Savior in Shadow Slave

Inside the priestess's chamber of the ruined cathedral, Murphy and Akame sat beneath the cracked stone.

Murphy spoke first, voice calm but firm.

"Starting tomorrow—and for the next four days—we'll hunt only one creature per day."

Akame raised an eyebrow. "Why the slowdown?"

"Because we'll be targeting special creature," Murphy said quietly. "And these battles won't be like before. I won't be taking the lead—you and I will be fighting side by side. That's the only way we'll survive from now on. It will be 4 days of hell for you."

Akame's lips tightened. Something in his tone chilled her.

She hesitated, then asked, "What exactly is out there? Outside the city? You've dodged that question every time I've brought it up."

Murphy's face changed.

The shadows under his eyes deepened, and his expression grew unreadable—cold, distant, and heavy with things left unsaid. A moment later, she felt it.

A faint, involuntary killing intent.

It brushed against her skin like the edge of a blade.

Akame's body tensed. Every instinct screamed to prepare for combat—but the sensation passed as quickly as it came. Murphy blinked, and the darkness in his gaze faded. He rubbed his face and exhaled as if blaming something.

"I'll tell you," he said, his voice softer now. "But on one condition."

Akame tilted her head. "Which is?"

"You don't ask me how I know these things."

She stared at him for a beat. "Wait… are you one of those regressors? Like the kind in those stories? You came back in time all powerful and mysterious?"

Murphy let out a dry chuckle. "No, Ms. Damsel-in-distress. I'm just someone who knows too much."

Akame rolled her eyes. "Fine. I won't ask."

"Good."

And like that, the unspoken line between them grew a little thinner—less a wall, more a thread.

"I'll tell you. But remember this—every word. Understand?"

Akame nodded. "Okay."

Murphy's gaze drifted to the cracked wall as if seeing far beyond it. His voice dropped to a quieter tone—less teacher, more messenger of something ancient and terrible.

"North of here lies the Hollow Mountains. That place… it was forged the moment one of the most powerful beings in existence was slain by a Daemon known as Nether."

Akame frowned. "A Daemon? What's that—some kind of higher Nightmare creature?"

Murphy shook his head slowly. "No. Daemons are something else entirely. There were seven of them—brothers and sisters. No one knows where they came from. They weren't born. They weren't made. One day, they just... existed."

Akame swallowed, suddenly uncomfortable. "And one of them killed a god-tier being?"

He nodded. "And what was left behind became the Hollow Mountains."

He paused, letting the weight of his words settle.

"There's a mist there. A cursed fog that doesn't just kill you—it erases you. Like you never were. Even Sacred beings aren't immune. Unholy things roam those peaks, the beings who have seen pretty much everything the history has to offer."

His eyes met hers, serious and cold.

"So even if—by some impossible miracle—you and I both rise to become Sacred beings, even if we reach that level... we still don't step into those mountains without full preparation."

Akame felt a chill crawl up her spine.

"Got it?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. Got it."

"Then west of here," Murphy continued, his voice low, "lies a desert."

Akame tilted her head. "A desert?"

"Not just sand and sun." His eyes narrowed. "Even the outer periphery of that place can kill us."

She leaned in, listening.

"At day, it's a boiling crucible. You won't just dehydrate—you'll cook. Your blood will turn to steam before you even realize you're dying."

Akame shuddered.

"But it's night," Murphy added, "that's truly terrifying."

There was a pause.

"At night, the desert becomes a divine battlefield. Supreme, Sacred and Divine beings clash endlessly. Not shadows. Not echoes. Real. Trapped in an eternal war."

Her eyes widened. "You mean… they're still alive?"

Murphy shook his head slowly.

"No. That's the worst part. They're not alive. The God of Death cursed them. Gave them immortality—but not the kind you'd want. It's a curse that slowly devours your sentience, one thought at a time."

Akame's voice was barely a whisper. "So they're just... fighting forever?"

"Mindless husks. Once proud champions, reduced to puppets of divine rage. Every corpse there still fights, even if it doesn't remember why. Even if it doesn't remember who it is."

Silence stretched between them, heavy and grim.

"An entire graveyard... where the dead never rest."

Silence settled between the two.

"If I'm not wrong," Murphy said, his voice quieter than before, "to the south lies a forest. But don't even think about setting foot in it—unless you're a Transcended. And even then, it'll only help you escape, not survive."

Akame blinked. "It's that dangerous?"

He gave a slow, solemn nod.

"Let me ask you—what do you think is the weakest thing that roams that forest?"

She hesitated. "Umm… Fallen beasts?"

Murphy almost laughed. Almost.

"Wrong. The lowest rung in that place are Corrupted Beasts—the kind that can wipe out entire cities like they're nothing."

Akame's expression froze.

"Those monsters… they're the bottom of the food chain there. Now imagine what sits at the top."

The room grew still. Even the shadows seemed to shrink back from the weight of his words.

"So… what do you think?" Murphy asked again, his tone bone-dry.

Akame didn't answer. Because there was no answer that didn't taste like death.

"So, east is the only way left," Akame said slowly.

"Correct," Murphy replied, leaning back. "But don't go thinking it's easy either."

She raised an eyebrow. "What now? That sea—the one that rises when night falls… what kind of horror is it hiding?"

