Shadow Slave

A Supreme Devil was preparing to challenge a Great Devil. Both of them were Children of Nether, even if the vicissitudes of history had led them to different paths.

Saint was a Shadow now, while her adversary was a Nightmare Creature.

Their battle could end swiftly or rage for a long time, but either way, it was going to leave a bitter taste.

Sunny hesitated for a few moments, then chose to respect Saint’s wishes and called his second incarnation back. Devoid of his support, she would only be able to rely on her own power in the clash against this fearsome foe.

Sunny could not say that he wasn’t worried... but he wasn’t worried that much, either. It would take more than a Great Devil to shake his confidence in Saint.

Standing by his side, Nephis frowned, but made no move to attack the Devil. She seemed to understand the poignant meaning of this clash.

Saint had not shown any doubt or hesitation when slaying the rest of the Children of Nether — in fact, she had been especially cold and ruthless while dealing with them. But now, it was apparent that she did view this battle as special.

Both she and her enemy wielded power over nothingness, so there was no telling how their clash would go...

But what transpired next was entirely beyond Sunny’s expectations.

Something strange happened.

When Saint approached, the Great Devil finally moved. He had remained motionless before, even when his kin were being killed — but now, the towering colossus slowly removed one of his hands from the hilt of his immense sword.

Sunny frowned.

There was something odd about how the Tainted Saint moved. His movements were strained and unsure, as if he were bearing an impossible weight.

The Great Devil and Saint were still for a few long moments, looking at each other in cold silence. There were crimson flames burning behind the visor of Saint’s helmet, while the helmet of her enemy only brimmed with darkness.

Then, the Tainted Saint slowly raised his hand...

And brought it down upon the blade of his great sword, shattering it.

As the shards of the giant blade fell to the ground, he arduously lowered himself to one knee and looked up, peering at Saint. Their silence seemed to say a lot, infused with unknown meaning.

Saint lingered for a few moments, then lowered her head slightly in a nod.

A moment later, her sword flashed forward, its blade plunging into the narrow crack of the Tainted Saint’s visor. It tore through the back of his helmet next.

This time, there was no ruby dust spilling from the black blade.

The Great Devil swayed. Then, his armor collapsed and fell apart, as if there had never been anything inside it at all.

The Spell whispered into Sunny’s ear.

[You have slain a Great Devil, Absence.]

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

The battle was over.

Sunny stared at the empty suit of armor with a stunned expression.

He released the Jade Titan form, turning back into a human.

”What just happened?”

In front of him, Saint stared at the remains of the Great Devil, motionless. She leaned down, picked up his helmet, and silently placed it at the base of the towering stele. Sunny looked at Nephis.

”Did that Nightmare Creature just... surrender?”

Nephis did not answer for a few moments, then shook her head.

”He did not surrender.”

Sunny frowned.

If the Great Devil had not surrendered, then why had he allowed Saint to kill him without a fight?

His movements had seemed... strained, as if he was struggling against something.

An impossible suspicion settled in Sunny’s mind. He hesitated for a long while, unsure if he could even believe in something so far-fetched.

But no matter how he thought about it, the suspicion only grew stronger.

‘Was he resisting... Corruption?’

It was strange that the Great Devil had remained motionless throughout the entire battle, even when the other Tainted Saints were being slain. All he had done was subject Nephis, Sunny, and Saint to the power of annulment.

But if he had been resisting the urge to attack them that whole time, fighting a silent battle within himself, his actions suddenly had meaning.

That Devil had not held himself back because of Sunny or Nephis, most likely. Rather... he must have recognized Saint as a member of their kind — the last Child of Nether who walked the earth free of Corruption, even if it was as a Shadow.

She was a Stone Saint who had reached Supremacy while walking the Path of Ascension, and therefore had deserved his recognition.

So, the Great Devil chose to resist in the last moments of his life, rebelling against his very nature. Sunny had never met a Nightmare Creature who could deny the demented frenzy of Corruption, even for a little bit — the Puppeteer came the closest, albeit in the case of the Spirit of Doubt, that resistance was nothing more than pretense meant to lull its enemies into lowering their guard.

However, the Stone Saints were stalwart beings. There was hardly anyone more stalwart, in fact. It was their unshakeable resolve that made them immune to mental attacks... so if anyone could push back the power of Corruption for a few fleeting moments, it was them.

Sunny looked at the remains of the Great Devil, feeling a hint of begrudging respect. He sighed deeply, then turned to Nephis.

“Are you alright?”

The blow of a Tainted Saint’s war hammer had nearly destroyed her Supreme body. The harrowing wounds might have healed, washed away by her miraculous flames, but the pain — both of being crushed by the enemy’s blow and of being restored — must have burdened her.

Nephis nodded.

“I’m fine.”

She lingered for a moment, then looked around.

”We might not be fine, though. These abominations were probably keeping the Creature of Darkness away from the settlement, but now that they are gone, we are exposed.”

Sunny studied her quietly.

“That is not entirely a problem.”

Some distance away, Saint was standing beneath the towering black obelisk, looking up at the runes carved into its surface in solemn silence.

Then, however, the darkness around her moved.

Seven towering figures rose from the shadows, assembling into a wedge formation behind her.

They were the shades of the Tainted Saints. The shadow of the stalwart Great Devil was among them, as well.

Now, these fallen creations of Nether were Saint’s soldiers.