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.

lethal, or was it

was as though... as though he did not

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

mistake and a half, thanks to Weaver's forbidden lineage

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

the powerful demon, he knew that the tide had changed. The Drowned were still just as powerful, sinister, and deadly... but the

'Now we're talking...'

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

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 had followed the Defiled sybil voluntarily, that rule was broken in the

'Don't get arrogant.'

ten vainglorious fools. Sunny really did not want to end up dead by following its

the darkness with enough speed and force to put a projectile shot from a

confidence that Sunny had almost lost returned. Grinning behind the fearsome

enveloped the empty space where he had been standing. Sunny, however,

which put her at a dire risk of being surrounded - the Drowned were not much weaker than the taciturn Shadow, so being

was her domain. Moving with deadly