Shadow Slave

Sunny held his odachi lightly as he watched Nephis take unhurried steps in his direction. The familiar white flames were dancing in her eyes…

But what was this?

As he walked, the same sparks ignited in the eyes of the seven Fire Keepers. A moment later, their bodies shone with a soft white radiance, and the bruises and contusions left on them by his restrained blows disappeared without a trace. Expressions of gratitude and relief appeared on their faces, and at the same time, Neph's own face grew colder.

'Since when can she heal others from a distance?'

Before he could consider the implications of that unexpected turn of events, her sword left the enchanted scabbard with a quiet murmur. Its mirror-like blade was as black as the night sky, the light of the magical lanterns reflecting in it like distant stars.

He knew that sword well… or rather, he had known it once.

The silver blade was a Transcendent Memory of the Seventh Tier Nephis had received after slaying Soul Stealer. It was a mighty weapon, and had been made mightier still by Sunny himself. He had transplanted a Supreme soul shard as one of its nodes, augmenting the fundamental enchantment of the silver blade..

But now, it was different.

Sunny frowned behind the mask when he noticed a familiar symbol branded into the mystical steel just above the crossguard. An anvil pierced through by a sword…

Had one of the forgemasters of the Clan Valor deemed themselves competent enough to improve on his own work? No, they wouldn't have been able to.

That left only one person, then.

The King of Swords himself.

That bastard. Who gave him the right to taint the gift I gave her with his dirty hands?

Suddenly, Sunny felt displeased.

And since he did, the shadows drowning the great hall of the Nameless Temple moved, overcome by the same displeasure.

who had been retreating to give the two Saints

sensed the change in

Lord Shadow? Do you not wish to fight

'Sunny smiled darkly.'

am a peaceful

Neph's throat. His sudden attack was

opposite direction at the same time. Her movements

silver sword had pushed the blade of the odachi down just a split second ago, but was already flying forward. It was moving at a speed that could not be perceived by the Fire Keepers, and even Sunny struggled to sense its passing. 𝐥ìg𝚝𝔫օ𝑣𝓮𝓵w𝓸𝓻𝐥𝓭~𝙘օ𝕞. Unable to pull his own sword back in time, he had no choice

of the silver sword missed his chest

Sunny and Nephis circled each other for a few

The, she suddenly spoke:

those trained by Valor are masters of

head a little,

been sent by the King of Swords. It only seemed polite to greet them by using the battle style of his

corner of Neph's mouth

style would you have used if we were sent by

his odachi and took a

"Something like this."

moving with astonishing speed, exchanging dozens

and the radiant Star of Ruin clashed,

is it…

Transcendent body to its limit, Sunny was momentarily overcome by the exhilaration of combat. He had missed having

clash between him and Nephis was much more furious and destructive than the previous fight. After all… he was a Trasncendent Terror, and she was a

to this day otherwise…

damaged… not unless either Nephis or him decided to unleash

having Nephis realize that I

There were two problems.

swordsman, so weaving any kind of pretense in front of her