Shadow Slave

The crow hopped on Sunny's shoulder, and they headed toward where Nightmare was hiding. Cronos, annoyingly, followed them with an excited smile. That said, Sunny couldn't remain annoyed for long because of the worshipful gaze the old man was giving him.

"Lord Sunless... if I may ask..."

He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"What?"

Cronos hesitated for a moment.

"...What is a horse?"

That almost caused Sunny to stumble.

'What the hell... why does it sound like something I would say?'

He shrugged.

"It's a large animal that runs really well. People used to ride them to get around. Of course, my horse is no ordinary horse... he's a real menace, that beast."

The old man frowned in contemplation.

"But why wouldn't they just use a boat?"

Sunny suppressed the desire to grind his teeth and answered in an even tone:

"The world outside the Tomb is not all water, remember? Most people live on land. Horses are land animals."

Cronos looked into the distance, confusion written all over his face.

"Ah... I see, I see. Are there no land boats? That seems strange!"

The barrage of questions continued.

By the time they reached the deep shadows where Nightmare was hiding, Sunny felt a bit tired.

mountain is basically a big sharp rock,

old man's

never want to live on land...

stared at

that falls into a bottomless abyss, plagued

shook his head, then said in a stifled

"Nightmare, come out."

in the darkness, and the shadows surged, forming into the shape of a dreadful black steed. Light glistened on Nightmare's steel fangs and sharp horns, tinted red by

Cronos yelped.

"Ah! A... a horse!"

pale, and he took a couple

tell me that horses are such terrifying beasts! Do land dwellers really r-ride

at the youth vindictively, then felt bad about it. The kid was very old,

a moment, then patted

usual horse. He is an ancient shadow creature that used to serve an immortal Transcendent before becoming mine. Now... let's

threw an excited glance at the black steed and summoned the nacre ornament, the old man asked in

You... you don't seem to

Nightmare's Ascension,

I have what I need to satiate his hunger right here,

that Cronos suddenly took a few more steps back, he gave the old man a strange look and offered the ornament

it

pushed it, throwing the Memory to the

rose from the crushed ornament and separated into six streams, each flowing into one of the dark embers burning within the shadow that served Nightmare as

'Here we go... finally!'

the black steed a little. It was not without a reason, of course.

been

streams of sparks were absorbed into the darkness hiding inside Nightmare, his silhouette suddenly grew

the lightless silence, he saw his Shadow standing on the surface of

'Yes!'

suddenly surged, as if assaulted by an invisible wind. Wisps of black flame rose from Nightmare's sable coat, soon shrouding his figure

rise to a new Rank several times. He knew that the transformation would not take long - unlike evolving to a new Class, this change was only

He waited patiently.

happening somewhere near, but away from their eyes, both Crow Crow and Cronos remained