be oblivious to their presence and bought some time. But the seven taken Masters were all seemingly aware that Sunny could tell what they were.

They slowly started to move. At first, their movements seemed inconspicuous, but it quickly became apparent that they were encircling those Ascended who remained human.

There were eerily human smiles brightening their faces.

On one side, there were seven possessed corpses with the power of a Great abomination.

On the other side, there were Sunny, Nephis, Kai, Effie, Jet, Seishan, Morgan, and eleven more unaffected Masters.

Morgan had three Transcendent Echoes left. Seishan had one.

Sunny had Saint and Nightmare.

...And Imp.

In fact, the scrawny goblin was the linchpin of their survival.

[Get everyone to come closer.]

Sunny had already explained the situation to Morgan and coordinated with the rest of his allies. Their only chance to survive was to run... but escaping from the ring of possessed corpses seemed impossible.

Nevertheless, they had to try.

Knowing what to do, Morgan calmly looked at the eleven Ascended who had not been taken by the Gate Guardian yet and called:

"You there! Come here. I have questions about our rations and water reserve... you, too. How many tents can we make from that hide?"

The Masters left what they had been doing and walked over. By that time, even they started to notice that something strange was going on.

One group of people was standing in the center of the hollow tower. The other group had spread out, surrounding them.

The ancient steel was groaning as it was assaulted by the wind.

'That is all. There are also three Ascended outside... but only two of them are human.'

"Lady Morgan? What, uh... what is going on?"

Masters

assembling into a loose battle formation. Their weapons were already

only

the point of trying to fight seven Great

almost time... I just

looked heavily at her

"Come closer."

glanced at each other, then hesitantly took a few

At the same time...

took a step forward,

"Kai, now!"

was drowned out by the groan of twisting

groan was drowned out by Kai's

but it enveloped the space within the hollow tower entirely, echoing

"Stop."

'Argh... hell...'

Kai's Ascended Ability - or rather, he had never been the subject of its negative

not the

living things

everyone to stop, it was as though the

to move thanks to his impressively high mental defense, but it was as though a mountain had fallen on him... it was not physical weight, though. Rather, it

some effort,

similarly affected, resisting the

they shook off the effects of the command almost instantly... still,

at that moment, the whole tower suddenly

And collapsed.

groan of tearing metal, a shrill screeching noise, and then wind and light flooded

the outer layers of the tower, of course, going most of the way around

the gluttonous goblin immediately after noticing the lookouts of the survivor group. While he was greeting Effie, talking to Morgan, informing her of danger, and observing the seven vessels of the Gate Guardian slowly surrounding them, the Ravenous Fiend was busy stealthily eating through the exterior of

tower finally couldn't support its weight

shade filling its interior was instantly torn

of

Some of them wrapped themselves around the bodies of those corpses that had not been buried under countless tons of

just

rest of the shadow tentacles grabbed the humans, and unceremoniously tossed them out of

who threw themselves at the abominations. Everyone used

flame, and

white sand, Sunny rolled and jumped to

"Run!"

the tower, but five out of the eleven Ascended that