[SHADOW SLAVE] / Clash With Fate

A group of hunters departed from the Bright Castle just as the sun began to rise. They were in high spirits as they headed toward the Dark City, confident that someone special was leading them.

The hunters' leader, Gemma, was guiding them toward the Dark City, following Gunlag's orders. The threat posed by the Changing Star had grown stronger, so if they wanted to maintain order, they had to become active in the Dark City and obtain more memories and soul shards.

Fifteen hunters, including Gemma, moved through the ruins, led by a scout. Upon entering the Dark City, they found it eerily quiet. Previously, this part of the city had been filled with monsters and battles, but two weeks ago, the monsters had died, leaving behind only some disfigured, torn corpses. Even those were mere remnants. One of the hunters whispered to his companion:

"What do you think happened to the monsters that used to live here?"

"I don't know, but I think a terrifying creature wiped them out. A Fallen Tyrant at least! Or maybe a Corrupted creature. This whole thing is terrifying and absurd to the extreme!"

"Silence!"

The hunters immediately fell quiet. They knew it was dangerous to speak in the Dark City, but honestly, curiosity and fear had gotten the better of them. They continued moving through the Dark City for half an hour until they heard a commotion several hundred meters away. It sounded like flesh slamming against a wall, followed by howling laced with pain and terror.

"It's the monsters! They're fighting!"

"It's the creature that killed them, I'm sure! Have you ever heard a Nightmare creature scream in fear and agony like that?!"

"Shut up, or you'll attract the creature to us. We need to—"

His voice was cut off by a hissing sound that sent cold sweat crawling down their backs and washing over their bodies. The sound was extremely close, and then they heard the crash of stones and the impact of something massive.

Before them stretched a creature that resembled a spider, its back covered in steel plates. The creature was dead. What was terrifying was its sheer size—it hinted at it being a Fallen Beast at least. But what was even more terrifying was the massive black serpent that had whipped it with its tail and sent it flying. When one of the hunters dared to turn his head, he was met with a horrifying scene. A massive black Serpent, stretching dozens of meters, was coiled around the corpse of a Fallen Beast just like the one before them, surrounded by nearly four other corpses of the same kind.

"It's him! It's him! It's the creature that was killing the monsters in this part of the city! We're doomed, we're finished!"

One of the hunters screamed and seemed to lose his mind as his entire body began to tremble. Meanwhile, Gemma clenched his fist so tightly his knuckles turned white and blood seeped from his palm. But strangely, the black serpent paid them no attention. It tore apart the corpses of the beasts, extracted their soul shards, and gathered them into a pile. Then a voice was heard.

"Ah, well done, serpent. I know I'm working you hard, but we have to do everything we can to grow stronger. Come here."

A very strange scene unfolded before the terrified hunting party. The massive black serpent slithered toward a human youth with loose black hair tied in a knot and wearing comfortable robes. The young man extended his hand and began to stroke the terrifying snake's head and pat it. The serpent looked content, even pleased, as it closed its eyes and gently nudged its head against its master's hand. Tense, Gemma dared to ask:

"Who are you?! Is this your Echo?!"

"Me? I'm Sunless. You can call me Herald of Death. I've been hunting here. Honestly, I'd like to kill you for serving Gunlag… but you're not involved in what he does. I mean, anyone can correct their mistakes before it's too late."

"Herald of Death?! You're the Herald of Death, partner of Changing Star?!"

"Yes, that's me. Now leave, and don't interrupt me. I want to collect my spoils."

"We want to hunt!"

"Don't you understand?… I told you to scram."

After getting away from the lunatic, Gemma felt relieved to know the young man didn't intend to harm them. But afterward, anxiety and fear returned. His final words were a message, and their meaning was clear:

"I could kill you for serving Gunlag… but I won't. You can still change sides before it's too late."

"Terrifying! Terrifying!"

Sunny was gathering the metals from the backs of the steel spiders, as he called them. Spider Steel was excellent material for crafting a sword or an Ascended weapon, but Sunny didn't need it. He wanted to give it to the Outer Settlement—they could benefit from it more than he could.

"What a contradiction I am. I didn't want to help them too much so I wouldn't stunt their growth… and now I'm gifting them the corpses of Fallen creatures for free."

[You have slain an Awakened Devil…]

[Your Shadow grows stronger]

Sunny turned his head to look at the Saint, who had driven her sword into the chest of a beast with five pairs of legs and oily black feathers covering its entire body. The creature stood two meters tall, yet it was an Awakened Devil. Still, the Saint hadn't taken long to kill it—in fact, it could be said she killed it quickly.

"Just like the old days… except for a certain someone. He's way too gluttonous and reminds me of someone similar."

