Shadow Slave: Immortal Ice

Eirwen didn't waste a single breath or glance; his focus was razor-sharp, desperate to test how strong he had become after obtaining a new part of Leviathan's Soul.

The dark claws gleamed in the light, their sharp edges reflecting the brightness while the snow floated around them like a sparkling mist, slightly obscuring his vision as he closed in on his target.

Normally, Hydra's Choice would've been the ideal weapon, its length adjustable to counter the enemy's higher reach. But summoning it now would be reckless, as it needed time to fully manifest just like any other Memory did.

'I've been fighting nonstop since I landed here!' Eirwen thought with a mix of frustration and excitement as he blurred through the swarm of white goblins, charging straight for his true enemy that stood out amongst everyone else with its size.

In his opinion, it was only fair; the strongest in their group should handle the strongest Nightmare Creature.

Everything else was left for them to deal with.

Of course, Seraphiel and Raijin weren't ideal for fighting large groups since their Aspects didn't allow them to target multiple enemies at once and they had zero crowd control. But instead they had Andromeda.

As long as they kept Andromeda safe, she would be able to rain down hellish explosions upon the Nightmare Creatures and simply eviscerate most of them while still defending the team.

And then there was the stranger -tall, with olive-green hair- who fought alongside them with something resembling the mix between a scythe and an battle-axe in his hands. Eirwen could only assume this was Eliot, the Dreamer Leviathan had spoken of.

With a manic grin and wild eyes, Eirwen crashed into the towering, fat Nightmare Creature.

Its gigantic club-like weapon swung up in an instant, reacting to his surprise attack and meeting his strike head-on. Sparks scattered into the air as the force and energy behind the clash immediately cleared the snowy mist around them, pushing back the air in a strong surge.

"Compensating?" Eirwen sneered, his voice full of mockery and pride. His claws dug into the stone-like shaft, gripping tight before yanking it toward him with all his strength, aiming to rip the Nightmare Creature off balance.

The beast -which strongly resembled an orc- staggered back a step, but it quickly regained its footing in the same moment.

Then, with a deafening roar that echoed through Eirwen's very bones, it exploded into action with titanic strength. The massive club -twice the size of Eirwen- swung down from above.

From a distance, it seemed as though the orc was swatting at an invisible fly, its massive weapon crashing into the ground with thunderous force again and again. But Eirwen effortlessly danced around each strike.

Unlike Eirwen, the goblins didn't have the speed or agility to evade. One by one, they were crushed under the orc's mighty swings even though they were on the same side. Their bodies splattered against the ground in a bloody mess, leaving dark spots on the flattened stones.

'I definitely feel stronger,' Eirwen thought, darting around the orc's bulky frame with swift moves and enraging it further while also smiling smugly. His eyes were wide and senses sharp as he waited for the next attack. 

And as expected, the deranged Nightmare Creature swung its massive club again before Eirwen could even blink.

Seizing the opportunity, Eirwen tensed his legs and launched himself forward, charging straight into the massive swing coming down from above.

His grin only grew wider, perfectly matching the insanity of the Nightmare Creature he was facing.

Eyes wide, Eirwen sliced both arms inward, like a pair of scissors cutting through the snowy mist and the stone club with ease.

There was no attempt to block; thus the orc's weapon was as soft as butter against his mystical and demonic claws.

The Nightmare Creature's face contorted in pure rage and hatred as its weapon snapped in two. Its red eyes burned with fury, foam dripping from the corners of its mouth.

Yet it charged forward ruthlessly, showing no signs of stopping despite the broken weapon.

Eirwen expected nothing less from a creature driven by corruption and madness.

So, With a swift motion, he sidestepped, his dark cape whipping in the wind as the orc pressed forward with its swing.

"Not even close!" Eirwen laughed, the massive chunk of rock the orc wielded crashing to the ground with a deafening thud, sending snow and stone flying through the air.

The orc didn't stop on that though, and neither did Eirwen.

Both of them lunged toward each other, the orc's massive fist swinging at Eirwen, while he reached forward with his claws in response, eyes wide in focus.

And as they collided, Eirwen felt every fibre of his being scream in agony -his bones snapping, shattering into dust, only to regenerate in an instant, the pain intense but only fuelling his rage and battle-fever. The grin disappeared from his face, getting replaced by a furious scowl.

Crash

In the clash, the orc came out victorious, sending Eirwen flying several dozen meters at breakneck speed.

His body twisted and hurled through the air before crashing violently into the ground.

Eirwen finally managed to stop his wild momentum after rolling another couple feet in the snow, his dark claws digging into it and scraping against stone as he anchored himself with a painful groan.

"Fuck-" Eirwen cursed, spitting out a mouthful of blood and teeth -teeth that had already been replaced by fresh, bright white ones- onto the snow before him.

