No Return (Shadow Slave Fan-Fic)

Levi , Shashi and Cassie were sitting a few steps away from Sunless and Nephis as they were currently preparing the important part of the plan..

They were going to use those corrosive oils..

Inside the rucksack, two large clay containers lay surrounded by several layers of soft seaweed fiber. These jars were made by Sunny and Levi , and as such were not particularly sturdy. After all, they were no craftsmen.. all their knowledge about pottery was received in a single day of listening to Teacher Julius's rants about the importance of clay in the development of human civilization.

Still, they at least remembered the basics.

Inside the jars, all the oil they had gathered from the centipede monsters splashed around. A centipede monster had two sacks in its body, each containing a different oily substance. When mixed, these substances produced an incredibly corrosive, deadly oil that could eat through a scavenger's carapace in seconds.

Sunny deeply inhaled.

"I'm ready."

Nephis nodded and then rose to her feet. Standing tall, she grasped the torch and closed her eyes, as though praying. Clad in white armor, with her silver hair dancing in the wind, she looked like a beautiful, solemn angel.

When Levi thought of an angel.. Cassie's vision came to his mind.. hungry shadows feasting on a dying angel. Whatever was going to happen , he did not like it.

Then, white radiance ignited beneath her eyelids. In the next moment, bright fire burst from beneath her hands, igniting the top of the torch. Changing Star opened her eyes, extinguishing the light shining in them, and raised the torch high above her head.

In the lightless world, this single small flame looked like a lonely star drowning in the sea of darkness.

Simultaneously, Sunny stepped to the edge of the branch, inhaled deeply ... and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"HEY, ASSHOLE! COME GET ME IF YOU DARE!"

Then, all hell broke loose.

***

Attracted by the sudden burst of light and Sunny's belligerent cries, the Carapace Demon appeared out of nowhere in a storm of fury. Its towering legs tore through the ashen sand, throwing clouds of it into the air. Two scarlet eyes immediately focused on the shouting human, sending a nervous shiver through Sunny's legs.

"Yeah, right here, you pile of scrap! Come and get it, fat lobster! This is my island now!" he shouted, pretending to not be scared out of his wits.

Levi smiled , he had a feeling this day was going to be etched to his mind.. 

The demon dashed toward him. This behemoth was as tall as a house, but still not tall enough to reach the branches of the great tree with his scythes. So, for the moment, Sunny was still safe.

He was pretty sure that this won't be the case for long, but it was enough time to bring the plan to fruition.

If he doesn't miss ...

Just as the Carapace Demon was about to appear right beneath the branch Sunny was standing on, he took a deep breath, aimed, and tossed both of the jars down.

The creature reacted with lightning speed, slicing both jars into pieces with his horrible scythes. However, it was of no use: the oily liquids contained inside still rained on its carapace in a torrent, followed by a scattering of clay shards.

If anything, it only made the surface of the impact larger, covering most of the demon's metal carapace in a layer of liquid.

The two components mixed, producing the deadly corrosive oil, which then burned into the lustrous armor. Sunny held his breath.

... However, the centipede monster's oil, which was capable of destroying the unbreakable chitin of both scavengers and centurions, turned out to be completely ineffective against the strange alloy covering the Carapace Demon's body. It didn't even leave a scratch on it.

Sunny's face darkened.

Nephis silently appeared by his side, raising an arm.

Luckily, they did not put a lot of value on the oil's corrosive qualities, to begin with.

They needed the oil for its other quality.

Its flammability.

Guided by the loud sounds produced by the massive monster, Nephis moved and threw the torch down with a powerful swing of her arm. Spinning, the torch streaked through the air like a meteor and landed right in the middle of the demon's carapace.

... In the next second, the giant creature was engulfed in flames.

They did not really expect the fire to be able to damage the demon. He was sure that the behemoth could withstand much more than just simple heat.

But now, covered in the burning oil, the Carapace Demon shined brightly in the pitch-black night of the Forgotten Shore.

He had turned into a fiery beacon, calling all the monsters of the cursed dark sea to come crawling from its black depths.

***

The giant demon was engulfed in flames, shining like a bright beacon in the hungry darkness of the night. His polished armor blazed with reflected light, sending radiant glints in all directions. Drops of burning oil were falling to the ground, flaring up as they hit the ashen sand.

But they really did, they pulled it off. Levi never seriously considered facing the Carapace Demon in an honest battle ... if a battle between a giant death machine and three powerless humans could even be called honest. However, their lacking strength did not mean that they could not murder the evil creature.

They just had to be smart about how to do it. For example, they could find something stronger to do the dirty work for them ...

That's why Sunny had concocted a plan to sneak onto the Ashen Barrow, wait for the night to come, lit the behemoth aflame and watch it be torn apart by the terrifying monsters of the dark sea.

Levi chuckled at Sunny's cunningness.. 

And now they were halfway to making that plan a reality.

Of course, the most dangerous part was yet to come - they still had to survive the attack of the creatures of the black water themselves. And before that ...

The Carapace Demon roared with fury, making Levi feel like his ears were going to bleed. The roar sounded like a deafening cacophony of rusted metal being torn apart by giant claws. Two scarlet eyes shone through the conflagration of flames, piercing the young man with a concentrated beam of murderous hatred.