Sunny looked at the Crab, who was joyfully devouring the spider corpses. Its scythes tore through the spiders' tough bodies with ease, and its claws pulled large chunks of bluish flesh. When it sensed its master's gaze, Crab turned toward him and snapped its claws menacingly.

"Very rude."

After finishing the cleanup of the massacre, Sunny headed toward the Bright castle He wanted to meet an old friend and get him out before they started forbidding people from leaving. Of course, he wasn't going to pay Soul Shards. He planned to sneak in that evening.

At night, beneath the walls of the Fortress, Sunny climbed the wall silently and gracefully, not making a single sound to avoid alerting the guards. He was excited—he was going to meet Kai tonight. The Handsome Archer was still living in the Bright Castle and hadn't been kidnapped yet, so Sunny wanted to see him.

He grabbed a stone and flung himself onto a rooftop. When his feet hit the roof, a creak echoed.

"Ah, damn it. Can't they build anything properly?"

"Who's there?!"

One of the guards looked up into the shadows, but there was nothing there, so he resumed his patrol—albeit more nervously. Sunny moved through the shadows, entered one of the corridors, and made his way to where Aiko's gambling den was located. He figured that would be the first place Kai would be.

After some turns and hallways, Sunny found Aiko's gambling den. Inside, a few guards were betting, and Aiko stood behind them watching greedily. Next to her was a young man with reddish-brown hair and a strikingly handsome face. Aiko wasn't paying attention to what Kai was saying—she was only watching the guards rolling the dice.

"So the problem started in childhood. She's always been a cheater."

Sunny walked toward Aiko and Kai, who were standing behind the guards. When Aiko saw him, she smiled broadly.

"Welcome! Wanna gamble? We've got plenty of games—dice rolls and bets."

"If you shut up, I'll give you a Soul Shard."

"Deal!"

Aiko turned her head to Kai. He understood what she wanted and spoke:

"He's not lying."

"Of course I'm not. I'm the most honest person in the world—actually, in both worlds."

Kai groaned as he looked at Sunny in shock and fear. The young man hadn't lied when he claimed to be the most honest person in both worlds—either he was insane enough to believe it, or he truly was the most honest.

"You're not lying at all!… My Flaw lets me feel when someone lies, but you didn't."

"Of course not. So, I wanted to talk to you. First, let me say I mean you no harm—in fact, I hold affection for you. That's why I wanted to invite you to the Outer Settlement. You could help us in our cause."

"Wait let me understand What did you say Just give me a minute " Sunny gave Kai a Couple of minutes to understand the situation.

"Oh… even though you're not lying, I don't know why you want me specifically. I mean, look at these people—some of them are stronger than I. Why me?"

"Well, let's say you're special. You've got a kind heart, and a sense of justice and responsibility—and that's what we need. We have some harsh and crazy people in our group, but they're all good at their core… like you."

Kai was moved by those words. When was the last time someone had genuinely called him kind and meant it? Even though he didn't know the young man in front of him, he hadn't lied once since they met. He even made Kai feel better about the burden of his Flaw.

"And what kind of person are you?"

"Me? I'm obviously both—crazy and a little harsh. But I'm kind."

Aiko took her chance to interrupt and demand her reward.

"I don't mean to interrupt your sweet moment, but where's that Soul Shard you promised me?"

"Here."

Sunny pulled out an Ascended Soul Shard and tossed it to Aiko, turning her into a monkey as she jumped to catch it. When she grabbed it, she quickly hid it in her pockets, afraid anyone might see it. Meanwhile, Kai looked at Sunny in shock.

"That's an Ascended Soul Shard, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"How did you get it? I mean, you can't just walk around handing out Ascended Soul Shards to someone you don't even know without even blinking."

"Want one? I've got plenty—maybe dozens, or more. Killing those Fallen was a pain… but manageable."

"So you killed all those Fallen?… It's hard to understand you… I mean, I don't know what to say, but… you're insane!"

"Didn't I already tell you that? Now, we're done talking. As much as I enjoy chatting with you, I have no time. Give me your answer—are you joining us in the Outer Settlement or not?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"What's your real goal?… You're threatening Gunlag's regime and gathering Sleepers like you're preparing for war. Do you want to overthrow Gunlag or what?"

"Well, Gunlag is one of our targets, but he's a secondary goal—not worth that much attention. We should focus on him, sure, but we don't need to bring him down right away. Our main goal is to invade the Crimson Spire… and escape this hell."

"Invade the Crimson Spire?!"

"Invade the Crimson Spire?!"

Kai and Aiko echoed his words in shock and disbelief, which left Sunny a little annoyed.

"Yes. You can join us. Believe me when I say the monsters there won't be too dangerous for you… As for the Spire Guardian—I'll kill him myself."