[SHADOW SLAVE] / Clash With Fate

Sunny appeared in the familiar Noctis Sanctuary and smiled upon seeing the place. Just as he remembered it—the Awakened who were waiting to return to the waking world, or others working inside the safe fortress.

Sunny moved from the gate toward the edge of Noctis Sanctuary, and when one of the Awakened called out to him, he stopped.

"Sunless, right? You're the new Awakened. Where are you going? It's very dangerous outside."

"I'm going outside to look for something. Also, don't worry about me; rather, worry about any monster that tries to attack me… the poor things will die without even knowing how."

The Awakened tried to say something else, but Sunny dived into the shadows and disappeared. He appeared a hundred meters away from the sanctuary. Shadow Step consumed a fair amount of his shadow essence, but as an Awakened Terror, he possessed six times the soul essence of any ordinary Awakened.

Sunny continued moving toward the edge of the sanctuary island, and upon reaching the edge, the heavenly chains connecting the island to the other islands appeared before him. Four shadows slipped away from him and began moving toward different islands, while Sunny sat on the edge of the island and pulled from spatial storage some snacks and drinks he had brought from the waking world.

The Saint appeared beside him, holding the Shadow Bow. She looked at him, then shook her head in disapproval and returned to her guard.

"What, you don't like my relaxed personality? I'm trying to calm myself down—I have to kill a loathsome enemy shortly. Maybe you should try relaxing, Saint."

The Saint did not react to him, leaving Sunny disappointed as he turned his focus to his shadows. The Mad Shadow was moving through one of the islands covered in ancient trees, searching for a specific Nightmare creature. So did his other shadows on the other islands.

Sunny focused his mind on his shadows and assigned the Saint to guard him from any danger. And after hours of searching, he found what he was looking for. Several Nightmare creatures were roaming one of the islands where he had sent his shadows.

These creatures were a mix between wolves and spiders, with black fur spiked like thorns and eight legs protruding from their bellies. Their eyes were completely red, and from their mouths jutted long, white fangs like daggers. These monsters were merely Awakened creatures, so Sunny didn't look at them but looked deeper into the heart of the island.

Beneath one of the cliffs slept a wolf resembling the previous creatures but much larger, with fur stained a reddish hue. When Sunny looked at it, the wolf opened its eyes and began looking around. The Arrogant Shadow quickly retreated to Sunny while the rest of the monsters on the island began to roar loudly, searching for the intruder who had angered their Leader.

"Ah, Saint, I think we have work to do. There's a Fallen Tyrant to kill. But first, I have something to try."

Sunny dismissed the Shadow Bow from the Saint and then rose from his place. He sank into the shadows and moved toward the island where the wolf-like creatures were.

He descended onto the heavenly chains and used Shadow Step to cover a great distance with each leap until he reached the desired island. At the edge of the island, he summoned [Promise of Solace] and the mantel of the Underworld, activating the enhancements [Living Stone] and [Feather of Truth].

The creatures roared as they sensed his uncorrupted soul and charged at him madly, determined to extinguish his flame. But Sunny didn't care about them. A dark knight appeared and severed the limbs of a wolf, causing it to tumble on its face before she beheaded it. On the other side, crab moved and smashed several wolves with its claws, breaking their bones. Then the serpent appeared.

The serpent took the form of the Dark Knight, protector of the cathedral, wielding darkness that blinded its foes, killing them one by one. A loud roar rose from the center of the island as it sensed powerful intruders. The Tyrant emerged to defend its land.

[You have slain an Awakened Beast: Spawn of the Demonic Wolf]

[Your shadow grows stronger]

[You have slain…]

One of the wolves lost its way and crossed Sunny's path as he moved toward the center of the island to face the Fallen Tyrant. The wolf leapt, attempting to close its jaws on Sunny's head, but was met with a punch that crushed its skull.

"Wow, this is way too easy! I can just punch them to death!"

Sunny dismissed his weapon and began, like a madman, boxing enhanced by six of his shadows and the shadows of the surrounding trees. His strength exceeded what any Awakened or even a master was entitled to possess. His technique wasn't wild or chaotic but followed a specific and complex pattern.

Sunny sent a wolf flying, blood spraying as the spell continued whispering to him about those slain by his shadows. Then the Tyrant appeared before him.