However, in the end, cold rationality won over seething rage in the Carapace Demon's mind. Instead of wasting time trying to get to the three tiny humans, he suddenly rolled on the ground, hoping to use the sand to douse the flames dancing on his carapace.

The whole island shook, almost throwing Sunny off the branch , however Levi caught him by the arm.

"Careful , idiot."

But he didn't have to worry.

Suddenly, Nephis turned to face the dark surface of the sea. Her face paled slightly. Sunny was a second late to react, but almost instantly, he too felt a strange change in the world around them.

It was hard to describe with words. The rustle of the scarlet leaves suddenly felt quieter, the sound of the waves crashing against the shores of the ashen island louder. It was as though some invisible pressure descended on the world, making everything feel slightly different.

Then, the air became colder, and a wall of thick fog appeared above the dark waters.

The Carapace Demon had also noticed this change. He stopped trying to douse the flames and rose from the sand, the oil still burning on his carapace. Not paying it any attention anymore, the demon turned to the sea, a sense of grim resignation radiating from his posture.

Then, it was replaced by dark resolve and frenzied bloodlust.

The fog slowly moved, crawling onto the island. 

And there, in the fog, something was moving. He could almost make out a figure.

Levi closed his eyes on instinct. He was immune to mind attacks , however he still didn't want to see that abomination.

With her voice trembling with tension, Cassie whispered:

"Don't look. No matter what happens, don't open your eyes."

Cold fog touched his skin.. he heard Cassie's voice again.. however it came from the wrong direction.

"Don't look ... don't look ... don't look ... "

Levi immediately understood how his Innate Ability worked. He was immune to mind attacks , but that did not mean he would not feel them. However even if he felt them , those attacks had no influence onto his mind. His mind was simply viewing them as 'annoying background noises.'

The voice was growing louder.

"Don't look, don't look, don't look, don't look!"

Then, it grew even louder still and turned into a cacophony of screams, sounding nothing

like what human vocal cords could ever produce:

"DON'T LOOK DON'T LOOK DON'T LOOK DON'T !!!"

Levi was a bit angry.. his own friend's voice was being used against him even if it was not effective. Keeping his eyes closed , he silently hoped the others would be alright.

Everything suddenly stopped. The abrupt silence enveloped the world, making him exhale with relief. It was over.

A few seconds later, Cassie whispered into his ear:

"Open your eyes."

'In your dreams..' Levi scoffed. 

Her voice did not sound terrifying and distorted. It was just as usual, sweet and melodic. It even came from the right direction. But something about it was wrong.

Why was it so calm? Why didn't he feel the warmth of her breath as she leaned close to whisper into his ear?

And... how could she lean ... if he was taller?

Cassie's clear, familiar voice repeated:

"Open your eyes ... open ... "

Then, mere centimeters away, it exploded with cold, malevolent authority:

"OPEN YOUR EYES!"

'Ugh.. bastard.. my ears hurt..'

Levi kept his calm , he was more worried about his friends.. 

A second passed, then another, then one more. Each of them felt like an eternity. Finally, the voice returned. But this time, it felt as though it was further away, withdrawing.

"No matter ... no matter ... "

Soon, he was able to hear the rustling of leaves and the sound of waves again. He could also hear the others breathing ruggedly beside him. It seemed that they were also assaulted by the terrifying mimic.

And also ...

Somewhere beneath them, the Carapace Demon roared and hit his scythes against each other. The loud clamor of steel resounded beneath the great tree, sending an almost palpable wave in all directions. This wave seemed to expel the unnatural fog, creating an enormous sphere of clean air.

Levi still kept his eyes shut.

In the next moment, the whole island trembled as the demon clashed with the unknown horror that had been hiding in the fog. Something shattered with a deafening thunder, and the ground shook again, causing the branches of the great tree to sway.

Since he was the only one unaffected , he needed to take initiative to comfort his friends.

"Everyone.. come around , keep your eyes shut and stay calm."

Levi spoke in a calm tone as he pulled his companions close to him. All of them held onto each-other tightly , listening to the furious sounds of battle far away , they waited for it to finish.

***

An eternity later, the fight between the Carapace Demon and the guest from the depths was over. Silence had returned to the Ashen Barrow once again.

Levi opened his eyes , feeling no force attacking his mind , he spoke to the others calmly.

"We can open our eyes now."

The pale light of dawn was creeping from the east, enveloping the island in the dim twilight. Beneath them, the surface of the island was torn apart and upturned, almost unrecognizable. It was as though the Ashen Barrow was pummeled by several rounds of heavy artillery fire.

And on that surface ...

Levi gritted his teeth..

The Carapace Demon was slowly limping back from the edges of the island, leaving a trail of azure blood behind. He was heavily wounded and in a terrible shape, with several limbs missing and a spiderweb of cracks covering his once pristine carapace.

Two of his arms were gone, leaving him with a single scythe and a single pincer. Most of his rear legs were either broken or severed, forcing the behemoth to walk in a strange, unsteady gait.

However, he was still alive. More than that, none of the armor plates covering his vital organs were seriously damaged, his metal shell still strong and impenetrable.

Sunny clenched his fists and glanced at Neph, a dark expression on his face.

"What ... what do we do?"

Changing Star looked down. There was a cold glint in her calm, grey eyes.

Stretching her arm to the side, she summoned her sword and said:

"Finish him off."