Shadow Slave

'I... am going to die...'The thought that flashed through Sunny's mind had nothing to do with the fact that each strike of the possessed corpse was devastating enough to obliterate his body, but more so with the strain that fighting the abominations was putting on it.

Yes, it was true - Sunny was facing a Great Nightmare Creature, but he felt as if exhaustion was going to kill him even if the creature did not.

Time moves slowly in a battle like the one they were fighting. He wasn't sure how many seconds had passed since the second vessel of the Gate Guardian had shown up - a dozen? Two dozen?

Maybe it was just five or six instead.

The six Masters and one Shadow were somehow holding up against the harrowing abomination, for now. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that the constant barrage of attacks did restrain the corpse a little - if there was one vulnerability they could exploit, after all, it was that the vessels of the Guardian were not as resilient as the body of a true Great creature would have been.

Perhaps it was because each of them was at the pinnacle of what a human Ascended could be, and knew that there would be no retreat. They fought without holding anything back, knowing that death was looming, almost inevitable.

Sunny was relatively unharmed, for now, and so was Saint. Kai had been circling above the abomination, sending one enchanted arrow flying after another.

The rest of them... were in dire straits.

Jet was, perhaps, mangled the most, but her unique constitution allowed her to persist in her attempts to shatter the creature's soul despite that. By now, Soul Reaper looked no less of a corpse than their opponent, and maybe even more so.

Both Morgan and her were fighting with their bare fists - although, in the case of Morgan, her entire body was the weapon, not just her hands. She had also suffered much more damage than any of them, often taking the initiative to shield the others with her body. That was because the Princess of War was physically the sturdiest, except maybe Effie.

The difference between the two was that Morgan seemed to have absorbed a powerful healing enchantment into her Aspect Ability, which allowed her to recover from the wounds that would have permanently taken the huntress out of the fight.

Seishan had gone even further than Jet and Morgan - with her arms broken, she had to resort to using her monstrous teeth to damage the abomination. Her jaws did not seem any less lethal than a powerful Memory would have been, but the need to be in close, almost intimate proximity to the enemy put her in grave danger. The hideous, ferocious creature she had transformed into was covered in blood, both her own and that of the Guardian.

Effie was in a much better position due to the long reach of her Transcendent spear.

Together, they fought the great abomination, desperately trying to destroy it, slow it down... or at least prevent it from approaching the beautiful bonfire of white flames that still burned behind them.

'Die, die... why won't you die!'

The Sin of Solace tore through the rippling air, but the vessel of the Gate Guardian was moving too fast. The jade blade barely scratched its skin, but this time, Sunny was not fast enough to retreat - a sharp pain pierced his right side, and he fell back with a scream.

For the first time since he had acquired the Shroud of Dusk, the black silk was torn apart. Sunny's flesh beneath it was shredded and turned into an appalling mess - the wound was large enough for most Ascended to be at the risk of bleeding out, but he was different.

Still, it would have been a fatal one if not for Bone Weave. The abomination's glancing strike cracked his ribs, but did not manage to shatter them - otherwise, Sunny would have lost his entire lung.

'Damn it, damn it, damn it...'

Shaking like a drunk, he rose to his feet. Sweat was rolling down his skin, adding to the pain and suffering.

Things... were not going well for them.

Morgan seemed on the verge of running out of essence - before, all her wounds would swiftly heal, but now, she was forced to concentrate on only a few of the most dire ones, leaving the rest open.

Jet was starting to slow down, because this fight was a true nightmare for her. Facing one overwhelming opponent was the least favorable situation for her Aspect, since it prevented her from absorbing the essence of slain enemies to replenish her own.

Just at that moment, Seishan suffered a terrible blow, falling into the sand like a broken doll.

Sunny and Saint were still recovering from their last attacks, so Effie was momentarily left alone against the harrowing creature. The corpse moved with tremendous speed, grabbing the shaft of her spear and pulling the huntress off her feet. A split second before its other hand delivered a lethal blow, Kai suddenly fell from the sky, ramming into the taken corpse and throwing it back.

The corpse brought its elbow down on Kai's spine, and he fell into the sand with a pained scream.

'Curse it all!'

Sunny lunged forward, and at the same time, Saint did too.

His mangled side was pulsing with terrible pain.

He was tired.

But he had to do something.

Because there was still hope...

Even though the vessel of the Gate Guardian seemed indestructible and unstoppable, it was weakening. It was not very noticeable, yet - but it was true. The corpse had become a tiny bit slower, its strikes were a tiny bit less forceful. The speed at which its flesh mended itself had diminished a little, as well.

The creature had a limit, indeed.

They just had to push it over that limit.

Sunny had not summoned Nightmare or Imp, knowing that they were too weak for this battle. He wasn't sure that he could summon them - his shadows, which served as the gates of his soul, were with Nephis, inside the incinerating mass of white flames. Even if he could, all the two would be able to do was buy him a second or two with their deaths.

So, he had to buy those seconds himself.

He attacked, putting everything he had - all his strength, all his cunning, all his will - into the attack. At the same time, Saint thrust her sword forward, covering her cracked breastplate with the broken remains of her shield.

But it was not enough.

The great abomination easily avoided Saint's sword, and stepped forward. Its fist struck Sunny like a mountain, and the next thing he knew...

He was staring at the vibrant azure sky.

'Ah... I was... too slow...'

Sunny tried to stand up and gasped, overcome with unbearable pain. His arm seemed to be broken... no, it was only dislocated... and bloody foam was forming on his lips.

Looking up, he saw Morgan stepping in front of Jet, who was on her knees, shielding her from a lethal blow - both of them were sent flying back and landed on the sand in a heap of bloodied flesh.

Effie grunted as she received a downward strike on her crossed hands. Her steel body trembled, and a whirlwind of sand rose into the air around her, thrown up by the shockwave of the terrible impact. In the next moment, she staggered back and fell.

The Gate Guardian... was left standing alone, unopposed.

It lingered for a split second, then took a step toward Seishan and raised a fist to finish her off.

The corpse's face was terribly mangled, and its teeth were in full view, as if the creature was grinning.

Sunny groaned and sat up.

'I won't get there in time...'

The abomination struck.

Before it could kill Seishan, however...

A bloody fist suddenly emerged from its chest.

The creature froze, then slowly turned its head.

A slender hand flashed, separating the head from the neck.

Standing behind the Gate Guardian was a bewitching woman in a torn carmine dress, her long black hair covered in sand. She was almost inhumanly beautiful... however, her breathtaking face was covered in blood, an ugly torn wound stretching from her forehead to the tip of her chin. It was as if someone had vandalized an immortal masterpiece by slicing through it with a sharp knife.

One of Beastmaster's eyes was glued close by dried blood, but the other burned with cold, murderous wrath.

Her scarlet lips parted, revealing pearly white teeth.

"I don't think you'll submit. So... just die..."