Shadow Slave novel Chapter 2916

Sunny barely prevented himself from swaying, a feeble flame of hope igniting in his heart. His mind was screaming at him to let out a sigh of relief, but he knew better than to make that mistake. It was too early to feel relief, to allow himself a moment of respite from the draining burden of being ready for the worst.

The treacherous relief people surrendered themselves to just before reaching safety had reaped countless lives.

“Did you really find it? The breach?"

Nephis nodded.

“Yes... we are close."

She finished the golden fruit and reached for another.

"I saw where the Nightmare Butterflies are spilling from. It's the second claw mark from the top... if they can leave the Tomb from there, it means that we can enter."

Sunny inhaled deeply.

‘So we found the entrance, after all.’

His thoughts were interrupted by Neph's even, impassive voice:

“They are still pouring out of the breach like a flood. And there would be far more of them inside the pyramid than there are outside. Do you understand what that means?"

Holding the oars, Sunny nodded.

"I do."

It meant that the density of the Nightmare Swarm would be incomparably greater as they neared the breach, and that the last push would be the most perilous.

Nephis exhaled slowly through gritted teeth.

"Bring us to the breach. I will clear the way."

Instead of answering, Sunny shuddered. Somewhere above them, another of his incarnations had become a shapeless mass of bleeding flesh. His right arm was torn off, and his right leg was severed below the knee... his armor was shattered, so the rest of his body was a gruesome sight to behold, as well.

The pain, the pain...

He did not even feel that much of the pain anymore, because he had lost most of his mind to the Call. Pain was meaningless in the face of the alluring, irresistible pull of the Nightmare.

And there was terror, as well.

"You'll need to guide me."

Nephis nodded and raised her hand slowly, calling upon the Blessing once more.

“I will.”

Sunny raised his head, as if wanting to see himself being torn apart. Now, only three of his incarnations remained whole — one steering the Chain Breaker, two leading the dwindling number of Shadow Butterflies in the defense of the flying ship.

He just needed to hold on a little bit longer...

But he couldn't. His own power was simply not enough to resist the harrowing, endless sea of Great abominations. The most effective tool for dealing with large amounts of enemies at his disposal was the Curse, but even if he channeled his killing intent through it to poison the Nightmare Butterflies with his Death Will, they would not succumb to it quickly, or even at all. They were of equal Rank to him, after all, and possessed their own Will. In fact, the collective Will of the Nightmare Swarm — its spirit — was far greater than his.

Sunny could recall the Shadows he had left behind to defend those people who were precious to him... Nightmare, Fiend. But even if he made that sacrifice, their powers were ill-suited for this aerial battle, and so, they would fail to turn the tide.

So... a different kind of sacrifice was needed.

Sunny remained silent for a while, following Neph's instruction to steer the Chain Breaker toward one of the four titanic claw marks that marred the surface of the Tomb of Ariel, then said quietly:

"Serpent."

Saint was powerful, but her strength could not be expressed fully without solid ground beneath her feet. Serpent, meanwhile, excelled at adaptability and versatility. Serpent was versatility itself, really. Granted, Sunny did not command that many powerful shades that were adept at aerial combat. The best of them were the shades of the Nightmare Butterflies themselves, the Obsidian Wasps, the Corrupted Titan — Defiled Seeker of Truth...

And the Winter Beast.

The Winter Beast, who commanded winds and could turn an entire realm into a frigid hell.

A Titan who possessed incredible power, but was weak and fragile behind the terrifying shield of its lethal blizzard.

"Slow them down, Serpent."

As soon as he said those words, a cold wind blew across the deck of the Chain Breaker, and snowflakes glistened in the dark.

An inconceivable, ghastly, eerily beautiful creature forged from black ice briefly revealed itself above the deck of the flying ship, its vast expanse blooming with myriad azure flowers. A moment later, it was hidden from view by a whirlwind of snow, rising slowly into the dark sky.

Sunny bit his lip as he watched Serpent soar into the tenebrous depths of the Nightmare Swarm. The temperature dropped rapidly, and the howling of the winds changed its tone, turning far more chilling and vicious. The frigid winds assaulted the abominable butterflies, encasing their wings in a thin layer of ice. Near the heart of the unnatural blizzard, the temperature dropped to zero — the absolute zero, not the arbitrary state humans had assigned that number for the sake of convenience.

Serpent moved away from Sunny and the Shadow Butterflies, unleashing the full fury of the Winter Beast's profane powers upon the terrifying swarm. Almost instantly, the pressure on the defenders of the flying ship diminished.

Back in Antarctica, during the final battle of the siege of Falcon Scott, Sunny had failed to get anywhere near the heart of the blizzard, and therefore to the Winter Beast. But he had been merely Ascended now... the Nightmare Butterflies were all Great Nightmare Creatures, and could wield the Will more effectively than the Winter Beast could.

A Corrupted Titan could be considered a more powerful creature when compared to a Great Beast, or even a Monster — but when there were so many Beasts and Monsters around, it would inevitably be torn apart.

Sunny just hoped that Serpent would remain whole long enough to allow the Chain Breaker to enter the breach, and that he would be able to dismiss his loyal Shadow before it was entirely destroyed.

Hopefully, he would not be late...

His heart was cold and heavy, but Sunny forbade himself from thinking about what would happen if he were.

He was not afforded the luxury of second-guessing his decisions, and there was no time to look back.

“We are almost there."

In the stark coldness of the frigid winds, Neph's voice rang like clear crystal.

"Get ready!"

Behind them, Serpent and its murderous blizzard were being assaulted by the Nightmare Swarm. The abominations there were weakened and debilitated, so only a few of them could still pursue the Chain Breaker.

In front of them, however...

Now, Sunny could sense the flawlessly flat surface of the Tomb of Ariel, torn and ravaged. There were four gargantuan, deep canyons marring the vast expanse of black stone — his goal was the depths of the third one, from where the endless tide of Nightmare Butterflies was pouring into the world.

And these Butterflies were not only countless, but also untouched by the blizzard, as terrifying and strong as could be.

"Hold tight!"

Sunny sent a torrent of essence into the runic circle of the Chain Breaker and grabbed the oars tightly, prepared to make the last push.

Above him, his two incarnations readied themselves to dive into the densest, most impenetrable part of the Nightmare Swarm.

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