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

shifting, assembling into a loose battle formation. Their weapons were already

the only one who remained

of trying to fight

almost time... I just need a

looked heavily at her

"Come closer."

other, then hesitantly took

At the same time...

corpses took

"Kai, now!"

by the

was

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

"Stop."

'Argh... hell...'

the receiving end of Kai's Ascended Ability - or rather, he had never been the subject of its negative influence. His friend usually used the

the only

to compel living things and

it was as though the world itself

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

some effort, he

similarly affected, resisting the command with varying degrees of

However, they shook off the effects of the command almost instantly... still, it bought Sunny the couple seconds he

at that moment, the whole tower suddenly

And collapsed.

a deep groan of tearing metal, a shrill screeching noise, and then wind and light flooded the interior of the steel

gnawed through the outer layers 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

then, the tower finally

was

of shadows

bodies of those corpses that had not been buried under

was just

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

time, a whirlwind of sparks manifested into Transcendent Echoes, who threw themselves at the abominations. Everyone used their own means to

flame, and the sharp sound of

the white sand, Sunny rolled and jumped

"Run!"

it out of the tower, but five out of the eleven Ascended that