Sunny had felt fear many times in his life. From the many assassinations he had survived as a child, the cold, harsh environment of the outskirts, and the hell that was the forgotten shore, he had gone through a lot at the ripe age of seventeen. But only a few could compare to this.
His shadow cast a glance at an imposing figure standing almost three meters tall, even taller than the scavengers. Its armor was covered in the same carapace as the beasts, but this time it looked much harder, almost as if it was twice… no, thrice as strong. Unlike the scavengers, though, it did not have any pincers. Instead, it had two massive, razor-sharp scythes. They were the carapace monsters, of course. One rank higher than the scavengers.
Sunny had seen two of these monsters claiming the transcendent soul shards from the corrupted devil he had encountered on his first day, but being this close to one was much more dreadful. It was like he had come across a bridge he could not cross, a mountain he could not scale. shivers ran down his spine.
Could they just hide from this thing? Sunny wanted to say yes, but what would happen when the storm cleared? When light returned to this hell, would the monster not notice them? No, hiding from this thing was not an option. They had to fight it.
How could they fight that, though? Nephis and Sunny were strong. They were most likely the strongest sleepers ever, actually, but fighting an awakened monster was a stretch, even for them.
But that did not matter. What he felt, what he wanted, did not matter. All that mattered was that they had to survive. The dread emanating from the monster was strong, but the fear of dying here in this hell, without ever achieving his goals, was stronger. It was a simple matter. They had to win.
That was easier said than done, though. Sleepers like them were not supposed to be able to kill awakened beasts, not to mention monsters. Monsters were considerably stronger than beasts and possessed a simple, but twisted measure of intelligence that beasts did not. It was not all bad, of course. Sunny and Nephis also had qualities that were better than even monsters. Monsters could have higher intelligence, but they still could not compare to humans. They could be more skilled, but they were nowhere near Sunny and Nephis, who had been trained ever since they could hold a sword.
Sunny accepted the situation he was in quite easily. There was no point in worrying about things that were out of your control. He fished out shards, eight of them, from the fallen scavengers and went to meet with Cassie and Nephis.
"Sunny… mind explaining?" Nephis questioned him immediately, almost as if she was upset about Sunny leaving her in the dark. Sunny did not respond immediately. Instead, he opened up the sack attached to his makeshift belt and handed all the shards to her. Changing Star's lightless gaze lit up slightly, and she crushed all the shards in her hands. This did not answer her question, though. On the contrary, it only gave her more. She gave Sunny a questioning look.
Sunny responded before pain took hold in his mind. "No, I don't mind explaining… There's actually a carapace monster on this island, those things with scythes instead of pincers." Nephis did not look particularly happy about the monster being on the island. There might have been a limit to her craziness, after all. She was still confused about something, though.
"Sunny… I get that, but where did you get all the shards?"
"Oh, the monster split open eight scavengers like tin cans. I got it from them, since nightmare creatures have no use for the shards, it did not take it." Sunny explained clearly, but he also noticed a discrepancy in what he said. If carapace monsters did not care about the soul shards, why did the two take the transcendent ones from the shark carcass? It would be of no use to them, and Sunny was not naive enough to believe they took it just because they were shiny. He glanced at Nephis, seeing that she had picked up on this too, but decided not to talk about it yet.
"So that's it… a monster? We have to kill it." She said in a tone as cold as ice. Sunny was not taken aback by her reaction at all. Even if she was hesitant about facing the creature, she must have realized, just like Sunny, that there was no other option.
Sunny nodded at her while Cassie was shaking at the prospects. "…Really? Are you going to fight one of those things? I-it's a monster, not a beast… You two are strong, …but-b."
Nephis shook her head slowly. "It's not that we want to fight the monster, but we have no other choice. What happens when the day comes, and we are not cloaked by the night anymore? We will have to face it eventually, and if we do, it's better if we keep the element of surprise."
Cassie lowered her head in silence, sinking into thought while Sunny and Nephis were discussing their approach. She was listening, too, of course. It might not look like it, but she was not entirely useless. Her input could be valuable, too. She did not get a chance to say anything yet, though. The duo of legacies was incredible. Their knowledge was vaster and deeper than anything she had been taught, but as their conversation went on, Cassie could not help but feel like they were missing something.
"You guys are forgetting one of the main advantages we have over that thing… It's that we are intelligent, and it's not." Finally, Cassie had realized what Sunny and Nephis were missing, and said it in an excited tone.
