Shadow slave: Sovereign of the Unknown

The air was thick with the stench of blood.

Ash narrowed his eyes at the wounded spearman. His breathing was unsteady, and the blood staining his clothes didn't all seem to be his own.

"What happened?" Ash asked, keeping his grip on his sword.

The spearman didn't answer right away. Instead, he turned his head toward the sky, watching as the crimson glow overhead pulsed like a dying star.

BOOM!

The ground trembled beneath them.

"No time!" the spearman finally gasped. "They're coming."

Ash's body tensed. Who was coming?

Then, from the distance, he heard it—

A chorus of inhuman wails.

---

The Real Nightmare Begins

The ruined village came alive with movement. From the darkened alleys, from the shattered homes, from beneath the cracked ground—they emerged.

Nightmare Creatures.

But these were different.

Unlike the bestial hunters Ash had fought before, these figures were humanoid.

Tall. Wrong. Unnatural.

Their limbs were too long. Their skin was gray and corpse-like. Their mouths, filled with jagged teeth, stretched wider than they should.

And their eyes—

Empty. Hungry. Hollow.

Ash gritted his teeth. His instincts screamed that these creatures were far more dangerous than anything he had fought so far.

Even the spearman looked shaken.

"We need to go!" the man barked. "Now!"

The first creature lunged.

Ash reacted instantly.

Phantom Predator Step.

His body blurred as he evaded the creature's clawed swipe. The moment he reappeared, he countered—

Phantom Rend.

His sword flashed, striking the creature across its elongated neck.

The blade met resistance—far more than before. The creature's flesh was unnaturally tough.

But Ash's attack still landed.

The head didn't fall off completely, but the creature stumbled, black ichor spraying from the wound. It shrieked, the sound piercing and unnatural.

The others took notice.

In an instant, the Nightmare Creatures rushed them all at once.

---

A Desperate Battle

Ash had fought multiple enemies before. But this was different.

These creatures moved with a disturbing intelligence. They coordinated, cutting off escape routes, attacking from angles that forced Ash and the spearman into worse positions.

The spearman fought with desperation, his weapon flickering as he fended off two creatures at once.

Ash, meanwhile, had no choice but to fight three.

His blade flashed—fast, precise, brutal. But the creatures endured.

A slash to the chest? Ichor poured out, but they kept moving.

A stab through the eye? No hesitation. No pain.

They didn't stop.

Ash realized it immediately.

Killing them normally wasn't enough.

And the worst part? More were coming.

The village itself seemed to be awakening. Shadows twisted and stretched. The air grew heavier, suffocating. The crimson glow above pulsed brighter.

Ash knew.

This wasn't just a battle.

It was a test.

A test of whether he was worthy of survival.

---

The Unyielding Blade

If normal attacks weren't enough—

Then he had to use something stronger.

Ash took a deep breath, focusing his will.

Abyss Fang.

He swung his sword— but this time, his energy surged into the attack.

The delayed slash manifested in full force.

One of the creatures froze mid-movement. A single thin line appeared across its torso—

Then, a beat later—

It split apart.

Ichor burst into the air as the upper half of the creature collapsed.

Abyss Fang had worked.

But Ash felt it—

The drain.

His body suddenly felt heavier. His stamina plummeted.

He could only use it once.

And there were still more enemies.

---

The Nightmare's Verdict

The creatures hesitated.

They had seen one of their own die—truly die. And for the first time, they stopped rushing forward.

Ash felt it.

A shift.

The Nightmare was watching.

And then—

A deep rumbling voice echoed in the air, ancient and unreadable.

The creatures stopped moving completely.

Then, as if the fight had never happened—

They turned and vanished into the shadows.

Silence fell.

Ash let out a slow breath, his body aching from exhaustion.

The spearman looked equally stunned.

And then, from the distance—

A bell rang.

A deep, hollow chime that resonated through the Nightmare Realm.

The next phase was beginning. The deep, hollow chime echoed through the air, vibrating in Ash's chest like a death knell.

His breath was ragged, his muscles aching from the desperate battle. The Nightmare Creatures had vanished, retreating into the unnatural darkness of the village, but the danger was far from over.

Ash turned toward the spearman, who was clutching his side, blood seeping between his fingers. His face was pale, his breathing uneven.

"That bell," Ash muttered. "What does it mean?"

The spearman swallowed hard before answering.

"It means... the first trial is over."

Ash's eyes narrowed. "First?"

The spearman gave him a grim nod.

"There's always more."

---

A Brief Respite

The village had returned to an eerie stillness. The twisted buildings loomed like forgotten ruins, their broken forms casting unnatural shadows under the crimson glow overhead.

Ash took a moment to check his body.

