Shadow Slave

The battle between the Azure Serpent and the krill swarm did not last long, but it was the most terrifying event Sunny had seen since entering the Third Nightmare.

The Great Beast completely lost its mind as it fought the legion of vile abominations. Stirred by its fury, the water seethed and roiled, sometimes exploding into colossal fountains of scarlet foam, sometimes rising in titanic waves. The magnitude of these undulations was so severe that the whole island rocked and swayed like a ship caught in the middle of a world-ending storm.

The cacophony of wrathful roars and thunderous sonic booms merged into a deafening litany, to the point that both Sunny and Nephis were forced to plug their ears.

Thousands of attacking krill were destroyed... but the swarm did not seem diminished at all. Instead, no matter how furiously the Azure Serpent fought, more and more abominations were lunging at it, their thin legs moving in gluttonous anticipation.

At first, the water armor the leviathan had created protected its prodigious body, but eventually it failed. One krill struggled past the repelling current of the whirlpool, then two, then a hundred. Their teeth scraped powerlessly against the impenetrable azure scales...

However, after suffering through three dire battles with the Dark Butterfly, the Azure Serpent was battered and littered with wounds. Its body had already been covered by countless scars before, and now, there were numerous new ones. Some scales were broken, some cracked, and some were missing entirely.

It was only a matter of time before one of the krill managed to draw blood... then two, then a hundred. Even though their size was minuscule in comparison to the great river serpent, they were Corrupted abominations nevertheless, and their painful bites added up.

The pain did not slow the Azure Serpent down, though. Instead, it became even more enraged, even more deranged, even more frenzied. The battle, which had already been frightening to look at, suddenly exploded in intensity, reaching a realm that went beyond fear.

Standing on the swaying shell of the Black Turtle, Sunny and Nephis watched the boiling river with pale faces. Before Sunny knew what was happening, he found himself holding Neph's hand... he did not know which one of them grasped the other's hand first, but felt that this simple touch was his only lifeline in a world that had lost all reason.

He also did not know how much time had passed.

Sunny knew was that the battle...

krill swarm. However, the swarm had also failed to consume the

goal was not the mad leviathan,

simply rushed past the Great Beast and continued toward the carcass of the Black Turtle, their translucent

main mass of the swarm surrounded it like a

his body and soul. Looking down, he saw a soft glow rising

Her lips seemed dry.

you

a moment, and then his eyes glinted darkly. Sparks of light ignited around his hand and formed into a

at the seething mass of the approaching krill, and let the Strike of Thunder loose. The lightning flashed toward the crimson water and exploded, sending arcs of electricity flying across the surface

about the length of Sunny's arm, with carapaces so thin that they appeared transparent. Still, they were Corrupted Beasts, so their shells were tough enough to resist a direct hit from a railgun, and their teeth were sharp enough to tear through armored

Sunny and his bow were augmented both by the shadows and the soulflame, granting his arrow tremendous power. Which was why he soon heard a familiar voice whispering

a

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

have slain a Corrupted Beast,

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

have slain a Corrupted Beast,

[Your shadow grows stronger...]

shadow

swarm, and neither did he hope to help the Azure Serpent prevail.