A wolf nearly seven meters tall, with eight limbs and fangs like short swords, with black-and-reddish fur matching its furious red eyes. The wolf roared in his face and lunged at him with breathtaking speed.

"No, seriously, why are all wolves so fast? Is this even a wolf or a spider?"

He didn't have time to ponder the question because the wolf was already close enough for him to see chunks of flesh stuck between its fangs. Sunny simply vanished and appeared behind the wolf, then landed a punch on its hind leg.

Flesh and fur rippled from the tremendous force. His punch wasn't merely physical power; it was accompanied by a tremendous surge of shadow essence, amplifying his already great strength further. Sunny felt his bones shudder from the impact against something extremely heavy and solid, but that wasn't the only problem. It was as if the wolf made him unable to judge the distance between them.

The wolf's jaws clamped onto Sunny's armored arm, causing the mantel of the Underworld to bend under the weight of the bite. Sunny's entire arm struggled beneath the pressure, and he felt his bones shattering under the force. He couldn't sense distance properly because of the wolf's ability. It seemed to blur his perception of distance—or, more precisely, disrupt his senses.

"Ohhh, at least I don't need to look at you to kill you, you vile creature."

Sunny felt the wolf's shadow moving normally, which comforted him amidst the pain. The wolf's fangs had sunk deep into the Mantle of the Underworld, pressing into his flesh. But Sunny wouldn't let this abomination do as it pleased with his arm.

Sunny raised his other fist and punched with all his strength, sparing no shadow essence. He struck the wolf's jaw. A pained howl erupted along with flying fangs, though some remained embedded in Sunny's bloody arm.

"I've had enough of playing with you, little pup. Come here!"

Sunny summoned [Promise of Solace] again, then sank into the shadows and emerged from the wolf's own shadow. The wolf tried to search for its opponent, then looked down at its shadow, and from there appeared a human with a long blade, flashing a savage grin at it, before its world drowned in pain.

The black odachi sliced open the wolf's belly in a one-meter-long slash, spilling its guts and internal organs over Sunny.

But the wolf didn't die. Its four hind limbs smashed down on Sunny, driving him into the ground and cracking his bones under the pressure. But he gritted his teeth and swept his weapon across its legs, severing them.

The wolf let out one last mighty roar, calling its followers to defend it, but there was no response, for they had all died under Sunny's shadows, their blood soaking the grass. Even the Tyrant fell on its head, and Sunny climbed onto its body and began stomping it.

"Little pup, my arm hurts so badly!"

Sunny grabbed the wolf's head with his uninjured arm, lifted it, and slammed it into the ground with force. The earth cracked under the impact, but it continued to crack until brain matter spilled onto it.

[You have slain a Fallen Tyrant: The Demonic Wolf]

[Your shadow grows stronger]

[You have received a memory…]

"Good. I hope it's not a useless memory… Ah, right, the dinner! I almost forgot."

Sunny healed his wounds, then dismissed his shadows back into his soul sea. He had spent so much shadow essence that he had emptied three of his cores in the battle. But he still had three left. After ascending, the quality of his shadow essence would improve, and consumption would decrease. That was something he was truly looking forward to—but right now, he had something important.

The coils of the serpent were working to generate shadow essence faster while Sunny extended his shadow sense for hundreds of meters. He sank into the shadows, traversing the heavenly chains using Shadow Step while descending toward his previous island, which had just been devastated. He didn't stop there but continued spending shadow essence on rapid movement until his reserves became dangerously low.

And after several hours of moving toward the sanctuary, he arrived, exhausted and weary. He had been forced to move non-stop to reach the Gate—and he had done it. Sunny entered the sanctuary by moving through the shadows, arriving unnoticed. He reached the gate and touched it.

His vision shifted to the black void illuminated by countless stars, then this void transformed into the capsule surface. Sunny summoned the [Puppeteer Shroud] to cover his body, and as the capsule's lid rose, Sunny lifted himself to see before him a sight that was both beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

Nephis was wearing a white, off-shoulder dress, with a blue jewel hanging from her neck on a thin golden thread. That was the beautiful sight. As for the terrifying sight—it was that she was holding in her hand a black pinstriped suit and wore an angry expression on her face.

"Oh, hello Neph. I'm not late, aren't I?"