[Status Window]

[Inventory]

Basic Sword (Dormant Rank)

Worn Leather Armor (Dormant Rank)

Rations (3 Days)

Nightmare Token (Unidentified)

His stats had increased slightly, likely from the remnants of the battle. Even if his Aspect was sealed, Abyssal Tyrant was still at work—absorbing strength from fallen enemies.

But the effect was still slow.

At his current pace, he'd need to defeat dozens of creatures just to reach an Awakened-level human.

He exhaled, feeling the lingering drain from Abyss Fang. It had worked, but he couldn't afford to rely on it too much.

Across from him, the spearman sat against a broken wall, pulling out a small cloth to wrap his wound.

"You fought well," the man admitted, grimacing as he tied the bandage.

Ash didn't respond immediately.

Instead, he looked toward the sky.

The crimson glow was shifting.

Like something was stirring above.

"We need to move," Ash said.

The spearman nodded, his expression grim.

---

The Village's Secrets

They moved cautiously through the ruined village, sticking close to the shadows.

Despite the silence, Ash felt the weight of unseen eyes tracking their every step.

"This place isn't real," Ash muttered under his breath. "It changes."

The spearman gave him a side glance. "You noticed?"

Ash nodded. He wasn't sure if it was because of his heightened perception or something else, but—

The village was shifting.

Houses moved when he wasn't looking. Streets that had been clear before now led into dead ends.

The Nightmare was alive.

And it was leading them somewhere.

---

The Blood Altar

After what felt like hours of navigating the maze-like ruins, they reached it.

A clearing in the heart of the village.

And at its center—

A twisted stone altar, stained dark with dried blood.

The moment Ash stepped forward, something in the air changed.

The unnatural stillness became oppressive.

The spearman froze.

"...This is a Trial Site."

Ash turned to him. "What kind of trial?"

The spearman shook his head. "That depends on the Nightmare."

Before Ash could reply—

The altar pulsed.

A deep, thrumming sound vibrated through the air as an inscription carved itself into the stone.

[Trial of the Unyielding]

[Those who kneel shall be spared. Those who stand shall be judged.]

Ash felt his blood run cold.

And then—

The altar began to glow.

The second trial had begun.

---

Judgment

The entire clearing trembled.

The ground cracked open, revealing jagged black chains slithering upward like living serpents.

And from the altar—

A figure emerged.

At first, it looked human. But as it stepped forward, its form shifted.

Its face was obscured by a smooth, featureless mask. Its body was wrapped in tattered ceremonial robes, and its hands were unnaturally elongated.

Most terrifying of all—

It radiated an aura of absolute dominance.

Ash gritted his teeth. His instincts screamed danger.

The figure raised its hand.

And the chains lunged.

---

The Unyielding Blade

Ash moved immediately.

The first chain came from the left. He twisted his body, barely dodging as it whipped past him and dug into the stone with a violent crack.

The second chain lashed from above.

Ash raised his sword. Sparks flew as the blade clashed against the metal, the impact rattling his arms.

The spearman wasn't so lucky.

One of the chains wrapped around his leg.

"Shit—!"

Ash saw it tighten. The spearman's face twisted in pain as the chain began to pull him toward the altar.

Ash reacted instantly.

Phantom Rend.

He slashed—fast, precise.

The chain severed, snapping like brittle glass. The spearman fell to the ground, panting.

Ash didn't wait.

He turned his focus back to the masked figure.

It was watching him.

Judging him.

Then, for the first time—

It spoke.

"Unbending. Unbroken. Unworthy."

And the chains came again.

---

Abyss Fang – Second Slash

Ash's breathing was heavy. His body ached.

He couldn't keep dodging forever.

His grip on his sword tightened.

He had one more use of Abyss Fang.

But one strike wouldn't be enough.

He had to end it.

Ash took a deep breath, lowering his stance.

As the chains rushed forward—

He vanished.

Phantom Predator Step carried him past the chains in a single blur of movement.

The masked figure didn't react.

It didn't need to.

It knew.

Ash reappeared behind it—sword already mid-swing.

Abyss Fang – Second Slash.

A thin crescent arc of energy trailed his blade—

The attack connected.

For a split second—nothing.

Then, the mask cracked.

A horrible wailing sound erupted from the figure as its form trembled, distortions rippling through it.

And then—

It shattered.

The chains collapsed.

The altar crumbled.

And Ash fell to his knees, exhausted.

---

The Nightmare's Verdict

The air shifted.

Then—

A deep, resonant voice filled the space.

[The Unyielding Stands.]

[The Trial is Complete.]

The crimson glow in the sky dimmed slightly.

And in the distance—

A door appeared.

The exit to this phase of the Nightmare.

Ash exhaled.

And without looking back, he took his first step forward.