Shadow Slave

Apart from Nephis and Sunny, there were six people aboard the Chain Breaker.

Effie jumped down to the ground first.

She landed nimbly, straightened, and looked around with a humorous expression.

“Well… this certainly brings back memories.”

Last time she had seen this field, she had been one of the government soldiers observing the battle between the Great Clans. Of course, that battle did not end like anyone could have expected it to end. Effie’s voice sounded easygoing and carefree, but behind her outward light-heartedness, there was a somber note. She had said goodbye to her child and her husband, knowing that she would not see them again for a long, long time… if she ever saw them at all.

Out of all of them, she had the most to lose — but she also had the most reasons to come back alive, as well.

Next, Kai glided down from the deck of the Chain Breaker and landed softly near her. He looked as dashing as ever — if anything, leaving the post of a Steward seemed to have lifted a burden off his shoulders, making him seem even more dazzling.

But he was also full of dark resolve and determination.

A faint smile twisted his lips… then, a grimace.

Kai winced and raised a hand to his ear.

“It’s… a good thing that we are here to challenge a Nightmare. The Call is overpowering.”

As soon as he said that, a ghostly figure walked calmly out of the Chain Breaker’s hull, assuming a corporeal form as she regarded the desolate battlefield with an aloof expression.

“You know, this was where I disobeyed a direct order from Wake of Ruin for the first time. I honestly thought that I’d get fired… in fact, I probably would have been, if not for the fact that I returned as a Saint. Who would fire a Saint?”

Jet chuckled, looked around, and sighed.

In the end, her retirement had only lasted a few months. Now, duty called, and she was about to challenge the Fourth Nightmare in the service of humanity.

If Saint Cor were still alive, he would have been proud of his problematic employee. There was a rustle, and a current of liquid metal fell from above, pulling on the ground and soaring in a graceful spiral to form a human shape. Then, an exquisitely beautiful woman with flawless grey skin jumped down, landing with poised grace.

Morgan and Seishan studied the battlefield for a few moments, then looked at each other with strange expressions.

They were the ones who had led the armies of the Great Clans into the Battle of the Black Skull, after all. Back then, they had been trying to defeat each other — today, many years later, they unexpectedly returned as allies.

Morgan studied the three towering Gates for a while, then smiled darkly.

“…I would have won that battle if not for these things.”

Seishan gave her a curious glance.

“Wouldn’t you have died by your brother’s blade instead?”

Morgan chuckled.

“That is true, as well.”

Finally, the last of the challengers took a step off the deck of the Chain Breaker. In just one step, he was suddenly standing next to them.

“It seems that a lot of fun things happened while I was gone.”

Nightwalker grinned.

“Song and Valor killing each other? I hate to have missed it.”

By then, Sunny had already stepped out of the shadows.

“Believe me, you didn’t miss out on much.”

Nephis descended from the deck, as well, stopping to look at the Nightmare Gates. Sunny, in the meantime, scratched the back of his head.

“Actually, I take it back. You really did. History was made here, you know.”

He smiled.

“This is where Nephis and I killed Dire Fang. That was the first time in history two Masters managed to kill a Saint.”

After that, they all fell silent.

Indeed, these were the people who had dared to challenge the Fourth Nightmare.

Saint Effie, Raised by Wolves.

Saint Kai, Nightingale… the Dragonslayer.

Soul Reaper Jet.

Morgan, Princess of War.

Seishan, Lost Princess of Song.

And Nightwalker, the legendary founder of the House of Night.

Sunny looked at the latter.

“I know why the others are challenging the Nightmare. But why are you here, old man?”

Nightwalker, who looked like a young man, smiled.

“I have a granddaughter now. She’s not very impressed with me… so you might say that I am here to impress my granddaughter.”

Sunny scoffed.

All six of them were among the strongest champions of humanity. Their absence on the battlefield was going to be felt… in fact, the world could very well plummet into the abyss without them. But no matter how much pain humanity would suffer without them, sending them into the Nightmare was more important.

Because humanity was not going to survive otherwise.

Sunny and Nephis needed to become Spirits, but they could not leave the world unprotected. So, someone had to rise to the throne of Supremacy in order to take their place.

And there were no better candidates than the people gathered on the forlorn battlefield today.

But, of course…

Sunny did not feel at ease, knowing that he was sending his friends into a peril far more deadly than anything he had experienced before. There was a complicated storm of emotions raging in his chest… and yet all those emotions were meaningless in the face of necessity.

“Well, no point in wasting time. Let’s go.”

Effie was the first one to move. She walked across the melting snow toward the nearest Nightmare Gate, stretching her shoulders as she went. It was as if she were preparing for a light jog instead of the horrors of the Fourth Nightmare.

Kai followed, and soon, all of them were approaching the Gate, the persistent Call growing louder and louder in their ears. Sunny and Nephis stayed back a little, and the six Saints were now arrayed in front of them, facing the Nightmare Gate. At that moment, they seemed to have forgotten about the two Supremes behind them, their attention drawn solely to the appalling darkness rippling in front of them.

From here, they would travel to the Dream Realm and allow the Call to drag them toward the Seed of Nightmare connected to the Gate.

And then, they were going to challenge it. Nobody knew how long conquering the Nightmare would take them, but it was most likely going to be a long while — months at best, probably years.

Sunny and Nephis would just have to hold the world together while they were gone. In the end, the six Saints turned around to throw one last look at them.

Kai sighed.

“Don’t worry. We will return victorious.”

Sunny lingered for a few moments, then scoffed.

“Who is worried? Just… be careful. I prepared you for the Nightmare myself. So if you have any conscience, you will come back alive… otherwise, it will be very embarrassing for me.”

Effie shook his head.

“Well, we are worried. Not about ourselves, mind you… we’re mainly worried about what you’ll do to the world in our absence.”

Jet simply shrugged.

“If you think about it, we survived the Chain of Nightmares. So what’s one more Nightmare, really?”

She smiled and then gave Sunny a nod.

“You be careful, too. Don’t do anything too crazy.”

Sunny coughed.

“No promises…”

At that moment, Morgan looked down, at a puddle of melted snow beneath her feet.

A subtle smile twisted her lips.

“You’ve come, after all.”

There, an unexpected figure reflected in the water, standing next to her.

It was Mordret. However, if he said something to Morgan, their conversation remained private.

Nightwalker, meanwhile, looked at Seishan and sighed.

“It seems no one has come to see us off. How about it, young lady? Should we have a poignant emotional moment between each other, not to feel left out?”

Seishan spared him a glance and shook her head politely.

“I think I’ll refuse.”

Nightwalker laughed quietly.

“Fair enough…”

And then, there was nothing more to say. Sunny and Nephis stood side by side, watching as the six figures in front of them vanished.

Vanished to challenge the Fourth Nightmare.

They were left alone under the cold sky.