Shadow Slave

"An incredible win by Lord… uh, by Mongrel!"

Looking at the cloud of blood rising above the arena, Syclus couldn't contain his enthusiasm.

Today, there were no simultaneous duels, as there were only thirty-two contenders left. Each battle was intense and exciting, and received the full attention of the commentators.

Looking at the cheering audience, Dimi laughed.

"Indeed, indeed… Mongrel did very well against No Wait. That Aspect of his is a real menace, believe me. I've been on the receiving end of those explosions way too many times!"

Dimi had been one of the first renowned duelists of the Dreamscape, back when it had been just growing popular ten or so years ago, so he was talking from experience.

Syclus glanced at the chat, knowing that it was a good time to involve the viewers in the discussion. Coincidentally, he noticed a comment concerning something that he himself was curious about.

"Yeah, very devious! But, Dimi… don't you feel like Mongrel behaved a bit out of character today? I mean, he practically called a respected Dreamscape veteran an idiot. With how noble, dignified, and chivalrous Mongrel usually is…"

Dimi thought for a bit, then shook his head.

"You see, Syclus… I respected Mongrel before, but now I truly admire him. It takes a very talented fighter to quickly recognize a battle style, true. Mongrel is talented... but he is also wise."

He smiled.

"Because it takes a very wise man to quickly recoginze an idiot. And make no mistake, this guy is a complete buffoon! Believe me, I have the misfortune of knowing him pretty well. I mean… only an idiot would end up with an alias like "What? No, Wait!"... right?"

Instantly, a deluge of comments flooded the chat:

"True! Mongrel is so wise!"

"Wise, deadly, and handsome!"

"How do you know that he's handsome, fool? He never takes off that creepy mask!"

"You mean SHE is handsome? Wait, that doesn't sound right…"

"...Can someone ban that troll already?!"

"Dimi is right! Only a complete idiot would end up with that alias. Why would an idiot like that even try to fight someone as wise as Lord Mongrel? Ptui..."

***

'Oh! I remember where I've seen that weird alias!'

Sunny was preparing for his next duel when he suddenly remembered how he had entered the Dreamscape for the first time. Back then, he had almost ended up with that exact name after accidentally saying the words out loud. Luckily, it had already been taken. Otherwise, Sunny could have been called "What? No, wait!" himself.

'So that's the guy! Poor fellow…'

…Not that being called Mongrel was much better.

Slightly amused, he sat down and circulated his essence through the coils of the Soul Serpent, aiming to replenish it completely before the next fight.

He had a feeling that it wasn't going to be easy…

***

He was right. None of his next three duels were easy, although for very different reasons.

The second opponent he faced today was called Lowph. It was a young man with shoulder-length hair who wore a light armor, wielding a round shield and a spear. His technique was impeccable, but the most dangerous thing about him was his speed.

Lowph was fast. Very fast. So fast, in fact, that Sunny could barely see some of his movements. The worst part was that this speed did not come from an Aspect Ability, but simply from skill, training, and incredibly precise essence control.

Unlike Caster, who could move with insane speed constantly, the young man seemed deceptively slow until he chose to attack, at which point his weapons almost teleported from one place to another. Sunny only managed to resist because his enemy skillfully masked the movements of his body, but didn't think to mask the movements of his shadow.

The smart thing to do was to kill the deadly opponent as fast as possible, but Sunny was utterly fascinated by the way Lowph used his soul essence, so he lingered, trying to infer details of this technique from how the young man fought.

That was why Lowph ended up being the first human to make Mongrel bleed.

At some point, his spear slid between the breastplate of the Mantle and one of the spaulders, sinking deep into Sunny's armpit. The pain was blinding.

Twisting the blade and then retreating to save himself from a retaliatory strike, Lowph glanced at the vibrant crimson liquid on his spear and smiled.

"...So you're human, after all."

Sunny suppressed the pain and tilted his head slightly:

"Am I?"

Then, he dashed forward and went all out, aiming to end the fight as soon as possible — not because he was done learning Lowph's style, but because even with Blood Weave, he wasn't sure that he would last long, considering how serious his wound was.

Thanks to his brutal battle with Caster, Sunny already knew how to deal with fast enemies. So, in the end, neither speed nor incredible mastery of essence managed to save the young man from his blade.

