Shadow Slave

As soon as the sybil fell, it was as though an invisible ripple spread through the darkness of the flooded temple. Sunny did not see anything, nor did he sense the change... but the gnawing feeling of something being subtly wrong with the world was suddenly gone, allowing him to breathe freely.

'Cassie... killed her?'

Stunned, he froze for a split second. The grotesque body of the Defiled plunged into the water and disappeared beneath its dark surface. Sunny had no doubt that the creature would emerge from the restless depths to deliver its furious retribution the next moment... but the moment passed, and it had not.

The glossy black surface remained unbroken.

'She... did.'

Sunny was momentarily astounded. Yes, Nephis had chosen Cassie to face the sybil - but not to slay her. The blind girl had been meant to occupy the Defiled until one or both of them finished wiping out their share of enemies and reached the dais.

When had Cassie become so strong?

Although the sybil had been a Nightmare Creature who relied on her unholy powers more than on her physical might, a Corrupted Tyrant was still a Corrupted Tyrant. Killing an abomination like that was no small feat - quite the opposite, actually - let alone doing it in one strike. How many Masters were there who could boast the same? Were there any, even?

And yet, Cassie had not only killed her but had also made it look effortless.

been that lethal, or was it the result of the year she spent

did not know one of his closest companions nearly as well as he

from his brief reverie, though. The battle was still not over, and albeit victory was within grasp, all that separated

a half, thanks to Weaver's

used the Crown of Twilight to call upon the water once again,

just as powerful, sinister, and deadly... but

'Now we're talking...'

was this? What kind of fool would relax when facing a swarm of Corrupted Demons? Even without the Defiled oracle, they were enough to slaughter a

too. It was as Cassie had said... the Drowned were sentient and chose whom to serve, as opposed to being forced into servitude. Usually, Tyrants could only control minions of a lesser Rank, but since the Drowned

'Don't get arrogant.'

outshine ten vainglorious fools. Sunny really did not want to end up

at him from the darkness with enough speed and force to put a projectile shot from a siege engine to shame. Then, Sunny shifted his weight and lashed out with the Sin of Solace, cleanly decapitating the

and their outcomes. The confidence that Sunny had almost lost returned. Grinning behind the fearsome mask, he listened to the Spell whispering into his ear and

enveloped the empty space where he had been standing. Sunny, however, was already somewhere else,

With nothing holding her back anymore, the graceful knight had turned even more lethal. Unlike Sunny and Fiend, she could not move through shadows, which put her at a dire

after all, which meant that any battlefield was her domain. Moving with deadly grace and murderous foresight, she controlled not just her sword, but also the very