Shadow Slave

The jungle, which had been like a rustling ocean, was suddenly absolutely quiet. The dead silence that enveloped them was so utter and unnatural that, for a moment, Nephis felt a chill travel across her back despite the sweltering heat.

The horrors of the forgotten ruin were drawing closer.

She frowned slightly, and then dismissed most of her armor. A whirlwind of sparks wreathed her slender figure for a few fleeting moments, and then dissipated without a trace, leaving only a thin white tunic behind.

Free of the suffocating weight of her armor, Nephis inhaled deeply and noticed that the Lord of Shadows was staring at her intently. At least… she thought he was? The darkness nestling in the crack of his visor was just as cold and nebulous as always.

«What… are you doing?»

His voice was emotionless, but she thought she recognized a hint of emotion in it. Confusion, maybe?

Yes, he was probably confused.

She shrugged, enjoying the feeling of her skin breathing, unobstructed by the weight of metal.

«My armor won't withstand a hit from a Great Beast. I'd rather have all the speed and agility I can get, considering the circumstances. That way, I stand the chance of not being hit at all.»

That was true. Her armor was a Supreme Memory of the Second Tier, but after the battle with this… asura… she had judged that it would not protect her from a blow delivered by one of the ancient golems. She could heal her body if it was damaged, but not her armor and once the armor was wrecked and bent out of shape, it would constrict her movements even further.

Now that the presence of the true masters of the ruined city had scared off all the pests populating the jungle, it was better to be fast and nimble.

The other reason Nephis had dismissed her armor was necessity. She was pretty sure that she would be forced to use her Transformation Ability in the upcoming battle… so, she didn't want to burn the Supreme Memory.

of hers was pretty decent. It would be a shame if it melted into a puddle of molten steel, like

her once that it suited her

it mattered, of

am I

at the inappropriate thought, and summoned two charms the [Dire Warning] and the [Testament of Malice]. One possessed an enchantment that scared off creatures of a lesser Rank than her, the other added an element of insidious decay to her attacks not too powerful, but

tunic — the remaining underlayer of the dismissed Supreme armor and sensed the air grow cool and soft around her, caressing her slightly damp skin like fine silk. That invisible barrier would not do much against sharp weapons, but it could lessen the impact of blunt ones, like the

of

allocation. Relying on Memories too much would drain her essence, which could be better spent on her Aspect and sorcery. She couldn't summon the [Altar of Denial] to lessen the essence

been worth her essence. Some had gone to the Fire Keepers, and some were sold off to fund them…

clandestine affairs, which were handled by Cassie, also demanded a lot of funding — and the Great Clan could not be

She summoned as few as she could in any given battle, relying on

sure if his reasons were the same as hers. In fact, Nephis had not seen him sumfnon a single

point, she wasn't

Abilities were

sword she had given her was holding up pretty well. With an Ability like that and sublime swordsmanship,

wondered what other tricks he

a black giant rising

It was entirely black and demonic in appearance, with four mighty arms and a long tail, towering above her at at least three meters of height —

strength and bestial potency. The stonelike armor of the Lord of Shadows shifted, covering the four-armed

«…What a fearsome sword.»

in front of her, wondering for a