The eyes of Changing Star and Lost From Light widened in understanding. Indeed, how could they miss such a simple detail? All this time, they had been thinking in a purely brutish manner. How could they target the monster's weaknesses? What approach should they take? What formation could they use? They had never even thought about trying to outsmart it. So they designed a new plan.
***
It was the dead of night, and the dark sky was still rumbling in a vicious cycle. Occasionally, a flash of light would illuminate the dark expanse of the forgotten shore. When it did, the dark sea could be seen in all its dark glory. Every time, it was almost as if something was looking from beyond it. Sunny, though, could always see in the darkness, but that did not matter. Right now, he had no time to focus on something churning beyond the sea. That was because a massive monster covered in a thick, hard carapace was chasing him.
That was the carapace monster, of course. It was chasing Sunny with all its profane speed, flailing around its sharp, scythe-like arms, hoping to cut him. Luckily, not a single one touched him. That was because he had a significant lead over the monster. That was not going to last, though. Even with six dozen shadow fragments strengthening him, his shadow boosting him, the monster was catching up. Not even his superb running technique, which Sunny had honed ever since his childhood, could help him. An awakened monster was simply too fast compared to a sleeper. It did not matter that it was covered with a heavy carapace. This was the difference in rank.
Luckily, Sunny was not trying to outrun it. Instead, he was leading it to a trap. The monster, in all its rage and fury, could not notice a golden rope strung between two massive boulders at the height of the beast's leg joints. Sunny ducked underneath the rope. The monster, though, fell into the trap headfirst.
If the rope were any mundane rope, it would snap immediately, but the golden rope was not mundane. It was a memory, and being intensely durable was one of its enchantments. The rocks it was strung between were not so lucky, though. As soon as the monster met the rope, it shattered, but the damage was already done.
With its front legs jerked backward, the monster lost its balance and fell onto the ground, leaving a shallow trench.
That did not stop it, though. It could not stop it. Immediately, it planted the massive scythes in the ground, regaining balance and trying to stand up. That did not happen, though. Instead, one of the dead scavengers lying on the island shot up and jumped on top of it, holding the monster down with weight and locking its scythes with its own pincers.
The thing was an awakened monster, though, and the echo was just a beast. It could not hold it down for long, especially when being pierced by the spikes on its back, not longer than a second at least.
One second was more than enough. Nephis, who was hiding nearby, shot out from her spot, lunging at the pinned enemy, strengthened by a radiant, pure white flame. Sunny did not realize how much stronger Nephis was than him. Yes, she had many more fragments than him, but with the boost of his shadow, that gap was not large… actually, with his shadow, Sunny was stronger than even her.
Sunny was not the only one who could strengthen himself, though. Nephis could do the same. But because of the cruel embrace of her flaw, she chose not to. This time, she would not hold anything back.
She shot out like a blur, with speed only short of Caster's, and plunged her blade deep in the gap between the monster's breastplate and head, the flame covering her shifting onto the blade.
"Did we win?!" Sunny did not think killing a monster would be that easy, but given how quickly they had killed scavengers together. Maybe…
Sunny cursed his breath. He just had to say it, didn't he? The monster had a sword plunged in a point that looked fatal, but it stood up easily, shrugging off Neph's attack as if it was nothing.
'N-No!'
The scythe slayer had already gotten up and was ready to attack Nephis, threatening to slice her petite body in two with one swing. Sunny was too far away to do anything, and Nephis had no time to react. There was only one thing he could do.
Sunny ordered the echo to restrain the monster's arms. It had to hold on… at least for a second. The echo used its pincers to hold down both scythes of the monster, but it was able to break out easily, throwing the scavenger off its back right after. It had already been stalled for long enough, though, at that second, Nephis let go of her blade and ducked under the monster. For hiding spots, her position was not good. The beast could easily drop down and crush her under its weight, but she had no other choice, because it was the only place where the scythes did not reach.
Nephis was unarmed and in danger, but that would not last long. Sunny summoned the [Azure Blade] in his other hand and threw it next to Nephis. Seeing the blade next to her, Nephis's eyes blazed with a new fire. She took it and slashed at the tendons in between the leg armor, tearing an entire leg off.
At that time, Sunny had reached the battlefield as well. He swung at one of the leg tendons as well, aiming to tear it off as Nephis did. Ordering the shadow to shift from him to the azure tachi at the last second, the blade sank into the tendon. Unlike Nephis, though, he could not tear it off completely. She was truly much stronger than him with her flame.