The deep wound disappeared as soon as Sunny returned to the black void.

'Interesting. Very interesting! I have ways to go as far as controlling essence goes, it seems.'

The next duel could have been really, really tough, but ended up being only slightly torturous. His enemy this time was named Everain and possessed a powerful sorcerous Aspect centered around gravity manipulation.

As soon as the fight started, it felt as though a mountain fell on his shoulders. Sunny was barely able to move, while his enemy masterfully weaved the effects of Aspect Abilities into an already swift and lethal combat technique, making for a truly deadly combination.

…Luckily, Sunny had [Feather of Truth], which diminished the burden a little. More importantly, he had a rich experience dealing with the Crushing. Even though Everain was able to make him sweat by manipulating gravity with admirable ingenuity, he was victorious in the end.

The third duel, however… made him rethink a lot of things.

This time, his enemy was a friendly-looking guy with a funny alias, Dynisor. Weirdly, he wore simple garments instead of an armor and wielded no weapons. At first, Sunny fought that this was another sorcerer… however, he couldn't have been more wrong.

As soon as the voice of the Dreamscape announced the start of the duel, his opponent… changed. His muscles suddenly ballooned and shifted, ripping through the simple clothes. His skin glistened, becoming covered by metallic scales. His nails grew into terrifying talons, and his teeth turned into long, sharp fangs.

In just a few moments, what faced Sunny was not a human, but a frightening hybrid creature that resembled a predatory humanoid lizard. A split second later, the creature was already upon him in a furious whirlwind of claws and teeth.

However, while it looked like a Nightmare Creature and was as strong and fearsome as one, the hybrid fought with a measured technique of an experienced, cunning, battle-hardened brawler. The effect was nothing short of terrifying.

The Ability humans received after conquering the Third Nightmare and becoming Transcendent was called a Transformation Ability, but not all transformation-type Abilities were meant only for Saint. While extremely rare, some Aspects manifested similar powers at earlier stages. Song Seishan possessed an Aspect like that, as well.

However, while Sunny knew that such Awakened existed, this was his first time facing one in battle. And what a battle it was!

It was really worthy of being the penultimate spectacle of the whole tournament.

It was also the first fight where Sunny felt that he really might lose. The enemy was just too strong, ferocious, and overbearing… while also being skilled, intelligent, and subtle. Fighting him was like fighting a devil, or a demon at least.

In fact, while Sunny had no idea, this was what their duel was being called on the network — the battle of two demons!

And one of these demons was bound to fall.

Under the stunned gazes of numerous spectators — both those in the Dreamscape and those watching the broadcast on the screens of their communicators — Mongrel was pushed back by the rampaging monster, his dark odachi sliding off the steel scales without leaving even a scratch on them. Nothing he did seemed to have an effect.

But then, something changed. At some point, the demonic swordsman dismissed his great blade and lunged into a violent, terrifyingly brutal hand-to-hand combat with the towering creature, using his fists, legs, and even the horns of his mask to attack the enemy. His style changed, turning savage and vicious, insidiously deadly, and utterly ruthless.

Those who followed Mongrel for a while and knew a fair share about combat were stunned to recognize that style… it was the same primal, devastating way of fighting the Barrow Wraiths had used during the recent Gate disaster!

So Mongrel was able to learn from Nightwear Creatures, as well...

What a terrifying thought!

The uncompromisingly cruel brawl lasted for a dreadfully long time. In the end, both fighters were bloodied and broken, their bodies battered, but their murderous wills as sharp and unshaken as ever.

Mongrel's onyx armor had cracked in several places under the unrelenting assault of adamantine talons, but the hybrid's scales were also shattered and torn, his movements slowing down more and more.

And then, unexpectedly, it was all over.

Mongrel had caught his enemy into an armlock, and then bent, straining with all his might. A loud crack could be heard in the deathly silence that had settled over the arena a while back, and the creature's neck suddenly twisted at an unnatural angle.

At first, people couldn't believe their eyes.

Only when the massive body of the hybrid reptile shuddered, and then turned into a flood of white sparks did they open their eyes wide and started screaming with shock, joy, and admiration.

Swaying lightly, Sunny looked at the disappearing torrent sparks and grinned.

'...One more left. Gee, I wonder what I'll get this time!'