Shadow Slave novel Chapter 2989

Cassie had called out to Mordret.

She was calling out to the others, as well.

In the spacious corridors of Mirage Castle, a fierce battle was only growing more perilous as more and more of its defenders poured inside from the outer walls. Effie and the other prisoners of the Dreamspawn, whom she had freed, were steadily carving a path toward the throne room, where the Gateway was located.

There were close to a hundred of them. Most were seasoned warriors and veterans of the Nightmare Spell... but they were also all in a sorry state, having endured weeks or even months of physical and mental torture. It almost seemed as if it was pure willpower that moved their exhausted bodies instead of physical effort, and that as soon as their willpower reached its limit, they would fall.

They were only able to keep fighting because Saint Athena, Raised by Wolves, led them into battle.

There was nothing lofty or poetic about that statement — she was simply using her Ascended Ability to augment their bodies with a semblance of her own dire strength.

She was also the tip of the spear, serving as both the shield of their advance and a sledgehammer that broke through the hastily assembled battle formations of the enemy.

Effie had finally replenished enough essence to summon her armor, which covered her body like a second layer of skin. She couldn't quite use a spear effectively with one hand, and neither could she hold up a shield... but her Divine spear was missing, anyway, and her body was hardier than any shield could be.

So, Effie summoned a short sword instead. Now, she moved swiftly through a hurricane of steel, abandoning all pretense of defense in favor of pure offense.

Countless blows rained down on her, sliding powerlessly off her armor. Even those attacks that managed to breach or bypass it simply bounced off her impenetrable skin, leaving no mark on it. Every time she lashed back at the thralls of the Dreamspawn, however, someone fell down.

Effie was using that flat side of her sword, not wishing to spill an ocean of blood by cutting her own people down. Her inhuman strength was more than sufficient to topple even battle-hardened Masters in one blow, dazed or unconscious...

But a battle was a battle.

There had never been a real battle where nobody lost their life. And people were losing their lives now, too — more than she cared to count.

‘Damn that vile bastard...'

Effie slammed an enemy soldier into the wall, causing him to crumple and fall to the floor like a broken doll. Blood flowed out of his mouth... but he was breathing, at least.

His face was familiar. All their faces were familiar, in fact — Effie had commanded these soldiers in the past, leading them in the elaborate task of protecting the streets of Bastion.

This one seemed to be the last one in this particular chamber. She leaned on the cracked wall, breathing heavily, and raised a hand to wipe the sweat off her brow.

It was only when a dull pain pulsed in her stump that she remembered that her hand was missing. Effie stared at the stump for a few moments, then used her teeth to tighten the leather cord tied around her mangled arm.

"Thane, how is it?"

The sounds of battle still resounded from somewhere far behind them, as well as from the sides. The eccentric Saint appeared by her side out of nowhere, having by some miracle found time to wash his face and tidy up his clothes in the middle of all this chaos.

His voice was tense:

"The rear guard is retreating — there are too many thralls entering through the main gate. We have taken the library, and the eastern service staircase is about to fall into our hands."

Effie remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Good. Once we take the staircase, we can pull our people back through the library and make our way to the gallery of the petitioner's path. Attack them from two sides... It's a straight line to the throne room from there.”

She pushed herself off the wall and inhaled deeply.

"Come! We must push forward."

The escaped prisoners readied themselves and then advanced into the clangor of steel.

As the battle continued and they drew closer and closer to the throne room, at some point, Effie suddenly heard a voice whispering into her ear:

[Effie...]

She deflected a blow with her sword, sent the enemy flying with a slam of her shoulder, and grinned.

[Cassie? Hell... you are alive, after all. I didn't think I'd ever hear your voice again.]

She lunged forward, enduring a barrage of blows to dismantle the formation of Asterion's thralls. At the same time, she thought:

[Listen, the situation... well, I guess you already know. How are things on your end?]

There was a long pause, and then Cassie's voice resounded again:

[I will explain later. For now, I need your help.]

Effie blocked a devastating blow of an enchanted halberd with her forearm, feeling a pulse of sharp pain radiate from her stump.

She didn't feel too well.

[Really? Ah, damn it. I sort of hoped that you'll help me, instead!]

The edge of her sword cut the shaft of the halberd, and a moment later, the flat of its blade connected with her opponent's helmet. He toppled like a cut tree.

[Still, what do you need me to do? Apart from taking Bastion from the Dreamspawn, that is.]

Cassie answered quietly.

[I need you to become a conduit of my Will. I need you to do it willingly.]

Effie did not entirely understand what she meant, but if Cassie was asking, it had to be important.

[Sure. I'll be a conduit of your will. Is that all?]

There was a long stretch of silence, and then Cassie's voice resounded again, growing harder to distinguish:

[Be wary of the thing in the throne room...]

Effie cursed under her breath.

“That was not ominous at all."

They made it to the gates of the throne room. The defenders gave them hell in front of them, stalling Effie and the men who followed her — but it was of no use, since they were only meant to be a diversion. The second group of prisoners should have already reached the throne room gallery and was about to make its descent — they were going to attack the last defenders from the rear.

Cassie's warning hinted that things were not going to go according to plan, though.

In the end, Effie had to deal with the final group of thralls herself.

She met a very familiar person there, as well...

Her husband was the one commanding them.

He was putting up one hell of a fight, as well — enough to make a grown woman feel proud of her life choices.

‘Honey... I love you. I really do. But we are going to have a very, very long conversation about this when everything is over...'

“Subdue him!"

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