Shadow Slave

Sunny waited for a moment, then slowly straightened and looked around. The Chain Breaker was laying on white sand, tilted awkwardly.

'Damnation!'

His trembling fist collided with the railing and splintered the enchanted wood. He didn't feel the pain.

'Curse it! Curse it all!'

"Sunny? Are you alright?"

Sunny lingered for a moment, took a labored breath, then looked himself over and slowly turned to Nephis.

His voice sounded hoarse:

"...Yes. It seems that I am."

In the end... he still lost to Undying Slaughter.

The odds seemed to be in his favor. He successfully avoided having his shadows destroyed, summoned Saint and Fiend, and managed to wrestle the initiative from the ghostly claws of the mist wraith.

However, the battle did not go how he had hoped it would. It ended in disaster, just like the previous time.

Sunny had been almost certain that Saint would be immune to Undying Slaughter's soul attacks. And it turned out to be true... somewhat. It seemed that she could withstand much more damage than the rest of them, but even then, the ghostly blade was just as lethal to the taciturn knight as it was to Sunny and Fiend.

The reason, as he belatedly realized, was the unique nature of Jet's Aspect. Her attacks bypassed physical defenses and struck the soul... and yet, they were not true soul attacks. Instead, they were physical attacks that inexplicably dealt damage to the soul.

was one supposed

than enduring the damage or avoiding being hit entirely, there was no other way... at least none that he

easier said than done. Saint's sword and the Cruel Sight were capable of blocking the ghostly blade of Undying Slaughter, but actually withstanding her dreadful assault was almost impossible. The mist

to catch a

only one node of vile darkness infesting her soul. But that node... was truly colossal in size, dwarfing any other corruption core he had even seen before. So, her actual power could very well be equal to

both block and damage intangible beings, Undying Slaughter was at least forced to change tactics. After clashing

cohort, they were instantly dispelled at that moment. Undying Slaughter looked more like a revenant, both dreadful and dreadfully beautiful, than a human being... but there was no way he could

truly Soul Reaper Jet... or

Jet once, but there was nothing human

form, Sunny was thrown into

almost instantly. Undying Slaughter read his intentions like an open book, and not only made following the

at Jet instead of him, Saint, or Fiend. Forced to protect the gravely wounded companion, they had no choice but to

simple, but viciously

skilled, explosively fast, and terrifyingly strong Undying Slaughter was, the rest of the battle did

considered nearly indestructible, was eventually pierced and violently split open, the infernal flames spilling out of horrid wounds like blood. The ravenous

blade eventually found its way into the

Spell announced her death

he would be next... but

watch Jet die before delivering

of the Chain Breaker, he closed his

anyone

fine. I can still put up a

and looked

have mistaken the reason for his grim expression and repeated her usual words... it was just a

of incongruity. Mere seconds ago, Sunny had been fighting for his life, watching his Shadows die in fear and sorrow. He had