Shadow Slave

"Not good..."

Sunny landed in a roll and instantly dashed to the side. Almost at the same moment, claws tore through the air, almost brushing against his skin. They were so close that he felt the wind stirring as it threw his hair into disarray.

"Fast!"

Sunny landed on his feet and slid backward. Sensing the movement of shadows, he raised the Sin of Solace to block the attack - not because he actually perceived it, but because he knew that it had to come.

Then, he screamed.

A deafening, inhuman, monstrous roar suddenly split the skies apart, and Sunny's head was instantly pierced by pain so intense that he couldn't help but groan.

"What... what the hell is that, a sonic attack?"

As his vision blurred, the strike that he had predicted came. The Sin of Solace was in the way, but it was not in a position to form a solid block. Sunny's whole body shook as he was thrown back once again, his bones and tendons creaking under immense pressure.

Luckily, they did not burst apart.

But it really, really hurt...

Falling to the ground, Sunny dove into the shadows and flew out of them a couple dozen meters away. He barely had time to grab Saint Tyris and carry her forward with his momentum before Dire Fang's claws tore into her battered armor.

The two of them came to a stop some distance away and froze for a moment, supporting each other. Sunny's breathing was hoarse, and Sky Tide's face was ashen.

In front of them, the towering monster - Saint Dire Fang, who had finally unleashed his transcendent power - slowly turned his wolf-like snout and looked at them with a bestial, bloodred, terrifying eye.

Sunny's intuition was screaming. Looking at the monstrous creature - half-human, half-beast - he felt it, deep in the dark expanse of his lightless soul.

Death.

Fighting Dire Fang meant death.

...A Saint was a Saint, after all.

In terms of raw power, a Transcendent human was similar to a Corrupted Nightmare Creature. Although humans possessed only one soul core, their intelligence and Aspect powers made them equal to Devils, at least - someone like Beastmaster seemed closer to a Terror, even.

Sunny had fought, and killed, many Corrupted abominations.

But despite the similarity, Saints were nothing like the creatures he had killed.

That had nothing to do with raw power, and everything to do with who they were.

Saints had to conquer five hells to Transcend - the First Nightmare, the Second Nightmare, the Third Nightmare... the Dream Realm, and the waking world. Countless humans had tried, but only the absolute best of the absolute best could survive all five of these impossible trials.

The strongest, the bravest, the smartest. The most determined, the most skilled, the most adaptable, the most lucky. By far. Only a person possessing all these qualities could become a Saint. Even with the interference of the great clans, nothing less would do.

So, facing a Saint was not comparable to facing a random Corrupted abomination.

Facing a Saint was like facing one of the strongest Corrupted abominations in existence.

A fiend among fiends.

Dire Fang was not alone, either. There were several Ascended of Clan Song and powerful thralls surrounding them, too.

"Curse it all..."

Sunny suppressed the desire to take a step back, knowing that they would not be able to run. His eyes grew dim and bleak.

He hesitated for a heartbeat, and then glanced at Sky Tide.

If he went all-out, using Shadow Shell and every other trick at his disposal... it would probably still not be enough.

His last desperate gamble was the Mirror of Truth, but Sunny was not sure that it would be of any help - not before both of them were torn apart by Dire Fang, at least.

He trembled.

"Lady Tyris, I... I don't know what to do."

She looked at him, her bloodied face remaining calm and composed. Her voice was steady, too...

"Of course, you do. You have to flee."

Sunny gritted his teeth.

Yes, retreat was always an option... he was a great master of staying alive, after all. He could dissolve into shadows and emerge from them hundreds of meters, or even a few kilometers away from the dreadful Saint. He could become one of the shadows, as well, and thus immune to all physical damage.

That was how he had survived on that snowy field in the Antarctic Center, after all.

The problem was that he couldn't take anyone with him.

And so, Sky Tide's meaning was clear - she was telling him to leave her and save himself.

But Sunny... he...

Didn't want to.

And so, he was not going to.

There was no time for conversations, really, so he simply raised his sword and snarled:

"Like hell I will!"

In the next moment, the monstrous figure of Dire Fang turned into a grey blur. He was moving too fast for Sunny to trace where the attack would come from... even shadow sense could not keep up with the bestial Saint... and so, all Sunny could do was guess.

'Crap.'

He summoned the shadows again, trying to build another wall around them. However, it was smashed apart before receiving the chance to solidify.

He tried to block the attack of the Transcendent with the Sin of Solace again. However, it was pushed aside with disheartening ease.

He put himself between Dire Fang and Saint Tyris.

'Argh!'

Sunny felt his throat being ripped open by a sharp claw. He reeled back and grabbed his mutilated neck, feeling blood flow through his fingers like a river.

'That... damn it... that hurts...'

He used the Dying Wish to heal the lethal wound, exhausting the accumulated charge of the Transcendent charm.

It was still not enough to change the situation. The monstrous beast was already lunging to deliver another attack, and this time...

Before Sunny could react, a blinding flash suddenly illuminated the world, and the grey blur lunging at them was suddenly swallowed by an explosion of white flames.

At the same time, a figure wielding a slender rapier appeared in front of the Ascended of Clan Song. She moved between them like an apparition, deflecting a rain of attacks with measured elegance and strange, seemingly irrational ease.

Cassie pulled the attention of the enemy Masters and thralls, while Nephis positioned herself between Dire Fang and Sunny.

The towering beast emerged from the flames - wisps of white fire were dancing on his fur, but he did not appear burned. The Saint bared his fangs in a murderous grin.

Looking up at the towering monstrosity, Nephis calmly brought her radiant longsword into a high guard.

"Sunny... are you alright?"

He sighed.

'Damn... it is indeed a stupid question to ask...'