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.

been retreating to give the two Saints space to fight, suddenly

change in the atmosphere,

the matter, Lord Shadow? Do you not wish to fight

'Sunny smiled darkly.'

peaceful man. I

Neph's throat. His sudden attack was violent and ruthless, aimed at slicing open her arteries and

sidestep in the opposite direction at the same time. Her movements flowed like a placid river, and yet Sunny instantly felt that he was

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. ?ìg??օ???w????~?օ?. Unable to pull his own sword back in time, he had no choice

of the silver sword missed his chest by

Sunny and Nephis circled each other for

The, she suddenly spoke:

you used. Only those trained

a little, Sunny

by the King of Swords. It only seemed polite to greet them by using

of Neph's mouth twitched

have used if we were sent by

and took a

"Something like this."

were upon each other once more, their swords weaving a complicated web of attacks and deflections in the air. Both were moving with astonishing speed, exchanging dozens of blows in a second. The clangor of steel fused into a continuous wail that echoes in the darkness of the solemn hall, followed by

the spot where the Lord of Shadows and the radiant Star of Ruin clashed, sending a cloud of dust rushing outward like an opaque

it… this is

momentarily overcome by the exhilaration of combat. He had missed having someone to spar with, and dueling the

than the previous fight. After all… he was a Trasncendent Terror, and she was a Transcendent Titan. Neither was using their Aspect to augment themselves, but their power was still

of Gods to this day otherwise… granted, Sunny had found it in a rather sorry state, and

any case, he wasn't worried that it would be seriously damaged… not unless either Nephis or him decided

without having Nephis realize

There were two problems.

was too good of a swordsman, so weaving any