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

though... as though he did not know

was still not over, and albeit victory was within grasp, all that separated him from death was one

a half, thanks to Weaver's forbidden lineage

his nearly inexhaustible essence, he used the Crown of Twilight to call upon the water once again,

that the tide had changed. The Drowned were still just as powerful, sinister, and deadly... but the oppressive burden of the shifting future was gone. It had disappeared

'Now we're talking...'

remain focused, refusing to relax... right, what madness was this? What kind of fool would relax when

the usual minions Tyrants controlled, 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

'Don't get arrogant.'

fools. Sunny really did not want to end up dead

from a siege engine to shame. Then, Sunny shifted his weight and lashed out with the Sin of Solace, cleanly decapitating the nearest

he was once again in full control of both his actions and their outcomes. The confidence that Sunny had almost lost returned. Grinning behind the fearsome mask, he listened to

mass of black tentacles enveloped the empty space where he had been standing. Sunny, however, was already somewhere else, his jade sword reaping

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 risk of being surrounded - the Drowned were not much weaker than the taciturn Shadow, so being caught by their tentacles could very well mean

and calculating to allow herself to be immobilized. She was a battle master, 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 space around her. Everything that entered it was