Not having a moment to rest, Eirwen was forced to strain his body once more, rolling to the side just as something crashed down onto him like a falling star.

Beneath him the ground trembled and groaned. If not for the thick blanket of snow covering it, he would've seen a spiderweb of cracks spreading beneath his body.

Quickly somersaulting back onto his feet, the blonde Sleeper blurred to the side and retreated.

The Nightmare Creature was batshit insane, to say the least -its massive, bulky body stumbling forward as it ran on all fours like some rabid animal. The ground shook beneath it with each frenzied step.

'Focus on the Soulrune and hit its brain,' Leviathan's voice reverberated through Eirwen's mind sharply and loud enough to blur his other senses.

Eirwen came to a sudden stop once he put in some distance between the two of them, his boots dragging through the snow and grinding against the earth for a few inches before halting.

'Soulrune? So that's what this tattoo's called,' Eirwen thought as the ground quaked beneath him. The tremors shot through his very bones, reminding him of the gigantic Nightmare Creature charging at him from behind.

He steadied himself, eyes widening as he waited for the perfect opening.

One

Two

Now!

Pouring Essence into his armour, Eirwen's fur-lined cape flared out rather dramatically, growing and shifting in size.

In a split second, it split down the middle, each half transforming into two raven-like wings. With a powerful surge, the wings propelled Eirwen high into the air.

The Orc -charging after him on all fours with unnatural speed- couldn't react fast enough. It surged forward but with no grip to latch onto, it plunged into the ground as its massive body crashed violently against the earth.

With a single thought, Eirwen stopped the wings from lifting him further. In the next instant, he hung in the air for a brief moment before plummeting from a dozen meters and aiming for its skull.

Meanwhile, the Nightmare Creature swatted around desperately, trying to reach something non-existent. Its mind was unable to comprehend where its prey had gone.

Bright lights flickered and shimmered out of thin air, dancing around Eirwen's hand as the icy air howled against his ivory skin, his long blonde hair whipping in the wind alongside his clothes.

As Hydra's Choice manifested itself into reality, Eirwen concentrated on the Soulrune on his chest, trying to reach out to it, to connect with it.

And he could feel its presence, like the steady beat of a heart when one presses their palm against their chest. It pulsed somewhere deep inside him. Either in his Soul or one of his Cores.

It was hard to tell in the heat of the moment -especially as he plummeted down onto the Nightmare Creature.

Nevertheless reaching for it, Eirwen felt a sudden surge of heat against his chest, right where the rune was etched into his skin.

Boom

Without another thought he crashed onto the orc's head with a loud bang. Hydra's Choice dug into the creature's skull, its force and energy adding to the impact as Eirwen gripped the weapon tightly in both hands.

ROAAAAAR

"Just die!" he growled, teeth gritted in frustration. As the words left his mouth it started convulsing violently, its massive body shaking so hard that Eirwen nearly lost his footing, thrown off by the force.

Twisting the longsword in his aching hands, Eirwen drove it deeper into the orc's skull, his feet bracing against its head for leverage.

Too focused on ending it, he didn't even notice the dozens of cracks extending out from the point where his sword was etched into the orc's skull. It looked as if it's brain was crumbling from the inside out.

Slowly, the beast's deafening roar faded, its tremors dying off as well.

"Crazy bastard," he muttered under his breath, releasing the hilt of his sword and stumbling back with a huff.

[You have slain an Awakened Devil: Lesser Hiveworm!]

[You have consumed a Soul]

[Devour the Flesh for more]

"Brainworm?" Eirwen raised a brow, glancing down at the massive head beneath his feet. It was large enough for him to comfortably lie on if he wanted to.

He then threw a quick glance at his comrades -at least fifty meters away from him-, noticing that they were no longer in danger as well.

The battlefield was littered with the bodies of the goblins. Some areas around them were scorched to the ground by Aegis Mirror. The air filled with the disgusting scent of burnt flesh which radiated from eviscerated remains.

But there was still something off.

At least half of the corpses were fully intact, with zero visible wounds on their bodies.

"Was this some kind of parasitic hivemind?" he mumbled to himself confusedly, tilting his head slightly as the strange heat from the Soulrune still radiated against the skin beneath his clothes. "Explains why this isn't a tyrant, but just an Awakened Devil."

Huffing once again, he stood up, channelling Essence into Hydra's Choice and watching as it snapped free from the skull before levitating back into his hand.

Even though all the enemies were dead, it was better to stay alert and make sure nothing else was hiding nearby.

Jumping off the large corpse, Eirwen made his way over to the remaining Sleepers.

Andromeda, Seraphiel, and Eliot were still standing together while Raijin poked a dead carcass with his spear, utterly confused by the remaining enemies simply dropping dead.

'I'm already strong enough to take down an Awakened Devil, even though I was struggling with one just half an hour ago,' Eirwen thought with a smug chuckle as he brushed his hair back.