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 seemed

into a loose battle formation. Their weapons were

only one who

was the point of trying to fight seven Great

I just need a

looked heavily at her

"Come closer."

at each other, then hesitantly took a few steps

At the same time...

smiling corpses took

"Kai, now!"

was drowned out by

was drowned out by Kai's

the space within the hollow

"Stop."

'Argh... hell...'

- or rather, he had never been the subject of its negative influence. His friend usually used the power of

was not the only

was to compel living things and bend them

stop, it was

but it was as though a mountain had fallen on him... it was not physical weight, though. Rather, it was incredibly hard to remember why he wanted to move,

effort, he

were similarly affected, resisting the command

effects of the command almost instantly... still,

that moment, the whole

And collapsed.

screeching noise, and then wind and light flooded the interior of

Imp had gnawed through the outer layers of the tower, of course, going most of the

group. While he was greeting Effie, talking to Morgan, informing her of danger, and observing the seven vessels of

tower finally

its interior was

of

tentacles. Some of them wrapped themselves around the bodies of those corpses that had not been buried under countless tons of steel, only to be instantly

just

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

whirlwind of sparks manifested into Transcendent Echoes, who threw themselves

of white flame, and the sharp sound of the air being cut by

sand, Sunny rolled and

"Run!"

of them had made it out of the tower, but five out of