Sunny and Nephis were under the monster. One of its legs was torn off, and Sunny had already retrieved his sword sunk into the tendon. They could not stay here for longer, though. Because at that time, the scythe slayer had realized what it should do. The monster had let go, squatting down and pushing all its weight on the ground. If Sunny and Nephis were just a little slower, they would have been crushed under the weight. Luckily, they could both augment themselves, giving them just enough speed to dodge the attack.
The duo of legacies finally had the chance to reorient themselves. The monster was out of balance, with one of its legs lost and the other heavily injured. Unluckily, Sunny's echo was in a much worse state. Giving it a glance, it looked eerily similar to the dead scavengers on this island. Gritting his teeth, Sunny chose to dismiss his echo to restore it in his soul sea. Nephis and Sunny were on their own now.
While the monster was trying to regain its balance, Changing Star was already lunging at it. Fierce, radiant fire burning beyond her eyes, she raised the [Azure Blade] and jumped, Sunny, following right behind her. Nephis was aiming to use the awakened blade to lunge her own even deeper into the beast's flesh and kill it.
Suddenly, a flash of light illuminated the island. This time, though, it was close, much closer than the others. Hearing a sudden scream, Sunny shuddered as he looked up at Nephis, lightning dancing around in her body. He gritted his teeth as he shot his hand upward, squeezing Neph's leg tightly and dropping her onto the ground. If she remained in the air, the lightning would only circulate inside her, and eventually kill her, but if Sunny dropped her on the ground quickly enough, it could disperse in the ground… and also on his body.
Sunny opened his mouth, letting out a scream like Nephis. He had gotten the better end of the deal, and the lighting did not hurt him as much, but it was still painful. Nephis was not so lucky, though. Cold sweat started forming on Sunny's forehead as dread started rising in his heart. Did… did she survive? Sunny quickly checked Neph's pulse, relieved that she was still alive. Just barely, though.
It seemed like he was really the only one left in this battle.
Looking at the monster in front of him, all feelings of fear disappeared in Sunny's mind. He could only feel one thing right now. That was rage. He took a deep breath and started focusing on the battle.
Sunny and the monster clashed, trading blows. Sunny was on the defensive. The longer the battle raged on, the more injuries he would suffer.
"D-Damn it!" A cacophony of steel meeting bone rang around the cliff. Looking at himself, Sunny had a few more shallow cuts on him, while the beast had no new injuries. The scythed monster was too strong to overpower.
Sunny turned around, running, trying to lead the monster somewhere else. It had caught up to him quickly, forcing him to clash. The thing was too fast to escape.
Sunny finally maneuvered around the monster and lunged his blade into one of the monster's weak points. It had easily brushed it off, though. The monster was too vigorous to kill.
The situation was too hopeless, but Sunny had not stopped fighting, though. No matter how many wounds he would receive, no matter how hopeless the situation was, he would not lose hope… or rather, he would not lose his anger. He was raging, unimaginably so. Sunny had never been this angry in his entire life. He had never had this much spite. He really, really wanted to kill this thing. He would do anything to achieve it.
That did not happen, though. Instead, one of the things scythes flashed, breaking the air and aiming at him. Sunny tried to step back and dodge, but he was too slow. The bone cut into his flesh, tearing into his eyes. At this time, Sunny remembered fear, fear from his childhood. The fear of death. He was blind, wounded, and fighting against a superior opponent. Everything was hopeless. He still did not give up.
Clenching his teeth, he used his sixth sense —the shadow sense— to reorient himself and replace his vision. He could see it: the rocks around him, the enemy in front of him, Nephis lying on the ground, countless scavengers on the ground. It was all dark and gray, missing various small details, but he could see.
Suddenly, he erupted with newfound strength, trading blows with the enemy once more. Using his shadow sense to see, he dodged and evaded the scythes. All of Sunny's efforts were not enough, though. He had lost his sight. Shadow Sense had replaced it, but it was not as good. He was already losing before. He was in a worse state now.
He would feel the shadow of his enemy, using it to feel its movements and evade sudden death, but that was all he could do. Evade, not kill. Sometimes, his focus would drift to a figure of a dark woman lying on the ground. For some reason, Sunny could not see her entire body, with some spots being left in the dark. She was struggling as well, in a much worse state than he was, but she was trying to stand up and fight.
'I-Is this really where it is all going to end?' Sunny thought somberly. He had so much to do in his life, but he accomplished none of it.
'No! It won't end like this!' For a second, Sunny was content with giving up, but no, that could not happen. Suddenly, three words took root in his mind.
Repetition, experience, clarity.