Murphy smiled. "Oh, nothing too dramatic. Just that the sea itself is a single, massive creature."

Her breath caught. "What!?"

"To be precise," he said, tone maddeningly casual, "it's a Great Titan. And it is reaching the city."

Akame felt a dull ache bloom behind her eyes. Her thoughts blurred just trying to imagine it.

"…Wait," she muttered, narrowing her eyes. "You purposely saved that last bit for the end, didn't you?"

Murphy looked at her, completely deadpan. "What can I say? I enjoy good timing."

A sweet, dangerous smile crept onto Akame's face.

"My, my, Murphy… I think you deserve a reward."

Murphy's eyes narrowed. "Why are you summoning your greatsword?"

"To give it to you," she said, her tone sugar-coated. "Through your ribs."

"…I take it back. No more sarcasm. Ever."

But sadly arrow had already been let loose from strings.

***

"Now, I'll tell you which monsters we'll be hunting," Murphy said, his tone all business.

"Sure," Akame replied, casually adjusting her grip on the hilt of her sword.

"The first one is called a Bone Warden," he began. "A nasty bastard, honestly. It's a Fallen-class monster that can manipulate its own bones at will—softening them to dodge attacks, or hardening them to block strikes."

Akame raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like a nightmare to hit."

"Exactly. One moment it's like fighting a bag of cartilage, the next it's a walking fortress."

"At least it can't weaponize and shoot them, right?"

"Thankfully, yes and no. It can't shoot bone spikes but can form claws—otherwise, we wouldn't be talking about fighting it at our current level. But don't get comfortable. It's smart. Vicious, too."

Akame nodded, jaw tightening. "So what's the plan?"

"We hit it until it stops being clever."

"…That's your plan?"

Murphy shrugged. "It's worked so far."

Now, it was finally time to use the recording ability of [Kalpata]—an ability Murphy had long neglected, simply because none of the powers he'd encountered so far had been worth recording.

'I wonder just how low of a chance is it.'

***

"Next is the Stone Saint," he said, tone flattening with a sharp edge.

Akame raised an eyebrow again. "Aren't those just Awakened monsters or Demons? Shouldn't be too hard by now. Or are you hoping to get some rare Memory from it?"

Murphy shook his head. "Don't underestimate them—unless you've got a death wish."

He let that hang in the air for a second before continuing.

"A Stone Saint at the Awakened level can kill two Fallen beasts if forced into a fight to the death."

Akame's casual smirk vanished. "…Seriously?"

"Dead serious. Remember that Daemon I told you about? The one named Nether?"

"How could I forget?"

"Well, Stone Saints were created by him. Supposed to be guardians of peace." Murphy's voice dropped slightly, almost somber. "But instead, they were born into endless war. They've never known peace. Only battle."

Akame exhaled slowly. "So… they're like ancient warriors?"

"More like living war machines," he replied. "And your [Weapon Prodigy] attribute? That's just a faint echo of their original trait—[Weapon Master]."

Akame's brows knit together. "That's… terrifying."

"They don't feel fear," Murphy added. "Which means my [Terror] attribute is useless. On top of that, they resist both physical and elemental damage. Our weapons will be dulled. And worst of all… they don't tire. No matter how much you batter or burn them, they keep coming. No rage. No fear. Just duty."

He gave her a look. "Still think they'll be easy?"

Akame sighed, stretching her shoulders. "Alright, alright. Let's just figure out how to kill the unkillable."

Murphy smirked. "That's the spirit."

***

"The third one will be… troublesome for you," he said, quieter now. "A mind-manipulating creature. An Awakened Devil."

Akame's face tensed. "A mind-manipulating devil?"

"Yeah. It enthralls its victims—but not in the traditional sense. Judging from how nearby monsters behave, it doesn't control them like puppets. More likely… it forces you to relive your memories."

She blinked. "What kind of memories?"

Murphy sighed. "I don't know. Could be good. Could be bad. I also can't say if the effect ends when it dies—or if it stays with you forever."

Akame stared at him. "You don't know something? Color me shocked."

"I'm not omniscient, you know," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

She grinned. "Guess even regressors have limits."

"I'm not a regressor."

"Of course you're not. You just happen to know things no one else possibly could. Totally normal."

He muttered something under his breath again.

Despite the banter, an unspoken heaviness lingered in the air. They both understood—the real battle might not be with the devil, but with their own pasts.

***

"And lastly," Murphy continued, "the most troublesome of all—"

"A bat?" Akame interrupted, incredulous.

He paused. "Yes."

"A bat," she repeated flatly.

"They're just Awakened Beasts," he explained. "Not very strong. No claws, no fangs."

"Then what makes them dangerous?"

"Nothing," he said simply. "Except… they can fly."

She blinked. "Ah. Truly the apex predator."

He sighed. "Indeed. Most troublesome of them all."

"And you want me to kill this one?"

"Precisely. If it drops a flying Memory, great. If not…" His tone darkened. "I'll have to sacrifice some time."

She narrowed her eyes. "How much time are we talking?"

"Enough to make it hurt."

Akame nodded. "Then I'll clip its wings myself."

'Now, I wonder if I can record any of their abilities.'