Shadow Slave novel Chapter 1377

Chapter 1377 Battle in the Shallows

The ancient temple was quaking from the furious clash between the monstrous dweller of the depths and Nephis. Flashes of blinding white light and waves of incinerating heat tore the darkness apart, sending the deep shadows drowning the dark expanse of the flooded hall into a demented dance.

Sunny danced with the shadows like a specter of death. Wreathed in a billowing black mantle, his figure had turned vague and elusive. He moved across the restless surface of the black water with stunning speed, no different from how he would have moved on solid ground. Sunny's attacks were lethal, unpredictable, and almost impossible to trace - it was as if he was nowhere and everywhere at once.

Due to his speed and the ability to step through shadows, it seemed that the dark figure wearing the fearsome black mask was in several places at the same time. So was the merciless blade of his jade longsword - hissing furiously as it cut everything in its path, the cursed jian cruelly reaped the lives of the Drowned.

Still... Sunny was struggling.

He was struggling enough to not want to admit it. Beneath the polished black wood of his mask, beads of sweat were rolling down his pale face. The Drowned were both powerful and dreadful adversaries... each of them was a Nightmare Creature strong enough to threaten the life of a Saint, let alone of a Master like him.

Their black tentacles allowed them to move at a speed that was no less stunning than his, and made their movements hard to predict. More than that, the tentacles were both supremely flexible and mighty enough to crush enchanted stone with ease. Being caught in their vile embrace meant certain death.

The creatures possessed a pair of human hands, as well. They were insidiously cunning and wielded their weapons with devious skill... worse than that, the Drowned feared neither pain nor death. They knew only a dark and cold resolve to see the enemy fall.

A foe like that was the worst nightmare of an Awakened, especially when there were so many of them.

And that was without even considering the eerie power of the sybil who was twisting the future in favor of the abominations. It was because of her influence that Sunny felt like he was not even one mistake away from dying, but rather one step behind staying alive.

'D-damnation.'

It was hard... too hard. Sunny was overcome by a bizarre sensation. He knew for a fact that he was just as skilled as he had been before venturing into the flooded temple, but at the same time, it was as if he was back in the crimson labyrinth of the Forgotten Shore - unsure of his footing and ignorant of how to wield a sword.

The sense of control and clear understanding he had become accustomed to were gone, replaced by uncertainty. His attacks routinely missed the intended target, while the enemies appeared where he had not expected them to be. Sunny felt like he was stumbling blindly in the dark.

He was enduring, for now, by expecting failure and imbuing his battle style with as much fault tolerance as he could. Several of the Drowned were already dead, their severed bodies floating in the water, while he was still in one piece. But how long would that last?

...Luckily, Sunny wasn't alone.

He had powerful allies to rely on, as well.

Saint was the first to join him in the slaughter. Her graceful figure was surrounded by something much darker than the shadows populating the ancient temple. Jumping into the water, which reached up to her waist, she slammed her round shield into an attacking Drowned Warrior, shattering his spear and bones. Her dark blade moved lightlessly, severing a tentacle that was trying to wrap itself around her arm, and then plunging into the creature's neck.

Nevertheless, it seemed that all the Drowned in the temple were suffering from the initial stages of its effect. It was as though they were all slightly drowsy, their movements lacking full force and precision. Nightmare was helping not only himself but also everyone else fighting against the Defiled sybil and her minions.

Cassie's Echoes joined the battle, too.

The clockwork man jumped into the water, his movements both fluid and strangely jarring. The four blades held by the artificial Echo spun, slicing and dicing the flesh of the enemies. Most of the strikes were stopped by the armor of the Drowned Warriors, but not all of them. Dark blood flowed into the cold water.

The Echo of the Defiled Sybil attacked, as well. Slithering eel-like tendrils extended from beneath her red skirt, and the slender figure, which once seemed like a human, suddenly rose high above the battlefield. Moving with terrifying speed, the creature lunged forward and grabbed one of the demons, rising the abomination above the water.

As soon as the Drowned Warrior peered into the Echo's eyes, his body convulsed. An indescribable sound escaped from the mouth of the demon, followed by a fountain of blood. A moment later, the lifeless body was tossed to the side like a rag doll, and the Echo was already moving to find the next victim.

The battle raged, making the water boil and shaking the ancient temple. Only two figures remained aloof and motionless in the flooded hall.

Once was the Defiled sybil, who observed the bloodshed from a distance.

The other was Cassie, who was observing the sybil.