Clarity, clarity, clarity. Yes, clarity, he was missing clarity. Sunny was too focused on everything. He had forgotten the essence of combat —murder. He was too focused on Nephis. he was too focused on his rage. he forgot nothing mattered, nothing else but murder.
Sunny took a deep breath. It was time to push himself to his limits. He remembered a graceful slave dancing with her seven shadows. Suddenly, the range of his shadow sense shortened until all that was left was Sunny and his enemy.
Nephis, the scavengers, and the place where Cassie was hiding were no longer visible. The only thing Sunny could make out was the small battlefield, himself, and his enemy. At the same exact time, the precision of his shadow sense deepened. The small details Sunny could not see before were now clearer than ever. The small bumps in the rocks below him, the gaps in between the monster's hard carapace, they were all so clear.
He focused on the battle, on the dance of shadows. Sunny and Monster met again, the cacophony of their battle spreading, but Sunny did not care. The monster's shadow would move, and Sunny would react, dodging and evading with skillful ease. His mind was moving in overdrive.
Finally, Sunny could feel the sweet embrace of clarity again. He was truly in battle, and he would win.
First step.
Sunny focused on the scythed beast's shadow, deciphering its attack patterns and thoughts. They met again, this time, though, Sunny could see the things' movements slightly ahead of time. When the clash ended, Sunny had already learned the first step of the monster's battle style.
Second Step.
Sunny felt the monsters shadow, feeling the intention behind the small changes in its attacks. Every movement of it came slightly ahead of time. Clashing again, Sunny tore its injured leg. He had completed the second step of the beast's battle art.
Third step.
Sunny dove deep into the monster's shadow, trying to feel its maddened intention behind every swing and movement. Everything came clearly to him, why it attacked the way it did, why it moved the way it did. Something was still missing, though, but what he had was enough. Lunging at the off-balance enemy, Sunny dove into the flesh in between the breastplate and the helmet, tearing more and more. Catching its balance, the monster quickly threw Sunny off of it.
Fourth step.
Sunny focused on the form of his adversary's shadow. He felt the carapace covering its flesh, he felt the sharpness and curvature of the scythes, he felt the anatomy of multiple legs. Feeling that it was not enough, Sunny dove even deeper. He felt the aerodynamics of the monster's body, all the little details in its armor, all the dents and cracks they had delivered to it, and he felt all the leg tendons they had injured and torn off. Suddenly, he understood all of its actions much more.
The next time they met, Sunny could see much more. He predicted the things attacks much farther in advance, his injuries were taking a toll on him, but that did not matter. The monster could not cut him, could not ram him, could not evade him. After another round of battle, they had dispersed.
Fifth step.
This time, Sunny really felt the power of his adversary. The strength of its carapace, the sharpness of its scythes. Everything made more sense. He rushed forward, meeting the beast again and dealing more wounds, taking the initiative and turning the tables around.
Sixth step.
It felt as if the shadows were speaking to Sunny. He could feel the monster's abilities and strength. He could feel exactly why it was doing everything it was doing. Sunny started seeing his enemy's attacks far into the future, even though he was much slower and weaker, his injuries accumulating, he had more than enough time to dodge and counterattack. In the end, the clash had ended in his victory.
Seventh step.
Sunny felt as if the monster's battle art was almost complete. He had copied and assembled the six steps, taking into account his mind, body, and abilities, but it felt as if something was missing. This time, Sunny focused on everything at once. The mind, the body, and the spirit. Everything clicked into place like a complete puzzle piece. When Sunny and the monster clashed again, he could see it all.
Sunny felt like he was the monster with a hard, carapace armor and two sharp scythes for arms. He also felt like he was a short, slightly frail sleeper with a tachi clenched tightly in his hand.
The flow of battle came clearly to him. He was too skilled for the monster to do anything. They engaged more and more, and he won more and more. Every exchange was in his favor. Until his strength dissipated.
'W-Was it too late?' The thought rang through Sunny's mind. Yes, he had deciphered and recreated the monster's battle art. Yes, he could predict all of its movements in advance. But he was too weak, too slow, too injured. And the monster was too strong, too fast, too hard. After all of his efforts, he started to lose again.
The more he engaged, the more he realized the limits of his body and the strength of his adversary. And to add salt to the wound, the small battlefield he felt around with his shadow step started to shrink.
'W-What!?' Sunny wondered. What was happening to his shadow sense? At first glance, it looked like it was shrinking, but no… it was not. Then, suddenly, his mind went blank. He had reached his limits.